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.
IB Primary Years · the global pathway
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Personal narrative / memoir
To inquire into identity, children read and write the stories that made them. Memoir gives them craft to honour their own voice and listen to others'.
Mentor texts we read
- The Name Jar — Yangsook Choi
- Last Stop on Market Street — Matt de la Peña
- All Are Welcome — Alexandra Penfold
Craft moves we apply
- Show a feeling without naming it
- Use a small moment, not a whole day
- Speak in my own voice
How we present
Living-room reading — children perform their memoir aloud to family in a candlelit studio circle.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Personal narrative / memoir
To inquire into identity, children read and write the stories that made them. Memoir gives them craft to honour their own voice and listen to others'.
Mentor texts we read
- Brown Girl Dreaming — Jacqueline Woodson
- When You Trap a Tiger — Tae Keller
- Selected memoir essays
Craft moves we apply
- Braid past and present
- Use sensory detail to carry meaning
- End with a reflective beat, not a moral
How we present
Living-room reading — children perform their memoir aloud to family in a candlelit studio circle.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Historical recount & travel writing
To inquire into place and time, children learn to recount what happened, place themselves inside it, and write the landscape with a traveller's eye.
Mentor texts we read
- The Journey — Francesca Sanna
- Henry's Freedom Box — Ellen Levine
- Local Cascais maritime histories
Craft moves we apply
- Order events with time-words
- Add sensory detail of the place
- Show how I felt at each step
How we present
Studio museum walk — children narrate their recount beside artefacts, maps and photographs to a visiting audience.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Historical recount & travel writing
To inquire into place and time, children learn to recount what happened, place themselves inside it, and write the landscape with a traveller's eye.
Mentor texts we read
- A Long Walk to Water — Linda Sue Park
- Travel essays — Pico Iyer / Bruce Chatwin
- Primary-source diaries of Portuguese navigators
Craft moves we apply
- Anchor recount in sourced evidence
- Switch between landscape and reflection
- Acknowledge whose perspective is missing
How we present
Studio museum walk — children narrate their recount beside artefacts, maps and photographs to a visiting audience.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Poetry & spoken-word performance
Poetry holds the most craft moves per word — perfect for inquiring into expression. Performing it teaches that form, voice and audience are one creative act.
Mentor texts we read
- The Crossover (excerpts) — Kwame Alexander
- Sing a Song of Seasons — Fiona Waters
- Picture-book poetry collections
Craft moves we apply
- Rhythm & repetition
- Line-break for breath
- One strong image per poem
How we present
Studio Salon — a candlelit evening of poetry performance for families, with children introducing each other's work.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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."
Conceptual understandings
- Audience and purpose shape every creative choice.
- Combining modalities can deepen — or dilute — meaning.
- Craft is the difference between expression and impact.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Poetry & spoken-word performance
Poetry holds the most craft moves per word — perfect for inquiring into expression. Performing it teaches that form, voice and audience are one creative act.
Mentor texts we read
- Out of the Dust — Karen Hesse
- Selected spoken-word performances
- Multimodal essay anthologies
Craft moves we apply
- Extended metaphor
- Volta — turn in the poem
- Embodied performance — voice, pause, gesture
How we present
Studio Salon — a candlelit evening of poetry performance for families, with children introducing each other's work.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Explanation text & scientific report
To inquire into how the world works, children must learn the precise voice of science — observe, hypothesise, test, explain. Explanation writing IS scientific thinking made visible.
Mentor texts we read
- The Magic School Bus series
- Gail Gibbons explanation books
- Studio observation logs
Craft moves we apply
- Cause-and-effect sentences
- Labelled diagrams
- Technical vocabulary used precisely
How we present
Studio science fair — children present their investigation as a TED-style talk with a working demonstration and live Q&A.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Explanation text & scientific report
To inquire into how the world works, children must learn the precise voice of science — observe, hypothesise, test, explain. Explanation writing IS scientific thinking made visible.
Mentor texts we read
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind — William Kamkwamba
- Science feature articles (Nat Geo, NYT)
- Extracts from published lab reports
Craft moves we apply
- Hypothesis stated as if-then
- Method written so another could replicate
- Discussion separating data from interpretation
How we present
Studio science fair — children present their investigation as a TED-style talk with a working demonstration and live Q&A.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Persuasive writing & the 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
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
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Persuasive writing & the 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
Craft moves we apply
- Problem → Solution → Proof structure
- Address counter-arguments
- 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
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Advocacy speech & investigative article
To inquire into shared responsibility, children must move from feeling to evidence to voice. The advocacy speech is the genre of citizenship — and of change.
Mentor texts we read
- The Lorax — Dr. Seuss
- We Are Water Protectors — Carole Lindstrom
- Greta Thunberg speeches (excerpts)
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 deliver their speech to a community audience and receive a written response from a real stakeholder.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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."
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.
Anchor genre · reading · writing · presentation
Advocacy speech & investigative article
To inquire into shared responsibility, children must move from feeling to evidence to voice. The advocacy speech is the genre of citizenship — and of change.
Mentor texts we read
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind — William Kamkwamba
- Long-form journalism — National Geographic
- UN SDG youth briefs
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 deliver their speech to a community audience and receive a written response from a real stakeholder.
Math that deepens this inquiry · click any
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.
Book a Discovery ConversationGuided by the IB PYP Scope and Sequence. WEITS™ and PPPP™ © Nichola de Montaigne — proprietary frameworks used at ISI Cascais under the founder's licence.