5 Ways to Bring Inquiry Into Your IB PYP Math

approaches to learning skills concept based inquiry ib pyp inquiry based learning pyp classroom

Maths is so much more than “finding the answer.” When we connect it to everyday experiences, it becomes about seeing patterns, asking questions, and making sense of the world.

One simple but powerful guiding question is:

Where’s the maths here?

This question opens the door to authentic inquiry, giving students the chance to explore mathematics through curiosity, context, and connection. Below are five strategies you can use with any age group to nurture student agency and highlight maths through a conceptual lens.

I'm bringing you 5 ideas that can be applied with ANY age and really support student agency, identifying those threads for inquiry and all through a conceptual lens.

When we connect maths to everyday experiences, it becomes less about “finding the answer” and more about seeing patterns, asking questions, and making sense of the world.

Find the threads for inquiry.

Consider the big question: Where's the maths here?

Here are 5 simple, hands-on ways to bring that spirit of inquiry into your maths:

1. Co-Planning with Concepts: Where's the maths here?

When we invite children to ask “Where’s the maths here?” we open the door to authentic inquiry that connects learning with the world around them. This guiding question encourages curiosity and helps students see mathematics as more than numbers on a page. By weaving it into co-planning, we give learners a voice in shaping their investigations while drawing on a range of provocations that spark wonder and engagement. Please do download the provocation image above, I created using Dall.e Open Ai tool.

Consider introducing this question through:

• Images that prompt noticing patterns, shapes, or comparisons
• Manipulatives that allow for hands-on, play-based exploration and discovery
• Everyday classroom tools such as rulers, timers, and measuring cups
• Real-life objects that connect maths to the students’ lived experiences
The example you see here, is using real-world data from the United Nations website. As we learned to analyse data, we were then able to read real-time statistics about the immigration of refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants. This is a part of my complete unit of inquiry - Human Migration-Where We Are in Place & Time.

These provocations help learners identify mathematical ideas in unexpected places and provide opportunities for open dialogue, reflection, and action. By making the question central to your planning, you are not only fostering skills in problem solving and reasoning but also nurturing agency and ownership in the classroom. Ultimately, “Where’s the maths here?” supports deeper connections between concepts, skills, and authentic contexts, empowering children to become confident inquirers who see mathematics as meaningful, relevant, and alive in their daily world.

2. Picture Books Maths Sparks
Choose a seasonal storybook (or one from Brilliant Picture Books for Integrating Maths in the IB PYP ) and pause mid-story to ask: “Where’s the maths here?” Students might notice groupings, quantities, or comparisons—these are your maths sparks or threads of inquiry. This is what you can use to plan investigative learning experiences exploring maths concepts.

3. Maths Walk Investigations

Take a walk around the school grounds or community. Ask students to spot real-world maths: symmetry in leaves, patterns in brickwork, measurements in city parks etc. Back in class, link their discoveries to concepts like form, connection, function, shape, measurement, and pattern.

This provocation linked into our maths walk as we investigated shape and pattern through form & connection, leading perfectly with tessellations. Incidentally, it ALSO served as a provocation with grade 5's inquiry into revolution as we explored colonialism and imperialism. Look at the connections from the image. What concepts live here? 😊😉

4. Data About Us

Collect class data (debate perspectives, Tug of War, favourite fruits, pets at home, ways to travel to school) and let your students choose how to represent it; charts, graphs, or digital visuals. Frame with a specified concept, such as connection: “What does this data tell us about who we are as a class community?” Or even use it as an opportunity for peer assessment, leading to co-planning opportunities for next steps or even reteaching.

The example shown is from a first grade class exploring the concepts of celebration & culture through the lens of Christmas Around the World. This First Thoughts/Second Thoughts strategy is great as a pre-assessment, gathering data about perspective and using it as on-going reflection as the inquiry progresses, children can move their votes. You can take a closer look at this inquiry here.

Data Analysis as Pre-Assessment & Co-Planning: The example below shows a graph created by grade 4 as they collected the measurements of their group's arm and hand span and then designed their own graphs to record the information. The sticky notes are real-time feedback from peers as the children rotated around each group, analysing their efforts. We used this as a learning opportunity for reflection and co-planning our maths, identifying where we had common challenges and how I could support them.

Another example of First Thoughts/Second Thoughts being used to gather data - this time looking for our perspective of a provocation statement connecting with our inquiry into the concepts of ENERGY, TRANSFORMATION, RESPONSIBILITY. This is from Grade 4. They were asked to share their perspective and justify it in the speech bubbles. This data was then used throughout the inquiry to reflect and adjust opinions where necessary. It was such a fabulous insight into learning and understanding from beginning to end. This is one of my favourite strategies for all age levels.

5. Concept Task Card Reflections

Use Specified Concepts Maths Task Cards to help students link maths concepts and skills to the bigger ideas of form, change, causation, and more. For example, a “function” task might ask: How might changing the operation affect the answer? Students discuss and solve in small groups, building conceptual thinking alongside procedural fluency.
👉 Perfect as warm-ups, stations, reflection and exit slips

I created a set for Grades 2-3, Grades 4-5. Take a look here.
Want more inspiration? Here are popular blog posts:

Watch the video and explore strategies in Integrating Inquiry-Based Math in the IB PYP .
Dive into Brilliant Picture Books for Integrating Maths in the IB PYP for stories that spark authentic mathematical thinking.

With just a few tweaks, maths lessons become invitations to wonder, explore, and connect concepts to the real world.

Here’s to making maths a meaningful, concept-based inquiry!

P.S. Be sure to download your FREE PYP Teaching Tools catalogue. I have many, many inquiry based maths resources for ALL ages. 😊