Paris as a Classroom
We believe our students should discover what you learn from doing.
Our students benefit from seamless access to the city of Paris for field trips, sports excursions, and other urban discovery and experiential learning opportunities. Whether it is seeing new exhibits at the Pompidou, climbing to the top of the Iron Lady or descending into the sewers, Paris is our classroom. Through this initiative, we facilitate over 70 local field trips into Paris each year, where students leave the traditional classroom to learn by inquiry, discovery, and action.
Where we've been recently...
Visit to Giverny
As part of a “Sharing the Planet” unit of inquiry, Grade 1 students visited the Gardens at Giverny. They explored the garden and searched for living things, using their observational and art skills to record their thoughts and ideas.
Musée du Chocolat
Grade 7 French students visited the Musée du Chocolat to learn more about Easter traditions as part of their unit “fêtes et traditions.” They learned about the origins and uses of chocolat, and took part in a creative workshop led by museum staff.
Street Art Tour in Montmartre
Grade 11 students explored the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris, including a guided tour of street art addressing current local, national and global issues. This connected to a unit on the significance of protests.
The Paris Aquarium
Students visited the Paris Aquarium during their science lesson to investigate the aquatic environment and associated adaptations as part of a unit on aquatic ecosystems.
Guided Visit of Shakespeare and Company
As part of their “Writers in Paris” unit, Grade 10 students read texts featuring Paris as a backdrop. They composed short writings exploring the expat author experience, and went on a guided tour of the iconic Shakespeare and Company bookstore that was frequented by literary legends including Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Stein.
French Immersion Trip to l'Arc de Triomphe
Middle Years Program French students work on their Service as Action project of making a “Guide of Parisian Monuments” for the ISP community. They studied the history of important Parisian monuments in class, then visited the Arc de Triomphe and attended the interactive workshop “Histoire et Symboles” there in order to practice their oral French skills and improve comprehension.
Grade 12 at Boltanski Exhibition
Visual art students reflected at this Centre Pompidou exhibition, to support their Process Portfolios.
Grade 10 at Francis Bacon Exhibition
Art students visited the Centre Pompidou to learn about the context of Bacon’s work linked to their unit on ‘metamorphosis’.
Grade 6 at the Musée de l'Homme
The French class went to the exhibition 'I eat, therefore I am', to better understand the impact that food has on us, exploring the cultural, biological and ecological aspects.
Grade 10 at Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
English students were given the task to review the museum as part of their unit ‘Everyone is a critic’.
Grade 4 at Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac
This trip linked with the Who We Are unit of inquiry and had cross curriculum connections with both Art and Music.
EAL at Montmartre
Secondary School students studying English as an Additional Language (EAL) started the year with a walking tour of Montmartre, practicing their listening skills and subject-specific vocabulary.
Primary School at a Local Care Home
Students at the Primary School do bi-weekly visits at a local care home, where they play games and engage with the residents.
Grade 10 in Latin Quarter
English class students walked in the footsteps of famous expatriate Parisian writers, including Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Joyce, and Stein.