Curriculum & Frameworks
An ecosystem where every child's strengths lead.
We weave four frameworks into one coherent journey. WEITS™ is our futures offering — the modalities, literacies, soft and hard skills our children will live by. The IB PYP is the global pathway. PPPP™ is the compass that keeps every child seen, supported and belonging. The ISI Inquiry Cycle moves us from wonder to action.
WEITS™ · Our futures offering
Five lenses for how today's children will live, learn & lead.
Future-proof skills and literacies — emotional, financial, design, digital, systems — woven through every unit, every studio, every day.
Inspired by the IB Primary Years · a global pathway for each learner
The map the world recognises.
The IB PYP gives us the scope and sequence, the transdisciplinary themes, the learner profile and the inquiry rigour. It travels with our children — wherever they go next.
6 Transdisciplinary Themes
Who we are · Where we are in place & time · How we express ourselves · How the world works · How we organise ourselves · Sharing the planet
7 Key Concepts
Form · Function · Causation · Change · Connection · Perspective · Responsibility
5 ATLs
Thinking · Research · Communication · Social · Self-management
10 Learner Profile attributes
Inquirers · Knowledgeable · Thinkers · Communicators · Principled · Open-minded · Caring · Risk-takers · Balanced · Reflective
PPPP™ · Our compass
So every child belongs — strengths first, challenges supported.
PPPP™ is how we know each child: their why, their who, their where, and their how. It's the compass behind every learning plan, every conversation, every celebration.
WHY
Purpose
What lights this child up.
WHO
People
Mentors, peers, family walking beside them.
WHERE
Place
Cascais — studio, sea, community.
HOW
Practice
Daily habits that make learning stick.
The ISI Inquiry Cycle
From wonder to action — and into enterprise.
Our own inquiry rhythm. Children don't just learn about the world — they investigate it, build for it, share with it and act on it. Some of those actions become real ventures.
Wonder
Notice. Question. Imagine.
01
Tune In
Connect to prior knowledge & passions.
02
Investigate
Research, interview, observe, gather.
03
Experiment
Test, prototype, iterate, reflect.
04
Make
Build, design, write, compose, code.
05
Share
Exhibit, perform, publish, present.
06
Act
Service, advocacy, real-world change.
07
Enterprise
Execute. Launch. Make a venture of it.
08
The Agentic Entrepreneurship Inquiry Cycle
Learning is a messy, beautiful, interconnected journey.
Not a flowchart. A constellation. Every stage flows into every other, and a glowing Metacognitive Core of self-efficacy and reflection fuels every move a learner makes — from first wonder to launching a venture.
Every subject · every unit
All scope & sequence subjects woven into every UOI.
English, Português, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Arts, Music, PSPE / Wellbeing, Technology, Entrepreneurship — all present, always. WEITS™ modalities are dialled up where the UOI pathway calls for them. Tap any subject or pillar to see the strands and Studio 1 / Studio 2 learning outcomes.
Two studios · one shared journey
Learning together — at different depths.
Studio 1 (left) and Studio 2 (right) inquire into the same theme at the same time. Each unit deepens what came before and seeds what comes next — a research-based spiral mapping subjects, concepts, ATLs, attitudes, future skills, literacies and WEITS™ modalities.
Studio 1 · Identity, wellbeing, belonging
Who We Are
"People develop identities, relationships and habits that influence wellbeing and belonging."
- Understanding ourselves and others
- Healthy choices and emotional wellbeing
- Families, friendships and communities
- We are photographers — telling the story of our community
Conceptual understandings
- My identity is made of stories, relationships and choices.
- Healthy bodies and healthy feelings are connected.
- Belonging grows when we listen and respond with care.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Wellbeing in the body + photojournalism of community — two paired residencies
Guest expert in residence
Start-of-year: our personal trainer & wellbeing coach. Mid-unit: visiting photojournalist (Humans-of-Cascais residency).
