World Languages
At DAIS we believe in emphasizing global citizenship, part of which includes instilling awareness of other people’s cultures, languages, and traditions, while also learning to respect diversity and exhibit compassion for others. Our World Languages program infuses these ideals within our student population through a multifaceted approach, beginning in our Early Childhood and Elementary School program and continuing into Middle School.

In Elementary School, students have a choice between Russian and Mandarin. As students move beyond the lower grade levels, opportunities are presented to allow for more student choice and increase student engagement. Currently, in Middle School, the choices are extended to include Spanish, French, and German. Exposure to a language of choice allows DAIS students to chart their own course based not only on interest but also their expected academic career beyond DAIS.    

Russian
Russian is considered to be one of the most difficult languages to learn. It has a lot of rules that must be followed; however, every lesson is brought to life with fun activities, team projects, and high-quality materials based on real-world topics that students are really interested in. Students will develop their reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills, as well as learn grammar and vocabulary that correlate to the level. Our classes focus on practical skills and interactive exercises.

Kazakh Culture Class
The goal of this sequential program is to introduce children to a new and challenging set of academic experiences and offer an introduction to our host country’s language and culture. This class integrates with our Social Studies and Science curriculum as students learn age-appropriate standards. For example, as our students learn about water systems in the world, they learn about Kazakhstan’s lakes, rivers, the sea, and so on. This class has many creative hands-on activities such as role-playing, games, songs, storytelling, listening, speaking, reading, writing, and field trips. All are used to immerse the student in this communicative experiential program. Guided practice ensures that each child develops at an appropriate pace.