English and French for everyone from the first year of Kindergarten

One of the essential values of Maria Montessori is to educate children so that they find their place in the world of tomorrow. To achieve this goal, English and French education is offered as immersion from the first year of kindergarten.

The students learn English and French as a mother language during their sensitive language period and are immersed in the culture of a teacher who speaks only her native language in the classroom.

Children go through defined periods during which, they reveal physiological skills and potentialities that will eventually disappear. That is why, at certain times in their lives, they show an interest that we will not find again afterwards. The child is then given a special sensitivities that forces them to focus on certain aspects of his environment to the exclusion of others..
Maria Montessori

The acquisition of spoken language is done during childhood in such a way that a child learns languages and all their subtleties of accentuation without effort, simply by listening and reproducing what is proposed to them.

We take advantage of this language-sensitive period to allow the child to master not only his mother tongue, but also one or more foreign languages.

Every day, half a day is devoted to learning English, in immersion, in kindergarten and in elementary, the other half being devoted to learning French. In middle school, students also study the language immersion for six hours a week.

Spanish and Chinese is offered as an option in kindergarten and elementary. Starting in grade 6, Spanish is part of the common curriculum and Chinese is always offered as an option.

By attending Montessori International Bordeaux, the child is offered the opportunity to master the most spoken languages in the world.

Master writing, Cambridge exams

Upon entry into elementary school, students work on worksheets designed for English-speaking children, or specially prepared by native English teachers, depending on the level of students. The language is therefore studied in depth with grammar exercises, vocabulary, writing and listening.

From grade 1, students who wish and are of a sufficient level, are prepared for the Cambridge Young Learners English Tests (YLE).

These tests, highly appreciated by the children, attest to a level of listening, writing and understanding of the language.

Beginning in middle school, students may continue with the rest of the Cambridge exams: Key English Test, Preliminary English Test and First Certificate of English.

To enroll in the elementary programs, no level in English is required, the teacher adapts to each level. In middle school, the children are divided in an internation section for bilingual students, or a beginner-intermediate section.

A Considerable Advantage

Having developed a sensitivity to the English language, students are able to engage in conversation, read English-language novels, and follow the original version of television programs or films without subtitles, a significant advantage for their future.

These students retain their achievements and obtain results in oral tests (High school diplomas and entries in the Grandes Ecoles or anglophone universities) far above the national average.

International Children

At the same time, non-Francophone children who integrate Montessori International from Bordeaux follow a cadenced schedule in the same way as other students. They learn the French language by half-day immersion in kindergarten and elementary, and can study Spanish and Chinese. In middle school, programs are adapted to their level.

The French-speaking world in which they bathe allows them to learn the language quickly and easily. The teachers, very vigilant, accompany them to promote their adaptation.