GREEN SCHOOL

1. GREEN SCHOOL CURRICULUM

2. Curriculum: General Curriculum • What we teach • There are three main drivers to the GS Curriculum: • The essential subjects of English, Mathematics and Science - recognising the importance of continuity and progression. • Green Studies - a hands-on study which evolves from Nature Study to Study of Ecology to Environment Studies to Studies of Sustainability. • Creative Arts - embracing Art, Crafts, Music, Drama, Story-telling, and so much more. • How we teach it • We  provide a curriculum that combines holistic, hands-on experiential learning with academic rigour. • Early Years (Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten) • A hands-on experiential, Early Years program which lays the foundations of basic skills in pre-reading, pre-mathematics, and pre-science - with a heavy emphasis on the creative arts.  The approach to learning is Steiner influenced. • Primary Years (Grades 1 to 5) • An international primary curriculum which blends the essential skills of English, Mathematics and Science with a hands-on experiential Green Studies Curriculum which evolves from nature study to ecological study, and a creative arts program which emphasizes Balinese cultural and artistic influences. The approach to learning is  Steiner influenced.

3. Lower Secondary Years (Grades 6 to 8) • An international secondary curriculum which blends the essential skills of English, Mathematics and Science with a hands-on experiential Green Studies Curriculum which evolves from ecological study to environment study. The Creative Arts program combines the marvel of global music, art and drama, with an emphasis on Balinese cultural and artistic influences. • Upper Secondary (Grades 9 to 10) • Courses under the umbrella of the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) designed by University of Cambridge International Examinations. We are teaching 2-year courses in English, Mathematics, 21st Century Science and Business Studies, Environment Management, Global Perspectives, and Drama - with optional examinations at the end of the courses.  In addition, all students will study Creative Arts, Languages, Physical Education and Life Skills. • Upper Secondary (Grades 11 to 12) • The intention is to offer courses under the umbrella of International Baccalaureate.  Although no application needs to be made to IBO until mid 2010, the regional office has offered to mentor Green School in the interim.

4. Curriculum: Nursery & Kindergarten • A hands-on experiential, Early Years program which lays the foundations of basic skills in oral language, pre-literacy, mathematics, science – with a heavy emphasis on the creative arts.  The approach to learning is Steiner influenced, recognizing the importance of the development of the well-rounded child. • The knowledge that young children gain in this early childhood program is crucially important for their futures, laying the foundation for the kinds of skills and behaviours that children are expected to master in later years. • The program includes daily human interactions between teachers, assistants and young learners that have the potential to enhance children's cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development. • The approach to teaching and learning includes developmentally-appropriate techniques - read aloud sessions, stories, discussions, songs, games, projects and other active learning opportunities.  Both free play and ‘structured' play (in which teachers purposefully design play experiences to support specific learning goals) are emphasized. During such play, young children learn to imagine themselves in new situation, role play, taking turns, setting and following rules; they practice oral language as they communicate with peers; they remember, incorporate and rehearse new knowledge and skills. • All of this is embraced within the Green School "learning by doing" philosophy which also covers the development of green habits from a young age.

5. Curriculum: Primary (Grades 1-5) • The Essential Subjects • Green School's Primary Curriculum in the essential subjects is based on the Cambridge International Primary Curriculum - an internationally recognized framework developed by one of the most reputable and longest-established education institutions in the world.  The curriculum is delivered in schools globally. • It comprises frameworks in English, Mathematics and Science which are developed to emphasis continuity and progression throughout the years, feeding naturally into the Cambridge International Lower Secondary Curriculum, and then into IGCSE courses. • It is organized to reflect teaching targets, and what students should master by the end of each year group.  Of course, not all students will achieve all targets at the same time. We recognize that different students have different abilities, learning styles and stages of development.  This remains therefore a broad framework and structure on which to plan teaching and learning targets. • An overview of each subject follows. • English Overview • The English Curriculum Framework is divided into four strands: • Usage (phonics, spelling and vocabulary; grammar and punctuation) • Reading • Writing

