Lower School in France is called École primaire and it is divided into two levels: a three-year course of École maternelle which includes Pre-School, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten (Petite section, Moyenne section and Grande section), followed by a five-year course of École élémentaire formed by Grades 1 through 5 (Cours préparatoire or CP, Cours élémentaire première et deuxième années or CE1 and CE2, and Cours moyen première et deuxième années or CM1 and CM2).

CYCLES: KEY LEARNING STAGES

The French curriculum is organized as a series of multi-year cycles during which students acquire specific knowledge and demonstrate given competencies. This concept acknowledges that learning occurs in a different way, and at a different pace, for every child.

MATERNELLE: PRE-SCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN

France’s renowned École maternelle has been imitated in many countries. Maternelle (Pre-School, Pre-Kindergarten and  Kindergarten) is an integrated and essential first phase of the educational system. Maternelle teachers, who have the same advanced degree as other Lower School teachers, are trained in child psychology and physical development, as well as early childhood education. They begin preparing our youngest children for the work they will be asked to do later in elementary school. The Pre-School (PS) and Pre-Kindergarten (PK) years constitute Cycle 1: Initial Learnings.

Each subject and every activity in Maternelle has an interdisciplinary focus. Rather than arithmetic, science and language being treated separately, the curriculum focuses on general concepts, such as logical thinking, which incorporate elements from each field. For example, recognizing that learning has a physical component at early ages, the Maternelle program includes a daily gymnastics session, in which pre-schoolers must navigate a course that includes balance beams, climbing structures and crawling tubes. The course is designed to reinforce a specific concept, such as placing oneself in space: top-to-bottom and left-to-right. Similar motions are then practiced on a smaller scale, when students do graphic exercises on paper. Although it would not necessarily be apparent to a casual observer, the children are learning pre-writing skills. By Kindergarten, they should be able to reproduce any shape in a defined space. Once actual writing begins, in Grade 1—the first year of Elementary School, they are able to write legibly, in cursive, within a few weeks. Similarly, the gymnastics sessions can be designed to help acquire mathematical concepts.

Music, art, stories, theater, puppets and field trips complement the academic subjects introduced during the Maternelle years. Although reading does not formally begin until Grade 1, Maternelle students learn to write their own names and to recognize the names of their classmates and familiar words, such as the days of the week. Both the San Francisco and Marin campuses have extensive bilingual libraries and video collections, with a rich selection of pre-school-level books, CDs and DVDs for classroom and home use. Teachers frequently read to the class, and children can listen independently to their favorite books on audiocassette during free periods in the classroom. During their Maternelle years, they become enthusiastic readers.

From the very first day of Pre-School or Pre-Kindergarten (the two most common entry points for young students at the LFSF), teachers address children in French. For the first few weeks, the teacher will frequently repeat the sentence in English, if necessary. Children quickly learn the meanings of common words and phrases, and, before long, they begin to use these familiar terms themselves. By the middle of the first year, the teacher rarely needs to use English. Listening comprehension develops more quickly than speaking ability. Mid-way through the first year most children readily understand the French they hear every day at school. During their second year (Pre-K or Kindergarten), they begin to speak well and in Grade 1, with the acquisition of reading skills, most are truly fluent. In addition, Maternelle students spend at least five class hours per week in English language activities with a native English-speaking teacher.

Another essential aspect of LFSF’s Maternelle program is socialization. The school day is highly structured, incorporating specific periods for free, self-directed play. Children learn to express themselves in a manner appropriate to the time and place, and to distinguish the differences in circumstances. They are taught to respect others, and to understand the consequences of their behaviors.

LFSF’s Maternelle program is characterized by a high esteem for the intelligence and abilities of the pre-school-age child. In a warm, supportive environment adapted to their age, children are challenged and encouraged to think independently and act responsibly, thus fully realizing their potential at each developmental level.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:  GRADES 1-5

Grade 1 is the middle year of Cycle 2: Fundamental Learnings, which spans Maternelle and Elementary School. Maternelle and Elementary teachers have the same training and, in many cases, have taught both levels. As a result, the transition from Kindergarten to Grade 1 is smooth. Reading is first taught in French. Grade 1 teachers use an approach based on research concluding that different people learn to read in different ways, and perhaps some of us learn in more than one way.

After the first 10 weeks, Grade 1 students also begin to read in English. They are taught to write in cursive (only in French in Grade 1) and to read all written forms. Language skills and oral expression are high priorities. A significant part of every school day is devoted to poetry, creative writing, formal composition, speech and spelling, as mastering the French language is one of the two main priorities of Cycle 2. In this Cycle, which continues through Grade 2, art, music, science, civics and physical education classes begin, and math, which is the Cycle’s second main priority, is taught formally.

In Cycle 3: Development, which covers Grades 3, 4 and 5, core academic disciplines become more refined as children study literature, history-geography, experimental science, and technology. Students hone skills in critical thinking and observation, develop a taste for experimentation, enhance their emotional intelligence, and rev up their motor skills and creative imagination in classes ranging from visual art to math.

The teaching of mathematics is another point of pride and renown for the French educational system. It is a global approach in which students are exposed early to a wide range of mathematical concepts: geometry, addition, subtraction and multiplication, algebra, fractions, the decimal system, etc. In each year of Elementary School, these mathematical concepts are expanded and students’ comprehension deepens. Logic and expression are always prioritized. Calculating the correct answer is not sufficient; a student must explain how the answer was obtained, and why. Logic and the ability to articulate one’s reasoning are emphasized in every grade and field. Multiple-choice and true/false questions are virtually nonexistent. In all subjects, students are required to develop answers in thoughtfully organized essay form. Presentation, neatness and respect for one’s study materials are viewed as necessary preconditions for serious learning. In Lower School, students learn study methods which they will use through Middle and High School, and later in university.