Content
Primary school at Astana Garden International School is a space where children learn not "subject by subject," but through big ideas and questions connected to real life: family, society, nature, technology, and culture.
The Primary School delivers a curriculum that is built on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) framework and aligned with national standards, along with distinctive AGIS components.
The Primary School delivers a curriculum that is built on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) framework and aligned with national standards, along with distinctive AGIS components.
IB PYP Primary School at AGIS
The PYP is an International Baccalaureate programme for learners aged 3 to 12; it offers a transdisciplinary, inquiry-based and student-centered framework. At its core is inquiry-based learning, where knowledge, skills, and personal development are built as an integrated whole. Importantly, the PYP does not include “formal external examinations”. Instead, emphasis is placed on: continuous feedback, observation of progress, self-assessment and student reflection
What is IB PYP and its value for the child
In the primary grades, the school gives children a foundation in key subject areas (languages, mathematics, the arts, science, social studies, and physical and personal development) and builds learning around authentic student inquiry into "big ideas" of global significance. Throughout this process, the child is treated as an active participant (agent) in their own learning, with a gradual growth in independence and responsibility.
How learning is structured in AGIS primary school
Transdisciplinary Learning as the Core
of Primary School
of Primary School
The primary school program places special emphasis on the transdisciplinary method of learning, which allows children to see the world as a whole and to build and confidently apply thinking, communication, organizational, research, and social skills (ATL skills) needed for lifelong learning. The principles of transdisciplinarity align perfectly with the Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach. The essence of Project-Based Learning lies in the practical application of knowledge from different disciplines through work on a meaningful project, whose development and execution require both ATL skills and broad knowledge at the same time.
Primary school offers a bilingual learning environment, with subjects taught in multiple languages:
Starting in Grade 1, students receive 7 hours of English language instruction per week. For AGIS, English is not "an extra language lesson" but an environment: children learn to think, explain, and create in two languages, and gradually carry their language skills over into mathematics, inquiry, projects, and creative work. This gradual transition prepares children for instruction in English in Grades 5-8, and 100% English-medium instruction from Grade 9 onward.
- kazakh,
- russian,
- English + russian.
Starting in Grade 1, students receive 7 hours of English language instruction per week. For AGIS, English is not "an extra language lesson" but an environment: children learn to think, explain, and create in two languages, and gradually carry their language skills over into mathematics, inquiry, projects, and creative work. This gradual transition prepares children for instruction in English in Grades 5-8, and 100% English-medium instruction from Grade 9 onward.
Languages of Instruction in Primary School
AI Literacy in Primary School:
the Basics of Safe and Mindful Use
the Basics of Safe and Mindful Use
AI literacy is becoming a fundamental competency: it includes the ability to understand, critically evaluate and safely use AI tools.
In primary school, students begin developing a “digital and AI culture”, including:
In primary school, students begin developing a “digital and AI culture”, including:
- understanding where technology supports learning and where independent thinking is needed;
- learning to ask meaningful questions;
- evaluating sources and discussing ethical aspects (what is "fair" in academic work, how to protect personal data, and why responses should not be accepted without critical evaluation)
In the IB system, ATL skills (Approaches to Learning) are a core component of the educational process and are integrated across all IB programmes: PYP, MYP and CP.
ATL skills represent the ability to learn effectively and consists of five groups of skills:
ATL skills are embedded in the academic program at every stage of a student's growth.
ATL skills represent the ability to learn effectively and consists of five groups of skills:
- cognitive (thinking) skills
- Research skills
- Communication skills
- Social skills
- Self-management skills
ATL skills are embedded in the academic program at every stage of a student's growth.
ATL Skills
Primary School (PYP)
In Primary School, Grades 1 through 4, within the IB PYP program, ATL skills are developed every day — in lessons, in projects, and in extracurricular life.
Our students don't just follow instructions; they learn through action and experience. ATL skills help them ask questions, investigate, collaborate, plan, and reflect on their own progress.
Children set goals to develop their ATL skills and become increasingly independent learners, and most importantly, they understand how they learn and can apply these skills in any life situation. Students demonstrate mastery of all the ATL skills in Grade 4, at the culminating PYP Exhibition project.
Our students don't just follow instructions; they learn through action and experience. ATL skills help them ask questions, investigate, collaborate, plan, and reflect on their own progress.
Children set goals to develop their ATL skills and become increasingly independent learners, and most importantly, they understand how they learn and can apply these skills in any life situation. Students demonstrate mastery of all the ATL skills in Grade 4, at the culminating PYP Exhibition project.
Middle School (MYP)
- Research skills are developed through the ability to formulate effective research questions, work with sources, and maintain academic integrity.
- Thinking in the IB MYP involves the ability to critically evaluate information, form independent judgments, synthesize ideas and find solutions.
- Communication and social skills are expressed through academic writing, presentations and collaborative research projects.
Within the MYP, ATL skills become explicit and measurable, fostering students’ academic independence — a key prerequisite for success in high school.
In the IB MYP from 5th to 9th grades, ATL skills become structured. Their development is intentionally planned by teachers within each subject area. ATL skills are integrated into assignments and assessment criteria.
High school (CP)
- CP students work with real-world cases, analyze risks and develop solutions — ranging from business scenarios to product promotion strategies. In this process, they actively apply communication skills through writing letters, conducting interviews, preparing reports and presentations, while social skills are developed through collaborative projects and interaction with external organizations.
- Self-management also becomes one of the key elements: students develop the ability to adapt, psychological resilience, as well as the ability to advocate for their interests and professional position.
- Research skills are especially significant within the framework of the Reflective Project, in which students analyze an ethical dilemma in their chosen field and develop their own well-reasoned and substantiated position.
In IB CP from 10th to 11th grades, ATL skills are integrated with the CP Core component called “Personal and Professional Skills (PPS)”. Through this component, ATL skills foster students’ readiness for the professional world and future careers.
What families gain from primary school
The outcome of primary school in the PYP framework is not just an academic foundation, but durable skills: the ability to ask questions, investigate, explain one's own ideas, work in a team, and see connections between subjects. The PYP's transdisciplinary framework uses six "transdisciplinary themes" as the organizing structure for the program of inquiry, bringing learning together "between and beyond subjects."
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