Starting a foreign language at an early age makes a big difference. Language learning that begins in early childhood lets children experience the language with enjoyment and without fear of making mistakes. For this reason, our school runs an “English Enrichment Programme” of 25 hours a week for 4-year-olds and 18 hours a week for 5-year-olds.
In the English Enrichment Programme, children experience English through play, stories, art, movement, discovery and daily routines. Alongside using English in a natural environment, the programme aims to develop their communication skills, self-confidence, creativity and curiosity about the world.
The preschool foreign language programme is a thematic, story-based programme prepared within the framework of the TED Schools K12 English Curriculum. It aims to develop language skills through themes chosen to suit the children's age and interests. As preschool children cannot yet read and write, our main goal is to make them aware of a different language. Fixed routines in language lessons give young children an environment in which they feel safe. Presenting repeated language patterns in fun contexts, through games, rhymes, songs and stories, helps young children learn the language by living it.
The pre-school English programme is taught by Turkish and international teachers who are subject specialists with teaching qualifications.
Phonics, which begins in the 5-year-old group, aims to help children grasp the sound system of the new language, which differs from their mother tongue, and acquire correct pronunciation and pre-reading skills. Phonics lays a foundation that children build on in the Primary School English Programme.
To support our pre-school English programme, we use printed and digital resources suited to children’s ages and different learning styles.