Curriculum

Bilingual Buds uses its own proprietary curriculum, specifically designed for an early childhood immersion environment. At its foundation is the belief that children are highly capable and social human beings who inherently desire to connect, communicate, and create.

Our small, multi-age classrooms offer students individualized instruction within a diverse learning community. The classroom environment—one of collaboration, creativity, and trust—plays an integral role in developing a student's comprehension and confidence.

Our classroom teachers remain in the target language at all times, while teaching across disciplines. The accelerated,  inquiry-based curriculum in Mandarin or Spanish integrates language arts and mathematics, as well as science, social studies & culture, technology, and physical education. Beginning in Pre-K, special-subject teachers provide target language instruction in visual arts and music. Because students are learning their academic subjects in the target language, they are exposed to a rich vocabulary. They are expected  to process information and express their responses—as well as themselves—exclusively in Mandarin or Spanish.

In addition, the Day School program (Preschool – Grade 5) incorporates a parallel English Language Arts and English Math curriculum, taught by a Head English teacher. The alignment of target language and English instruction allows for synergistic learning—students are able to make connections, reinforce concepts and more fully develop their ideas in both languages.

Immersion

Bilingual Buds' full immersion model is based on children's innate ability to acquire language at an early age. Communication is ignited when content is engaging and personally relevant to the classroom community—whether day-to-day vocabulary or academic subject matter. Students are naturally motivated to connect with their teacher, socialize with their peers, and express their needs and emotions.

Our inspired, native-speaking teachers use a wealth of progressive teaching techniques to aid comprehension. Dramatic presentations and role playing, enticing manipulatives and visuals, long-term project studies, as well as music and technology help a challenging, theme-based curriculum come alive for early language learners.

Assessment

Both formal and informal student performance assessments are conducted regularly on an ongoing basis throughout a student's career at Bilingual Buds. Student portfolios, teacher observations, and comprehensive report cards document student progress and are presented at parent/teacher conferences twice a year. All students are assessed using the Center for Applied Linguistics' SOPA rubric annually to evaluate their foreign language proficiency and to provide parents with a comprehensive record of language development year to year. (For recent highlights of Bilingual Buds' SOPA (Student Oral Proficiency Assessment) results, please read  "Bilingual Buds Preschool and Primary Students Achieve Impressive Scores on Language Proficiency Tests" at The Alternative Press)

Our elementary students take additional standardized exams in English to evaluate their academic progress in relation to their private school peers, including literacy and mathematics assessments, and subject tests in science and social studies starting in Grade 2.