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| FRENCH : The Ab Initio Programme |
"To have another language is to possess a
second soul."
...Charlemagne |
| In today's world of globalization, being able to communicate
in different languages is very essential. French Ab Intio caters to students
who have thus far had no contact with the language. The process of learning
a new language contributes to students' cognitive, intellectual, cultural,
and social development. |
| The world today is becoming increasingly interconnected
with numerous regional and international alliances. People who know more
than one language have a distinct employment advantage, since they possess
the communication skills necessary to succeed in this global village.
Additionally, a new language gives students' access to the richness of
other cultures. |
| It widens their horizons and opens new vistas of ideas
and thinking. |
| Visual Art |
"The only limits are as always, those of
vision."
...James Broughton |
| There is no denying the power of Art. Art, in all forms,
transcends language, regional and other barriers to successfully communicate
its message. Evident from ancient times, visual art has played an important
in giving us glimpses of past and present times. |
| In today's technical and logistic driven world, it is
essential to maintain and cultivate the relevance of visual interpretation
of an idea or theory. The aim of Visual Art is to focus on the development
of a range of research methods that provide an opportunity to design strategies
and formulate challenging, creative solutions to issues faced by the world
at large. |
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| Theatre Arts |
"The stage is not merely the meeting place
of all the arts, but also the return of art to life."
...Oscar Wilde |
| Until very recently, in India, the onslaught of television,
media and communication dissipated Theatre Art. The youth of our country
were about to lose a legacy created by many years of tradition and practice
of this Performance Art form. The fresh interest in theatre shown by our
education institutions, private cultural bodies and individual efforts
has brought back this wonderful, dramatic world back into the limelight. |
| Theatre Studies at B.D. Somani International School will
be a reflection of the times that we live in, the times that we have left
behind and of the times we are moving into. All this and more will be
explored through theory and practice of diverse programmes that will cover
a wide range of World Theatre. From Classical to Modern, from Folk to
Popular, from Literary to Wordless and finally, from Technical to very
Personal Expression- it will be a fun-filled and highly revealing journey. |
| The co-operative and community nature of this art form
will help students work in teams, plan creative projects, solve group
problems, hone his/her critical faculties, develop creative skills, become
hugely imaginative, think out-of-the-box, develop independence and become
equipped to pursue and excel at interesting and valuable careers in any
field. |
| English A1 HL/SL |
"Language is not only the vehicle of thought;
it is a great and efficient instrument in thinking".
... Sir Humphrey Davy |
| English A1 is a literature course. For HL English, students
study fifteen texts, five of which will be drawn from a World Literature
list provided by the IBO: these are texts not originally written in English.
SL students study eleven texts. The overall goals of the course are to
help students read and write with greater critical insight, with a deeper
appreciation of literature's beauty and its immediate relevance to their
lives. |
| In the first year of IB, English A1 students become familiar
with the major themes of literature through studying the poems, plays
and novels of British, American, and other international authors. Because
the IB focuses on the process of writing, students work with critical
terminology to better understand how authors create their effects. In
preparation for the IB exam in May of the second year, students practice
writing commentaries on poems and prose, as well as literary essays on
various topics. They also try their hand at such creative writing as short
stories, poems, and personal essays. Near the end of the year, students
prepare and give an oral presentation on a literary subject of their choice. |
| The overall goals of the course are to help students read
and write with more critical insight, with a deeper appreciation of literature's
beauty and its immediate relevance to their lives. |
| Business Studies |
"A business that makes nothing but money
is a poor kind of business"
... Henry Ford |
| The Business & Management course is designed to provide
an extensive introduction to the ways individuals and groups interact
in a business environment. The central theme of this course will be a
careful examination of how business decisions are made and how these decisions
impact internal and external environments. Students will be challenged
to think critically about business issues from a variety of perspectives
and develop a holistic view of business world. |
| The course is designed to give students an understanding
of business principles, practices and skills. Emphasis is placed on understanding
the day-to-day business functions of marketing, human resource management,
operations and finance. Teaching and learning is designed to help students
integrate and link the various functional modules and obtain a holistic
overview of Business. |
| Students will also learn to apply analytical tools and
techniques to enhance their understanding of complex business activities.
