BERKELEY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL - BANGKOK, THAILAND

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Kindergarten

Kindergarten Overview

Welcome to Kindergarten Department! Our staff of dedicated teachers, teaching assistants and nannies work together in order to nurture academic and social-emotional development for children 2-6 years old. The skills learned in Kindergarten provide the foundation for success when students transition to Elementary (Grades 1-5) and beyond!

Our Program

Our integrated studies program allows teachers to plan for Phonics, Language Arts, Mathematics and Social Science lessons in whole class, small group and individual settings. Learning is hands-on and takes into account visual, auditory and kinesthetic approaches. Teachers from the Cubs (pre-k, K1) to K3 base their topics of study on themes but leave plans flexible to follow topics of study students may help direct throughout the year. With small class sizes, we aim to provide a safe and welcoming environment for young learners. Exploration, investigation and inquiry are encouraged within each level. Being part of a larger campus provides us the space to do so inside and outdoors. It is the goal for each Kindergarten student to mature into a confident, caring and courageous young learner. Kindergarten students are able to experience a variety of classes led by our specialist teachers in Art, Music, Thai Language & Culture, Physical Education and Swimming. Each semester an array of after-school enrichment programs are also offered. Our diverse student population makes our partnership with parents and families crucial. When students make personal connections with their learning environment, they become active participants and life-long learners. The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is an amazing catalyst for developing special events and community involvement.

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The cubs

Berkeley´s Cubs classes are for young learners aged 2-4 years old. A child´s development at this early age is very important for preparing them for their future development and learning. In our Cubs classes we have lots of fun with hands-on and interactive activities to aid in personal, social and academic development. The Cubs is focused on developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination through various activities. The children are introduced to the various phonetic sounds of the alphabet and new vocabulary. In Math, children will become familiar with numbers 1-5, counting, shape and colour recognition and problem solving. Theme based activities make learning more fun and open a child´s mind to the world around them. A day in the Cubs class is filled with songs, dancing laughter and fun. Academic and social development is integrated by learning through play. With this in mind children grow socially and emotionally through independent and group play. Cubs children will develop and strengthen their fine/gross motor skills by using different materials and equipment both inside and outside the classroom. In the Cubs students learn Phonics through songs, actions and sounds. In Math, children learn numbers 1-10 through games and Smart Board activities. Children are encouraged to explore, investigate and make inquiries about the world around them.

"All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind."

Martin H. Fischer

K2

In K2, students are encouraged to become more independent, academically and socially. Accountability is an important stepping stone for the success of our students, as an individual and active member of the classroom community. Parent participation is encouraged through a variety of classroom activities as well as during holidays and school sponsored events. K2 students continue to review and reinforce their knowledge of letters and sounds (Phonics) in order to build early reading and writing skills. Math is focused on reinforcing numeracy (numbers 1-20), patterns and basic addition and subtraction. Students, teachers and teaching assistants work as a team to model, support, and direct learning. Inquiry and investigation are encouraged to develop critical thinking skills.

"Play is our brain´s favorite way of learning."

Diane Ackerman

K3

The K3 program at Berkeley follows the Common Core Standards and facilitates daily progress in literacy skills, number concepts and personal and social development. All activities are planned with the ESLR´s (Expected School-Wide Learning Results) in mind; enabling the children to become effective communicators, independent learners and global citizens. K3 children develop a love for reading and writing through the use of rich texts, which are brought to life in a multi-sensory manner. Activities such as role-play, hot-seating and drama are used to bring the stories we read to life. Cooking and visual art activities are also utilized to make each story memorable. At Berkeley the K3 children are introduced to the relationship between numbers and quantities in order to build a foundation for place value as they count, represent and compare whole numbers. Children learn to describe objects in their environment using simple geometric shapes and vocabulary. A multi-sensory approach is utilized in our daily math centers. In K3 the children begin the study of history and social science. All concepts being taught are anchored to the experiences that the children bring to school from their diverse backgrounds. Children learn what it means to be a good citizen, both Thai and American national symbols, are introduced to maps as well as comparing current life, to life in the past. We believe that children are natural scientists who enjoy exploring, asking questions and experimenting with their five senses. In K3 at Berkeley children are encouraged to build upon their innate curiosity through investigation, problem solving and asking questions.