Curriculum
Overview
Learning goals for each level are clear, age appropriate, systematic, achievable and challenging.
The Little Dalton curriculum recognizes that development occurs at different times for different children since they all learn at a different pace and have varying learning inclinations and capabilities. We tailor our curriculum to meet each child’s individual needs, interests and abilities in order to maximize their learning opportunities. We are dedicated to providing high quality child-centered education for kindergarten students.
Little Dalton is a truly intercultural and child-centered school which values academic achievement, language learning and socio-cultural competence. Languages are taught through immersion, experiential activities and play. Focused and dual language teaching is built into our curriculum to position students to be able to make connections between languages and use each as a resource to strengthen the other. Our curriculum positions our students to see their similarities and differences as opportunities to learn, connect and lead. Student inquiry regularly provides opportunities for students to see themselves as active members of their various communities and act as advocates in these.
The Little Dalton curriculum is offered in two different language learning streams which caters for our multicultural learning community. Both learning streams benefit from lessons with our Music, S.T.E.A.M. and P.E. specialist teachers, and enjoy access to our state-of-the-art learning spaces and facilities:
Dual Language Stream
- Students are supported by two House Teachers who use English and Putonghua as the medium of instruction in a full immersion language program
- Our Dual Language Stream caters for students in Pre-K, K1 and K2 classes
- Dual Language Stream students transition to primary school after their K2 year in accordance with International School systems.
Trilingual Stream
- Students are supported by two House Teachers who use English and Cantonese as the mediums of instruction with a Putonghua Specialist conducting language lessons
- Our Trilingual Stream caters for Pre-K, K1, K2 and K3 students
- Trilingual Stream students have the option of continuing in our Little Dalton K3 program before transitioning to local or international primary school programs.
Early Years Foundation Stage
Our curriculum integrates the well-respected Early Years Foundation Stage from the British National Curriculum with a Chinese curriculum developed to meet the Tsinghua University Primary School learning standards beyond Kindergarten level.
Learning goals for each level are clear, age-appropriate, systematic, achievable and challenging. We offer abundant opportunities to engage children in a variety of learning modalities, focusing mainly on literacy, numeracy, arts, social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. The Little Dalton curriculum fosters the interdisciplinary skills of each and every child and aims to strengthen the mind, the body and the spirit.
Little Dalton’s Curriculum focuses on seven fundamental areas and generally applies them through cross-curricular or interdisciplinary teaching.
Curriculum Focus Areas
The Little Dalton Curriculum is divided into
seven fundamental focus areas:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Mathematics
Physical Development
Literacy
Communication and Language
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
Chinese Culture & Values:
At Little Dalton Kindergarten, we place a high value on the role of Chinese traditions, culture and values in student life and development.
