At Canadian Bilingual School, our early learning programs, from JK to SK, provide positive experiences that support your child’s intellectual, social, emotional and physical development. Our foundational programs provide opportunities for students to engage in rich learning experiences through opportunities to explore, play, create and learn.
Play is how children make sense of the world and is an effective method of learning for young children. Ideas and skills become meaningful tools for learning that are practised in all areas of the curriculum. Students will become familiar with books, puppet play, rhyming songs, and games to build those early learning skills that will set them up for success in Kindergarten and Grade 1.
Students are taught in small groups to build on their listening and language skills. Opportunities for students to practice their skills throughout the day are provided in a variety of activity centers:
Building on the skills developed in the Pre-K program, students in JK and SK will take part in a more structured program that will provide large and small group instruction on key areas of the curriculum that builds on from year to year. The JK to SK program is a two-year continuum that gives students the time to develop the necessary skills to be successful in Grade 1. The focus is on students being involved in a literacy-rich environment where engaging children’s story books, rhymes, and songs are used to teach children important concepts of literacy development. Identifying letters and letter sounds, how letters make words, and how words make sentences are part of this evolving learning process. Their skills are enhanced through reading, writing, and speaking activities that further develop their language skills.
• providing well-balanced programs that provide a strong English language program that supports learning across other subject areas
• supporting children’s curiosity, exploration, and inquiry through opportunities for small group-based activities
• supporting positive social and emotional skills where children learn to respect each other and learn and play together
• encouraging children to enjoy learning and to use their imaginations
• preparing young children with the skills, behaviors, and confidence necessary for success in later years
The goal of the Elementary literacy program is to build independent readers, competent writers, articulate speakers, active listeners, and critical thinkers. Instructional units of study designed around Common Core ELA standards form the foundation for instruction. Delivered through a balanced literacy model, students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5 receive 90 minutes of literacy instruction per day. The following essential agreements guide the instruction:
With a strong emphasis on building literacy and math skills in the elementary, the integration of social studies and science concepts and skills into literacy and math instructional units ensure students realize cross-curricular connections and gain needed skills as they transition through the grades.
