Curriculum
The children at the French Immersion School of Washington enjoy a rich program of diverse activities from the onset at the pre-school level. The small student/teacher ratio of 10 to 1 provides the youngest of our students with the supportive, nurturing environment that these young children need to flourish. A small student/teacher ratio continues as the children progress through the school and in doing so, ensures that the children receive the necessary attention to benefit most from the curriculum.
We follow the structure of the French Ministry of Education, which divides elementary school into three cycles of education. Children receive instruction in French for the majority of their day (approximately 75%). Within the French National curriculum, preschool and elementary school cover ages 2 1/2 to 11. The primary grades are divided in three cycles as shown below:
| Age | 2 ½ -3 | 3½ -5 | 5-6 | 6-7 | 7-8 | 8-9 | 9-10 | 10-11 |
| Class | Early preschool:
les petits | Preschool:
les moyens | K:
les grands | 1st grade: CP | 2nd grade: CE1 | 3rd grade: CE2 | 4th grade: CM1 | 5th grade: CM2 |
| Cycle | Cycle 1: First learning | Cycle 2: Basic learning | Cycle 3: In-depth learning |
| Level | Preschool | Elementary School |
Organizing schooling into cycles provides the necessary flexibility to accommodate children’s diversity, abilities and rate of development. All students do not progress at the same rate in all subject areas. Creating cycles allow children to be stimulated and challenged. Teachers can evaluate better their knowledge and their work habits. As is common in France, some classes at FISW might be prioritized by cycle rather than grade, resulting in split or combined classes. The class structure each year depends on enrollment patterns and what works best for the children involved.
Each cycle of learning has one report card; students work on the same concepts within the entire cycle, and have that entire cycle of time to master the concepts before moving on.
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