The elementary years, Grades 1 to 5, are where habits of heart and mind take root. Children learn to read and reason, ask their own questions, and discover their values and their strengths. It is also when they develop a love of learning. Because these years matter so much, we surround them with teachers who know them well and understand what is at stake this early.
At our American international school in Singapore, the elementary program is built on international standards and on pedagogy informed by cognitive science.
Our teaching is grounded in the science of learning and current research. Four approaches shape every classroom.
Children are taught to lead their own learning, building the skills, understanding, and mindset to become self-assessing, self-adjusting learners. They learn to think about their own thinking, a skill that pays off in every subject and across a lifetime.
Children develop and apply knowledge in real-world contexts through inquiry and project-based work, always paired with reflection. RDAS students come home asking questions, ready to tell you about their day, and eager to find out more.
Working effectively and respectfully in diverse groups is how children and adults alike solve problems, make decisions, and create together. It is a way of learning for students and a model of professional growth for our teachers.
Children learn to monitor and regulate themselves socially, emotionally, and academically. These skills help them take intellectual risks, work with others, and lead their own learning.
The Shape of a Unit
Every unit at RDAS is designed around three connected sets of learning goals.
The knowledge, skills, and deep understanding children need across every discipline, from Language Arts and Mathematics to Science, the Arts, and Technology. Your child builds mastery deep enough to carry into the next grade and the one after.
Our students develop individual habits of heart and mind that build the human qualities no technology can replace. They keep your child resilient, kind, and adaptable in a fast-changing world.
A growing awareness of other cultures and perspectives, and the confidence to act on local and global issues. Your child grows into an open, confident global citizen who feels at home anywhere in the world.
We connect subjects through rich, real-world themes.
Science, art, history, and writing come together around one big question,
so learning sticks and your child sees how school connects to real life.
Across Every Subject
A Week at RDAS Elementary
Each day opens with Homebase & Wellness and closes with reflection. Between those bookends, core academics sit in even balance with Chinese, PE, the arts, Library, and Dream Lab.
Sample schedule · subject to change each semester.
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