Primary 1 - 2016 Course Guide

“ The journey of a thousand milesbegins with a single step.”

- Lao Tzu

At The Learning Lab, we practice an active learning approach, where students are encouraged to engage with the text or topic being taught, think critically, and participate in class through guided discussions and other activities. While building a solid foundation for exam excellence is a mission for us, we also believe in going beyond exams and school curriculum, nurturing a lifelong love for learning in our students.

T H E L E A R N I N G L A B

O U R C U R R I C U L U M

With a deep understanding of the MOE syllabus and judicious application of best practices from both local and overseas top-ranking schools, our curriculum writers teach and test the effectiveness of our curriculum every week to ensure that beyond just securing high scores, our students have the courage to challenge assumptions, learn beyond traditional curricular boundaries, and develop a sense of curiosity in life.

Teachers at The Learning Lab go through a very stringent selection process. We look for young, energetic, bright and driven individuals from the top local and other brand-name institutions overseas, and demand the best from them in terms of academics, leadership skills, and the ability to deliver inspiring lessons within a conducive learning environment.

All teachers at The Learning Lab are required to undergo an intensive Incubation Training Program. Conducted by our senior teachers and trainers, this program focuses on subject mastery and content delivery, student psychology and parent management, and includes role play observation and appraisal sessions.

O U R N U R T U R I N G A N D

PAS S I O N AT E T E AC H E R S

Meticulous care is taken in every detail to ensure a conducive learning environment for our students.

At The Learning Lab, we maintain a teacher-student ratio of 1:12 to allow for optimal student-teacher engagement and increased effectiveness of teaching methods.

We endeavor to create an environmentthat consistently engages. Within the classroom, we are persistent in our efforts to ensure that every single lesson delivered to our students is relevant, challenging and most of all, fun.

Our corporate-styled boardroom settings are used to sharpen our students’ one-to-one and group presentation skills.

O U R C O N D U C I V E L E A R N I N G E N V I R O N M E N T

In the 2015 PSLE, over 91% of TLL students scored an A* of A. In particular, more than 55% aced the PSLE by achieving a T-score of above 250. Of note, 326 TLL students attained top scores in the 280s, 270s and 260s. With our distinctive brand of education that ensures both academic excellence and world-readiness, our students are equipped with exceptional skills, and making just the right headway.

O U R S T E L L A R T R A C K R E C O R D

Percentage of A* ’s & A’s Per Subject *

E N G L I S H

94%

94% of our English students scored either

an A* or an A

C H I N E S E

94%

94% of our Chinese students scored either

an A* or an A

M A T H

91%

91% of our Math students scored either

an A* or an A

S C I E N C E

91%

91% of our science students scored either

an A* or an A

* Based on 2015 PSLE results collated from P6 2015 students at The Learning Lab

This course develops students’ writing, speaking, reading and listening skills, enhancing their overall language appreciation and mastery. Students hone key writing techniques, question analysis, comprehension skills and oral communication skills through a series of structured lessons featuring workshops, presentation modules and intensive practices on essential examinable components. The Learning Lab’s curriculum is also specially developed to expose students to some of the best features in the Gifted Education Programme and the mainstream curriculum. The focus is on the development of critical reasoning skills as well as creativity. Through case studies of global icons and current affairs, as well as exposure to the best works from celebrated authors, students are introduced to interactive, thought-provoking lessons that will enable them to think beyond the confines of the classroom and become world-ready global citizens.

E N G L I S H

C O U R S E C O M P O N E N T S

Primary 1

Writing Components

• Narratives and Personal Recounts• Descriptive Writing• Critical Analysis of Suggested

Responses*• Sentence Construction Exercises

Comprehension

• Passage and question analysis• Exam techniques for best answers• Deeper inferential questions*

e.g. tone/perspective of author• Opinion questions †

Reading

• Specially curated book collection †

Orals

• Effective communication skills forexams and real-world situations

Literature

• An early introduction to literature

Vocabulary

• Intensive and challengingdevelopment*

Grammar

• Grammar mastery• Grammar workshops

Real World and Life Skills †

• Advanced topics and current affairsin passages

• Individual Presentations and theElevator Pitch

• Critical thinking skills

- The Careers Series- Iconic Cities Series- Technology and Science- Sports and Entertainment

Note:* denotes GEP components † denotes The Learning Lab additional components

WRITING

• Analyzing the question• Brainstorming for ideas• Structuring the essays

We cover each English component in detail, teaching the necessary skills and techniques.

VISUAL TE X T

SHORTQUESTIONSSUMMARY

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EDITING

C O N T I N U O U SWRITING

• Narrative• Personal Recount• Reflective• Expository

SITUATIONAL WRIT ING

• Letter• Report• Speech• Proposal• Email

COMPREHENSION

• Analyzing the questions• Studying the text• Sourcing for answers• Packaging the answers

POETRY

NARR ATIVEPASSAGES

GOAL SET TING

CRITICALTHINKING

INDIVIDUALPRESENTATIONS

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INTRODUCTION TO LITER ATURE

• Analyzing the text• Forming a personal response• Identifying the techniques

REAL WORLD SKILLS

Nurturing Future Leaders

CRITICALANALYSIS

from Great Authors

C H I N E S E

This course develops advanced skills in students’ writing, speaking, reading and listening, enhancing their Chinese language appreciation and mastery. It will help students taking both Chinese and Higher Chinese in their schools excel at the Chinese examinations and in the Chinese world.

