Kindergarten
In Literacy, the focus is on the Khmer alphabet, with at least one consonant, (of which there are 33), or vowel, (28), introduced or reviewed every day with the emphasis on accuracy in both pronunciation and writing. Pupils are given the text of a word in which a particular letter occurs with an illustration that they will decorate in their own way to cement their learning. There is regular testing and the aim is to achieve a thorough acquaintance with the script.
In Numeracy, the onus is on learning to count and recognise numbers with no specific ceiling set. Again creative work and ongoing assessment form part of lessons.
Social Studies encompasses Khmer etiquette, such as the appropriate way to greet or address someone according to their status or age, while Science is essentially concerned with teaching vocabulary, (for example, the parts of the body or names of animals and plants), that will be encountered at Primary.
Videos and songs are employed as reinforcement.
Primary
Pupils progress in Khmer Literacy from Grades 1 to 5 through dictation, learning new vocabulary and written assignments as prescribed for their level. Examinations may include a song that must be remembered and sung as taught.
Awareness of place and value is raised in Numeracy to the point where, in Grade 5, pupils should be able to articulate and comprehend any number, including decimal parts. Familiarity with all four prime functions is assumed once grasp of long division and the use of fractions has been attained in Grade 4. At this stage, problems begin to be posed in written form to enhance powers of deduction. Grade 5 includes a module in Geometry and Grade 3 in telling the time.
Social Studies & Science is a broad-based subject. Areas include further aspects of Khmer culture, (Grade 1), and personal hygiene, diet, self-organisation and ethics, (Grades 2 and 3). Science, which in the lower grades comprises Human Biology, takes the form of Zoology and Botany in Grades 4 and 5. Teaching in the Environment likewise becomes more diverse. Grade 4 explore the influences that have shaped Cambodia historically, while Grade 5 look at different careers and what they entail.
Our Primary teacher assesses the class in all subjects once a month as is standard in the National Curriculum.
