International School Altdorf is broadening its academic offering for the junior years, to accommodate the more diverse background of its international students and prepare them for the challenges they will face in their senior years towards graduation and later to university and the professional environment.

International School Altdorf is now a Candidate School* for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP), as it is pursuing authorization for this programme as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy – a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education that International School Altdorf 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 (DP) or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization for a programme will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.

Core Characteristics of the Middle Years Programme

  • Addresses holistically students’ intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being;
  • Provides students opportunities to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need in order to manage complexity and take responsible action for the future;
  • Ensures breadth and depth of understanding through study in eight subject groups;
  • Requires the study of at least two languages (language of instruction and additional language of choice) to support students in understanding their own cultures and those of others;
  • Empowers students to participate in service within the community;
  • Helps to prepare students for further education, the workplace and a lifetime of learning.

 

International School Altdorf has thus reorganized its course offering as a comprehensive and balanced program for the junior years, designed to highlight conceptual understanding, reasoning, critical thinking and interdisciplinary connections.

This approach will address the needs of our students aged 14 to 16 years and develop active learners who can simultaneously be creative, critical and reflective thinkers.

Curriculum

Current junior students at the International School Altdorf study several courses from six different groups of subjects, plus a program of sports centered on physical and health education. The list of groups and subjects will evolve according to students’ needs and our progress in the curriculum authorization.

The Middle Years Programme is then completed by two core components (Personal Project, Service as Action).

Students must also participate in other activities related to clubs, sports, creative and service activities – which complement the overall programme.

Language and Literature

  • English Language and Literature
  • Chinese Language and Literature

Language Acquisition

  • English
  • German
  • French

Individual and Societies

  • History & Geography
  • Economics & Business

Science

  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Integrated Science

Mathematics

  • Mathematics (Standard)
  • Mathematics (Extended)

Art & Design

  • Digital Design
  • Visual Arts

CLUBS, SPORTS AND COMMUNITY

Sports, Physical and Health Education constitute a mandatory subject for the Middle Years Programme. In particular, physical and health education empowers students to understand and appreciate the value of being physically active and to develop the motivation for making healthy life choices, with focus on both learning about and learning through physical activity.