6. Speaking and Listening • Mathematics Overview • The Mathematics Curriculum Framework is divided into four strands: • Number (numbers and the number system; calculations; mental skills) • Problem Solving • Organising and Using Data • Shape, Space and Measures (patterns and properties of shape; properties of position and movement; measures) • Science Overview • The Science Curriculum Framework is divided into four strands: • Scientific Enquiry (ideas and evidence in science; planning experimental work; obtaining and presenting evidence; considering evidence and evaluating) • Biology (life processes; humans; plants; ecosystems/environment) • Chemistry (materials; states of matter; changes) • Physics (light; sound; electricity and magnetism; forces and motion

7. Curriculum: Lower Secondary (Grades 6-8) • The Essential Subjects • Green School's Lower Secondary Curriculum (for Grades 6, 7 and 8) in the essential subjects is based on the Cambridge International Lower Secondary Curriculum - an internationally recognized framework developed by one of the most reputable and longest-established education institutions in the world.  The curriculum is delivered in schools globally. • It comprises frameworks in English, Mathematics and Science which are developed to emphasis continuity and progression throughout the years, leading on naturally from the Cambridge International Primary Curriculum, and into IGCSE courses. • It is organized to reflect teaching targets, and what students should master by the end of each year group.  Of course, not all students will achieve all targets at the same time. We recognize that different students have different abilities, learning styles and stages of development.  This remains therefore a broad framework and structure on which to plan teaching and learning targets.

8. English Overview • The English Curriculum Framework is divided into five strands: • Reading • Writing • Speaking and Listening • Phonics, Spelling and Vocabulary • Grammar and Punctuation • Mathematics Overview

9. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework is divided into six strands: • Number • Problem Solving • Data Handling • Shape and Space • Algebra • Geometry • Science Overview • The Science Curriculum Framework is divided into four strands: • Scientific Enquiry • Biology (ecosystems; plants; humans as organisms; cells) • Chemistry (states of matter; chemical change; the periodic table) • Physics (energy; forces and motion; electricity; light; sound; magnetism)

10. Curriculum: Upper Secondary Grades 9 & 10 (IGCSE) • Upper Secondary - IGSCE • Green School's Upper Secondary Curriculum (for Grades 9 and 10) is based on courses in the Cambridge International General Certificate in Secondary Education - an internationally recognized framework developed by one of the most reputable and longest-established education institutions in the world.  The curriculum is delivered in schools globally. • It comprises frameworks in subjects which are developed to emphasis continuity and progression throughout the years, leading on naturally from the Cambridge International Primary Curriculum and the Cambridge International Lower Secondary Curriculum. • It is organized to reflect teaching targets, and what students should master by the end of the two year course in each subject.   At the end of the two year course, students have the opportunity to be entered for externally set and graded examinations, with grades awarded in the range from A to G.  These examinations are optional at Green School. • IGCSE qualifications are widely used as a preparation for International Baccalaureate (IB) and other pre-university examination courses.

11. Subjects Studied • The IGCSE subjects studied at Green School in Grades 9 and 10 include: • English (and optional English Literature) • Mathematics • 21st Century Science • Business Studies • Environmental Management • Global Perspectives • Drama • Languages • Curriculum: Upper Secondary Grades 11 & 12 (IB)

12. Green School will be accepting applications for Grade 11 from 2012, and for Grade 12 in 2013. • The intention is to offer courses under the umbrella of International Baccalaureate (IB). Although no application needs to be made to IBO until mid 2010, the regional office is very supportive of the work we are doing at Green School and consequently has offered to mentor Green School in the interim period. • University recognition Certification/Diplomas from the International Baccalaureate are a passport to tertiary education. Universities across the globe recognise and value the unique characteristics of IB students and their ability to solve problems and think dynamically. • IB students can expect to gain admission to some of the better universities in the world. Many of these institutions feature IB recognition policies.

13. Curriculum: The Green Studies Curriculum • Our mission at Green School is to deliver a generation of global citizens who are knowledgeable about and inspired to take responsibility for the sustainability of the world. • We do this by: • Emphasizing 'learning by doing'; • Placing great weight in developing social responsibility; • Appreciating integrity, honesty, ethics, and compassion as core underlying values; • Recognizing the importance of a holistic education. • Through a Curriculum which: • Develops the essential skills, of reading, writing, mathematics and science to a high degree • Has a Green aspect which evolves from nature to ecology to environment to sustainability through a 'getting your hands dirty' and 'getting mud between your toes' approach;

14. Recognizes and celebrates the local geographical and cultural and artistic context; • Is based on continuity and progression • The aims of our Green Studies Curriculum are: • To nurture respect for and understanding of the natural world • To heighten students' environmental awareness and to promote stewardship • To develop ecological values out of first hand experience • To understand and practice permaculture (the harmonious integration of land and people to provide food, shelter, energy, and other materials and non-materials needs in a sustainable way.) This includes on-campus food gardens, aquatic systems, appropriate technologies, awareness of waste and water usage and employing management systems, rice agriculture, and animal care, learning from local community members, and designing with renewable natural resources such as bamboo.

