Concept
The primary school at the German International School Abu Dhabi has a concise structure and is mainly a two-stream school with small, pedagogically meaningful learning groups. For us, the joy of learning and support for lifelong learning is at the center of all teaching and learning.
- As an international school we promote a multicultural student body.
- Differentiation and individualization, i.e. the consideration of the different abilities of our students are a natural part of our teaching and learning culture.
- An important task is to see the heterogeneity of culture, origin and skills as a great opportunity that cannot prepare better for the world of tomorrow.
- Languages play a central role in our school. Of course, the German language is at the core of our pedagogy.
Classification
All children who have reached the age of 6 by 01 September of the current calendar year can be enrolled in school after their ability to attend school has been established. This will be determined on the basis of the development report of the delivering kindergarten and a school aptitude test carried out at GISAD. At the request of parents, this procedure is also applied to children who have reached the age of 6 after 01 September. The school management decides on the final admission of a child.
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Subject lessons
1.1. German
Through our action-oriented, often interdisciplinary lessons that integrate life experiences, we prepare our primary school students for the confident use of the written and spoken German language. In the course of the primary school period we support our students in the subject German:
- To acquire basic orientation and knowledge in the language, media and literature.
1.2. Maths
Our mathematics classes make use of early mathematical knowledge and help our students to acquire basic mathematical skills. Through a variety of solutions and calculation methods, we encourage creativity in the mathematical interpretation of real situations and train flexible and independent thinking. Discovering learning, practicing in meaningful contexts and the use of different forms of presentation with the integration of modern technology are among the basic concepts of our mathematics lessons.
1.3. General Sciences
Our science lessons aim at the consistent development of abilities and skills that help to orientate oneself in the world of life, to open up to it, and to experience oneself responsibly as the cause of good effects and development. Children learn for example how a thunder storm develops, the habits of animals and how plants flourish.
1.4. English
The subject English is taught to primary school children for two class hours from the start of primary school.
1.5. Arabic
All students learn Arabic from grade 1 onwards. In this way, the children receive the basics of the Arabic language and also gain an insight into the culture of the United Arab Emirates. In grade 1 and 2, Arabic-speaking children receive:
- Five class hours in their mother tongue.
- From grade 3 onwards four hours each.
- In addition, all Emirati children will receive additional support in the German language in the form of DaF lessons (German as foreign language), and specialized (Emirati) homework help. The DaF- Lessons are also open to other children for a fee if required.
1.6. DaF
With our specialized DaF program we support the children in early language acquisition. We offer them activities that focus on vocabulary, clear pronunciation and grammatical competence. We have specially trained and qualified professionals for this purpose. The lessons are based on the KIKUS method, which is supplemented and optimized by self-developed teaching materials to meet the children’s needs. KIKUS stands for “Children in Cultures and Languages” and is a playful language programme with a sound linguistic basis. The focus is on learning oral language in the areas of vocabulary, grammar and linguistic-social behavior patterns.
After School Care
After school supervision is up to and including the sixth lesson for all primary school students. During this time the children can do their homework as well as play and socialize. The language of interaction is German. In addition, after the lunch break at the seventh and eighth lesson, there is a further supervision offer; please view AG’s and ECA’s
