By The Grade 8 Design, English and I&S Team
Over the coming weeks, Grade 8 students will begin the first round of pitches for their Interdisciplinary Unit, IDU, where they are working to design practical solutions to real-world challenges.
This unit brings together learning from Design, English, and Individuals and Societies, asking students to transfer skills and understanding across subjects. Through their inquiry into the United Nations SDGs, students have been researching global issues, analysing causes and impacts, and beginning to develop solutions that are both realistic and meaningful.
As part of this process, students are working in groups to design a product or initiative and prepare a pitch that communicates its purpose, feasibility, and potential impact. The focus is not only on the final idea, but on the thinking behind it: how students research, evaluate information, consider stakeholders, and refine their ideas over time.
To give a clearer insight into this learning process, we are sharing examples of students’ work in progress, including their research documents and process journals. These pieces highlight the depth of thinking, collaboration, and skill development taking place throughout the unit.
In the coming weeks, students will continue to refine their ideas before presenting them to a panel of judges. We look forward to seeing how their thinking develops and how they bring together knowledge and skills from across disciplines to respond to complex, real-world issues.