Secondary
Age 12 to 18
Curriculum
Secondary school is separated into two sections.
In grades 7 to 10, students study in the IB Middle Years Programme guided by the curriculum of the Quebec Education Program. In grade 11, students transition to the Ontario curriculum to prepare them for obtaining an Ontario Secondary School Diploma at the end of grade 12.
Our secondary curriculum closely follows QEP Canadian curriculum to allow our students to travel and study in Montreal during the school year.
CIST Grades 7 to 10 Curriculum
IB Middle Years Programme
In grades 7 to 10, CIST is authorized to offer the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP). The IB Middle years program is a flexible framework for organizing teaching and learning into units of inquiry.
An IB unit of inquiry embodies the essential elements - the concepts, global context, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and action - that young students need to equip them for successful lives, both now and in the future.
What is the MYP?
The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) prepares students to be successful in school and to be active, lifelong learners. IB students are encouraged to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers.
QEP Canadian Curriculum
The MYP is a flexible framework for organizing planning, teaching and assessment rather than a curriculum.
The knowledge and skills taught within units of inquiry in each grade level closely follow the Quebec Education Program (QEP) progression of learning.
Aligning with the QEP allows our students to transition to learning in Canada in our Academic Stays Program and sets them up for potentially studying in Quebec in grade 11.
The CIST Way
The CIST curriculum builds on the concepts, knowledge, skills, and attitudes previously developed in the Primary Years Programme (PYP). Students are generally taught in grade-level subject classes, however, in English, they are arranged by language competency so teachers can be sure that the classes are most appropriate for their learning needs.
Students participate in at least one interdisciplinary unit, involving two or more combined subject groups, per year. Interdisciplinary units encourage students to develop deeper understandings of concepts through learning experiences shared across multiple subjects.
Learning with Concepts
Conceptual learning is about big transferable ideas.
A concept-based approach moves away from subject-specific content and instead emphasizes “big ideas” that span multiple subject areas or disciplines.
Personal Orientation Project
The Personal Orientation Project is undertaken by students with a teacher’s guidance as they investigate and learn more about their own aptitudes and interests and apply that knowledge to research various pathways for post-secondary education and reflect on future careers.
Three Languages
In grades 7 to 10, students learn three languages: English, French and Thai. In the MYP, language course are organized into first language (Language and Literature) or additional language (Language Acquisition) depending on the language profile of the student.
MYP Subject Overviews
In the MYP, students learn in 8 subject groups.. To access overviews of the units taught in each subject, click the link below.
Note: these documents are only available to CIST students and their families.
The Canada Experience
As part of our Academic Stay Program, all secondary students in Grades 7 to 10 spend ten weeks of each school year at our partner school, Lakeside Academy, an IB World School, in Montreal, Canada.
Students stay in a safe and secure dormitory, attend school each day, and are able to experience a range of trips and cultural experiences on the way.
We expand on knowledge and skills gained in the classroom by:
providing a diverse extra-curricular program for all students
including students in community service initiatives in each grade level
enhancing health and physical development through sports
fostering responsibility to the school and both the local and global community
Learning How to Learn
A great emphasis is placed on learning how to learn. Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills feature throughout the curriculum, equipping students with the skills to be lifelong learners. ATL skills include:
ATL Skills
SELF-MANAGEMENT SKILLS
E.g. goal setting, perserverance, time management, adaptability, mindfulness
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
E.g. collaboration, giving and receiving feedback, writing for different purposes
SOCIAL SKILLS
E.g. practicing empathy, exercising leadership, delegating and sharing responsibility
RESEARCH SKILLS
E.g. processing data, evaluating sources, information and media literacy
THINKING SKILLS
E.g. critical thinking, creative thinking, transfer of knowledge between subjects
Where will you be in the future?
START YOUR JOURNEY
CIST Grade 11 and 12 Curriculum
Overview
In grade 11, students transition from the curriculum of Quebec to the curriculum of Ontario to prepare them for success in grade 12. In grade 12, the Ontario curriculum is offered provided through a partnership with Rosedale Academy.
CIST is a collaborative partner school in the Rosedale Global High School Program.