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CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
The curriculum reflects the vision and mission of our school, keeping in mind the needs of the students in the 21st century. The co-curricular activities are embedded within our curricular subjects allowing children to inculcate academic excellence and cultivate self-confidence, creativity, reflection and analytical thinking. A diverse range of activities and programmes help expand the learning experience.
The School is affiliated to the Central board for Secondary Education (CBSE).
  • PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
  • SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
  • MATHEMATICS
  • ART / MUSIC / DRAMA
  • SPORTS
  • Assessments
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
The subjects designed for the students include languages, science, math, social sciences, sports, dance, art, music and speech and drama.
A different language is a different vision of life.
-Federico Fellini
Teaching various languages optimizes a child’s learning potential, helping them to become more flexible and acquire language naturally. Research proves that learning multiple languages enhances the child’s overall verbal ability, improves their cognitive performance and problem solving skills.
Here, at The Somaiya School, our classrooms resound with at least 5 languages like English, Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit and French at any given time. It is not unusual to hear students as young as Grade 1 reciting Sanskrit shlokas or greet their teachers in French. Languages are taught through games, drama and audio visual clips……… which make learning effortless and enjoyable.
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After getting fluent and comfortable in languages such as French, Sanskrit and Marathi, children have to make a choice when they enter Grade 5.
At the Secondary level, students do three languages – English, Hindi and a third language (a choice made between French, Sanskrit and Marathi).
When the students reach Grade 9, they continue with two languages only (as per CBSE requirements).
Presentations, JAM, debates, speeches, research based activities, creative writing are just some of the ways through which the classroom sessions take place.
One of the highlights of our academic year is the Literary week which allows students to explore their own potential and identify themselves as budding authors and poets.
An interest in regional languages is instilled by assigning dedicated days such as Sanskrit Diwas and Hindi Diwas. During such celebrations, the children exhibit their skills in these languages through a variety of activities, recitations, dramas etc.
We, at the Somaiya School, are firmly rooted in our culture. An attempt (a pilot project) is being made to introduce teaching the mother tongue to students of Grade 1 and 2. As part of this unique endeavour, we have collaborated with our parents who have volunteered to teach their mother tongue.
In the near future, we hope to extend this program for students of Grade 3 and 4 too.
SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul.
-Lord Acton
Through each day students experience a process of discovery which satisfies the natural curiosity of a child by questioning, exploration and application.
A common cream cookie becomes a tool for teaching innovative lessons about the moon. A variety of hands - on activities and experiences help to reinforce concepts. The School has two well- equipped science laboratories where children are encouraged to discover and explore for themselves. Learning goes beyond the classroom…. It spills over into the school garden, kitchen, corridors where children interact with their surroundings and discover the truth about science. Children are equipped to explore the practical applications of these concepts in daily life.
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Students of the higher grade learn social sciences through site visits to various historical places. History comes alive before them and helps them re-create it in their imagination.
Science and scientific concepts for the higher grades are incorporated through a variety of laboratory sessions.
Interactions with post-graduate students and professors from Cornell University added dimensions to their learning and conceptual understanding.
Our campus is home to a number of educational institutes which offer a plethora of learning opportunities to our students. There are often various interactions between the students and faculty of these colleges. There are site visits to these institutions. During these visits, the students get a first- hand experience of how classroom concepts get translated into reality.
MATHEMATICS
God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world.
-Paul Dirac
The teaching methodology encourages students to develop and use different strategies for solving problems and also self-monitor their own process. A game of hopscotch turns into a lesson on odd and even numbers. Children set up a mock market place and learn about topics varying from money to purchasing. These are just some ways how the maths classes at our school become enjoyable affairs and not something dreaded.
The children are guided to reason out their problem and discover the solution, to learn the “Why?” of a particular principle and not just the “How?”. This is achieved through diverse experiences like origami, flash cards, jig-saw puzzles, group activities and peer tutoring.
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A week is incomplete without a trip to the math lab. Our school has a well- stocked math lab filled with games, blocks, floor puzzles etc. to create a love for numbers in every child.
Moving from the abstract to the concrete, students of the higher grades learn the application of mathematical concepts even in subjects like Dance, Music and Art.