What the residency looks like
We open the year with our personal trainer & wellbeing coach — a motivational talk on what a balanced life looks like, then hands-on modalities children practise weekly: dance, breathwork, healthy eating, and co-designing a personal exercise plan they own. Mid-unit a working photojournalist arrives — teaching children how to look, listen, and ask the one question that opens a person up. They carry cameras into Cascais and return with portraits + quotes from real neighbours.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →Two artefacts: each child's personal balance plan (movement · breath · food · rest), AND a 'Humans of Cascais' exhibition wall pairing their portraits with first-person journal entries from the people they met.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Profile journal
Identity is best inquired into through real human voice. Children read intimate journals and short profiles, then write their own first-person stories and the stories of people they meet.
Mentor texts we read
- Humans of New York — Brandon Stanton (selected profiles)
- The Name Jar — Yangsook Choi
- All Are Welcome — Alexandra Penfold
- Excerpts from Diary of a Wimpy Kid (journal voice)
Craft moves we apply
- Write in 'I' voice with one small moment
- Capture one quote that tells the whole story
- Pair an image with words that don't just describe it
How we present
'Humans of Cascais' opening night — children curate their portrait-and-journal wall and host visitors as docents, reading entries aloud.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: data about us is the hook. Every child draws their data first (visual), then compares with a partner (multiple representations). 'Mistakes are where the brain grows' — wrong predictions about the class are celebrated as the most interesting findings.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Parque Marechal Carmona — Belonging walks, friendship circles and family-tree mapping under the trees.
- Praia da Conceição — Body-awareness, breath and sensory regulation by the ocean.
- Mercado da Vila — Meeting growers and makers — community as an extension of who we are.
All subjects · every unit · click any
Who We Are
Foundations
Studio 2 · Identity, wellbeing, belonging
Who We Are
"Beliefs, values and choices influence identity and wellbeing."
- Personal growth
- Rights and responsibilities
- Relationships and resilience
- We are photographers — telling the story of our community
Conceptual understandings
- Beliefs and values shape the choices that shape identity.
- Wellbeing is a system — sleep, food, movement, relationships, meaning.
- Voice carries responsibility: how I tell my story changes how I am heard.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Wellbeing in the body + photojournalism of community — two paired residencies
Guest expert in residence
Start-of-year: our personal trainer & wellbeing coach. Mid-unit: visiting photojournalist (Humans-of-Cascais residency).
What the residency looks like
We open the year with our personal trainer & wellbeing coach — a motivational talk on what a balanced life looks like, then hands-on modalities children practise weekly: dance, breathwork, healthy eating, and co-designing a personal exercise plan they own. Mid-unit a working photojournalist arrives — teaching children how to look, listen, and ask the one question that opens a person up. They carry cameras into Cascais and return with portraits + quotes from real neighbours.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →Two artefacts: each child's personal balance plan (movement · breath · food · rest), AND a 'Humans of Cascais' exhibition wall pairing their portraits with first-person journal entries from the people they met.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Profile journal
Identity is best inquired into through real human voice. Children read intimate journals and short profiles, then write their own first-person stories and the stories of people they meet.
Mentor texts we read
- Humans of New York: Stories — Brandon Stanton
- Brown Girl Dreaming — Jacqueline Woodson
- The Diary of a Young Girl — Anne Frank (selected entries)
- Short profile features from The New Yorker / The Guardian Long Read
Craft moves we apply
- Let the subject's voice carry the piece — minimal narration
- Open in scene, close on reflection
- Earn the quote — show what made the person say it
How we present
'Humans of Cascais' opening night — children curate their portrait-and-journal wall and host visitors as docents, reading entries aloud.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: data about us is the hook. Every child draws their data first (visual), then compares with a partner (multiple representations). 'Mistakes are where the brain grows' — wrong predictions about the class are celebrated as the most interesting findings.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Casa das Histórias Paula Rego — Identity, story and selfhood explored through a major Portuguese artist.
- Cascais sports clubs & surf schools — Resilience, discipline and belonging tested in real physical practice.
