World Languages
At BISCLP we are passionate about exposing our students to foreign language immersion, fostering a love of learning languages and appreciation of other cultures. Children start learning both French and Spanish in pre-Nursery and this continues through to Year 6. In Year 7 at our South Loop Campus students can choose to study French, Spanish, Mandarin or German.
We want children to enjoy their language learning. In the Early Years, children are exposed to single-word vocabulary through songs and games. In KS1 children start to construct simple sentences using opinions and verbs. They begin to look at the written word. By KS2 children are reading and writing in French and Spanish, as well as being able to speak and understand. They are exposed to a variety of tenses, verbs, opinions, and justifiers.
Children are given the opportunity to use their language learning in real-life situations, such as ordering croissants and baguettes at the Reception French Café or serving and discussing tapas at Year Five’s Tapas event.
We are proud of and celebrate the different heritages our children have – the cultures they experience at home and the languages they speak. In addition to the dedicated language classrooms, we have an area in the school that showcases a "language of the month" which celebrates one specific language with displays and interactive materials for the children to gain exposure. We encourage our multilingual children to be leaders in the area when their heritage language is featured!
Music
Our music program begins in Nursery and continues through high school, with the option of choosing Music as an IGCSE and IB elective course. In their early years, your child will play musical instruments and sing a variety of songs from memory. As they progress through the school, your child will sing songs and play instruments with increasing confidence, skill, expression and awareness of their own contribution to a group or class performance. In Year 5, students are given an instrument and take part in weekly band and ensemble lessons while also being encouraged to work through music theory. There are sound-proof practice rooms and computers available for musical technology compositions.
Art & Design
Your child will develop their creativity and imagination by exploring the visual, tactile and sensory qualities of materials and processes. Students learn about the role of art and design in their environment and begin to understand the use of color, shape, space, pattern and texture to represent ideas and feelings in different times and cultures. Students are taught through project work and cover a wide range of topics to extend their subject knowledge, technical ability, and research skills. Art is also available as an elective course once your student reaches high school.
Physical Education
Physical development at the British International School of Chicago is about improving your child’s skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement. Weekly PE and Dance lessons will help your child gain confidence in what they can do and will enable them to feel the positive benefit of being healthy and active. Through games for understanding, students continue to develop communication skills as well as collaborating and competing with each other. Within the school we have a well-equipped modern gymnasium, where students participate in activities such as badminton, basketball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, cricket, gymnastics, and dance. In our longer lessons we also take our students to external facilities for activities such as swimming, yoga, tennis, softball, athletics and soccer.