Preparatory Stage
Preparatory Stage - 4th to 5th Grades
The Preparatory Stage, also known as primary school/grade is for the Age Group of 9 to 11 years. This is the age when children thirst for knowledge. They look out for larger than life aspects in everything that they experience. They want to work in teams/groups (also known as the Herd Mentality). The concept of “I” and Values are beginning to get established. So, children will think through and try to rationalize Values that they observe at School, at Home and elsewhere. They look for role models. They get confused because of the contradictions that they see in Life. They are fearless and call out these contradictions. This is also the time when the child is capable of getting more in to abstract learning. It is, therefore, important for the School to understand and cater to these needs of the Child. It is also essential to ensure that the Child’s fundamentals are strong. So, learning takes the form of activities, conversations, group sessions, games and the ability of the school and everyone at school to walk the talk.
Approach - The What
- The Smrti Team gets a deep understanding of the needs of this Age Group
- Imaginative and Fun ways to Learning
- Balance of Classroom and Outdoor Learning; Balance of Books, Audio Visual, Laboratory and Group Learning
- Pedagogy that connects the text book to the world
- Healthy mix of Sports, Games, Art & Craft, Music, Dance, Theatre
- Value Education
Delivery - The How
- Lesson plans that ensure chalk and talk, audio visual, activities, group learning, use of library and laboratories and weaving in Values in to every lesson plan
- Time-table that ensures games, art, music, dance, theatre, field trips, outdoor classes are all given equal importance
- Story Telling Sessions, value education and heritage classes to help in Value Clarification
- Projects that children will work on to better understand social responsibility, the environment and various aspects that they learn
- Text Books that are inquiry based, make the child think and also helps them to get their basics right
- Assessment that considers various aspects such as Observing, Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing Skills
- The Smrti Team is trained and sensitized on how to approach this Age Group and ensure that conversations happen (rather than arguments), there is Group Learning and Curiosity is encouraged