- Quinta do Pisão wellbeing walks — Solitude, reflection and journaling in nature — values and choices examined.
All subjects · every unit · click any
Studio 1 · Orientation in place and time
Where We Are in Place and Time
"Journeys and discoveries shape communities and cultures."
- Maps and navigation
- History of Cascais and Portugal
- Exploration and migration
Conceptual understandings
- Where I am is shaped by what came before me.
- Journeys leave traces — in places, in people, in stories.
- The same place looks different through different eyes.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Oral history & place-based storytelling — children as keepers of memory
Guest expert in residence
Visiting oral historian / documentary filmmaker (in residence with Cascais elders)
What the residency looks like
An oral historian works with children for a week — teaching the craft of the interview: how to sit with silence, how to ask follow-ups, how to handle a memory that hurts. Children record elders of Cascais and bring their voices home.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →An audio-and-photograph memory archive of Cascais — children's written memoirs alongside transcribed voices of those who came before.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Memoir
Place and time live in the people who remember them. Children read memoir, then write their own — and a borrowed elder's — story of this town.
Mentor texts we read
- Last Stop on Market Street — Matt de la Peña
- The Journey — Francesca Sanna
- Granddad's Island — Benji Davies
- Local Cascais maritime histories told by elders
Craft moves we apply
- Anchor a memory in one place — name what you saw, smelled, heard
- Use a time-word to move forward or back
- Show how the place made you feel without saying it
How we present
Studio memory walk — children narrate their memoir on location in Cascais, beside the artefact, photograph or place that holds the story.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: maps and timelines are visual maths. Children build their own scale before being given one — low-floor, high-ceiling. Every wrong estimate of a distance or a date opens a richer conversation than a right one.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Cidadela de Cascais — Walking the walls — orienting on the bay and reading layers of Portuguese history in stone.
- Cascais Old Town & Bay — Mapping streets, naming landmarks, sketching the harbour as the first navigators saw it.
- Farol da Guia lighthouse trail — Coastal navigation, compass work and the story of sailors leaving and returning.
All subjects · every unit · click any
Where We Are in Place and Time
Connection
Studio 2 · Orientation in place and time
Where We Are in Place and Time
"Migration, exploration and innovation shape societies and opportunities."
- Portuguese maritime history
- Global connections
- Human migration
Conceptual understandings
- History is reconstructed from evidence, and evidence has perspective.
- Migration and exchange change cultures over time.
- How we map the world reveals what we value.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Oral history & place-based storytelling — children as keepers of memory
Guest expert in residence
Visiting oral historian / documentary filmmaker (in residence with Cascais elders)
What the residency looks like
An oral historian works with children for a week — teaching the craft of the interview: how to sit with silence, how to ask follow-ups, how to handle a memory that hurts. Children record elders of Cascais and bring their voices home.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →An audio-and-photograph memory archive of Cascais — children's written memoirs alongside transcribed voices of those who came before.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Memoir
Place and time live in the people who remember them. Children read memoir, then write their own — and a borrowed elder's — story of this town.
Mentor texts we read
- Brown Girl Dreaming — Jacqueline Woodson
- A Long Walk to Water — Linda Sue Park
- Travel-memoir essays — Pico Iyer
- Primary-source diaries of Portuguese navigators
Craft moves we apply
- Braid past and present in alternating beats
- Let landscape carry meaning the narrator won't say
- Name whose perspective is in the room — and whose is missing
How we present
Studio memory walk — children narrate their memoir on location in Cascais, beside the artefact, photograph or place that holds the story.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: maps and timelines are visual maths. Children build their own scale before being given one — low-floor, high-ceiling. Every wrong estimate of a distance or a date opens a richer conversation than a right one.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Museu do Mar Rei D. Carlos — Portuguese maritime history, oceanography and the Age of Discoveries in context.
- Cabo da Roca — The westernmost edge of Europe — launchpoint of exploration and global trade.