Our curriculum is specially developed to expose students to some of the best features in the Higher Chinese and Chinese curriculum. The focus is on the development of higher-order cognitive skills as well as creativity.

Note:* denotes The Learning Lab additional components † for Primary 1 and 2 only

Writing

• Mastery of character strokes• Sentence structures

- basic and complex• Composition and creative writing

Vocabulary

• Complete coverage of MOEvocabulary list

• Thematic word banks beyond exams

Comprehension

• Passage and question analysis• Exam techniques for best answers• Cloze Passage

Reading

• Character recognition• Specially curated book collection*• Structured reading program*• Storytelling †

Orals

• Effective communication skills forexams and real-world situations

• Media Studies in preparation forthe new PSLE syllabus

hanyu pinyin

• Mastering transcription andintonation

Language Awareness

• Idioms, proverbs, and their origins• Introduction to Chinese literature

- poetry and the classics• Contemporary and classical songs

Real World and Life Skills*

• Advanced topics and currentaffairs in passages

• Individual Presentations and theElevator Pitch

• Critical thinking skills

- The Careers Series- Iconic Cities Series- Technology and Science- Sports and Entertainment- The Best of China

Past and Present

C O U R S E C O M P O N E N T S

Primary 1

WRITING

• Developing a simple and realistic plot

• Building-up good descriptors and phrases

We cover each Chinese component in detail, teaching the necessary skills and techniques.

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MIND MAPS

W O R D B A N KSUGGESTED RESPONSES

COMPREHENSION

• Reading with understanding• Analyzing questions• Sourcing with accuracy• Formulating an adequate answer• Developing critical thinking

skills and global views

!RE ADING

CONVERSATIONPICTUREDESCRIPTION

COMMUNICATION

• Building f luency and confidence• Articulating thoughts and feelings• Describing scenes clearly

and in detail

INDIV IDUALPRESENTATION

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

GR AMMAR

• Building a solid foundation • Improving language skills

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APPLICATION OF VOCABUL ARY

M A T H E M A T I C S

Combining a curriculum that is catered to school needs with carefully designed materials to reinforce basic skills, concepts and critical thinking skills, we create a culture of exam savvy students who are skilled in time management and self-audit practices, and trained in effective revision. Our students learn to conceptualise topics clearly, and continue to build a bird’s eye view of the parallel connections within their curriculum.

Included in our math curriculum are GEP Math modules, specially crafted to expose our students to interesting higher-order thinking questions in the fields of logic, patterns and spatial sense.

C O U R S E C O M P O N E N T S

Primary 1

Whole Numbers

• Numbers to 100 • Number Bonds• Ordinal Numbers• Number Patterns• Addition within 100• Subtraction within 100• Multiplication• Division• Money

Measurement

• Length• Time

Geometry

• 2-dimensional shapes• 3-dimensional shapes*• Pattern Sequences

Data Analysis

• Picture Graphs

Problem Solving

• Heuristics*• Fundamental Skills for • Model Drawing*

Meta Cognition

• Math Olympiad*

Note:* denotes The Learning Lab enrichment components

At The Learning Lab, the materials are carefully crafted by the dedicated curriculum team. Our Primary mathematics curriculum is customised to meet the needs of students

from a variety of schools.

NOTES &EX AMPLES

To cover important concepts and formulae. Detailed explanations by teachers in class.

FOUNDATIONALTUTORIALS

To ensure a clear and firm knowledge of the basics. Focus on content, formulaeand technical mastery.

DRILL TUTORIALS

To build a firm foundation of the basic technical skillsthrough ample practice.

INTERMEDIATETUTORIALS

To expose students to higher order thinking questions. Focus on strengthening problem solving skills and applications of the mathematical techniques.

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EX AM & TEST ORIENTED TUTORIALS

To target exam-type questions. Foc us on f a m i l i a r i s i ng students with different types of examination questions of varying difficulties and expand their repertoire of questions.

CUSTOMIZEDLESSONS

• To cater to different students’ needs. There will be teaching

• time, practice time and • Q&A time for each lesson.

• To ensure each student’s questions from school are answered in each lesson. Students will also receive tutorials suited to their school syllabus to ensure reinforcement of concepts and ample practice.

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PR ACTICETESTS

• To test student’s knowledge of the • year’s work and serve as revision. • To develop important examination • skills like time management, reading • questions carefully, minimising

careless mistakes and auditing.

TOPICAL QUIZZES

To assess student’s under-standing of each topic. Trains time management sk i l l s dur ing tests .

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