curriculim
Carden is “group” diversified in that we provide top-quality instruction to three separate age groups throughout the day, each divided into 5 grade levels:
• Morning students are “pre-primary” children (3 to 6 years old) who attend on either a half or full day basis depending upon enrollment. Most of the class time for this age group utilizes educational games and fun activities.
• Afternoon students are in primary grades 1 and 2, generally aged 7 to 9 years old. Reading and writing classes are slightly more intensive than those for the morning students. *Both morning and afternoon students receive a broad-based general education, all in an English format.
• Our Evening classes are for students in grades 3 to 6 (ages 9 to 12), and these classes are strictly concerned with mastering the English language through language acquisition activities and games. Carden is an “immersion” school, meaning that only English is spoken in and out of the classroom. However, the school provides CTAs (Chinese Teacher Assistants) to aid with in-class communication and to help Level-1 students adapt and understand. The assistants are also responsible for administrative duties and for maintaining safety, discipline, and order between classes. Carden American School limits each class to a maximum of 25 students, with 15 students per class the normor.
Physical layout: There are currently a total of eight classrooms at Carden, each equipped with a closed circuit monitoring system, air-conditioning, wall fans, sliding windows, emergency alert/egress systems, P.A. system, non-breakable safety chairs and tables, and multiple, wall-to-wall white boards for teacher and student use. Carden has three kitchen areas, with the downstairs main kitchen used for servicing the dining area (lunch, snack, and tea times). The school offers a lunch program for full-day students. Carden lunches are hot, nutritious, and prepared daily. Carden also has five segregated and sanitary bathrooms.
(Understanding the importance of good sanitation and proper hygiene, Carden enforces strict hygiene procedures for its students and staff in order to prevent the spread of communicable viruses).
Curriculum: Carden maintains a diverse curriculum that allows for the child’s optimum learning potential to be realized. Unlike most Bushibans, Carden avoids any strict “read-write-speak” approach, which relies more on drilling than shared communication. We offer instead a more eclectic selection of classes and teaching methods. Certainly, Reading, Writing, and Conversation classes are an integral part of Carden’s schedule. But in conjunction with these, Carden’s day classes also include Video, Music, Math, Show and Tell, Computer, Art, Science, and Social Studies.
Such a diverse curriculum helps peak the students’ interest on a daily basis, allows for a broader context in which English is utilized, and enables a more well-rounded and effective program of learning.
Faculty: The teachers at Carden are all qualified, native English-speaking instructors. All have English or English related University degrees from accredited schools. Most teachers at Carden have previous teaching experience and are trained in the areas of ESL. They are hired according to their demonstrated skills and/or willingness in the areas of children’s education and ESL instruction.
Realizing the importance of maintaining the highest standards of teaching skills for its staff, Carden has its own, ongoing teacher education program, which oversees the continued assessment, evaluation, and training of its staff. Indeed, Carden takes great pride in the professionalism, dedication, and skills of its faculty.
Reading and Writing Classes: Carden teachers are responsible each week for creating appropriate reading and writing *worksheets/activities for their particular class levels. These worksheets/activities utilize a grammatical focus and a scheduled topic (which includes 50 to 100 new vocabulary words every month). Worksheets and reading materials are reviewed by the School Director on a regular basis for content and applicability.
Phonics classes are a scheduled part of the school’s reading program as well, and Carden has an extensive library of children’s literature for the students’ use in and out of class.
Conversation class: Tailored to involve Carden Kids in free-form, dialogical communication, with a secondary emphasis on grammatical correctness and pronunciation, Conversation classes use situational activities and language games to teach spoken English. All student responses in these classes are given in complete sentences rather than simple words.
Social Studies classes for our morning day students are designed to aid young students in socially adapting to the world in which they live. From good manners to fire safety, hygiene to environmental protection, Social Studies introduces the Carden Kid to such relevant issues through discussion, activities, art, worksheets, and games.
Science Classes are a source of pride for the Carden Faculty. The school maintains a wide assortment of teaching aids (microscopes, anatomy diagrams/models, electric motors, circuits, etc.) along with Internet access to information on any and all appropriate science issues. These classes, like Social Studies, use discussion, art, practical demonstration, worksheets, video, etc. to bring the wonders of the natural world to light.
Computer Class: Carden currently has 6 computers, all with internet access, available for students to use and share. We offer an assortment of English Language software programs (Sesame Street, Read-Me, You and Me, Pingu, and more) to help the children learn English through alternative mediums. Students waiting to take turns on the computers attend a Disney ABC video instruction class
Video Class is, of course, one of the most enjoyable for the students. The school has two large-screen T.V. sets hooked to quality DVD players and hundreds of top-quality DVDs and VCDs (mostly animated) for the kids’ enjoyment. But don’t be fooled, attending video class doesn’t mean just sitting and watching “Toy Story” for an entire class. Always true to our teaching philosophy, teachers regularly pause the video between scenes, pointing out new words and phrases for students to practice, and eliciting student response and discussion. In this way, it may take three or four 50 minute classes (one per week) for a single movie to be viewed in its entirety.
>Music Class: Music class is for our younger, morning students. We regularly teach a new song (usually one every month) while reviewing and singing the old ones. Silly action songs are the most popular, and the teachers are apt to have a hand in developing their own tunes from time to time.
Carden teachers are also careful to give proper review, discussion, and instruction regarding their particular projects, which are designed to generally reflect a monthly topic or social studies related theme.
Math: knowing the importance of a sound mathematical background in a child’s cognitive development, Carden offers an effective and well rounded math program for it’s pre-school students. This class uses worksheets, games, and activities to reinforce basic mathematical principals.
Show-and-Tell: What early-school schedule would be complete without a weekly Show-and-Tell class? Show and Tell provides an opportunity for students to proudly share information about personal toys and items brought from home. It also provides teachers with a chance to hone their spontaneous teaching skills. This class is a winner with students and teachers alike.