- Forte de São Jorge de Oitavos & Cidadela — Reading fortifications as evidence of power, trade routes and migration.
All subjects · every unit · click any
Studio 1 · Creativity, ideas, culture
How We Express Ourselves
"People communicate ideas and emotions in many ways."
- Storytelling and creativity
- Music and movement
- Art as communication
Conceptual understandings
- People express what they feel and think in many forms.
- Form, sound and image carry meaning together with words.
- Choices in art are intentional — they speak.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Sound, rhythm & spoken word — children as DJs and poets of their own voice
Guest expert in residence
Visiting DJ / sound designer & spoken-word poet (joint residency)
What the residency looks like
A working DJ and a spoken-word poet come into the studio. The DJ teaches beat-counting, sampling and the maths of a mix; the poet teaches voice, breath and the moment a line lands. Children write, mix and perform.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →A live Studio Salon — each child performs a spoken-word piece over a beat they built themselves, with their voice as the lead instrument.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Spoken-word poetry
Expression is most alive when word, rhythm and voice are one act. Children read poetry on the page, then make it land in the room — over a beat they composed.
Mentor texts we read
- The Crossover (excerpts) — Kwame Alexander
- Honey, I Love — Eloise Greenfield
- Hip-hop Speaks to Children — ed. Nikki Giovanni
- Sing a Song of Seasons — Fiona Waters
Craft moves we apply
- Rhythm & repetition — write a chorus that hooks
- Line-break for breath
- One strong image per stanza
How we present
Studio Salon — a candlelit evening of spoken-word performance over child-made beats, with children introducing each other's work.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: maths is creative and physical here. Children clap, loop and visualise rhythm before they notate it. Multiple representations — pattern, beat, image, number — and every 'wrong' rhythm is a new groove worth trying.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Centro Cultural de Cascais — Live exhibitions and performance — seeing how artists express ideas to a public.
- Praia da Conceição — Outdoor drawing, dance and storytelling with the sea as the stage.
- Cascais street-art trail — Reading murals as messages — meaning, audience and place all at once.
All subjects · every unit · click any
How We Express Ourselves
Expression
Studio 2 · Creativity, ideas, culture
How We Express Ourselves
"Creativity and communication influence understanding and culture."
- Literature and media
- Visual and performing arts
- Digital communication
Conceptual understandings
- Audience and purpose shape every creative choice.
- Combining modalities can deepen — or dilute — meaning.
- Craft is the difference between expression and impact.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Sound, rhythm & spoken word — children as DJs and poets of their own voice
Guest expert in residence
Visiting DJ / sound designer & spoken-word poet (joint residency)
What the residency looks like
A working DJ and a spoken-word poet come into the studio. The DJ teaches beat-counting, sampling and the maths of a mix; the poet teaches voice, breath and the moment a line lands. Children write, mix and perform.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →A live Studio Salon — each child performs a spoken-word piece over a beat they built themselves, with their voice as the lead instrument.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Spoken-word poetry
Expression is most alive when word, rhythm and voice are one act. Children read poetry on the page, then make it land in the room — over a beat they composed.
Mentor texts we read
- Out of the Dust — Karen Hesse
- B — Sarah Kay (spoken-word film)
- Selected Saul Williams & Kae Tempest performances
- Hamilton libretto — Lin-Manuel Miranda (selected songs)
Craft moves we apply
- Extended metaphor carried across a verse
- Volta — the turn in the poem / the beat drop
- Embodied performance — voice, pause, gesture, mic technique
How we present
Studio Salon — a candlelit evening of spoken-word performance over child-made beats, with children introducing each other's work.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: maths is creative and physical here. Children clap, loop and visualise rhythm before they notate it. Multiple representations — pattern, beat, image, number — and every 'wrong' rhythm is a new groove worth trying.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Casa das Histórias Paula Rego — Studying a contemporary artist's craft, themes and curation choices.
- Centro Cultural de Cascais — Producing and exhibiting work to a real public — audience as part of meaning.
