The second cycle of basic education aims to develop well-rounded students with an emphasis on bilingual English-Spanish learning, consolidating fundamental attitudes and values, as well as knowledge and skills that allow them to prepare for life and thrive in it, responding to a changing society and projecting themselves appropriately into the future. The education provided within the classrooms and the school is based on strong values, highlighting responsibility, teamwork, commitment, respect, flexibility, tolerance, proactivity, autonomy, solidarity, positive leadership, self-discipline, and identity.
OBJECTIVE
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
As a school, it is important to create an atmosphere where our students learn to use their full potential. Therefore, it is essential to provide our students with the basic tools they need to thrive in modern society and in accordance with today’s technologies.
In this cycle, we aim to foster an interest in Science and Technology through the integrated STEM Program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) as a way to intentionally incorporate different disciplines into the existing curriculum.
We also want to enhance the development of skills, including reading comprehension, as a fundamental skill upon which a series of other related skills are built, such as oral communication, a love of reading, and critical thinking. We understand that developing this skill is a pathway to equipping students with the tools they need for academic, professional, and social life.
To contribute to the school’s mission of developing bilingual leaders and integrating them to successfully face the challenges of a globalized world, our students must achieve fluency in English, expressing themselves in this language with confidence and naturalness. They must embrace the rigorous training required for personal development in order to achieve well-rounded growth in many areas of life, whether professional, academic, or personal. To this end, they also have one hour of spoken English with native-speaking teachers.
Similarly, the school aims to develop students’ ability to comprehensively solve mathematical operations and problems using innovative methodologies (Singapore Method) and cultivate a love and appreciation for art, music, and sports as a way to enrich their lives and broaden their horizons.
STEM PROGRAM
The Technology subject is designed to address interdisciplinary problems using process design, observe innovation in science and technology, and develop or observe how scientific research is generated, aligning with national and international science outreach programs.
This will be addressed through workshops with a small number of students in grades 5 and 6, with modules on applied and educational robotics, energy and the environment, and recycling; and in grades 7 and 8, with workshops on applied and educational robotics, electricity and electronics, and agriculture and food production.
Within this program, students will develop argumentation skills, a core competency in the 21st-century educational curriculum, enabling them to explain, justify, propose, make predictions, and empirically verify the validity of certain phenomena.
TKD CLASSES
The day includes an hour of TKD, with the aim of instilling the five principles of this discipline: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control and Indomitable Spirit.
VALUES EDUCATION
An hour of Values Education is also included, with an annual work program based on values and principles that are reinforced throughout the curriculum in accordance with the Cross-Curricular Objectives.
Our program is based on a solid academic foundation, strengthening bilingualism and generating diverse opportunities and strategies to create learning experiences, in accordance with the goals of the Institutional Educational Project and the requirements of the national plans and programs.
To provide preventative support, assessment, and guidance to our students, we have the assistance of a team of specialists, including an educational psychologist and a school psychologist/counselor.
Extracurricular activities take place after school, during which students develop artistic, athletic, and social skills.
In addition to the activities mentioned above, other programs are offered in the Second Cycle of Basic Education, including:
NORTH AMERICAN TEACHERS AND ORAL ENGLISH
Each year, we have native English speakers interacting with our students. Chilean high school teachers specializing in elementary education work alongside these native teachers in developing the English program and rigorously monitor our students’ progress. In addition, we host student teachers from American universities who come for one-month internships twice a year. These students share their culture with our TJS students, teachers, and families and provide support in our classrooms across various disciplines. Since 2008, we have run an oral English program in which a native English teacher leads weekly engaging activities designed to develop oral English skills at all levels (grades 1-12).
SINGAPORE METHOD FOR TEACHING MATHEMATICS
From Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade, a mathematics program based on the Singapore Math method is being implemented. Specifically, it involves incorporating the methodology, texts, and concrete materials used in this approach at the aforementioned levels to develop concepts, skills, attitudes, and processes, gradually leading to student metacognition. A fundamental aspect of this process is the analysis and resolution of problems through diagrams, concrete materials, and visualization.
READING PLAN AND SUSTAINED SILENT READING
The Language Department dedicates one hour per week in grades 1 through 8 to developing reading comprehension strategies. These strategies are also explicitly addressed in English class to reinforce reading comprehension. Some of the strategies covered include: identifying the main idea, inferring, comparing, summarizing, and extracting explicit or implicit information from texts, among others. This is complemented by a home reading plan, in which students read one book per month, which is then assessed. Additionally, during daily Homeroom, both students and teachers read silently for 10 minutes during class time.
TEXT PRODUCTION PROGRAM
The Language Department in grades 5 and 6 begins explicitly teaching the stages of writing, using a process-oriented model divided into: planning, drafting, revising and/or editing, culminating in the publication stage (sharing a text with readers). These phases enable students to develop into competent writers of any type of text through a flexible, cyclical, and recursive process that requires metacognition. Writing is taught according to social and academic conventions, within a specific communicative context (type of audience).
REINFORCEMENT PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE FAILED
Our students have access to one hour of tutoring in each subject within the Science and Humanities area. This tutoring takes place outside of regular class hours and is provided by the subject teacher. Students who are experiencing difficulties are eligible for this support and will be selected by their respective teachers.
INTEGRATED CURRICULUM: MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES
From the primary level onwards, a network of content and a curriculum aligned with related disciplines has been developed. This has led to the creation of various interdisciplinary support blocks, with common strategies and approaches, that promote meaningful and organized learning for our students throughout the academic year:
PELLINES TRIP PROGRAM 5TH GRADE and MOUNTAIN SPORTS PROGRAM 6TH GRADE
These curricular travel programs have been incorporated into the context of physical activities in contact with nature, promoted by the Ministry of Education’s physical education plans and programs for these grade levels. Their objective is to provide our students with the opportunity to interact with nature, committing to environmental stewardship and participating in recreational activities designed to promote teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and positive relationships with their peers.
The Trip to Los Pellines is a 3-day program of activities in contact with nature, including: hiking, river crossing, an interactive farm, identification of local flora and fauna, among others, and team-building activities that promote teamwork and the development of social skills.
The Mountain Sports program consists of a 2-day program of ski or snowboard lessons in Nevados de Chillán and recreational activities that promote interaction among peers. This program is a first introduction to mountain sports for many of our students.
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