PRESENTATION

Americano Methodist School, part of the Southern Methodist Educational Network, fosters a pedagogical process which is oriented by the Christian faith and which values LIFE in all of its dimensions.

The school’s Pedagogical and Political Project contemplates contextualized educational practices, thematic and interdisciplinary projects, as well as cultural and sporting activities. A formative and participatory evaluation process is used from preschool through high school.

BILINGUAL PROGRAM

Americano’s English language program seeks the learning of another language not only as an instrument of communication, but also as a means of instruction in order to build knowledge in various areas. The Bilingual Program is being implemented on a gradual basis and involves a restructuring of the curricular components as well as a reformulation of the English language content.

Within the regular curriculum, first, second and third grades will be bilingual in 2008 with 10 periods per week in English . Instruction has the objective of potentializing the natural process of language acquisition through socialization and oral interaction. Learning situations seek to broaden vocabulary that is related to the child’s universe and structures which are a part of daily communication routines within the classroom. Activities are experiential and playful in nature. Curricular content is integrated through educational games, music, oral comprehension tasks with the use of CDs, videos and internet, storytelling, and tasks which stimulate the development of creativity and motor skills.

In fifth and sixth grades, students have five periods of English per week. Two of these periods are devoted to the teaching of the English language through its structural and functional components, seeking the development of linguistic abilities for communication and action within the world. Three hours per week are dedicated to tasks which are of an instructional nature within the areas of English-language literature, history, geography and science. Pedagogical activities include reading activities, research on the internet and interdisciplinary projects.

With varying numbers of periods in other grade levels, from preschool through high school, there is an emphasis on the English language. The teaching of another language has the objective of providing youth with the skills necessary to act in the setting of the contemporary world, which is evermore integrated through communication technologies and economic, scientific and cultural globalization. Within this context, English is used as the language of international communication, of culture, and of the spreading of knowledge. In high school, students can choose to continue their English studies or they may opt to study the Spanish language.

FULL-DAY BILINGUAL PROGRAM

Americano offers a full-day bilingual program with diverse activities for those families that seek an enriching experience for their children outside of the regular school hours. An accessible and intelligent option, the full-day program provides students with two periods of English per day in which they experience and live the English language through meaningful, communicative and playful activities. Other activities supervised by competent professionals, such as pedagogical accompaniment, nutritional orientation, sporting activities (swimming, capoeira, dance, among others), music and arts, stimulate the exercise of citizenship through sharing and learning with other children.