MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME

Explore the world with Uwekind!

The key step in education is the children’s emotional and physical development, improvement of independent research skills and establishment of their future interests. This is the time when they create life-long learning habits and gain self-confidence, determination and a critical attitude towards what they know and do.
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IB Middle Years Programme

Uwekind is the only school in Bulgaria that teaches according to the MYP. This programme encompasses a period of 5 years and is elaborated for the academic needs of Grade 6-10 students. It encourages the students to be involved in their own learning process, to share their knowledge and to be open and tolerant towards people with different experiences and from different cultures.

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International exams

The exam period at the end of Grade 10 takes place in all MYP schools around the world. This innovative online assessment model is trustworthy, highly academic and challenging to the students. It guarantees a quality and meaningful feedback, as well as an opportunity to fuse academic achievements at a world level.

The national program

The subjects of the Bulgarian national program are wholly incorporated into the framework of the Middle Years Programme. The programme is flexible and allows a refraction of the national curriculum through the prism of conceptual and contextual teaching.

Explore the world with Uwekind!

Which subject areas do we learn?

MYP subjects are taught in eight subject areas with common goals and assessment criteria. The programme ends with an exam in every subject group.
Group 1: Bulgarian language and literature
In this subject group, the curriculum is organized into six areas – listening, speaking, reading, writing, visualising and presenting. Language is key to the development of critical thinking skills, which are the most significant in cultivating intercultural understanding and responsible civil attitude.

Our students work on many texts and thus develop understanding of moral, social, economic, political, cultural and natural dimensions of life. They improve their ability to formulate opinions and to make decisions based on ethical arguments.

Our teaching goals in Bulgarian language and literature classes are to study a number of fictional and nonfiction texts, to work with various genres and writing techniques, to comment in different contexts, audience and goal, and to freely use linguistic and literary terminology.

Group 2: Foreign languages
Studying foreign languages ensures that the students have an opportunity to develop their understanding of the essence, processes and use of language and the culture it carries with it.

Students face linguistic and academic challenges, in order to learn how to communicate in different ways in more than two languages. They are provided with an opportunity to develop their language skills according to their own potential by progressing in groups through development phases.

The programme also provides a certification opportunity according to the students’ achievement level and personal goals.

Group 3: Individuals and societies
This subject area encompasses history and civilizations, geography and economics, philosophy, psychology, ethics, business and management.

The students collect, describe and analyze the data from various scientific and media resources, test their own hypotheses and learn how to interpret complex information, which also includes original primary resources. They focus on real-life examples, investigate and analyze important aspects of global themes.

Students are taught to respect and understand the world around them and develop the necessary skills to investigate historical, geographical, political, social, economic, religious, technological and cultural factors, which influence individuals, societies and the environment.

Group 4: Sciences
This subject area includes man and nature, biology, chemistry and physics. Our goal is to encourage students to learn academic themes through investigation, observation and experimentation, as they work individually and in groups of two in the Uwekind laboratories.

The students explore real-life examples of scientific applications and discover the interactions and relationships between sciences and morality, ethics, culture, economics, politics and the environment.

Scientific investigations develop critical and creative thinking skills through the search of alternative explanations.

Students learn to accept and respect the ideas of others and to develop their own sense of responsibility as members of society and citizens of the world.

Group 5: Mathematics

Studying mathematics develops research skills and practical application of knowledge, and helps students perfect solution techniques for problematic situations, which can be applied to the real world. Students are taught to present information, to investigate, to create model situations and to find solutions to familiar and unfamiliar problems.

Mathematics provides a basis for studying natural sciences, technologies, computer sciences and skills, which are applicable in social sciences and arts.

At Uwekind mathematics instruction is organized into two levels, ending with the respective exam at the end of Grade 10.

  • Standard mathematics – provides the students with a sound knowledge of basic mathematical principles while allowing them to develop the necessary mathematical.
  • Extended mathematics – the standard mathematics framework is supplemented by additional topics and skills, providing greater breadth and depth in mathematical understanding.
Group 6: Arts
Instruction in this area makes the students create, perform and present art so as to share feelings, experiences and ideas. They gain new skills and perfect them by being both creators and art lovers.

Arts stimulate young imaginations, challenge perceptions and develop creative and analytical skills. Students are encouraged to understand the arts in context, to learn cultural histories of artworks and to develop empathy to various individuals.

Group 7: Design and digital competencies
The goals in this subject area challenge students to apply practical and creative thinking skills to solve design problems. Instruction focuses on a holistic design process, as opposed to only final products and solutions.

Students follow the steps of a design cycle (inquiry and analysis of design problems; development and creation of feasible solutions; product testing and evaluation) and are taught to apply the acquired skills in solving real-life situations.

Group 8: Physical and health education
Physical and health education focuses on the acquisition of an active culture and the development of personal skills through physical activities.

Students are taught to accept and respect the ideas of others and to develop their collaboration and communication skills.

PE classes take place in the halls and sport grounds of the “Sportna Sofia” complex.

Personal projects

This is an investigation lead by the student, aimed entirely at the interest area chosen by him or her towards the end of the MYP programme. The investigation topic and product can be related to any area of the world around them. Thus the students make a connection with the real world, making contacts and realizing the influence that their work can have on the community in which they live.

Global context

Students learn the most efficiently, when they can make a connection to the world around them and to their own personal experiences. They study the curricula in various contexts – personal and cultural expression, orientation in space and time, identities and relationships, scientific and technical innovation, globalization and sustainability, fairness and development.

Useful to the community

Our students apply what they learn and gain experience in numerous community projects, dedicated to different causes and global problems. They reflect and look for solutions by taking part in various charitable events and activities that help foster a better community.
Every child comes to us with their individuality and strong qualities. We will gladly meet with you and your child and tell you more about our curriculum, mission and philosophy.

Our students

What I like about the MYP programme is that I was able to develop my extra-curricular interests and to see them through an academic point of view. I learned how important planning and organization of personal time is. I developed many skills that were useful to me not only at school, but also later in life.
Dimana Boshnakova

Grade 11

MYP prepares you for difficulties that you will have to face in later years. Especially useful are the unit planners, because the student has a clear idea of what he or she will learn in a specific period and what the final assessment task will be. This way planning and self-organization skills, extremely important for the future, are developed.
Vanesa Marinova

Grade 11

MYP provided me with a solid basis for the IB programme. I developed skills that easened my learning process, while understanding that memorizing will not help me as much as reflection will. It gave me an opportunity to organize my time and to work in accordance with my own interests and potential.
Leda Spasova

Grade 11

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