In addition, students will be made aware of ethical concerns and issues
of social responsibility in the business environment. Finally, students
will learn to make sense of the external forces and circumstances that
drive change in an interdependent and multicultural world. |
| Economics |
"For economists the real world is often a
special case."
...Edgar R. Fielder |
| Economics deals with pressing issues facing the world
today -- free markets, Government control, pollution, population, inflation
etc. At SIS students are taught to understand how economic theory actually
plays out in reality. |
| Since the non-experimental nature of economics often leads
to spirited discussions concerning the interpretation of existing data
and value systems, debates are a regular part of the in-class activity
schedule. |
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| Physics |
"A physicist is an atom's way of knowing
about physics."
...George Wald |
| Physics is the most fundamental of the experimental sciences
as it seeks to explain the universe itself. The IB Physics course gives
students a taste of the exciting extremes of modern physics while building
a solid foundation of related skills and knowledge. It is a challenging
and rewarding course, well suited to (although not limited to) students
who wish to study science or engineering at university. |
| The theoretical section of the course focuses on developing
conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. Students study six
core topics-Physics and Physical Measurement, Mechanics, Thermal Physics,
Waves, Electricity and Magnetism, Atomic and Nuclear Physics-and two option
topics, chosen from offerings such as Astrophysics, Special Theory of
Relativity, Biomedical Physics, Optics. HL students study additional material
in each topic, including the optional topics. |
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| Chemistry |
"There's nothing colder than chemistry."
... Anita Loos |
| Chemistry involves studying the properties and behaviour
of matter. It is a very practical science and has had a strong influence
on our daily lives. It lies at the heart of countless issues ranging from
health care to environmental protection. |
| Chemistry is largely responsible for the increase in life
expectancy experienced over the past century. Conversely, advances in
chemistry have also resulted in nuclear warfare and disaster. |
| The above factors have made the study of chemistry vital.
Throughout the IB course, Chemistry is placed in context and our innumerable
encounters with everyday Chemistry are discussed. |
| Biology |
"It is a monstrous abuse of the science of
biology to teach it only in the laboratory---Life belongs in the fields,
in the ponds, on the mountains, and by the seashore."
...James G. Needham |
| Biology has become such a vast research enterprise that
it is not studied as a single discipline, but as a cluster of sub-disciplines.
Biologists learn how living things work, how they interact with one another
and how they evolve. One may study cells under a microscope, insects in
a rainforest, viruses that affect human beings, plants in a green house,
or lions in the African grasslands. This increases our understanding about
the natural world in which we live. Biology also provides a greater insight
into issues of personal well-being and worldwide concern, such as environmental
depletion, threats to human health, and maintaining viable and abundant
food supplies |
| Pursuing a career in biology can be immensely rewarding
and exciting. Studying biology teaches us to questions, observe, evaluate
evidence and solve problems. |
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| Math |
"Math is like love -- a simple idea but it
can get complicated."
...R. Drabek |
| Mathematics can be perceived as a well-defined body of
knowledge, as an abstract system of ideas, or as a useful tool. It provides
an important means of understanding the world in which we live. Mathematics
tends to traverse subject boundaries and extend into most other professions:
artists need to learn about perspective, musicians need to appreciate
the mathematical relationships within and between different rhythms, economists
need to recognize trends in financial dealings, and engineers need to
take account of stress patterns in physical materials. Others appreciate
mathematics as an aesthetic experience or even as a cornerstone of philosophy. |
| This prevalence of mathematics in our lives provides a
clear and sufficient rationale for making the study of this subject compulsory
within the IB program. |
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