Program
A rigorous curriculum in Math, Science and Language Arts prepares AIS middle school students to be successful at the secondary level.
AIS provides an intimate and nurturing environment where a collaborative and caring faculty can focus on each student as an individual. Small to average-sized classes allow regular communication among students, teachers, and parents to assess and assist students’ progress.
Coordinators and teachers work together to carefully construct curricula, projects, and activities tailored to the different learning needs and styles of each student. A spirit of inquiry and collaboration capitalizes on the unique opportunities offered by the AIS’s different programs.
Curriculum
AIS students in middle school have seven academic periods each day, including English, Arabic, French, Math, Social studies and Science. Seventh and eighth graders take hours of BTEC – a new vocational form of learning. (See BTEC for more information).
The carefully defined Lebanese national curriculum lends an important element of structure to our middle school program.
The flexible nature of the National curriculum, in turn, enables our faculty to tailor the curriculum to the unique needs of our students, complementing and capitalizing on themes and structures that transgress linguistic and cultural boundaries and that will serve as points of focus and discussion in classes in three languages. Students are always expected to make interdisciplinary connections in their work.
The math and science program at the Middle School develops students’ critical thinking abilities. In mathematics and science, students are actively engaged and acquire the ability to analyze, evaluate various strategies and apply mathematical and scientific reasoning to question, investigate patterns and relationships, and communicate solutions and conclusions.
Students at the AIS devote two hours of class time a week to arts, music and theater. These courses, wherever possible, will be integrated with the curriculum in the core subject areas.
AIS students also have two hours of physical education per week. Activities may include soccer, basketball, Ping-pong and Gymnastics. Depending on our schedule, the AIS may also organize sporting events and tournaments involving students from other schools.
Students also have a variety of after-school activities to choose from that will extend and enhance their skills in several areas.
Special Arabic and FLE (Français langue étrangère, or French as a Foreign Language)
Because some students come to us with varying levels of proficiency in French and Arabic, the AIS provides some extra support to students who need it in either language during school hours.
Depending on the child’s level, s/he may be pulled out of a regular class to work individually or in small groups with a Special Arabic or FLE teacher to focus on particular skills or structures, or acquire background knowledge.
After School Enrichment and Remedial Programs
AIS students may select from a range of after-school courses that will allow them to support their academic work. Possibilities include Math, Arabic, English and Science.
Daily schedule
A typical school day will run from 7:40 am to 2:35 pm with two breaks. All periods will be 50 minutes long.
Homework
AIS administrators, teachers and parents believe that work completed independently outside of class time is essential to the success our students. Homework allows students to practice, prepare, and extend their learning, and is mandatory for all students attending the AIS.
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