PRIMARY WEDNESDAY

PRIMARY WEDNESDAYS

For ages 5-10, GS, CP to CM2 (3 hours per week) equivalent to Years 1 – 6 (UK), Kindergarten – 5th Grade (US)

The Wednesday Programme is held at Pasteur Primary School, Avenue Auguste Dutreux, La Celle-Saint-Cloud (78170) from 9.00-12.00pm on Wednesday mornings. The lessons are taught by English-speaking teachers and our programme is based on the British curriculum. The children sit the same Entrance exam in English as the candidates for the Integrated and Externé programmes.

These classes give English-speaking pupils attending other schools the opportunity to study and express themselves solely in English, which for many is like a breath of fresh air, as the small class sizes encourage oral activities as much as possible. It is an ideal solution for children who
– live too far away for the integrated/externé programmes
– for those children who need to work hard on improving their French.

It is essential to have at least one English-speaking parent/care-giver at home; the child needs to have sufficient exposure to English as 3 hours a week on its own is not enough to maintain a fluent level of English (written and spoken).

Apart from discussing study books, pupils share their past week’s news, as well as talking about current affairs. Written work consists primarily of creative writing, comprehension and grammar exercises. The children read and study various novels as a group and are encouraged to read English books at home. Our English library is growing rapidly and the children are welcome to take books home every week.

 

 

 

At Christmas, children prepare a short play or sketches to be performed for parents, friends and families. Other events may include a visiting storyteller or a drama workshop. At Easter we organise some fun activities such as an Easter bonnet or Easter egg competition and a selection of the children’s work is presented in a school magazine.

Despite the onus of attending school on Wednesday and the added demand of English homework, the pupils appear each week with smiling faces, ready to contribute. While the teachers’ expectations are high, the maximum is done to create a relaxed, working environment for the children. The activities are presented in an enjoyable context to make the learning process as fun and enriching as possible, and the small class sizes benefit everyone.

GRANDE SECTION

In Grande Section, oral and listening skills are very important. Our aim is for students to grow in confidence: speaking and expressing their ideas fluently in English while increasing their vocabulary. The learning and recognition of letters, sounds and simple words using phonics, and the beginning stages of reading and writing are taught along with the ongoing development of manual and co-ordination skills. The use of letter and word banks, flash cards, songs, educational games, rhymes, stories and picture books assist in teaching and developing the basic skills. Homework is set on a weekly basis. Usually some writing, reading & grammar or spelling task. Parental support is essential.

COURS PREPARATOIRE (CP)

During the CP year we build upon the skills achieved in Maternelle. Reading capabilities are further developed for fluency and word recognition using the Oxford Reading Tree scheme. Writing skills become more structured and meaningful. Oral skills remain very important and students are encouraged to share their news. Songs, rhymes, stories, and topic work help enrich the programme and build students’ confidence. Homework is set on a weekly basis. Usually some writing, reading and grammar or spelling tasks. Parental support is essential.

COURS ELEMENTAIRE (CE1-CE2)

In CE1/CE2, the graded reading scheme is continued, as well as students being encouraged to select and read their own choice of books from the library. Reading and writing skills are developed introducing more complex texts for comprehension exercises and free writing is often inspired by various topics throughout the year. During the latter half of CE1 and throughout the CE2 year, students will also study various books, as a class, together.

A variety of text books are used to maintain spelling, comprehension and grammar skills. Weekly news telling and presenting of different projects will encourage listening and speaking skills.

Homework is set on a weekly basis. Usually some writing, reading & grammar or spelling task. Parental support is essential.

COURS MOYEN (CM1-CM2)

In CM1/CM2, the children read and study various class novels, which encourage discussion and topic work. Comprehension exercises, structuring and improving writing skills, story writing, dictionary and vocabulary work are often focused on throughout the year. A variety of text books are used to maintain spelling, comprehension and grammar skills. Weekly news telling and presenting of different projects will encourage listening and oral skills.

Homework is set on a weekly basis. Usually consisting of some writing, reading & grammar or spelling task. Parental support is essential.