At Strothoff, the IB program's focus on inquiry-based learning and real-world applications is evident in the way we prepare students for their Internal Assessments (IAs). Mrs. Binish, one of our experienced science teachers, sheds light on how we build students' skills for these assessments throughout their time in secondary school.

“We start as early as MYP1, where students begin working on science lab reports," Mrs. Binish explains. "Over the course of five years, they continuously build on these skills, so by the time they reach DP1 and DP2, they're ready to take on more complex investigations.”

In DP1 and DP2, students are asked to design and evaluate small investigations. Mrs. Binish notes, “We break the process into manageable steps. For instance, I might ask them to design the experiment and then pose questions about how they would evaluate the data. Through these smaller tasks, they gradually develop the ability to design their own full investigations.”

One example is when students learn about photosynthesis in biology. "We discuss how to measure photosynthesis through various methods, and students then design their own small experiments," Mrs. Binish says. "For instance, we explore which pigments are essential for photosynthesis, like chlorophyll, and students investigate factors that could impact it."

She highlights some recent student projects: “One student is exploring how different levels of nitrogen available to plants affect their ability to perform photosynthesis. Another is measuring photosynthesis in plants with different-colored leaves—purple, yellow, red, green—to determine if the rate of photosynthesis changes based on leaf color.”

These investigations allow students to extend their learning beyond the classroom. "It’s about applying classroom concepts to real-world scenarios," Mrs. Binish explains. "Students aren’t just memorizing facts; they’re developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills by designing their own experiments."

By the time students complete their IAs, they’ve gained valuable experience in scientific inquiry, data evaluation, and experimentation—skills that will serve them well in higher education and beyond.