Language is the key to a student’s academic progress and to becoming a confident global citizen. GESS invests greatly in our English and language programmes supporting each student with personalised language instruction and opportunities to learn their mother tongue.
Languages in Primary School
English
Foreign Languages
Mother Tongue Programme
English
With a strong focus on developing reading and spelling as well as handwriting skills, our English programme supports students of all levels, including beginners. The development of listening, speaking and presentation skills is a core part of our language programmes.
- Reading Programme:
Designed to build confidence, fluency, comprehension and interest in reading. Students have access to levelled readers in the Primary library and one-on-one reader’s workshop sessions with their teacher. - Writing Programme:
There is a strong focus on writing in all primary grades. Through a variety of writing, grammar, word study and handwriting programmes, students learn to confidently express ideas, thoughts and stories in written form. - Writer's Workshop:
Grammar and punctuation are taught to grow students' knowledge and application of English language rules. - Spelling and Word Study:
Promoting phonetically accurate spelling and spelling rules as well as expanding vocabulary. - Handwriting:
Our goal is to ensure child develop fluent handwriting which contributes to better spelling and writing skills.
English as an additional language (EAL)
We accept and fully support students from beginner-level English in our IB primary programme. Our experienced English specialist teachers offer a full range of personalised English support (EAL), taught in small groups and designed to connect with the mainstream curriculum programme.
Foreign Languages
All primary students at our international school study a second language. German is offered at different levels from beginner to mother tongue and Danish or Dutch mother tongue is available for native speakers.
German as a foreign language
Studying German as a foreign language opens your child’s future to some of the world’s most successful companies as well as leading global universities. Over 15 million students study German as a foreign language worldwide.
The GESS German programme gives our students the skills to become confident German speakers. Through daily German lessons and personalised teaching, our students progress through proficiency levels with the option to take the prestigious DSD (Deutsches Sprachdiplom Stufe) German proficiency exam when students are in high school.
Does my child have to speak German to join GESS?
No, our German programme is designed for students who do not speak any German. There is a beginner German class in every grade. Most new students joining our IB primary school do not speak German. There is no requirement for parents to speak German either.
Mother Tongue Programme
Integrated into the timetable:
- German: Daily lesson integrated into the school day for native speakers of German.
- Danish: Daily lesson integrated into the school day, for native or near-native Danish speakers who can express themselves fluently with a wide range of vocabulary and correct sentence structures. Find out more about our Danish Mother Tongue Programme.
- Dutch: Language lessons are integrated into the school day for native or near-native speakers of Dutch. The programme is aligned with the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the curriculum language requirements of the Netherlands or Belgium. Find out more about our Dutch Mother Tongue Programme.
After-school:
- Language Enrichment Programme: Native level after-school language and cultural activity programme in Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish, Swedish and other languages. Languages offered are based on annual demand. Find out more about our Language Enrichment Programme.
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