English Subjects
- ELA (English Language Arts)
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Using the skills acquired through language learning, the students learn how to express themselves both orally and in written form to communicate their ideas. They learn the process of creating, asking questions, and teaching each other in order to perform tasks. They also develop problem solving skills as they learn how to doubt, think and research. They engage with literature from many famous authors and learn to joy of reading while improving their reading comprehension. We also encourage them to have opinions about the content they read.
- ESL (English as a Second Language)
The ESL curriculum follows the National TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Standards. The students’ learning is focused on each theme determined by term. The focus of Term 1 is to develop oral and expressive language skills, Term 2 is to engage with English literature and develop reading comprehension skills, and Term 3 is to develop writing skills and learn to study in groups. Every day the students study English from a different angle, learning about culture as well which is inseparable from language.
- Math
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For elementary Math we use textbooks published in America, implementing a curriculum where by the end of the year students will have completed their year level or above. Each lesson begins with a warmer where students solve 100 calculations in 1-2 minutes, and within 5 minutes they begin revision tasks. Students develop an understanding of mathematical concepts and mathematical terms in English. Students require reading comprehensions skills to understand word problems, which helps improve their language ability too.
- Social Studies
Our material is based on California Standard, and our classes follow an original curriculum that determines appropriate tasks and units for each grade. In grades 1 and 2, they learn about their own environment and develop a sense of closeness with the world around them, and also learn the basic concepts of economics and geography. At grades 3 and 4, they cover the geography of the world, maps, cultures around the world, debates and analysis to broaden their worldview. At grades 5 and 6 they study about modern, medieval and modern history and develop the ability to analyze all kinds of information.
- Science
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Our material is based on California Standard, and our classes follow an original curriculum that determines appropriate tasks and units for each grade. The lessons emphasize “thinking” as we guide students to use all kinds of experimental equipment, predict results, research, discuss and come up with answers. They learn many scientific terms and learn to approach science with an inquisitive mind in order to broaden their scientific worldview. We often record on video the joyous moment of discovering something new in our environment, and also work on projects such as memorizing scientific vocabulary through a song and organizing findings into a chart and reporting on them.
- Electives
- The Kansai International Academy Elementary School offers four elective courses to students–Fine Arts, Home Economics, Sports, and Technology. Throughout the course of a year, each student will have an equal amount of time in each elective course. These courses create an environment where students are able to concentrate on skills and excel in areas, such as sculpting and cooking, that are not available in the core academic classes.
In fine arts students use a variety of mediums in order to create several forms of artistic expression. Students learn about famous artists and see the famous works such artists have created. Finally, student create a work of their own using a technique similar to the technique used by the artist studied.
Home Economics teachers students basic skills that can be used at home such as cooking, sewing, and baking. Students learn how to cook simple dishes, such as a japanese-style omelet and pickled cucumbers, and enjoy showing their family how they can now help out at home.
Sports teaches the students the importance of team building and good sportsmanship using western ideas of fair-play. Students learn how to form teams, how to establish rules, and the importance of shaking-hands and thanking the opposing team after finishing a game.
Technology focuses on teaching students how to find information and discovering the way things work. Students research various forms of technology using computers and the internet. After their research, students create their own models of the piece of technology studied, like a car, in order to better understand how all parts of a device combine to create something we use everyday.
Being able to expand the learning horizons of our students through engaging lessons is a aspect of our school that the teachers take pride in at KIA elementary. The electives are a way students are able to continue to grow in their studies and develop skills they help further build character.
timetable
- A Typical Week for G1
- A Typical Week for G6
- JPN – Japanese (These classes and those with (J) are taught in Japanese)
- ELA – English Language Arts
- ESL – English as a Second Language
- SOC – Social Studies (SOC(J) in G1&2 is an integrated class with aspects of social studies, science and ethics)
- SCI – Sciences
- TW – Town Works (Reserch based learning)
