Elementary – Growing Together
6-11 years
Welcome to Berkeley International School’s Elementary Division. Berkeley’s Elementary is a community of learners. Our small classes and caring teachers are welcoming to all children and parents. The community environment builds their confidence, encouraging them to take risks and strive for excellence in all areas.
Our Program
At Berkeley, our Elementary School is dedicated to educating the whole child in a student-centered environment that inspires curiosity, reflection, and action. Rooted in our mission to motivate, innovate, and challenge, we empower students to grow as learners and changemakers. Our program follows the American Common Core Standards and offers a differentiated curriculum that supports diverse learning needs. Instruction is extended beyond the classroom through engaging online tools, meaningful field trips, overnight experiences, and real-world connections that promote environmental awareness and global citizenship.
We believe learning continues after school, which is why we offer a wide range of extracurricular activities – from Dance and Mandarin to Soccer and Yoga, that foster creativity, wellness, and cultural appreciation. As a reflective learning community, we continuously seek ways to improve and nurture student growth, sustainability, and a deep love of learning.
Overview
Joy In Learning
Our Elementary School promotes academic excellence in English, emphasizing inquiry-based learning, exploration, and a student-centered approach that nurtures curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking to support the growth of the whole child.
Activity-based
Elementary students learn through inquiry and hands-on experiences that spark curiosity and foster a love of learning. Classrooms encourage creativity, independence, and student ownership in a nurturing, student-centered environment.
Student Centered
We believe every student is unique, with individual strengths and a natural desire to succeed. Our Elementary curriculum is thoughtfully designed to challenge, inspire, and support each student in reaching their full potential.
Grade 1
Grade 1 is a year of big growth as children transition from Kindergarten into more structured classroom routines. At Berkeley, we support this change with a developmentally appropriate, nurturing environment that continues to focus on the whole-child. Our program follows the American Common Core Standards, helping students grow in reading fluency, writing, and number sense.
Students build strong reading and spelling skills through interactive phonics and writing. Vocabulary development is supported through rich stories and meaningful discussions. Students explore animal traits and adaptations through hands-on projects through collaboration between the classroom and school garden. Social studies focuses on families, the classroom community, and service learning with a local Thai school, helping students understand their place in the world.
Our first-grade classrooms help children grow as confident readers, responsible learners, and caring community members. This lays a strong foundation for future success at Berkeley.
Grade 2
In second grade, students develop as independent, curious learners in an environment that fosters resilience, responsibility, and a love of learning. They begin to take greater ownership of their progress and are recognized for their effort and growth. Core subjects of language arts, math, science, and social studies are taught by the homeroom teacher, while specialist subjects such as Thai, Mandarin, music, art, Sustainable Futures, and P.E. are taught by teachers who specialize in these subjects.
Students strengthen reading comprehension and begin writing longer texts in both persuasive and informative styles. In math, they deepen whole number skills, geometry and apply problem-solving strategies to everyday situations. Science focuses on Earth’s surface and human impact on the environment, promoting sustainable thinking. In social studies, students explore producers and consumers and study ancient Greece to understand how past innovations in civics and engineering influence the systems we use today. Through these topics, students build cultural awareness and develop the mindset of creative, empathetic problem-solvers.
Grade 3
In Grade 3, students strengthen independent work habits and collaborative skills while building academic proficiency across all subjects. Core instruction in language arts, math, science, and social studies is integrated with technology and enriched through specialist classes in art, music, P.E., guidance, Sustainable Futures, and classes in library science. Students choose between Mandarin or Drama which they take during the academic year.
Students shift from learning to read toward reading to learn, using novel studies and integrating literacy across content areas. Math instruction emphasizes place value, fractions, and multiplication fluency, with a focus on visual models, reasoning, and constructing arguments. In science, students explore traits, life cycles, force, and motion through hands-on STEM learning. Social studies highlights economics through a student-run shop and explores how resources affect businesses. A unit on ancient Rome helps students consider how past innovations influence the present, fostering reflection, cultural awareness, and the mindset of global citizens and changemakers.
Grade 4
Grade 4 students deepen their academic skills while growing as curious, independent learners. Core instruction in language arts, math, science, and social studies is supported by specialist classes in Thai, art, music, P.E., guidance, library and Sustainable Futures. Students also choose between Mandarin or Drama and engage in extracurriculars that promote creativity and teamwork.
Reading instruction emphasizes novel studies, nonfiction and research skills through an interdisciplinary unit on African geography and trade, connected to drama, music, and visual arts. Math focuses on place value, multiplication, and fractions, encouraging students to explain their reasoning and model solutions. In social studies, students study Ancient Rome’s contributions to civics and engineering, building cultural awareness and understanding how the past shapes the future. In science, students explore life cycles, traits, and force and motion through hands-on STEM labs. Additionally, students use innovation and engineering principles to design arcade games in a service-learning project that raises funds for a local animal sanctuary protecting wildlife from poaching.
Grade 5
Grade 5 is a transition year, helping students build the independence, confidence, study habits, and thinking skills needed for middle school. Students take greater responsibility for managing their learning and behavior while deepening academic proficiency across subjects.
In language arts, students analyze texts, use evidence to support their ideas, and synthesize information to draw thoughtful conclusions. Writing includes literary essays, narratives, and research-based informational texts. Math emphasizes operations, algebraic thinking, and real-world problem-solving.
Science learning comes to life through the Barge Program, where students test water quality and explore how human activity impacts ecosystems. In social studies, students explore world geography and cultural and historical perspectives through interdisciplinary novel studies and research.
Specialist classes include Thai language and culture, P.E., music, art, IT, and Mandarin. A culminating overnight trip to Kanchanaburi connects learning in Thai studies, history, sustainability, and geography. By year’s end, students emerge as reflective, empathetic learners. At the end of 5th grade Berkeley Elementary students are ready to face new challenges with curiosity and purpose.
