Classes | Atlantic International School

Learning to AIS

Early Years

Play School

The Early Years Programme has three grades : Pre- Kindergarten, Junior Kindergarten, Senior Kindergarten. Classes have children of the ages of 3, 4, 5 and sometimes 6. Specialist classes included in their weekly schedule at all levels include Music, Art, Physical Education, Library, Hindi Culture, Technology.Our Early Years students also have a 45 minute Montessori session every day. The Montessori methodemphasises the uniqueness of each child and recognises that children are different from adults in the way they develop and think. Students work developing their skills individually in the Montessori class and it complements and reinforces what is done in homeroom classes. The Early Years program at AIS is designed to help young children to broaden their base of information, form concepts, acquire foundation skills and positive attitudes to learning and begin to

develop their abilities and talents in a wide range of areas. The program is modelled after the Kindergarten Program Handbook-Ontario Ministry of Education, Cambridge Primary, and Montessori.

Elementary

Pre School 1, Pre School 2

The Elementary school is committed to appreciating and utilising our students’ strengths and individuality through collaborative teamwork to achieve academic excellence and promote a foundation for life-long learning.We aim to provide our students, who are confident in their academic success and are developing socially, physically and psychologically, with a happy and engaging learning environment that is structured, collaborative and purposeful. We also encourage a positive and involved community of students and families. The Cambridge Primary Curricula provides a quality student-centered approach to Math, Science, and English that is rigorous and promotes life-long learning. At AIS the Cambridge program is enriched by a variety of other classes and additions in order to meet the differentiated and ubiquitous needs of the ‘international student’ and ‘third culture child’.

Middle School

Grade 1 to Grade 5

The progression from Elementary curriculum to Middle School curriculum is smooth.AIS continues with the Ontario curriculum and moves to Cambridge Secondary 1 through the middle school years (grades 6-8). The progression from Elementary curriculum to Middle School curriculum is smooth.The Ontario curriculum is followed in social studies, music, physical education, and in drama. Incorporating our host country culture, India, is encouraged in all studies at AIS. Students are offered French (higher and lower), Spanish or Hindi as their additional language in grade 6, 7 and 8. Some students study their mother tongue independently instead. These languages are offered into the IGCSE programme of grades 9 and 10 and students are strongly encouraged to follow one language all the way through. In addition to the Ontario curriculum, the Cambridge Secondary 1

curriculum develops learners’ skills and understanding in Mathematics, English and Science and it provides excellent preparation for Cambridge IGCSE and the IB programme. Language hindi,english,arabic and tamil. Externally created and assessed, Cambridge Checkpoint exams in Mathematics, English, and Science occur at the end of Grade 8.

Secondary School

Grade 6 to Grade 9

Contextual Learning is a month long experience where student(s) in grade 6 become more self-aware, grade 7 students aim to understand Bangalore (or India), and when Grade 8 students aims to build communication and compassion skills. Students plan all year long documenting their journey in their physical journal, creating movies, and interviewing community members. Students complete a cross curricular unit that has two options- on campus and off campus. This year, 14 students travelled within South India for 3 weeks and 16 travelled in North India at the same time, while almost 80 others completed this unit of learning in and around Bangalore. Students attend field trips, create documentaries, learning with their hands, build gardens, become more environmentally aware, and help NGOs. Students learn to connect with their community in meaningful ways. All

teachers also participate and lead their activities helping students develop curiosity and awareness of Indian Culture and appreciation for the many walks of life that creates India today. Finally students come back to campus and share their experience. Contextual Learning is about making connections between what they, as students, are learning and how that knowledge will be used, and recognizing that learning is a complex, multifaceted process that goes far beyond drill-oriented, stimulus-and-response methodologies.Social Responsibility is a key facet of Contextual Learning. Community involvement is a great way to learn more about your connections with other people and different groups. It is a way to expand your knowledge of the links that make up society and the ways they are related. Contextual Learning helps complete the AIS mission statement ‘aspires to empower students with skills and knowledge enabling them to become independent and self-sufficient adults who will contribute responsibly in a global community. ’This is not our mission statement. These learning allow the mission statement to move beyond fancy word and become “real.”