English program & CLIL

In all, the teaching strategy of our English program is geared towards achieving native-level academic proficiency in English, university level writing skills, and a deep knowledge of literature and focused subjects.

Our standard English classes are divided according to language competencies, and students take these classes in their designated English group, which they are placed in according to the results of their entrance exam in the first year of study.

In the core English program, students have two hours of grammar and language, two hours of English literature, and two hours of academic writing each week.

In their grammar and language class, students strengthen their English ability using leveled National Geographic textbooks. Regardless of their starting English level, by the third and fourth years, all students are working through a C1 textbook; our goal is for all students to achieve C1 or higher proficiency in English by the time they graduate.

Our literature program covers British and American literature, taking students through a range of literary history and authors, beginning with reading shorter texts and graded readers, and then moving on to full original novels in English.

The academic writing program builds students’ writing ability through academic structure, focused paragraphs, short essays, and analyses of literature. By the final year, students are prepared for our school English maturita essays and higher level writing at university.

In total, the number of lessons taught in English each week also increases during students’ time at Amazon. Students have 7 hours per week in the first two years, 10 hours in the third year, 11 hours in the final year.

In the first year, freshmen students have an additional hour of English conversation to improve their speaking skills and confidence in their use of English.

In the second and third years, students begin our CLIL program with Area Studies, a geography subject. For one hour each week, students learn world geography in parallel with the equivalent class taught in Czech, which allows them to strengthen their English through their knowledge of the subject.

For the third and fourth years, students choose two specific CLIL subjects to study in English. These focused humanities subjects significantly help prepare students for specialization at university. Our students develop a comprehensive foundational knowledge over two years, and those who choose to study these subjects in higher education have a clear advantage when they begin their university courses.