For literacy, we start term 1 with upper- and lower-case recognition. By the end of term 1, Pandacorns have gone through the alphabet twice. First time focusing on letter recognition, the second time on phonics. After the first three months, they will develop a strong grasp of the alphabet, progressing to three-letter words. At the end of the Pandacorn year, students are comfortable reading three-letter words (consonant-vowel-consonant) as well as writing in upper- and lower-case letters.
For math, students work throughout the year on the following competencies: counting, adding and subtracting, graphs, and geometry. It is an ongoing project. Students will also use manipulatives to solve word problems. Assignments are also provided to evaluate the students’ understanding of the concepts.
For science, a concept is introduced at the beginning of the month. Activities are held throughout the unit, leading to a problem that needs to be solved through experimentation. Students are given ample time to try, adjust, and come to conclusions. Experiments include making a boat that floats, a tree that is strong enough to hold weight, and a house that stands, among many others.
At the end of Pandacorns, students are able to read sentences, solve additions and subtractions, and write three-letter words on dictation, making them more than equipped to tackle Cambridge Curriculum Stage 1 in Dolphins.