- Cascais film & photography locations — Light, framing, location scouting — visual storytelling on the coast.
All subjects · every unit · click any
Studio 1 · Natural & physical world
How the World Works
"Patterns and systems help us explain the world around us."
- Weather and seasons
- Living things and habitats
- Forces and materials
Conceptual understandings
- The world is full of patterns I can notice and test.
- A fair test is the way scientists separate luck from cause.
- I can explain what I see using evidence, not opinion.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Science documentary filmmaking — children as field investigators behind the camera
Guest expert in residence
Visiting documentary filmmaker / engineer-in-residence
What the residency looks like
A documentary filmmaker (and where possible a working engineer or scientist) joins the studio. Children learn the craft of the science short — how to film an experiment, narrate it cleanly, and interview a real expert without losing the thread.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →A studio-published 'How the World Works' short film festival — child-directed science explainers screened to families and the wider community.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Science explainer script
Inquiry-as-science needs the precise voice of explanation. Children write the explainer script, then narrate it to camera over their own footage and diagrams.
Mentor texts we read
- The Magic School Bus series
- Gail Gibbons explanation books
- Selected episodes of Brain Pop / Wild Kratts
- Studio observation logs
Craft moves we apply
- Cause-and-effect sentences a viewer can follow
- Labelled diagrams on screen
- Technical vocabulary used precisely — and defined
How we present
Studio science film festival — children screen their explainer films and host live Q&A with a working demonstration.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: children see the maths before they calculate it — graphs are drawn, estimated, argued over, then refined. Mistakes in measurement are reframed as the point of the next experiment, not a failure.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Boca do Inferno — Forces in action — Atlantic waves carving rock, recording change over time.
- Praia do Guincho dunes — Wind, sand and weather — measuring, sketching and explaining patterns outdoors.
- Parque Natural Sintra-Cascais trails — Habitats, plants and animals studied in their living context.
All subjects · every unit · click any
How the World Works
Pattern
Studio 2 · Natural & physical world
How the World Works
"Scientific understanding enables people to explain and influence change."
- Matter and energy
- Earth systems
- Forces and inventions
Conceptual understandings
- Systems behave in ways their parts alone cannot predict.
- Models are useful approximations — never the whole truth.
- Scientific knowledge advances through controlled variables, replication and peer critique.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Science documentary filmmaking — children as field investigators behind the camera
Guest expert in residence
Visiting documentary filmmaker / engineer-in-residence
What the residency looks like
A documentary filmmaker (and where possible a working engineer or scientist) joins the studio. Children learn the craft of the science short — how to film an experiment, narrate it cleanly, and interview a real expert without losing the thread.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →A studio-published 'How the World Works' short film festival — child-directed science explainers screened to families and the wider community.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Science explainer script
Inquiry-as-science needs the precise voice of explanation. Children write the explainer script, then narrate it to camera over their own footage and diagrams.
Mentor texts we read
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind — William Kamkwamba
- Selected David Attenborough narration scripts
- Science feature articles (Nat Geo, NYT)
- Hank Green / Kurzgesagt explainer scripts
Craft moves we apply
- Hypothesis stated as if-then on camera
- Method written so another could replicate
- Discussion that separates data from interpretation
How we present
Studio science film festival — children screen their explainer films and host live Q&A with a working demonstration.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: children see the maths before they calculate it — graphs are drawn, estimated, argued over, then refined. Mistakes in measurement are reframed as the point of the next experiment, not a failure.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Cabo Raso & coastal cliffs — Geology, erosion and earth systems read directly from the rock.
- Serra de Sintra geology trails — Magmatic rock, microclimates and ecosystems on a single mountain.
- Cascais weather & ocean stations — Real datasets — wind, tide, temperature — analysed and modelled.
All subjects · every unit · click any
Studio 1 · Systems & communities
How We Organise Ourselves
"Communities organise themselves to meet needs and create opportunities."
