At WISS, we believe in providing opportunities to grow in various ways, far beyond the experiences that take place in the classroom. Our programs also allow us to connect with many other children beyond those in their homeroom. Students acquire interpersonal skills that encourage them to cultivate meaningful and diverse relationships. Participating in various activities helps develop confidence and self-motivation, enhancing students’ abilities to work as a team, problem-solve, and think critically and creatively. Developing in young children provides a strong foundation for a future of health and well-being.

Our students have abundant opportunities to explore their passions and try new activities, from optional after-school activities to afternoon activities during the school day.

In Elementary, we begin each day with community-building in our classrooms. This strengthens the feeling of community within our classrooms and provides opportunities to model, learn, and practice oral language skills.

Throughout the week, an Elementary student will attend two Music classes, two PE classes, two Arts classes, and many homeroom sessions in which Maths, Literacy, and our Units of Inquiry are explored. Students new to English are supported five days a week through our English for Beginners program, while other students are in Chinese Language classes.

Student’s first languages are honored and celebrated through translanguaging, as we help them make connections between languages they are learning.

On Friday, Elementary students engaged in student-selected electives called Friday Afternoon Activities (FAAs). Several sessions of FAAs are run throughout the school year, giving students ample time to explore new hobbies or areas of interest, such as robotics, cooking, video-editing, basketball, and more!

HOME-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP

In Elementary at the Western International School of Shanghai, building three-way relationships between families, the students, and the school is paramount to supporting our learners' well-being and education. We pride ourselves as an open, caring community that believes in the importance of solid home-school communications to ensure the success of every one of our students.

We focus on providing clear and easy communication channels for our parents to stay up to date on student learning, school news, and information. Communications with each family are centered on building our understanding of your child as we continue the learning journey together.

TEACHING APPROACH

In Elementary, we embrace collaboration as an approach for learning and teaching, but also as part of the culture of our learning community. An International & Chinese co-teacher offers highly personalized support to our youngest learners. This support includes translanguaging to remove obstacles to learning and understanding while strengthening our learning communities. In Grades 3-5, each class is led by an international teacher, and the grade level is supported by Chinese co-teachers, who collaborate across the grade-level classes.

As the PYP is an inquiry-based, concept-driven framework for learning and teaching, this is reflected in the lesson designs, planning, and instructional delivery throughout Elementary. Teachers carefully and thoughtfully plan pathways for students to construct their meaning. They are supported to go beyond mere memorization of facts or performance of skills to demonstrate further genuine understanding and real-life application of what they are learning. This approach keeps the students at the center of the learning and provides teachers evidence of the following steps to continue moving learning forward.

Students learn to self-assess their growth and self-adjust their learning, setting goals for themselves with opportunities to co-construct action plans and reflect upon their progress. Empowering students to embrace the tools and strategies that develop them as lifelong learners are essential to the Elementary experience and prepare them well for the Middle Years Program (MYP).