THE PRIMARY PROGRAM AT TWO WINGS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL.

Primary school is not a simple stage of schooling: it is the key to the success of all the others. It builds the foundations of training leading each person to a qualification, and which will continue throughout life.

Giving each child the keys to knowledge and the benchmarks of the society in which they grow up is the first requirement for learning languages in our school, and the sole ambition of primary school.

Offer all children equal opportunities for success and prepare for successful integration into society for all through multilingual education. Primary school must transmit and enable each student to acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills which will be necessary for the continuation of their education in middle school and, beyond, in the training paths chosen by the student.

Learning French has high demands, which involve both memory, and the faculty of invention, reasoning and imagination, attention and learning to be independent, respect for the rules and a spirit of initiative.

It is by offering students structured and explicit teaching, oriented towards the acquisition of basic knowledge, and by offering them systematic training in reading, writing and mastering the French language that we will achieve this major objective.

The real engine of student motivation lies in the self-esteem that mastered learning and successful exercise give. This is why students in difficulty must be able to benefit from personalized and differentiated help as soon as the first difficulties appear and before they become lasting.

The language primary school programs define for each teaching area the knowledge and skills to be achieved within the cycles as well as the annual progression to follow to achieve them in French/Enlgish. However, they leave the choice of methods and approaches free, thus demonstrating the confidence placed in teachers for implementation adapted to students. Educational freedom induces responsibility: its exercise presupposes the ability to reflect on practices and their effects. It also implies, for teachers, the obligation to ensure and regularly report on student achievement. This regular assessment of student level will not only constitute an instrument for comparing the effects of different educational practices but also an incontestable tool for measuring school results. The renewed ambition of primary schools requires shorter, clearer and more ambitious programs: this is the objective of the programs presented below.

It is also essential that all students are invited to reflect on texts and documents, to interpret, to construct an argument, not only in French but in all disciplines; that they are trained to mobilize their knowledge and skills in progressively complex situations to question, research and reason for themselves. They must be able to share the meaning of words, express themselves orally and in writing to communicate in a wider circle. Integration into collective life also requires that the school gives more importance to the arts, which provide common references and stimulate sensitivity and imagination. Each student must also be able to flourish through daily sports practice. Primary school finally develops the respect and tolerance which are the basis of human rights and which are reflected on a daily basis in respect for the rules of civility and politeness.

At the end of CE1 (GRADE 2) students will be able to:

• know how to listen to understand, to question, to repeat, to carry out work or an activity;
• participate in a verbal exchange in class while respecting the rules of communication;
• say prose texts or poems from memory;
• express yourself orally and in writing in appropriate and precise vocabulary;
• understand new words and use them wisely;
• read alone and understand a statement, an instruction;
• read alone, aloud, a text including known and unknown words;
• identify the main idea of a paragraph or the theme of a text;
• read alone and listen to heritage texts and complete works of children’s literature;
• copy a short text without errors in legible cursive writing and with careful presentation;
• write without error under dictation a 10-line text using their lexical, spelling and grammatical knowledge;
• write independently a text of 10 to 20 lines;
• use their knowledge to reflect on a text (understand it better, or write it better).

The Cambridge Primary program at Two Wings International School

Cambridge Primary provides learners with a flexible framework which we use to tailor the curriculum to their needs. It provides assessment tools to help the school identify what children are learning, monitor their progress, and report to parents.

Cambridge Primary is excellent preparation for secondary school and for progression to other educational systems.

The Cambridge Primary curriculum

• sets clear learning objectives in English, mathematics science, and Global Perspective for each year of primary education.
• focuses on developing knowledge and skills in core subjects which form an excellent foundation for future study
• focuses on learners’ development in each year
• provides a natural progression throughout the years of primary education
• is compatible with other curricula, internationally relevant, and sensitive to different needs and cultures
• is suitable for learners whose first language is not English.
• gives to the school an optional route to use sections that suit our learners ‘needs best.
• provides schools with international benchmarks.

Together with the vertues program, from time to time, the Cambridge learners profile will be examined and adapted to our school learners abilities during morning assembly. This program aims to create learners who are:

Confident in working with information and ideas –their own and those of others.

Cambridge learners are confident, secure in their knowledge, unwilling to take things for granted and ready to take intellectual risks. They are keen to explore and evaluate ideas and arguments in a structured, critical and analytical way. They are able to communicate and defend views and opinions as well as respect those of others.

Responsible for themselves, responsive to and respectful of others. Cambridge learners take ownership of their learning, set targets and insist on intellectual integrity. They are collaborative and supportive. They understand that their actions have impacts on others and on the environment. They appreciate the importance of culture, context and community.

Reflective as learners, developing their ability to learn. Cambridge learners understand themselves as learners. They are concerned with the processes as well as the products of their learning and develop the awareness and strategies to be lifelong learners.

Innovative and equipped for new and future challenges. Cambridge learners welcome new challenges and meet them resourcefully, creatively and imaginatively. They are capable of applying their knowledge and understanding to solve new and unfamiliar problems. They can adapt flexibly to new situations requiring new ways of thinking.

Engaged intellectually and socially, ready to make a difference. Cambridge learners are alive with curiosity, embody a spirit of enquiry and want to dig more deeply. They are keen to learn new skills and are receptive to new ideas. They work well independently but also with others. They are equipped to participate constructively in society and the economy – locally, nationally and globally.

LESSONS RELATED TO THE CAMBRIDGE PROGRAM:

• ENGLISH
• MATHEMATICS
• SCIENCE.
• DIGITAL LITTERACY AND COMPUTING

These subjects will be taught in English and will flow directly from the Cambridge Framework – See appendix

Subjects relating to the Francis program will be taught in French, in particular:

• FRENCH (spelling, syntax, semantics and literature)
• THE STUDY OF THE ENVIRONMENT
• THE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE (taken from the Cambridge program)
• THE SPORT
• DRAMATIC ART (LANGUAGE)
• ARTS AND CRAFT LESSONS
• EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES (A LARGE PART WILL BE TEACHED IN FRENCH).

N.B: Students beginning in French/English will benefit from French or English foreign language courses, or they will be placed according to their different levels.

Note _ reference: WIKILIVRES: Wikilivres is a free project for the collective writing of works with educational content.

“Studying a language is a vast undertaking. This is why it is divided into different disciplines. However, opinions differ regarding this classification. We choose here to distinguish the following four main branches: spelling, syntax, semantics and literature. You will certainly find other classifications elsewhere. This choice is based on a certain gradation of these branches, provided they are defined as follows: spelling concerns the writing of words, syntax concerns their arrangement within a sentence and the use of different forms. , semantics in the sense of words and groups of words and, finally, literature concerns the study of texts and authors.

Note: spelling, syntax and semantics can be grouped under the term “grammar” which would be the study of the rules governing the French language Note: in this classification conjugation is part of both spelling and syntax. Spelling will study the forms of verbs (the conjugation tables) while syntax will look at the use of these forms.’’

TWO WINGS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARTNER INSTITUTIONS.

We work hand in hand with the “Cambridge International Assessment” through the British Council – Rwanda for the implementation of the Cambridge program, teacher training and program evaluation. The French Embassy IN Rwanda is one of our main partners. It takes care of the continuing training of our teachers and validates their diplomas at the international level. The French Institute of Rwanda also organizes, in May-June of each school year, “DELF PRIM” exams which serve to offer students lifelong study diplomas in the French language.

Two Wings International School is also part of RIPERF – A local organization that brings together schools that value learning the French language. RIPERF also takes care of teacher training and serves as a liaison between our schools and the French embassy.