Middle Years (Ages 11-15)

At ISG students in the Middle Years (3 years of Middle School and the first 2 years of High School) learn through the inquiry-based curriculum, which focuses on equipping them with the skills necessary to be successful in the world today. ISG is a Candidate MYP School and started the implementation of the programme in the course of the 2021-2022 School Year.

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MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME*

The early middle years (MYP 1, 2 and 3: Age 11,12,13) is an important transition period as students change and develop in many ways physically, mentally, and socially. Students find the Middle School to be significantly different from their elementary experience. It is essential that students are supported in becoming increasingly independent, self-confident and self-reflective. The students adapt to the requirements of a number of different teachers and work on developing organisational skills as they learn to manage a continual increase in the challenges they face. As well as learning within the classroom, they will also have many opportunities to participate in a wide range of field trips and in-school activities.

The upper middle years students (MYP years 4 and 5: Age 14-15) continue to follow the philosophy and the academic rigor of the Middle School. In MYP 4 and 5 students follow a programme of studies that will continue to prepare them for the IB Diploma. MYP students in years 4 and 5 will follow a broad and balanced programme before entering the more individualised pathway of the IB Diploma programme.

The MYP academic resources are integrated with the Reading and Writing Workshop a model developed at Columbia University. During the workshop, students are at the centre, showcasing their work through writing, reading, and conferring.  

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* The International School in Genoa is a Candidate School** for the Middle Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that The International School in Genoa believes is important for our students.
** Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme, or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.

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SUBJECTS TAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE YEARS

• Language & Literature*
• Language Acquisition**
• Mathematics***
• Integrated Sciences****
• Individuals & Societies
• Physical & Health Education
• Design
• Arts (Visual Arts, Drama and Music)
• Advisory Programme (PSHE)

All students in all grade levels participate in Service learning. All students in Grade 10 participate in the Personal Project (MYP5).

* English A and Italian A courses
** Options: French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, English as an additional Language, and Italian as an additional Language
*** Starting Grade 9 (MYP4), the Mathematics pathway is Standard and Extended
**** Separated Sciences in MYP4 and MYP5 (Physics, Biology, Chemistry)

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grade 10 personal project

All students in Grade 10 will take part in the MYP Personal Project. This is a student-directed extended project which holds high importance in the MYP and reflects the students' experience of the programme. The project provides an excellent opportunity for students to produce a truly personal and creative piece of work of their choice to demonstrate the skills they have developed in the approaches to learning (research, communication, thinking, social and self management). Each student will have their own supervisor to oversee the process and all learning is celebrated with an end of year Personal Project exhibition.

Service as Action

Service learning in the MYP is a dynamic educational approach that empowers students to combine classroom learning with meaningful community service. Service is a fundamental component of the MYP curriculum, fostering holistic development by integrating academics with real-world experiences. Our service learning program is strategically designed to offer diverse age-appropriate opportunities for students in every grade, culminating in a significant project in MYP 5 (Grade 10). There may be opportunities for service within units of learning, or outside the classroom.

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Italian CURRICULUM

Our differentiated approach in learning offers the possibility for Italian mother-tongue students to follow a curriculum which meets the requirements set by the Italian State school system and for international students to learn the language of the host country.

While following the same approach to teaching, each class follows the Italian programme which follows the Italian ministerial guidelines, with the aim of achieving the learning objectives required by the Italian school system, adopting textbooks that would be used in the Italian school. Italian mother tongue speakers will follow the preparation for the Italian State Middle School final exams (Terza Media Exams). Following the ministerial CLIL* approach, the subjects of history, geography, science, art, music, computers, English, mathematics and physical education are taught in English.

Pupils who are not proficient in Italian are placed in the Italian language acquisition programme.

* CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is a methodological approach aimed at integrated learning of language-communication and disciplinary skills in a foreign language, recognised and regulated by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR).

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Nella scuola secondaria di primo grado continua il percorso di crescita delle competenze linguistiche e culturali in lingua italiana. Il curriculum segue i requisiti ministeriali e mira alla preparazione degli studenti per il superamento dell’esame di Stato di terza media. In ciascuna delle tre classi delle medie gli alunni svolgono un corso di lingua italiana (lettura, scrittura, grammatica e letteratura) di 3 ore settimanali. Il corso è integrato da un’ora settimanale di storia e geografia, un’ora di matematica e un’ora di educazione tecnica in lingua. 

Al liceo prosegue lo sviluppo delle competenze con un corso di letteratura e scrittura di 3 ore settimanali. In terza e quarta liceo Italiano A rientra tra i corsi di studio proposti nell’IB Diploma Programme.

TEACHING STAFF

Each subject is taught by a mother tongue level certified teacher who has been recruited with the support of international hiring agencies. The teaching staff represent many different nationalities, including United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Romania, Sweden, Spain, China, France and Germany.  

List of teachers per Grade level

CLASS PLACEMENT

The students’ placement is generally based on the year of birth of the child. It takes into consideration the physical, social and emotional growth of the child. 

DIGITAL LEARNING PLATFORM

All Secondary students use a laptop in school and during their home learning on a daily basis. Managebac is the platform used to assign homework and to assess the student’s progress. Google Classroom, Khan Academy and other resources are also used for routine activities. 

LANGUAGE SUPPORT PROGRAMME

Students from every country around the world, including Italy, may join ISG at every grade level. In Middle and High school, students are admitted after collecting their academic, and personal information. The English language proficiency of the student is verified in order to organize the language support if needed. The support will be offered through supervision during lessons, or for one-to-one activities when needed during school hours and will be scheduled for the time needed until the student reaches an adequate level of independence.