- Jobs and services
- Money and exchange
- Entrepreneurship and innovation
Conceptual understandings
- Communities work because people take on different roles.
- Exchange — of time, skills, money — connects us.
- Rules and agreements can be made, and remade, to be fair.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Design thinking & the founder's pitch — children as venture-builders
Guest expert in residence
Visiting founder / product designer in residence
What the residency looks like
A working founder or product designer comes into the studio. Children learn user interviews, prototyping, MVPs and the structure of a real pitch — and rehearse with the kind of feedback a real investor gives.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →Studio Pitch Night — every team pitches a real venture (product, service or social) to a panel of working founders and community leaders.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Persuasive pitch
To inquire into how communities organise, children must learn to propose, persuade and pitch. The pitch is the genre of enterprise — and of citizenship.
Mentor texts we read
- I Wanna Iguana — Karen Kaufman Orloff
- Persuasive picture books & ads
- Studio rule proposals
- Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type — Doreen Cronin
Craft moves we apply
- Strong opening hook
- Three reasons that build
- Confident closing ask
How we present
Studio Pitch Night — children pitch their venture or proposal to a panel of visiting parents, founders and community leaders.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: a real budget is the most motivating maths task there is. Children build their pricing model visually first, defend it to peers, and revise — the spreadsheet is the artefact of their thinking, not a test.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Mercado da Vila — Meeting traders, comparing prices, mapping where food and goods come from.
- Marina de Cascais — Seeing services in action — boats, customs, hospitality, logistics, jobs.
- Cascais Câmara Municipal — How a town organises itself — civic services, democracy, public space.
All subjects · every unit · click any
How We Organise Ourselves
Systems
Studio 2 · Systems & communities
How We Organise Ourselves
"Systems and innovation shape economies and communities."
- Businesses and entrepreneurship
- Resources and economics
- Leadership and collaboration
Conceptual understandings
- Systems are designed — and what they reward, they get.
- A real venture solves a real problem for a real person.
- Leadership is the practice of helping a group make a decision together.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Design thinking & the founder's pitch — children as venture-builders
Guest expert in residence
Visiting founder / product designer in residence
What the residency looks like
A working founder or product designer comes into the studio. Children learn user interviews, prototyping, MVPs and the structure of a real pitch — and rehearse with the kind of feedback a real investor gives.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →Studio Pitch Night — every team pitches a real venture (product, service or social) to a panel of working founders and community leaders.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Persuasive pitch
To inquire into how communities organise, children must learn to propose, persuade and pitch. The pitch is the genre of enterprise — and of citizenship.
Mentor texts we read
- Shark Tank / Dragons' Den pitch transcripts
- TED talks on social enterprise
- Op-ed columns from major papers
- Y Combinator demo-day pitches (selected)
Craft moves we apply
- Problem → Solution → Proof structure
- Address counter-arguments before they're raised
- Visual + numerical evidence in the deck
How we present
Studio Pitch Night — children pitch their venture or proposal to a panel of visiting parents, founders and community leaders.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: a real budget is the most motivating maths task there is. Children build their pricing model visually first, defend it to peers, and revise — the spreadsheet is the artefact of their thinking, not a test.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Nova SBE campus, Carcavelos — Visiting a world-class business school — entrepreneurship and economics in action.
- Cascais startup & co-working spaces — Interviewing founders, learning business models, pitching to real mentors.
- Marina de Cascais businesses — Studying real operations — pricing, supply, customers, regulation.
All subjects · every unit · click any
Studio 1 · Rights, responsibility, sustainability
Sharing the Planet
"People share responsibility for protecting resources and living things."
- Sustainability
- Oceans and marine life
- Human impact
Conceptual understandings
- We share the planet with people and living things we will never meet.
- Small actions, repeated together, change a community.
