Elementary School

A STRONG AND STRUCTURED PROGRAM

• addresses the academic, social and emotional well-being of students
• encourages students to develop independence and responsibility for their own learning
• supports students’ efforts to grasp an understanding of the world and to relate comfortably within it
• helps students to establish personal values as the basis of their local culture and to develop an understanding of mindsets from other countries and cultures.

The six thematic areas identified in the IB PYP
• Language
• Social Studies
• Mathematics
• Arts
• Science
• Personal, social and Physical Education

A CONSTANTLY EVOLVING METHODOLOGY

This is one of the most efficient programs with an internationally recognized educational qualification, consisting of full immersion in the English language, with strong attention to Mathematics, Portuguese, Brazilian Literature and Social Studies.

Learning at least two languages naturally enhances cognition, enabling learners to troubleshoot problems quickly and efficiently, optimizing reasoning and improving self-esteem, among other benefits, such as social ones. The inquisitive and transdisciplinary curriculum brings specific objectives for each area of knowledge.

Our studies are inquiry-based, where the areas of knowledge are integrated, motivating our students to act in their community and in the world around them, ultimately becoming long term learners.

YEAR 1

For 6/7-year-old children.

In the first elementary school year students have many challenges. This is when they acquire reading and writing skills in English and Portuguese. Red House uses different teaching approaches to make biliteracy an effective and seamless process. Math learning is introduced through a reasoning program developed by the best educators in the field. Students come to appreciate mathematics as a part of life, with its own language, which is as important to master as the languages they speak.

In the areas of Social Studies, Arts, Music and Physical Education, inquiring projects develop and promote knowledge beyond the content proposed by the Brazilian National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) since they have access to the transdisciplinary curriculum of the program offered by our international school. This applies to all elementary school grades (from 1st to 5th year).

It is also in this grade that the study of Spanish as a foreign language begins. Our students experience a year of growth and maturing regarding self-responsibility for their studies. With kindness, ease and respect, we teach them the academic importance in their personal development.

YEAR 2

For 7/8-year-old children.

In the second year of elementary education, with Portuguese literacy better consolidated, students learn about the arbitrary aspects of the Portuguese language.

Following all the parameters of the National Common Curricular Base, plus the language basis proposed in the International Curriculum, grammatical rules are worked in the classroom dynamically and contextualized, ultimately enabling students to take ownership of grammar concepts.The curriculum of Phonetics (Phonics) is settled and, by acquiring the awareness of English language sounds, our students begin to read and write in English.

The cycle of studies in the four main areas of acquisition is complete. At this point, students are ready to delve into writing, reading, speaking and comprehension in both languages. Inquiry is intensified in all areas of knowledge and reading becomes a main source of learning, becoming a reason of great satisfaction and pride to our students.

YEAR 3

For 8/9-year-old children.

English Language Arts is the area of study that fulfills the required American Common Core curriculum in English. Through daily readings, our students are encouraged to analyze and comment on various texts and, once they have learned the literary genres, they are introduced to important national and international authors, embarking on the great adventure that literature provides.

With field outings scheduled in accordance with the themes worked in class, students go beyond books and theory. They explore beyond the school walls and contribute to the use and preservation of public spaces. In this elementary school grade, students begin to also write in Spanish and to study the language structures.

Reasoning stimulation is done through the appropriation of STEAM studies (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). Students are exposed to robotics and programming content that help contextualize hard skills knowledge in their lives.

YEAR 4

For 9/10-year-old children.

The Units of Inquiry are means through which our students are immersed in topics of great importance worldwide and when they discuss their roles and responsibilities before them. Accustomed to being global citizens, students can deepen their learning process in Language, Math, Science, and Social Studies in a more active interdisciplinary way. With ample dedication to studying and deeper involvement in school subjects, mature children take on a more autonomous and responsible approach to their own personal and academic growth and improvement. At this point, they are well familiar with Elementary School routines and begin to prepare for fifth grade, marking the end of a stage, when they step into becoming, above all, lifelong learners. They have learned that from now on studying, dedication and the application of knowledge are key life drivers.

At Assemblies the entire school community discusses emerging situations in our school, it is an opportunity to think about and discuss actions and, most importantly, to come up with solutions to identified problems. Assemblies are run by fourth and fifth graders and represent the important practice of a Democratic Education.

YEAR 5

For 10/11-year-old children.

In the last year of Primary Years, students carry out a transdisciplinary inquiry project. Putting into practice all the knowledge acquired during the previous years in the International Program, our students get involved in a collaborative research process, producing knowledge and offering solutions to real life problems. They rely on the help of tutors and mentors, i.e. their own parents or parents of friends.

They involve the whole community in their project. This way, our students are able to synthesize all the elements of the curriculum and demonstrate that they are deserving of a diploma from an international school and that they have completed a step in their education. This is a great opportunity to celebrate!

The next step will be entering the following phase of their education and their life: Elementary School from 6th to 9th grade. Upon arriving there, we hope to have contributed as mediators for a quality education that will provide each of our students with ethical, moral, academic and personal values that shall structure their entire future life.

MIDDLE YEARS

For 12-year-old children.

From Year 6, Red House International School adopts the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) in Sao Paulo, a challenging program, geared toward students between 11 and 16 years of age, that encourages practical connections between school and the real world. With a large and traditional knowledge base, the MYP encourages students to be creative, critical and reflective.

Click here to know more about IB Middle Years Programme.

Thinking Globally

STUDENTS WITH INTERNATIONAL MINDSETS

All IB programmes aim to develop students with international mindsets who perceive themselves as humans with a share of responsibility to the planet, helping to create a more peaceful and better world.
As an IB community, we strive to be:

IB community profile represents 10 attributes valued by IB World Schools. We believe these attributes, and other as such, can help people to become responsible members of local, national and global communities.

INQUIRERS

Inquirers

We nurture our curiosity, developing research skills and inquiry. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and we keep our love for learning throughout life.

INFORMED

Informed

We develop and use a conceptual understanding approach, exploring the knowledge across a variety of disciplines. We are engaged in issues and ideas that have local and global significance.

THINKERS

Thinkers

We use our critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible actions in the face of complex problems. We exercise initiative by making reasonable and ethical decisions.

COMMUNICATORS

Communicators

We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in several ways. We collaborate effectively and listen carefully to the views of other people and groups.

CONSCIENTIOUS

Conscientious

We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, while respecting the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We are responsible for our own actions and their consequences.

OPEN MINDED

Open Minded

We critically appreciate our own culture and personal history, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a variety of points of view and we are willing to grow through experience.

EMPATHIC

Empathic

We demonstrate empathy, compassion and respect. We are committed to being obliged and to taking actions that make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.

BOLD

Bold

We address uncertainty with courage, acumen and determination; We work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are dependable and flexible in the face of challenges and changes.

BALANCED

Balanced

We understand the importance of balancing the different aspects of our lives- the intellectual, the physical and emotional- to achieve well-being for ourselves and for others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.

REFLECTIVE

Reflective

We carefully consider the world and our own ideas and experiences. We strive to understand our strengths and weaknesses, in order to assist our learning and personal development.