15. To view school and offer a curriculum which is holistic - integrating all aspects of the child's nature, multiple intelligences, and curiosity for learning - through a hands-on practicum model which is part of an academically rigorous learning program; in a school where classrooms are integrated into the natural and permaculture environment (eco-literacy.) • To understand sustainability as an entire web of relationships in community, interacting with other communities - human and non-human - in ways that enable them to live and develop according to their nature. • To think in terms of relationships of inter-connecting patterns and contexts (systems thinking) • To collaborate with members of both the school community (mentorship program) and with the wider local community (apprenticeship program.) • To integrate subject matter such as science, mathematics and social studies, contextualizing academic disciplines in meaningful experiential projects. • To foster in our students a love for learning about themselves, each other, and the wider world community in ways which are respectful, have depth of understanding, and compassionate coexistence. • To instill pride, responsibility, and cooperation among students as life-long learners and future leaders in the world.

16. Curriculum: Creative Arts Curriculum • Green School's Creative Arts Curriculum is very much influenced by our geographical location, and the very rich cultural and artistic features that abound in celebrations and festivals, and as a part of every day customary life on the Island of Gods. • There are certain common strands which run through every age group at Green School, with their level of sophistication growing as students mature. • In the Visual Arts and Crafts • Drawing and Painting - developing the use of paints and inks from natural materials on the site; • Paper Making and Decorating - developing the preparation of paper from natural vegetation on site, and manufacturing it into useful products (cards, wrapping paper, etc.); • Batik - developing the use of natural dyes from vegetation on site; • Puppetry - puppet making in the traditions of Bali; • Ceramics - developing the use of clay that we find on site; firing work in a bamboo sawdust-fired kiln. • In the Performing Arts • The Art of Story Telling; • Improvisations;

17. Mime; • Creative play making and acting; • Movement and Dance; • Puppetry; • Performance skills. • In Music • The development of the sense of rhythm through percussion; • A range of percussion development from simple drumming to gamelan and marimba; • Singing and choral work linked to percussion; • Movement and Dance.

18. Others • Culinary arts • Yoga • Whenever the opportunity arises to link together strands of the Creative Arts Curriculum, this is taken - particularly when it comes to being able to celebrate through exhibitions and performance. • We believe that when students are provided with opportunities for performance (no matter how simple that is in early stages), a certain level of confidence develops as students mature into young adults. • Take a look at the video below which features local drumming expert, Gusti Putu Sudibia, teaching the essential elements of rhythm on a Djembe (African drum) to children in Grades 1-4.

19. Curriculum: Physical Education & Sports • Physical Education is part of the curriculum for all ages from Primary through to Secondary school. • Developing healthy life styles and promoting physical fitness are important features of life for students of all ages at Green School. The nature of our campus means that we take daily exercise just by moving around it. •  In Physical Education, lessons students are taught focusing on knowledge, skills and understanding through: • dance activities • games activities • gymnastic activities • swimming activities and water safety • athletic activities • outdoor and adventurous activities.

20. Curriculum: Extracurricular Activities • All students get the opportunity to participate in the school's Extra Curricular Activities, although some are age and gender related. ECAs are first and foremost about fun for the students. Additionally they form a useful additional avenue for self expression and help to initiate and cement friendships. They are offered each evening during the term from Monday to Thursday. • The following sport based ECAs will be offered in 2009/10 academic year: • Volleyball • Soccer • Basketball • Badminton • Track & Field • Surfing

21. Mepantigan (a modern Balinese martial art practised in the mud) • Green School is a proud member of the Bali School Sports Association (BSSA). ECA teams in all the above sports (except surfing & Mepantigan) will have the opportunity to compete (home and away) with other schools in Bali. • Non sports related ECAs will include the following: • Yoga • Drama • Marimba (Percussion based African tribal music) • Newspaper • Publishing (responsible for design of the Green School Year Book)