Elementary School

The Language Arts curriculum teaches listening, speaking, reading, and writing as a unified discipline rather than as separate subjects. Students practice these important skills in every subject and materials are especially chosen to enhance learning in Social Studies and Science.

Literature is a key feature of our reading program.  Books are selected for their quality and used to teach comprehension skills, vocabulary, and thinking. Reading for pleasure is promoted through regular library borrowing. During the writing process, students write for a variety of purposes and incorporates   the use of appropriate grammar and spelling skills through student, peer and teacher editing.

Communication skills play an important part of a student’s success in every subject. Students are encouraged to talk about their learning and to keep learning journals. Students recognize the power of oral language, and they will use speech with increasing awareness and responsibility. Opportunities arise throughout the year for students to work individually or collaboratively to present their knowledge and the learning process to an audience. Our aim is to build confident young learners who can explain their thinking and learning to their peers, teachers and parents.

Information Communication Technology, includes the development of technology skills and the use of our library for research and pleasure. ICT is taught and promoted throughout the curriculum and modelled by homeroom and specialist teachers. Library lessons promote how to find the books on shelves and the digital search system to enhance research and reading choices. Reading is promoted in every classroom through classroom libraries. Students actively use the technology available in their classrooms and at home to enhance their learning opportunities.

Students experience a wide variety of visual media materials and respond to viewing experiences orally and in writing. Students will interpret visual media and recognize the power it plays in influencing thinking and behavior. Responsible use of technology, electronic information and social networking is therefore a core component of the program, as students begin to learn how to make informed choices in their personal viewing experiences.

In addition, students K5 through Grade 5 receive additional computer lessons in the elementary computer lab to develop and refine computer skills such as basic keyboarding and the use of various programs to enrich and present learning.

Our Mathematics program is designed to help students learn a wide range of mathematical concepts as well as insure knowledge of basic arithmetic skills. The emphasis is on understanding mathematical concepts. We teach problem solving, communication, reasoning, estimation, numbers, measurement, probability, fractions, decimals, patterns, geometry and relationships. Lessons are designed to stress real-life mathematical experiences rather than pages of extensive drills.  Students devote a substantial amount of math time using objects as models, and teachers present open ended questions that stimulate creative, complex thought.  Students share their mathematical thinking in Math Journals and writing and talking about mathematics are valuable learning and evaluation tools.

The 2019 AERO Science curriculum is based on the Next Generation Science Standards, a state- wide initiative in the USA. The four domains of Life Science, Physical Science, Earth & Space Science and Engineering Design are covered by these standards. Not only are the core ideas examined but also scientific practices and the connection between the domains and the core subjects are of equal importance. The aim is to inspire future generations of scientifically literate students.

Students will develop their observational skills by using their senses and selected observational tools. They will gather and record observed information in a number of ways and reflect on these findings to identify patterns or connections, make predictions, and test and refine their ideas. Students will explore the way objects and phenomena function, identify parts of a system, and gain an understanding of increasingly complex cause and effect relationships. They will examine change over time and will recognize that change may be affected by one or more variables.

Students will be aware of different perspectives and ways of organizing the world, and they will be able to consider how these views and customs may have been formulated. Students will use their learning in science to plan positive and realistic action in order to improve their welfare and that of other living things and the environment. Students will communicate their ideas or provide explanations using their own scientific experience and that of others.

The AERO Social Studies Framework is divided into eight standards as outlined below. KAS elementary faculty have designed topics of inquiry for study within this framework to enhance student knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live. Students develop the skills to inquire into how local and global historical events and practices have shaped government, culture and the environment. Connections are made to life as it is today in many countries across the globe, with a particular emphasis on Pakistan and home countries.

1.Time, Continuity, and Change

Students will understand patterns of change and continuity, relationships between people and events through time, and various interpretations of these relationships.

2. Connections and Conflict

Students will understand the causes and effects of interaction among societies, including trade, systems of international exchange, war, and diplomacy.           

3. Geography

Students will understand the interactions and relationships between human societies and their physical environment.

4. Culture

Students will understand cultural and intellectual developments and interactions among societies.

5. Society and Identity

Students will understand social systems and structures and how these influence individuals.

6. Government

Students will understand why societies create and adopt systems of governance and how they address human needs, rights, responsibilities and citizenship.

7. Production, Distribution, and Consumption

Students will understand fundamental economic principles and ways in which economies are shaped by geographic and human factors.

8. Science, Technology, and Society

Students will understand how societies have influenced and been influenced by scientific developments and technological developments.

9. Pakistan Studies

Pakistan Studies is integrated within the Social Studies curriculum and allows students to learn about the country’s culture, history and geography so our students gain a better understanding and appreciation of our host country. Pakistan week is a highlight of the school year.

Throughout the year, teachers closely monitor data on student performance, attendance, and behavior. When a student experiences difficulty in achieving grade level benchmarks, the Student Support team may be consulted to provide academic support within the classroom and/or individualized or small group intervention for your child that uses evidence-based practices. The Learning Support team will collaborate with parents and teachers using a collaborative team approach to focus on promoting success, in order to help the child have a positive and challenging learning experience, while accessing the broader curriculum.

The development of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) helps students improve academic performance. The Social Learning Skills classes, as part of the Student Support Program, seek to support all students in becoming the best version of themselves through the acquisition of the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to understand and manage emotions, to feel and show empathy for others, to establish and maintain positive relationships and to set and achieve goals. 

The program is based on four competencies Social Awareness, Self-Awareness, Social Management (Relationship Skills), and Self-Management (Responsible Decision-Making). Students will engage in activities, reflections, mindfulness games, exercises, discussions and journaling. Students will also practice mindfulness in their daily academic and non-academic lives, develop prosocial qualities, and learn more about themselves as part of a schoolwide character education initiative.

The aim of the elementary Art curriculum is for students to establish a foundation of self-awareness about their own interests and preferences in art.  Students will develop this interest by exploring and experimenting with a variety of tools, materials and techniques. They will exhibit confidence in choosing tools and materials that are appropriate for their artworks and that reflect their growing individual creative vision. Students will be aware that a piece of artwork requires thought, planning, effort and revision.

The AERO art curriculum is divided into four domains.

• Creating Art: Use the creative processes and the language of art to communicate through a variety of media and techniques.
• Historical and Cultural Context: Understand how art has shaped and preserved history and culture.
• Perception and Evaluation: Using the language of art, students critically analyze, derive meaning from, and evaluate artwork.
• Connections: Make connections between art, personal experience, and the world.

The Urdu program at KAS follows the AERO world language standards. The elementary Urdu curriculum is designed for young language learners to build confidence and to take risks in language learning. Students engage in an interactive program that includes songs, puppets, games, and learning activities which build confidence and skills in listening and speaking for beginning students and reading and writing for the more advanced students. Research has shown that the length of time invested in learning a foreign language correlates with the resulting proficiency level. Therefore, when children start early and practice their language skills at home and at school students are more likely to reach a higher level of proficiency. Our beginning students are encouraged to communicate in Urdu outside the classroom with people in their household and local community. For Pakistani students, sharing stories and speaking with family members in Urdu promotes the importance of their language and its traditions.

The elementary physical education program emphasizes the development of skills in movement, object handling, games, team sports, dance, gymnastics and aquatics. Physical Education fosters the acquisition of desirable attitudes and behaviors that help the child learn to lead, play, work and live successfully with others in a group.