Nursery Curriculum Guide

All learning at our school is based around the International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Programme (PYP), an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework.

Throughout the year, students will be guided through six Units of Inquiry of global significance, providing opportunities to broaden their learning by developing their conceptual understandings, strengthening their knowledge and skills across, between and beyond subject areas.

The following four Units of Inquiry will be explored throughout the year. Each unit is developed around a concept, a Central Idea and Lines of Inquiry.

Central Idea: Knowledge of ourselves and the impact of our interactions helps us to flourish

An inquiry into:

• Myself: My health and wellbeing
• Interactions: My relationships with others and my sense of belonging
• Growth: The impact on my learning and development

Central Idea: People can express feelings and ideas through a variety of arts 分享自己的情感和想法能幫助我們與他們人建立關係

An inquiry into:

• The different ways we can express ourselves 表達自己的不同方式
  
• How sharing our feelings and ideas connects us with others 分享自己的情感和想法能幫助我們與他人建立關係
  
• How we respond to visual and performing arts 我們對與視覺藝術和表演藝術的回應
  

Central Idea: People play a role in supporting living things 人類對其他生物生存提供支持

An inquiry into:

• Living things in our environment 我們周圍的生物
  
• Our needs and the needs of other living things 我們生存的需要以及其他生物生存的需要
  
• Our responsibility towards the well-being of other living things 我們對於其他生物的健康成長的責任
  

Central Idea: People learn by using their senses to explore the world around them 人們通過不同的感覺對周圍的世界進行探索學習

An inquiry into:

• Our senses 我們的感覺
  
• Using senses to explore 運用不同的感覺探索周圍的世界
  
• Why we explore 探索世界的原因
  

The development of language is fundamental to all areas of our learning programs. Language helps us communicate our thinking and understanding.

Language is socially constructed - it is dependent on social interactions and relationships. It permeates all subject areas. As such, we view all of our teachers and assistants to be language teachers.

English is our main language of instruction, with Chinese (Mandarin) taught as an additional language. We take similar approaches teaching both English and Chinese.

Students are provided opportunities to enrich their vocabulary by describing different sensorial experiences and exploring stories, songs and rhymes. Students learn how to interact socially - using appropriate voice and body language. Students recount and retell experiences and stories through socio-dramatic play, drawing and "writing".

Mathematics is a global language of concepts and symbols through which we make sense of the world around us.

Mathematics is taught through three main stages:

1. Constructing meaning and ideas about a mathematical concept through interactions with objects, discussions, experimentation and play;
2. Transferring these ideas and understandings into symbols;
3. Applying these ideas and understanding in real-life and hands-on problem solving activities.

Mathematics is taught through the strands of number, shape and space and measure.

Students explore the concept of counting. They learn how to connect number names, numerals and quantities (including zero) up to 10. They are provided opportunities to explore patterns around them, describing and creating them by using materials, sounds, movements and drawings.

Students explore the concept of space by following and providing simple directions. They compare the length, mass and capacity of different objects. They sort and describe basic 2D shapes and 3D objects. They explore the concept of time by identifying days of the week.

Our outdoor learning is a central pillar of our school and a wide range of engaging experiences enable our students to learn about and connect with nature.

Students explore a range of land-based environments (including school grounds and local built environments). They will use different tools to observe nature in outdoor and natural settings. They will investigate how plants need water, light & a suitable temperature to grow and flourish. They will have opportunities to create and maintain a sensory garden.

Our PE program focuses on developing a range of fundamental movement skills. This is mainly done through our Perceptual Motor Program.

Wellbeing is another central pillar of our school. Throughout our wellbeing program, our students explore relationships, identity and aspects of health (physical, social, emotional and spiritual). Our wellbeing program also teaches our students about child protection, anti-bullying and mindfulness strategies.

Students will learn how to approach and persevere with new situations and change. They will be provided opportunities to share practices of their own culture(s), discuss the physical similarities and differences between themselves and others, recognising that each person is an individual. They will learn about people and places that can keep them safe when needed and ways to ask for help. They will also learn about the importance of healthy eating and personal hygiene.

Our Arts program is taught through four main strands: music, visual arts, drama and dance. Music is taught by specialist teachers.

In Music, students learn the concepts of beat and rhythm through singing and playing basic instruments. They explore different ways to express their feelings and emotions, as well as, responding to sounds and music.

In Visual Arts, students are provided opportunities to explore a range of materials and tools to create images and objects related to themselves, others and their environments using a variety of forms.

In Drama, students engage in purposeful socio-dramatic play using objects, puppets and images to create or retell stories.

In Dance, students are provided opportunities to move to music, exploring space, time, dynamics and relationships.

Science and Social Studies are primarily taught through the Units of Inquiry (see above).

Students are provided to show and build the understanding of how the world works by exploring the different properties of materials; investigating the behaviour of light and sound; and observing how different objects move. Students also describe natural patterns they see daily and as seasons change. They explore human needs and the concept of family.

Identifies heard sounds

Discriminates between different sounds

Imitates the sounds of animals, transportation and musical instruments

Participates in songs, chants and rhymes

Handles books, showing an understanding of how a book works, cover, beginning, directional movement.

Differentiates between pictures and text

Counts forwards and backwards to 10

Recognises numerals to 10

Links numerals and amounts up to 10

Uses objects to add two single digit numbers

Sorts, describes and names familiar two-dimensional shapes and objects in the environment

Follows and gives simple directions

Creates a repeating pattern

Selects shapes to represent objects when making pictures

Finds ways to fit shapes into a puzzle

Nesting, posting and ordering

To see the Subject Guidance for all subjects from Nursery to Year 6 please click on this link

A happy, healthy learning community empowering all members to flourish

Email: info@ichkhly.edu.hk
Website: www.ichkhly.edu.hk
Location: 3 Hong Lok Yuen 20th Street, Hong Lok Yuen, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 3955 3000
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