Primary Programme 

Language is fundamental to learning, thinking and communicating. CIS students use Chinese to develop deep understanding in all areas of learning as they work to meet the mission of the school. Learning outcomes in language can be grouped into listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Listening and Speaking
Students develop fluency as well as confidence in their oral language abilities through structured activities in a variety of speaking and listening situations. Students also build a strong vocabulary foundation for reading and writing.

Reading
Our goals are that all students will love to read, read a lot and continually grow as readers. CIS students learn to read through read-aloud and shared reading. High quality reading materials are used to encourage a positive attitude towards reading for pleasure and for learning. Students read books that are at just the right reading level for them.

Writing
Our goals are that all students will love to write, write a lot and continually grow as writers. CIS students study different topics to express themselves in writing. In lower Primary, students start writing with radicals, stroke order and characters. In upper Primary, students study different modes of writing, literary devices and some basic Chinese genres.

Language Study
Language study in Chinese includes radicals, strokes, stroke orders, characters, words, phrases, sentences, grammar, and punctuation. These are important fundamental blocks in language learning. Language study is taught systematically through thematic Chinese units.

Language is fundamental to learning, thinking and communicating. CIS students use English to develop deep understanding in all areas of learning as they work to meet the mission of the school. Learning outcomes in language can be grouped into oral language, reading, writing, language study and inquiry. In addition to being embedded in other learning areas, there are blocks of time in the school day dedicated to building specific language skills and knowledge. These three blocks are reading, writing and language study. 

Reading
Our goals are that all students will love to read, read a lot and continually grow as readers. CIS students learn to read through read-aloud, shared reading and reading workshops. High quality reading materials are used to encourage a positive attitude towards reading for pleasure and for learning. Students read books of their choice that are at just the right reading level for them. 

Writing
Our goals are that all students will love to write, write a lot and continually grow as writers. CIS students learn to write in writing workshops. In a writing workshop, students learn that writing is a lifelong process during which they continually lift the level of their writing skills as they outgrow themselves as writers. Students write for authentic audiences and purposes and have ownership over the topics and content of their writing. 

Language Study
Language study in English includes spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation (including capitalization). These are important fundamental blocks in language learning. Language study is taught systematically through the authentic contexts of a student’s own reading, writing and speaking.

The Primary Mathematics Curriculum at Chinese International School aims to enable students to become confident mathematical thinkers who have a positive attitude towards mathematics and secure knowledge and skills. The broad goals are for students to comprehend and connect, be flexible in their use of procedures, formulate and present problems, use logic and be able to justify their thinking and also have a productive disposition toward mathematics.

A central focus for the mathematics curriculum at Chinese International School is to cultivate 21st Century competencies through varied and rich learning experiences. Mathematics learning goes beyond content knowledge and learning progressions. It encompasses what we have learned from the positive education movement in relation to character and necessary dispositions for learning and it encompasses the skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. 

Students will gain mathematical literacy by collaborating with others and communicating logically and clearly. They will learn to conceptualise, inquire and reason mathematically, think critically, mindfully and creatively to solve problems and show metacognitive capacity. They will engage in productive struggle and see purpose and value in their learning.

The goal of the music programme at CIS is to foster a life-long love of music by providing an environment that stimulates and challenges students through theory-based and skill-based practical musical experiences, using a dual-language programme whenever possible. This will be accomplished by: 

• giving students the opportunity to explore and enjoy a wide range of musical experiences including classifying and analysing sounds, exploring body music, harmonising, listening, playing instruments, singing, reading and notating music, composing and recording songs;
• encouraging students to develop perceptual skills through a breadth of musical experiences, where they will learn to recognise, speculate, analyse, identify, discriminate and hypothesise in relation to music;
• enabling students to develop creatively their knowledge, abilities and understanding through performance and composition;
• allowing students to develop their potential as musicians both individually and collaboratively, in whatever capacity, to the fullest.

As a social activity that also plays an important role in the language learning process, music is a part of everyday life. 

The Primary Physical Education Programme is part of a continuous curriculum that flows from the Primary School into Secondary. It is our goal to foster the desire, skills and understanding that will allow students to pursue a healthy and active lifestyle both during and beyond their school years.

The focus of the Primary Programme is to promote the physical, social, and emotional development of the child. Physical Education provides opportunities for students to be creative, competitive and to face different challenges as individuals and in groups.