Primary Years

Our Primary Programme is implemented from Kindergarten to Grade 5. It prepares students to become active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in the world around them. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both within and beyond the classroom, and builds upon the natural curiosity of the child.

The curriculum for children in Kindergarten to Grade 5 is comprised of the following disciplines:

Language Arts

Mathematics

Science

Social Studies

Art

Music

French

Physical Education (PE)

Arabic

Qatar History

Cultural Studies

Information Communication Technology (ICT)- Digital Literacy

Programme of Inquiry (PYP)

Language Arts and Mathematics are taught specifically as well as within the unit of inquiry. Each unit of inquiry has either a Science or Social Studies focus. ICT skills are taught through the curriculum and children have access to ipads and chrome books. These elements of the curriculum are taught by the homeroom teacher. Art, PE, Music, French and Arabic are supported by specialist subject teachers. Children have the use of specialized Art and Music studios, and a fully equipped gymnasium. All Arabic children participate in Islamic Studies and from Grade 1 children are grouped by language level for French and Arabic. We model our curriculum on the IB Primary Years Programme. For more information about the PYP, please visit the IBO website.

Early Years Programme

The early years are the foundation for learning and open the pathways to education. In SISQ's early years, we are committed to supporting learners in developing emotionally, socially, cognitively, and physically. The children study through four units of inquiry which enables them to develop concept based inquiry skills at an early stage. Learners engage in hands-on activities to encourage creativity, imagination, self-confidence, and independence. They learn through play by sharing their personal experiences, stories, role play and collaborative exploration in different aspects. The learners are exposed to age-appropriate language and math activities throughout the units to build a strong foundation. Every class has a French learning assistant to expose learners to two different languages through their learning.

Kindergarten (K)

The programme gently begins to blend into a more solid academic foundation, maintaining stimulating surroundings and creative opportunities. Children study through 5 units of inquiry. Daily language learning focuses on speaking and listening, oral expression, reading skills, spelling, word and sentence writing, and handwriting. Math is taught from a visual and conceptual approach using manipulative resources. Mathematical vocabulary is emphasised, and topics covered include problem-solving, classification, measures, pattern and shape, all taught alongside computation with a focus on addition and subtraction. Children receive a daily French lesson.

Grade 1 and 2

The curriculum continues to build on from where each individual child is in their personal learning journey, in each subject area. Differentiation and enrichment strategies are key factors in ensuring each child is making progress. Daily language lessons reinforce reading skills through the teaching of phonics, whole-word recognition, sentence awareness and verbal presentation skills. Maths instruction has a focus on proficiency in computation whilst continuing with an investigative approach. The scientific concept based inquiry process and the subject areas of History and Geography are introduced in more detail through the unit of inquiry.

Grade 3 to 5

Language and literacy become more holistic according to each student’s development, and the focus moves to the teaching of higher-order thinking skills. Maths lessons reinforce knowledge of numbers and other topic areas. The curriculum becomes more demanding in terms of understanding and the conceptual application of mathematical principles. The demands of the unit of inquiry become greater; knowledge of the scientific process is needed to participate in experiments and investigations; the social studies elements depend on the pre-acquisition of knowledge and skills in order to carry out effective research and to collaborate within a team to reach a specific goal.

The GRADE 5 Exhibition

The Grade 5 Exhibition is the culmination of our primary programme. As an IB World School, we model our process on the PYP Exhibition, an individual student-led concept-based inquiry project. Students are given the opportunity to use all their previous learning to research an issue they are passionate about and to present it to the school community, using a range of media. This is a remarkable and memorable experience for students, resulting in significant personal growth and community service.