Our approach towards Curriculum has always been to develop learning modules which go in building the right skill sets and a curious mindset for our children. Schools over years, while rightfully focused on academic brilliance as a just barometer, the truth is the world today offers a lot more rewarding career opportunities which go beyond the world of math and science. At Presidency, our focus is to ignite that curiosity towards every sphere which can help a child excel in developing his leadership, analytical and communication skills which will be the basic need of the new workforce. Pre-Primary Curriculum During the formative years of a child, the most important skills that need development are cognitive, social, communication, interpersonal and motor skills. Keeping this in mind, the curriculum encourages developing a natural flair of asking questions i.e. igniting the curiosity factor. All this is provided in a playful and stress free environment. Learning through play, investigation, interaction and application Integrated curriculum with higher focus on depth of learning Engaging in conversations that build social emotional skills Social SkillsCognitive SkillsCommunication SkillsMotor SkillsSocial Skills During Circle Time Kids share their feelings and bond with teachers and learn to be a part of the group. Children practice taking turns listening and speaking and learn valuable skills in positive communication. Everything from social skills to empathy can be gained with practice in circle time. Repeated interactive read-alouds allow teachers to help children build important literacy skills such as prediction and comprehension. Children are encouraged to ask questions during the read-alouds. Cognitive Skills Our primary focus in numeracy is to provide kids a firm grounding in the concept of counting, recognizing patterns, sorting and categorizing objects, measuring and calculating amounts, arranging objects in space and identifying shapes. We use a variety of techniques to establish the idea that numbers are symbols that represent quantity. This primes kids for basic arithmetic as they grow older. Our Learn Math Zone are equipped with materials and resources that allow children to problem-solve and explore the world ‘mathematically’. One of the most loved activities, our art and craft sessions encourage creativity and innovation. Besides drawing and regular craft work we also provide opportunities for sensory play where kids are introduced to various materials and encouraged to use their imagination. Audio Visual Media is integrated into the curriculum and we use it to emphasize concepts through animated videos and songs. By engaging kids audio-visually we are able to deeply embed some of the ideas they pick through other activities. A stimulating activity involving fun exercise which makes the child learn the art of asking questions and probing for answers. Communication Skills Our Language Curriculum is split into different areas – Phonics, Vocabulary and Writing. At school, children have an immersive experience where they use sound, sight and touch to master the English language. Intentional talking encourages development in many areas: spoken language, early literacy, cognitive development, social skills, and emotional maturity. Teachers use variety of topics to ask Thought-provoking questions and use new words that extend children’s thinking and vocabulary. This revolves around making children express in writing in one sentence what they have drawn as a part of coloring exercises. Motor Skills Our pre-writing curriculum in Nursery includes a range of activities to improve strength and stability in the fingers that builds fine motor skills. For preschoolers, art and early writing skills are one and the same. We provide those art experiences that help children develop independence and gives them an opportunity to represent ideas on paper. We encourage kids to draw a picture and then scribble some “words” underneath to describe what he/she has drawn or to tell a story. As the kids progress into later stages of writing, they start writing sentences underneath their pictures. This is one of the most important activities as it encourages physical play combined with social interaction. The school yard is set up as a play arena with a play gym, sandpit and various other objects for kids to play with. We monitor kids while allowing them the freedom to explore and engage with their peers. Children learn fast when they explore the environment around them. This fun activity allows kids to explore senses of touch, smell, taste, sound and seeing. Primary School Curriculum (Class I to V) The primary school focuses on developing and nurturing on the holistic aspects at an individual level and strengthening the conceptual clarity at an academic level. To build depth and improve learning experience, we have integrated our curriculum across various subjects – English Language Skills, Science, Geography, History and Arts. The thematic units cover topics ranging from People around Us to Young Entrepreneurs to Space Exploration. English Language ArtsSTEMRegional LanguagesICTEnglish Language Arts Our English Curriculum is based on ESL framework (English as a Second Language) The main objective is to provide experiences that develop communication strategies which increase in complexity in relation to the individual student’s abilities. This involves students spending significant part of their week reading, writing, speaking, listening and thinking. The programme provides opportunities for students to become active, independent and lifelong users of the language. 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Reading & Writing Reading opens up a world of knowledge and can help children pursue their interests and hobbies. Spelling & vocabulary The spelling program reinforces the fundamental spelling skills and also aid in understanding the meaning of the spelling. Handwriting & Typing The handwriting program instructs students how to write letters and numbers with legibility, speed, and ease. Listening & speaking The best way to learn a new language is through an immersive experience. STEM Children need to understand the complexities and technologies of the information age in which we live. Towards that goal, the current system requires a fundamental shift from emphasis on rote learning for mastery of skills to the use of conceptual understanding in real life problem solving situations. Our Science Curriculum is based on Cambridge Curriculum and is fully Inquiry and Investigation based. The content of the program includes yearly study in the specific areas of physical, life and earth science and also gives a better understanding of people and the way they live. Instructional strategies include a rich assortment of hands-on activities to actively engage students in the learning process. Exploration provides opportunities for students to develop questions that require interpretation and conclusions. Students apply what they learn and connect it to data found in charts, graphs and tables. Our Math Curriculum is based on Singapore Math that develops mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills in learners. The approach enables learners to acquire deep understanding of concepts and fluency in procedures, instead of just rote learning and is designed to create powerful young mathematicians. Regional Languages Hindi and Telugu are taught to students of Class 1-5. Students will have an option to select either Hindi or Telugu as their First Language from Class 6 and above. Our regional language curriculum focuses on reading, writing and story-telling. ICT Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is now part of the educational experience worldwide and regarded as a new ‘literacy’ alongside reading, writing and numeracy. For most young children ICT is used for entertainment, so it becomes essential to change their perspective that the same devices can also be constructively used to further their learning. Beginning with Educational apps and simple tasks children are exposed to possibilities of learning with ICT. As the grades progress children are introduced to the basics of programming using Scratch. A lot of emphasis is placed on algorithms and the step by step approach to problem solving, creating a strong platform for future coders. High School Curriculum (classes VI – X) The High School Curriculum expands in rigor and practice. It encourages students to follow a systematic pattern to their studies and also give enough freedom to hone additional skills that he/she may want to take up. Students learn through activity-based assignments, and hands on projects, which also help teach them about accountability and self-direction. Technology and research is integrated into the learning process to allow students to master technical skills while learning core subject content in a meaningful, interdisciplinary way. Students have the option of changing their curriculum to either CBSE or Cambridge after class V subject to availability of vacancies. EnglishSTEMSocial SciencesRegional LanguagesLife Skills - SMILEEnglish To meet the challenges of the future, children need to develop both conversational and academic English. High School English Curriculum is based on Cambridge Global English and is aligned with CEFR(Common European Framework of Reference). The course is organized into thematic units of study and it presents relevant listening, speaking, reading and writing tasks. The materials reflect the following principles: International Focus The topics and situations in Global English book have been selected to reflect global diversity and encourage learning about each other’s lives through the medium of English. Language-Rich Approach The curriculum covers a wide variety of topics ranging from – Understanding Maps to All Living Things to Parts and Percentages. Learners acquire content knowledge, develop critical thinking skills and practice English language and literacy. English for Educational Success The materials incorporate a ‘learning to learn’ approach and learners can acquire skills and strategies to help them approach new learning situations with confidence. STEM High School students should observe real life situations and be capable enough to understand the underlying scientific principles behind it. This approach based on observation and experimentation fosters a strong foundation in the basics and helps children as they progress in life. Our aim for the High School STEM program is to support discovery and investigation that builds further depth of the concepts. Our Science curriculum uses integrated learning with maths and languages to give the children an all-round perspective of the scientific concepts. A usual class starts with the teacher demonstrating an experiment followed by a class deducing the concept of the experiment. A round of testing and questioning cements the child’s understanding of the concept. For the some of the more difficult concepts we supplement the learning with a field visit. Our Math Curriculum focus on developing critical thinking as well as a systematic approach to problem solving. The approach emphasizes the importance of the ability to convert real life situations into numbers and use mathematical skills to solve them. Since most graduate level exams like CAT, GMAT, GRE, GATE, etc have Data Interpretation as one of the key testing areas, we place special importance on data interpretation and analytics, giving students a one up when it comes to digesting information, processing it and deriving actionable items from it. Social Sciences Our Social science curriculum encompasses diverse and a wide range of content drawn from the disciplines of History, Geography, Political Science, Economics, Sociology and Anthropology. The content is aimed at raising students’ awareness through critically exploring and questioning of familiar social reality. Creating a strong sense of human values, namely, freedom, trust, mutual respect, and respect for diversity is the main aim of the curriculum. Through engaging teaching methodologies, we aim to develop a student’s ability to analyze socio-political realities. Regional Languages Students have the flexibility to choose either Telugu or Hindi as their First Language. Life Skills - SMILE Life skills training is paramount to ensure children to develop a healthy self-esteem and instill confidence to take on the outside world. SMILE is our Life Skills Curriculum and stands for Social Skills, Motivation, Integrity, Leadership and Empathy. They help our students in the following ways: To help students work on their social skills, moral conscience & ethical values. To broaden their perspectives on different issues plaguing the world and instill a sense of social responsibility. To build a sense of inquiry & inquisitiveness which will make learning more meaningful. We have one session every week and cover various topics. These topics are spread across different classes and are as follows: Bullying, Empathy, Far & Confidence, Dignity of labor, Identifying feelings and emotions, Conflict resolution, Leadership skills, Teamwork, Handling conflict with Parents, Understanding peer pressure, Goal setting and Pressure management. Teaching Pedagogy Our teaching revolves around our vision – sparking the curiosity bulb in every child. To this effect, we believe in developing a responsive curriculum rather than a reactive curriculum. A responsive curriculum creates newer methods of imparting knowledge than merely adapting to the changes. Our teaching therefore goes beyond the traditional boundaries of defined subjects. Using technology where applicable, we strive to deliver a broader perspective as students get ready to step into the ever changing complex world of ours. Beyond Academics Concepts need clarity. And therefore students spend a lot of time on project work which helps the teacher understand how the child has fared in understanding concepts. Our project work helps student develop analytical ability, team work skills and help them develop self-confidence to present their work to an audience. Few of our projects are collaborative in nature which helps our students learn team work, inter personal skills and patience.