The school gate opens already at 6.30am, but most of the students arriving briefly before the first lesson of the day at 7.30am. Fifth graders independently make their way to their own classroom.
Fifth graders start their day with a 30-minute homeroom time with their own class teacher. During that time many daily practical topics can be covered, or it can be used for study skills sessions ran by school counsellor or SEN teacher.
At 8am fifth graders have two back-to-back lessons with five minutes transition break in between. By way of example, they might first have Qatar History lesson where the students form groups to create presentations, and then learn about the human body through Science and Art.
At 9.35am, the students go outside for their first break. The football field is a popular spot, as is the playground.
The students have another two lessons. Fifth graders can have first language lesson, Arabic, French or Spanish and then English literature lesson. The class teacher and learning assistant collaborate in guiding and personalising the learning within the class.
For lunch, fifth graders go to the School Canteen, where they can choose the healthy pre-ordered portion, or they can eat the packed lunch they’ve brought with them from home.
After lunch, the students then enjoy a break where they go outside and move. Being active during the breaks helps the students concentrate on their studies once back in class. Break time equipment is available for students to use.
In the last two lessons of the day the fifth graders might practice fractions with the help of music, and form groups to gather information about the solar system.
The Grade 5 day finishes at 2pm. Some students stay after school for ECAs – extra-curricular activities – but not before a quick snack at the Canteen. Fifth graders can choose from wide variety of ECAs: for example, football, zumba or science.
Learning happens in unexpected ways: after finishing their homework assignments, a fifth grader may add new English phrases to their growing vocabulary through playing video games.
