The PYP (Primary Years Programme) framework is based on a structured inquiry approach, where teachers facilitate the understanding of specific content and skills outlined in our curricula, but in ways that allow students to connect, be curious about, and build their own understanding of the content and skills through a deeper grasp of concepts.

Research consistently shows the cognitive and academic benefits of the bilingual brain. In comparison with their monolingual counterparts, bilingual individuals show greater mental flexibility and stronger executive function, in addition to the ability to see the world from multiple perspectives and consider problems from a variety of different angles. We provide immersive language learning experiences that build a strong foundation for students to become bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural individuals. In Kindergarten through 2nd grade, students spend 70% of their time learning in Chinese, French, or German. In 3rd through 5th grade, the program is balanced between English, Arabic and Turkish, or Others, to begin preparing students for the academic work they will encounter in the most academically rigorous colleges and universities.

Hammurabi uses a balanced literacy approach to building reading and writing skills in all of our languages (English, Arabic, Turkish, and Others. Teachers use a highly intentional approach to teaching literacy in meaningful contexts, and to allow students to develop a love of reading and writing. Students develop the ability to use a wide variety of reading strategies to decode and interpret texts alongside the ability to write for a variety of purposes. Students have ongoing opportunities to develop their literacy skills through small group instruction and guided reading opportunities. Both reading and writing instruction are woven into the PYP (Primary Years Programme) Units of Inquiry.

At Hammurabi, artistic expression is considered another “language”, another way for our students to communicate. Students are engaged through multiple medias, senses, and sounds. From full theatre performances to gallery-like exhibitions to classroom projects and activities, students are encouraged to explore their creativity. Hammurabi takes great pride in its arts program, which includes visual arts, music, and performing arts.

Beginning in 1st Grade, the arts (visual, music, and performing) classes are instructed by a specialist teacher and are based in the English, Arabic, and Others cultures. The arts teachers collaborate with the classroom teachers to incorporate the arts into the Primary Years Programme Units of Inquiry wherever possible, as well as take an inquiry-based approach to the arts overall. Students collaborate, create, and perform throughout the year, and their work is often highlighted in community events.

Students at Hammurabi have the unique opportunity to learn mathematical skills and concepts from a variety of different angles and perspectives. The inquiry-based curriculum follows the International Baccalaureate Scope and Sequence and draws from core resources such as Singapore Math, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Turekey, approaches to mathematics education. The math program emphasizes the importance of learning mathematical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. It integrates math concepts with their real-world applications through inquiry-based units that ask students to utilize their math reasoning and skills to investigate and solve issues and problems both within and beyond the classroom

Physical education, health, and wellness are key elements of the Hammurabi elementary school program. In Kindergarten through 2nd grade, students do PE in Turekey and the program emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, and the development of motor skills. In 3rd through 5th grade, students work with a Physical Education specialist to continue developing their motor skills, alongside learning more specific athletic skills through their participation in a variety of different sports and games. Social development is central to this program as students learn to work both independently and as part of a team. The students also continue their explorations into health and wellness with the overall aim being to develop lifelong learners who lead a physically active and healthy lifestyle.

Science is a core component of the Hammurabi elementary school program and students have the opportunity to learn and apply the scientific method in a wide variety of contexts within the Primary Years Programme Units of Inquiry. The science curriculum integrates the physical, biological, and earth sciences through an investigation of Living Things, Earth and Space, Materials and Matter, and Forces and Energy, with an emphasis on students learning to develop and test hypotheses, design and create experiments, analyze data, and use deductive and inductive approaches to scientific reasoning through real world connections. In addition, all students in grades 1 through 5 have the opportunity to learn computer science in a hands-on, engaging, and age-appropriate way.

Hammurabi’s Social Studies curriculum is an essential element of each Primary Years Programme Unit of Inquiry. Students become acquainted with human systems and economic activity, social organization and culture, continuity and change through time, human and natural environments, and resources and the environment. They learn to understand today’s world and act upon it as a free and responsible individual, be active citizens in a diverse world, and confront history and geography from a variety of perspectives.