Programme

At the Denis Diderot School we follow the natural principles of learning for each age group: by stimulating the natural curiosity of the children absorbed in playing and doing, because for children playing is a serious occupation. The younger classes allow the children to give vent to their imagination and to work alone and in teams on various projects, with an opportunity to follow up their discoveries. We cultivate a positive attitude in the children towards learning and we lay the foundations for the skills of self-concentration and self-control.  The weekly programme of the students in the preparatory class and first grade comprises work on topics from a variety of domains.

Weekly programme by hours

Bulgarian Language and Literature, Mathematics, Local Environment and Ecology

For the preschool age group, our focus is on individual, social and emotional development, which contributes significantly to the children’s desire to acquire new knowledge and skills at school. Their teachers help them develop a positive attitude towards themselves and others. They teach the children how to control their emotions and how to decide what appropriate behaviour is. In the preparatory class the students develop their thinking, language and social communication skills. The teachers encourage the children to express themselves aptly and confidently through active talking, narration and listening in various situations. We teach the children to love literature by reading different stories to them every day. The students learn the sounds of the letters so as to be able to make the gradual transition to reading and writing. We submerge them in the magical world of numbers and forms, and we cultivate confidence in their work with numbers and counting. The students explore the world around them, broaden their knowledge about their culture, develop social skills and learn more about how to care for their body and health.

In the junior school age group we stimulate the students to develop logical thinking, to intensify and deepen their understanding of spatial notions and to focus their attention while fulfilling set assignments. The children become more responsible, self-confident and independent.

Using a variety of attractive and useful activities, the children acquire the basic skills of reading and writing correctly, they broaden their linguistic abilities and become more confident in unassisted reading. The teachers help the children to acquire basic knowledge and skills in the fields of arithmetic and geometry. The children develop mathematical thinking, powers of observation and creativity in problem-solving. The teachers assist the children in perceiving the social and the natural world, and to be aware of their place in them. They learn to understand and appreciate the equilibrium of nature and society, to take different viewpoints into consideration, and to develop their civil skills with an emphasis on love for their country.

The children develop valuable skills in individual and group research assignments. They learn to ask questions, to think critically and to make a self-assessment of their achievements.

Games and Free Activities

It is important for all children to experience their childhood completely in order to be able to develop their social and intellectual potential.

In addition to regular classes in physical education and sports, all students have swimming lessons twice a week and dancing once a week. Children learn tolerance and mutual respect through sport and games, as well as how to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.

Art and Technology

The art programme gives children the opportunity to discover and develop their creative potential. Lessons in art and music take place in a creative and stimulating environment in which the children can freely express their emotions and imagination. In the technology classes, students design and construct models or develop their own ideas, working with recycled materials using different tools and technologies. The children learn how to make an everyday product by working in a team and they thus develop a spirit of entrepreneurship and an awareness of environmental protection.

English Language

English is integrated into the overall learning process and is studied in natural ways. In addition to the regular classes in English language and literature, students at the Denis Diderot School also have classes in mathematics and science that are conducted entirely in English. The children practice the language actively and enrich their vocabulary with terms that give them freedom of expression in concrete mathematical and scientific situations.

Philosophy for Children

The fascinating classes in Philosophy for Children contribute to the child’s overall development as an individual person. Students are transformed into researchers who use games, singing, drawing and free thinking to express their curiosity about the world, to ask about the unknown, to wonder at the incomprehensible and to discuss topics that are important to them. The teacher helps the children to think more effectively, to be aware of their own perspective, to defend their positions with arguments and to develop their ideas, to think and work together in a community, recognising the valuable elements in the viewpoints of others, being tolerant to the differences of others.