ART / MUSIC / DRAMA
Every child is an artist, the problem is staying one as you grow…
Involvement in the arts is associated with a boost in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skills. Learning Art also improves motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork.
Students are exposed to an array of art forms from a simple sketch or tribal Warli art to the works of Picasso. Getting their hands dirty with clay and creating their own models, appreciating art in its various forms is what they do in the Art sessions.
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The skills learnt in the Art class find their voice during various events which happen through the year. Our students get actively involved in creating props for our Annual day. Festivals and celebrations at school are brightened up with their artistic creations which line up our corridors.
Music is a world within itself, a language known to all.
The students are initiated into Hindustani music and the tabla.
Acting, voice, movement - the elements of speech and drama are part of our curriculum. Children are trained in dramas, monologues, street plays and speeches which prepare them to face an audience. The Literary week sees dramatization of the works of renowned poets and authors. Shakespeare and Shelley are brought alive on stage by children with the help of skills learnt in the drama class.
Bharat Natyam dance sessions are woven into the curriculum to expose the primary students to traditional dance forms. It provides a platform for students to express themselves.
Our assemblies and celebrations become more graceful with the performances put up by the students. Girls as well boys assay a myriad roles in these performances, ranging from mythological to contemporary.
SPORTS
The Somaiya School provides each student an opportunity to develop citizenship traits such as co-operation, leadership, self-discipline and respect. It helps in the child’s overall development by helping them to lead full, active and healthy lives. The PE curriculum stresses on the importance of enjoyment and play and all children are encouraged to take part in as many activities as possible. Our students participate in a wide range of indoor and outdoor sports like chess, carrom, throw ball, basketball, shot put, yoga, athletics to name a few.
The Primary students are initiated into various sports activities in a non-competitive manner, the aim being learning of various skills for a holistic development.
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The various skills acquired are displayed during the annual Sports Day in the form of Fun Races and showcase their important qualities of team spirit, co-operation and tolerance.
The Secondary students are exposed to the competitive spirit with the introduction of various races during the Sports Day. The core qualities of team spirit, respect, co-operation and tolerance with the ease of handling success and failure are instilled in them. This gives them the confidence and the skills to handle real world competition without fear or anxiety.
Get, Set, Go program
We have collaborated with a renowned sports company “Get, set, go” to help inculcate sports readiness skills in the primary students. It is a very common and encouraging sight to see children trying to handle and manoeuvre various equipments as a part of their training.
Gymnastics
The Gymnastics programme instills flexibility, co-ordination, balance and strengthens muscles. It is a common sight to see our students climbing the rope or performing the malkhamb with great ease and tenacity.
Students across all the grades eagerly await these sessions and their enthusiasm is evident during the displays on the Sports Day.
Yoga Primary
The goal is to develop a beautiful and strong physique and a strong mental health with perseverance and discipline. The students are taught to be alert, aware and level-headed with a balanced state of mind in any situation.
Pranayams and Kriyas important for healthy living, basic knowledge and understanding about Yoga and imbibing Yogic living in day to day life are woven into the sessions.
Relaxation and inculcating a calm and cool state of mind with the techniques help to reduce anxiety, hyperactivity and fear from the young minds.
Grade 5 and ahead :
The goal is to make them develop physical and mental strength, flexibility, stay focused, calm and level-headed in any situation so as to cope with the changes in their body, mind and surroundings. This enables them to cope with the stress of studies, overflow of emotions and peer pressure.
The focus here is to increase muscle tone and strength to enhance their performances in indoor as well as outdoor sports.
In the era of consumerism and ever-changing technology, Yoga helps the children to understand the harmony and balance needed between themselves as an individual and the external environment.
Assessments
The academic year begins in April and ends in March comprising of two terms. We follow the CCE pattern (Continuous Comprehensive Assessment) which gets broadly classified as SA (Summative Assessment) and FA (Formative Assessment). Our assessments are designed to check for application of concepts learnt and does not encourage rote learning.
Assembling a puzzle, dramatisation, data collection, Power-point presentations, extempore speaking are just a few of the creative ways which are used to assess the child.
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"Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better."
As part of our emphasis on constant evolution, the School has regular trainings for teachers. There are frequent in-house trainings where experts visit our school and train our faculty. Besides these, our teachers are also sent to various other institutes for professional development.