Curriculum for Primary Years

The Curriculum for Primary Years

(Lower Grade 1 – Grade 5)

Curriculum Intent

Our children are at the heart of everything we do. We offer our children a curriculum that is rich in content, is hands on, includes local elements and provides our children with the opportunities to explore different countries, cultures and beliefs. Our academic programme and structure broadly follow the subject strands based on the National Curriculum of England. To lay the foundation for middle school and encompass best global practices, our standards and objectives for the varied learning experiences are drawn from the Cambridge Primary Curriculum, Maths Mastery, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), C3 Framework to enhance the rigour of disciplines in Topic (Social Studies) and Science.

english

Foundation subjects (Computing, Art, PE, Music) math topic

Modern Foreign Languages

science

Our curriculum maps the units of study across core subjects; English, Mathematics, Topic and specialist subjects such as Science, PE, Music, Computing, Art, and Modern Foreign Languages. The units of study ensure that engaging and thought-provoking topics are underpinned by conceptual lenses and thinking routines, and which helps teachers plan effectively with clear learning objectives. Our objectives are that children should be sufficiently robust in their conceptual knowledge to apply this and their skills across the broad curriculum as well as real life situations. We actively plan opportunities to support this.

We are aware that Covid-related school closures have affected children in various ways. Children have lost up to two years of formal learning. Our school policies, procedures, restorative practices such as prior checks, circle times, one on one interactions with students align with the restorative philosophy that values every member of the community. Adapting this philosophy helps us bridge the academic gap and equip them with appropriate social skills required for a holistic development.

The TISB PY English Curriculum follows the objectives of English National Curriculum, and children are introduced to a wide variety of increasingly challenging literature, as well as non-fiction texts based on the Cambridge Primary Curriculum framework. The curriculum develops enthusiastic, independent readers who can analyse, evaluate and criticise through the reading conferences and the Daily 5.

In addition, each class has a weekly writing task where children work independently and write for a range of audiences, which gives them a purpose for their writing. using a stimulus. In addition to their timetabled English lessons, the children also have a session in the Primary Years Library.

In the Primary Years we follow the Mastery approach using the framework of the English National Curriculum (2014). Our aim is to stimulate mathematical thinking and encourage children to think and ask questions about mathematical ideas to develop a secure understanding of mathematical concepts, operations, and relations.

Mathematics is a core subject charged with interconnected ideas and patterns that are fostered within our school. We believe problem solving to be at the heart of mathematics, as it motivates students and encourages active learning. The Mastery approach enables children to apply their understanding through problem solving and exploring conjectures. We endeavour to raise the enjoyment of Mathematics through dedicated events such as Maths Day and by promoting international competitions such as SASMO (Singaporean & Asian Schools Maths Olympiad.)

Science is taught through Inquiry-based units and following objectives of the Cambridge International Primary curriculum and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The topics are progressive and incorporate elements of biology, chemistry and physics through investigations and experiments. Our science units focus on the skills of observing, questioning, experimenting, deducing, and reaching conclusions about what has happened based on evidence.

The science curriculum progresses with an increasing level of complexity from one grade to another, for a deeper understanding of core concepts. and an application to real life situations through problem-based investigations.

Topic: (Social Studies)

The Topic curriculum is concept-based, a three-dimensional approach to education that puts conceptual understanding and rigorous intellectual development at the forefront of the educational experience. Through many teaching strategies, children are supported in engaging critically with knowledge and skills to draw out generalizations, or conceptual understandings. The content and skill standards for the various units of inquiry have been aligned with the Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, developed by the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) and C3 Framework for S along with the National Curriculum framework of England.

Where possible, very real links are made with India – our host country – especially whilst studying Geography and History to ensure learning remains relevant and purposeful. A focus on developing 21st century skills and incorporating UN Sustainable Goals is a big part of the curriculum.

SPECIALIST SUBJECTS

Through various mediums of art, PY children enhance their creative skills, improve their levels of concentration and experiment with various mediums. The curriculum focuses on developing a love of art and providing opportunities for self-expression and use of the imagination. A variety of media are used including print making, ceramics, construction, and textiles. Children’s artwork is displayed throughout the school. The programme is inextricably linked to the topic work in each Grade.

The Music curriculum is designed to ensure that every child has the best possible opportunity to develop their skills, understanding, appreciation and passion for music at all levels. Children have an opportunity to sing and play musical instruments while developing their listening, creating, and performing skills. Parents have the chance to see the children perform during various recitals and concerts throughout the year.

Integrated into the teaching and learning process ICT provides children with the opportunity to safely acquire technological skills and enhance their learning experience. We have an ICT lab where they learn the basic skills outlined in the English National Curriculum. These are: Digital literacy, Computer Science, and Information technology. Where appropriate, these skills are linked to topics occurring within the Grade in other curriculum areas or taught through projects that give students the opportunity to gain knowledge of ICT and to implement these skills.

PE

At TISB we are fortunate to have a fabulous team of PE teachers. This means that the PY students have blocks of PE (80 minutes) and blocks of swimming (40 or 80 minutes) per week. These are joined together to allow for longer sustained sessions. The children all learn to swim in one of the TISB swimming pools and are taught and supervised by multiple instructors. As well as learning skills and practicing how to do things, the children work on their fitness levels and learn to play team sports.

Modern Foreign Languages

From Grade 3 children choose to study either French or Hindi as part of Modern Foreign Language (MFL) studies. The MFL curriculum focuses on developing communication skills in a particular language. They read a variety of texts and understand commonly used written words, phrases and texts made of short sentences.

Language is fundamental to communicating, learning, and thinking. The aim is to help the children become confident speakers with the ability to listen carefully and critically assess the thoughts of others. They are encouraged to speak clearly, fluently, and confidently to different people, and for a range of purposes - to listen to others, to understand, and to respond using varied active learning strategies across the units.