- Caring for what we share is everyone's responsibility.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Investigative journalism & activism — children as reporters of the planet
Guest expert in residence
Visiting investigative journalist / climate scientist or activist
What the residency looks like
An investigative journalist (paired where possible with a working climate scientist or activist) joins the studio. Children learn how a real story gets reported — interviewing stakeholders, fact-checking claims, and earning the right to ask for change.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →A published Studio Dispatch — a print-and-digital edition of investigative articles, plus a Town Hall where children deliver the advocacy speech tied to their reporting.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Investigative article
Shared responsibility demands evidence, story and voice. Children report the issue as journalists, building the article as their central written artefact for the unit.
Mentor texts we read
- The Lorax — Dr. Seuss
- We Are Water Protectors — Carole Lindstrom
- Greta Thunberg speeches (excerpts)
- One Plastic Bag — Miranda Paul
Craft moves we apply
- Start with a story, end with an ask
- Use 'we' to include the audience
- Speak slowly and look up
How we present
Studio Town Hall — children publish their article and deliver the linked speech to a community audience, with a written response invited from a real stakeholder.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: every statistic in the article must be a number the child can picture. Visual modelling first, calculation second — and the limits of the data are reported as honestly as the data itself.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Praia da Rainha tide pools — Caring for marine life up close — careful observation and stewardship.
- Quinta do Pisão — Rewilding in practice — donkeys, native planting, biodiversity walks.
- Cascais coastline clean-ups — Action as learning — measuring impact, reducing waste, taking responsibility.
All subjects · every unit · click any
Sharing the Planet
Action
Studio 2 · Rights, responsibility, sustainability
Sharing the Planet
"Interdependence requires responsible action for a sustainable future."
- Climate and ecosystems
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Human impact and solutions
Conceptual understandings
- Sustainability is a system — environment, economy, equity, time.
- Advocacy combines evidence, story and a clear ask.
- Impact is measurable: an action without an outcome is only an intention.
Modality & expert-in-residence · the craft we practise
Focus
Investigative journalism & activism — children as reporters of the planet
Guest expert in residence
Visiting investigative journalist / climate scientist or activist
What the residency looks like
An investigative journalist (paired where possible with a working climate scientist or activist) joins the studio. Children learn how a real story gets reported — interviewing stakeholders, fact-checking claims, and earning the right to ask for change.
By Stage 08 · Enterprise →A published Studio Dispatch — a print-and-digital edition of investigative articles, plus a Town Hall where children deliver the advocacy speech tied to their reporting.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Investigative article
Shared responsibility demands evidence, story and voice. Children report the issue as journalists, building the article as their central written artefact for the unit.
Mentor texts we read
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind — William Kamkwamba
- Long-form journalism — National Geographic
- UN SDG youth briefs
- Selected New York Times Climate desk features
Craft moves we apply
- Pair data with human story
- Anticipate and name the opposing view
- Close with a specific, measurable ask
How we present
Studio Town Hall — children publish their article and deliver the linked speech to a community audience, with a written response invited from a real stakeholder.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
Jo Boaler-inspired stance · how we teach the maths
Boaler-inspired: every statistic in the article must be a number the child can picture. Visual modelling first, calculation second — and the limits of the data are reported as honestly as the data itself.
WEITS™ modalities for this pathway
Cascais as our extended classroom
- Guincho dunes restoration sites — Climate adaptation in practice — dune fences, native planting, monitoring.
- Parque Natural Sintra-Cascais — Biodiversity, conservation policy and rewilding linked to the UN SDGs.
- Cascais Ambiente recycling centre — Circular economy made visible — waste streams, processing, accountability.
All subjects · every unit · click any
A research-based spiral
Each inquiry connects forward and back. Mathematics in How the World Works seeds the economics of How We Organise Ourselves; identity work in Who We Are deepens the perspective-taking of Sharing the Planet. Modalities, literacies and ATLs accumulate — children leave Studio 2 ready for MYP, secondary, and the world.
Visit a studio
See the frameworks in action.
Guided by the IB PYP Scope and Sequence. WEITS™ and PPPP™ © Nichola de Montaigne — proprietary frameworks used at ISI Cascais under the founder's licence.