TVSA Tiruvannamalai

Collaborative learning strengthened by shared values...

JUNIOR SCHOOL

The Junior School (GRADES 2 – 5) provides exciting learning spaces where children explore, discover and derive meaning from shared experiences and perspectives. The program encourages children to wonder and marvel at the world around and share their discoveries.

Overview

The focus of the curriculum is on helping the children come to know themselves in relationship to the world they live in, beginning with the family and expanding into the world beyond. Children explore the diverse flora and fauna in the campus and in this journey they realise that they exist in a web of relationships, where all things living and non-living are linked by the sharing of a common ground — the earth. The children begin to understand and care about the world they live in and come to appreciate that living in the world means being irrevocably linked to everything around.

The Junior school offers a broad curriculum that includes diverse teaching–learning styles and strategies that appeal to a wide range of learners. In the course of their study, children develop skills and competencies in communication and expression, computation and logical thinking, questioning and problem-solving. The curriculum enables children to develop an appreciation of the fine arts and to convey their emotions and feelings through theatre, music and dance.

Projects – An Integrated Learning Experience

During each term, the students explore a central theme, where Math, Language, EVS, Art and Theatre combine to provide a rich, integrated holistic learning experience. Problems are posed and questions raised based on students’ observations and experiences of the topic; through shared reflections and discussions, they develop new perspectives and insights. These insights compel further research and enquiry and are expressed and showcased through writing, art, debate, and theatre.

The EVS program is built around a series of thematic projects. The projects reflect the change in seasons, local festivals and culture, and the natural life that is part of the campus and community. Teachers and children select, plan and work on the projects together. One of the highlights of the program is a visit to the nearby forest. Students and teachers explore the forest, experience and feel its living presence, identify the flora and fauna, and understand how the cycle of weather and human activity impact all life in this sphere. These experiences enable students and teachers realise that they share the earth with other living beings – that all life is inextricably connected to one another, and that what one does has a consequent impact on the world around.