Language arts
Samui Bilingual School places great emphasis on the quality of language mastery, both in French and English. The goal is to provide children with a rich vocabulary and a high level of language proficiency, enabling them to express ideas clearly and simply, gain more confidence, and facilitate exchanges with their interlocutors smoothly.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A RICH AND VARIED VOCABULARY
Samui Bilingual School aims to help children acquire a rich vocabulary and a high level of language proficiency from kindergarten onwards. Children with a rich and varied vocabulary not only find it easier to learn another language, but they also approach reading more calmly, have more confidence, and are better at oral presentations.
THE RIGHT WORDS
It is now established that the performance gap evident at the end of kindergarten is very difficult to catch up. Upon entering first grade, children with the poorest vocabulary know about 500 words on average; those moderately supplied reach 1,000 words; the best-provided group knows about 2,500 words. Besides the fact that children are attracted to "complicated" words and learn them quite naturally from the early grades, this learning is also very structuring at the neuronal level. All kindergarten and primary school staff at Samui Bilingual School are aware of the importance of the quality of vocabulary acquired, and all teachers encourage children to use precise words and avoid hypernyms.
ORAL INTERVENTIONS
Lexical richness allows children to be more comfortable during oral presentations. Samui Bilingual School places great importance on ensuring that each child can speak in public in a supportive environment, regardless of their age, and encourages each child to do so in front of their classmates during presentations or book reports, as well as on special occasions like the end-of-year show.