Tamil is a language spoken in Tamilnadu, India, and a few other countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia. The objective of our school is to make children of Tamil immigrants living in Atlanta attain proficiency in the language through systematic learning. This will also enable them to get a glimpse of the culture and history of Tamilnadu.
However, this is not an easy task as the medium of instruction in the US schools is English. Hence, our methodology of teaching is to start with very basic aspects of the language and gradually build on the details.
We mainly follow Singapore curriculum for grades 1 to 10 and our custom made material for beginner level. In addition, we use select lessons, stories, and exercises from Tamil Virtual University, Tamilnadu Government Textbooks, and other resources on the web as appropriate for the classes.
Our lessons and teaching methods are geared to make students learn in the areas of speaking, reading, writing and listening. Periodical speech and essay topics are given to help them gain fluency in the language. We also do a lot of computer based teaching and the parents and students welcome it.
An academic year consists of 32 classes, divided into two semesters. Classes are held on weekends and each session runs about 75 minutes. Weekly, midterm, and semester exams are conducted for assessment. Beginner level takes two years for completion. Other grades may each take one and a half years for completion. An average score of 70% is required for moving to the next grade.
A notable feature of our school is that we conduct reading and speech competitions for all classes to enhance learning and public speaking. In addition, we give opportunities to students to exhibit their talents through cultural programs and poster presentations during our annual day.
Parents, let your children join our school and learn our mother tongue!