Special Subjects

  Introduction
  Music (6-12)
  Drama (Middle and High School)
  Art (6-12)
  Computer and Technology Studies (6-12)
  Library (6-12)
  Physical Education (6-12)
  Thai Language and Culture

Introduction

The natural of an American curriculum model places emphasis not only on a strong academic program, but also on planning and programming for the development of the whole child. At the International School Eastern Seaboard we have selected a highly qualified faculty trained and experienced in the delivery of this specialty programming.

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Music (6-12)

Students receive weekly instruction in General Music from a trained musician and music teacher. This curriculum is designed to promote a general appreciation for music with attention to singing, playing, listening, creating, and moving to various forms of music. Students are taught to recognize and discriminate between various types of sounds while listening and learning to appreciate music from a number of cultures and time periods. The students will also learn sensitivity to rhyme, pitch, dynamics, timbre, form, melody, and harmony in music. Performance opportunities and proficiency on simple musical instruments round out the program.

Beginning in Grade 6 students have the opportunity to choose an instrumental music elective at the Middle and High School levels. Opportunities are available for beginning and advanced instruction as a non-subject area. Information about the band programming is sent out at the beginning of each term.

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Drama (Middle and High School)

Drama takes place in the drama classroom at ISE. From Kindergarten students explore a range of skills and have the opportunity to be involved in dramatic productions. The early grades in elementary school perform at least one musical show every two years. The older grades perform once a year. Grade 5 productions have included "The Discovery of Machu Picchu", "How the West Was Won", "HMS Pinafore", "The Mikado", "The Pirates of Penzance" and Blast Off.

In addition to regular music/drama class time there are Saturday morning drama workshops for MS/HS, and many students each year are involved in after school rehearsals in preparation for our larger productions. For the last two years, ISE students have been involved in the SEASAC Arts Festival where students from all the art disciplines combine their talents with students from other schools across SE Asia.

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Art (6-12)

The art program at ISE emphasizes five major areas of art instruction and activity. These include a focus on two-dimensional design, three dimensional design, printmaking, and art history and appreciation. Throughout the development of these units of instruction, a focus is maintained on the themes of environmental awareness, social responsibility, communication, and personal expression.

The general objectives of the program revolve around the ideals of individuality, creativity, aesthetics, craftsmanship, and perception.

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Computer and Technology Studies (6-12)

Computer and Technology Studies at ISE are widely focused on the delivery of directed learning experiences which offer students opportunities to develop practical skills and conceptual understanding in the applications of graphics, simulations, and work processing programs.

This program is designed to promote in students an appreciation of the use of technology as a tool not only in the computer lab, but through applications in the regular classroom across the curriculum. IBM systems throughout the school provide the computer hardware, configured into three computer labs, individual machines and each classroom. ISE has broadband Internet capability giving students access to the global information highway.

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Library (6-12)

The Middle School Library at ISE, as well as the High School Library, are facilities with collections of over 10,000 titles containing offerings in fiction, non-fiction, references, and periodicals at the full range of age appropriate interest levels. The Library program at ISE is coordinated by an experienced librarian for the purpose of instilling in students a lifelong appreciation of reading.

The program also strives to make students effective users of information from a variety of sources. The skills presented and taught to accomplish this goal focus on location and organization of materials and information, interpretation and evaluation of sources, electronic media and resources, and a general appreciation of literature.

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Physical Education (6-12)

The ISE physical education (PE) curriculum has as its purpose the promotion and refinement of cognitive concept, psychomotor skills, interpersonal skills, health and fitness issues, and an aptitude and appreciation for dance.

The PE program accomplishes this by providing a balanced and sequential focus on cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development. Students are taught to demonstrate functional competence in fundamental movement patterns, interpersonal skills activities, selected sports, body control skills, and leisure activities.

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Thai Language and Culture

At the International School Eastern Seaboard, the Thai language and culture curriculum provides students with an understanding of and appreciation for the Thai people and their history, language, and traditions. Central to this increased awareness of Thailand is a classroom learning environment which fosters the development of positive attitudes about the host country, and a general sensitivity towards cultural diversity.

The Thai Language and Culture program is designed to meet the needs of two populations differing greatly in their Thai language needs. For the non-Thai speaking student studying at ISE, the instructional program offers short term residents of Thailand appropriate activities to increase their knowledge of the country in which they now reside. This is approach through focused presentation on the geography, history, language,and holiday celebrations of Thailand. These activities allow students to become actively involved in planning festivals, making handicrafts, tracing genealogies, and reading old maps. In the area of language, students learn survival language skills, and increase their proficiency as a function of their continued exposure to the program.

For competent Thai Language speakers, the program provides an academic focus on the development of reading and writing proficiency in Thai. These literacy skills are delivered in small group instruction using both teacher developed materials, as well as curriculum materials developed through the Thai Ministry of Education.

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