Elementary :: PK to Grade 5

Pre-School

Our pre-school program at IISA provides opportunities for young children to reflect on alternative ways of doing things, make connections across time and place, establish different kinds of relationships and encounter different points of view. These experiences enrich children's lives and provide them with the knowledge skills and dispositions (attitudes) they need to tackle new challenges.

The curriculum is provided by the people, places and things in the child's environment: the adults, the other children, the physical environment and the resources. The curriculum integrates care and education and includes both specifically planned experiences and activities and interactions that arise spontaneously. Four units from the PYP are planned by the teachers to enrich and guide learning and provide a range of focus throughout the year:
PYP – Unit Titles:

Look At Me.
Come Rain Or Shine.
What Can I Use This For?
Mini Beasts are all around us.

Young children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things; in an environment which promotes a sense of well-being and belonging. For many children it will be their first experience of school and learning in an unfamiliar context.

All teachers and assistants at IISA have experience of working with young children, understand the nature of child development and the importance of providing a rich environment where children can build on their own experiences and learn how to contribute, communicate and explore in a safe and secure environment.

KG 1

KG1 is an exciting adventure for the students. It is their first time away from their parents and their first introduction to formal schooling.

KG1 students learn how to share and accept responsibilities such as feeding the rabbit, fetching the water, and tidying up the classroom. Respecting the rights of others is important during show and tell as they learn to be quiet and listen when someone is talking. Most importantly they learn about friendship.

KG1 students are introduced to the PYP program during their first year of school. They learn what it means to be caring and to take risks and think. Many of the KG1 students don’t speak English when they start school. That’s another exciting challenge for them as they discover a new language. Through this discovery they become independent learners.

During “active learning” students plan, do and review in English. They tell the teacher what activity they plan to do, do it, and then reflect on it. This in addition to many field trips, cooking activities, performances during assemblies, and poetry recitals enhances the children’s language acquisition and encourages them to learn.

We cover four units of inquiry in KG1. They are: Myself, Pets and Farm Animals, Water, and Nursery Rhymes. These units cover a wide range of science, math, social studies and language.

At IISA it’s always fun to be in KG1.

KG 2

KG2 is a very demanding year for our younger learners as they are beginning to develop early reading, writing and numerical skills and learning how to communicate and record their knowledge in a more structured form than in KG1.

Social expectations are also more challenging as the children are encouraged to share their ideas in small and large groups, and take on different roles, i.e. as leaders, negotiators and sometimes as observers and listeners.

There is still time for structured 'play' and free choice activities where many newly introduced concepts and skills are practiced and reinforced. The children are encouraged to be more independent and take more ownership about their work whilst developing good work habits as life long learners.

Using the PYP we explore six central ideas over the year. The children learn how to problem solve, ask and answer questions, relate their own experience of the world to new knowledge and begin early research and information skills.

The classroom will be rich in language, with all the children taking an active and participatory role in their day to day search for new knowledge and understandings.

Grade 1

language and investigate the various aspects of mathematics. Integrated throughout the literacy, mathematics and specialist programs are the six PYP units of inquiry .

“Just Imagine ” explores how we use our imaginations to create stories for entertainment, exploring feelings and for explaining the world around us. Students listen to, read and write a variety of kinds of stories such as tales from many lands and other imaginative children’s literature .

“Extinct is Forever ” leads the students in an inquiry into animal species which are extinct and those which are endangered, the reasons for this and our responsibilities in their conservation .

“Personal Journey ” explores the use of maps and methods of transportation used in planning the various types of journeys we take .

“Give and Take ” focuses on children’s responsibilities as citizens of the school , appropriate behaviour, how to make and keep friends and what to do when conflict arises .

“The School at Work ” uncovers the importance and interdependence of the jobs performed by all the different people in the school .

Through “The World At Work ” unit students discover how machines can help us get tasks done more efficiently.

Grade 2

Grade two is a very active year where language skills are strengthened and friendships are formed. The PYP units of study are about light, healthy bodies, community workers, unspoken communication, life in the past, and homes in different environments. Research skills are continued from grade 1 and much inquiry is done using the Internet, information books and questionnaires. Math focuses on problem solving activities to learn numbers and their functions in real life situations as well as measuring and data representation. The students in this grade are confident readers and speakers by the end of the year and have made great strides in writing skills.

Grade 3

As well as the regular mathematics and literature program, students in third grade have fun learning a variety of science and social studies concepts through six main PYP topics. They go on regular field trips to gain first hand experience and take part in many practical activities in the classroom.

During "City Kid, Village Kid" students get first hand experience through field trips while comparing city and village life in Syria . In "Grow it, Move it, Use it" they observe directly the whole process of the production of a local product in Syria , from planting, growing, manufacture, marketing, selling and consumption. "Looking in the Mirror" introduces them to research skills as they research the lives of famous artists, musicians and writers. In this unit they go on to expressing themselves in various ways, leading to a school assembly where they present their own music, dances, artwork, stories and poems. Research skills are further developed during "Blast Off!" where they look at the make up of the universe and how beliefs about the universe change over time. In "The Unbroken Circle" students compare and contrast the life cycles of plants and animals by planting seeds, observing animals in the school environment and research using books and internet. Finally, students understand the importance of the tourist trade to Aleppo in the unit entitled "Ah'lan wa sah'lan". They visit many different tourist sites and facilities in order to find out first hand why people find Aleppo such a fascinating place to visit and develop an appreciation for where they live.

Grade 4

In Grade 4 students study 6 PYP themes which have either a Science or Social Studies focus. Language ( Reading , Writing, Speaking and Listening) activities are integrated into the themes. In Mathematics Grade 4 follows the Investigations Curriculum which comprises 12 units.

In "Culture Clues" students have an opportunity to study the archeological richness of Syria . They visit the local museum and participate in a dig at school searching for artifacts. They also witness a real dig at the Aleppo Citadel.

The "Body Works" theme provides activities that explore the systems of the body and their interdependence. Students work co-operatively and produce projects which are presented to the class.

"Getting Organized" enables the class to study the transport system and how it has changed over the years. They develop questioning techniques through interviews with their family, at the bus station and at the railway station.

There is an Information Technology, Art and Craft focus in the theme "Eco-challenge" and students work in small groups designing a habitat for a zoo. They make a diorama and present a power point presentation.

"What's the Matter" is a fun unit where the students become scientists testing the properties of matter through various experiments using the "Scientific Method".

"How Can I Say That?" is an inquiry into the many forms of communication in the modern world and the impact on our lives. Students learn to communicate through speech, writing, codes, painting, music, art and drama.

Grade 4 is responsible for collecting used paper throughout the school which is sent to the recycling factory.

Grade 5

Grade 5 is the culminating experience of the Primary Years Program. Students inquire into six different units throughout the year. The unit titles are: Decisions–Decisions, Cradle of Civilization, From Caves to Galleries, Make It Work, Breaking News, and the Exhibition Unit. The exhibition unit is a significant event in the life of a PYP student. It is an extended collaborative inquiry in which students identify a real-world issue or problem in which to explore.

Language arts is integrated into each unit and students are constantly reading and writing about each theme. Other subjects that are also integrated include art, music, Arabic, I.T., and physical education.