First-year primary class

On the first-year primary course, through both free games and supervised activities, children develop: Their self-confidence, as well as trust in their classmates and teachers. Their sense of responsibilities. Their spirit of tolerance, cooperation and friendship. Respect for others and their environment. Their curiosity and capacity for observation. Their sense of effort, perseverance and independence.

The program in detail

  • Reading – decoding
  • Literature – comprehension
  • Handwriting
  • Mathematics
  • English
  • Singing and poetry
  • Arts
  • Awareness
  • Voice games
  • Rhythm

Reading – decoding

  • Learning letters, distinguishing sounds
  • Exercises in visual distinction and in recognising their first name, their classmates’ first names and a few selected words
  • Recognising their first name in three forms of writing: printed capitals, block-letter handwriting and cursive handwriting

Literature – comprehension

  • Various activities in reading illustrated books using the SWR (Say-Write-Read) approach
  • Working on understanding stories
  • Living out life experiences (mirroring)
  • Identifying features like a title, an author’s name and a cover
  • Being capable of recounting a lived experience or a known story
  • Studying culture and gaining knowledge of cultural heritage
  • Studying an author’s world
  • Studying the different narrative networks
  • Becoming acquainted with emblematic figures
  • Widening vocabulary

Handwriting

  • Exercises in learning to draw dots, lines (horizontal, vertical, wavy), grid patterns, spirals, circles, curls, etc.
  • Writing the numbers 1 to 9
  • Writing the most-often used printed capitals

Mathematics

  • Counting rhymes, quantities, pairs, arrangements, comparisons, geometric shapes, small additions, full amounts, half amounts, reductions, space, time, etc.
  • Mathematical games with challenges: appealing games with one or several goals per game. Children learn several simple rules for directions, coding, equivalence relations and matching. Furthermore, they start measuring and counting.

English

  • Familiarisation with the English language through listening, singing and play using the ‘Cookie and Friends’ method
  • Topics covered: greetings, body and actions, numbers from one to ten, colours, toys, animals, modes of transport, Christmas and Easter, and an annual topic chosen by the school
  • Lessons are given in half-groups by a specialist teacher who is a native English-speaker

Singing and poetry

  • A variety of songs and poems relating to class activities
  • Memorising and imagination
  • Exercises in reciting, helping children overcome their shyness, gain self-confidence and develop their sense of rhythm

Arts

  • Drawing, collages, working with matter, working with volumes, using different techniques, making objects, creating works of art

Awareness

  • Different topics throughout the year: awareness of nature, observing animals, awakening the senses, learning about life in society and an annual theme chosen by the school.

Voice games

All year round, work with the body and voice through games:

  • breathing, different ways of amplifying, vowels, consonants, soundscapes, syllables, etc.

Rhythm

Pupils feel what they hear through the bodily interpretation of sounds and rhythms played by the teacher.

Stimulating their motor skills helps them use their body as their first instrument.

  • Study of movement and posture
  • Rhythmic and musical exercises
  • Bodily and gestural development through music and the use of different objects (hoops, mats, scarves, ropes, balls, etc.)

Lessons given once a week by a teacher from Institut Jaques-Dalcroze.

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Admissions