JAMAICA

Sarah Collette, Angelica Colontonio, Katie

DeTrux, Tylar Smith
LEARNING STYLES
• *Auditory- As a group we spoke clearly to the class throughout our PowerPoint
presentation so all students were able to understand what we were stating. We also
asked the students if they had any questions before moving onto the next slide. 
• *Visual- We incorporated videos throughout our PowerPoint presentation and the
students were able to see the slides throughout the course of the presentation.
• *Applied-We compared schools in Jamaica to schools in the United States, with an
emphasis on vocational schools and the younger grades.
• *Spatial- Students were asked to complete a worksheet as we went through the
presentation. On this worksheet students were asked to draw out the Jamaican flag.
• *Social and Verbal- The students had to share their answers from the worksheet
with the class when they were called upon. The students also had to discuss with
their Jeopardy group the question asked of them before sharing their answers out
loud with the whole class.
EARNING STYLES CONTINUED
• Two learning styles that we chose to incorporate from our SIOP presentation are
Lesson Prep and Building Background.
• As a group we made sure to produce a lesson that enabled students to make
connections between their own background and experiences with the new
information that was being taught.
• We implemented this by comparing schools here in the United States with schools in
Jamaica.
• As a group we also made sure that the concepts were age and educational level
appropriate for the students we were teaching.
• Finally, we made sure to incorporate various videos and pictures into our PowerPoint
presentation.
• We used Kahoot for building background information on the country and the
different educational processes that are implemented throughout the country by
instructors.
• The students also were able to listen and record notes on the worksheet provided to
them during the PowerPoint presentation to further their building background. The
students could use this worksheet as a reference for the final Jeopardy game.
OBJECTIVES
• Students will be able to understand the background and culture of Jamaica.

• Students will be able to write about what they learned throughout the PowerPoint
presentation on a worksheet that will be provided to them. Following this, students will
be able to recite their answers to the class.

• Students will be able to describe the different learning styles in Jamaica along with the
various different school systems.
COUNTRY BACKGROUND
Jamaica is an island country located in the Caribbean Sea area.
It is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles chain.

The country has a total area of 4,240 square miles and is

situated about 90 miles south of the island of Cuba, and 119
miles west of the island of Hispaniola, which is home to the
country of Haiti. Dominican Republic.  

Jamaica is the fifth-largest island country in the Caribbean

region. 

Jamaica’s indigenous people are known as the Taino Indians.

 JAMAICA IN ONE MINUTE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KxVck4iCho
 OFFICIAL NAME: Jamaica

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary Democracy

CAPITAL: Kingston

POPULATION: 2,812,090

JAMAICA OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English

FACTS MONEY: Jamaican Dollar

AREA: 4,411 square miles (10,992 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Blue Mountains, John Crow

Mountains, Don Figuero Mountains, Cockpit Country
MAJOR RIVERS: Black River, Rio Cobre River, Rio Grande
River
 Most of the population lives in the city
and one third of all Jamaicans live in
the capital of Kingston.

More than 90 percent of the

CULTURAL population is of African descent, but

many other people have come from
China, India, Germany, and Syria to
ASPECTS find work on the island.

Jamaica's motto is "Out of Many, One

People."
 When most people think of Jamaica
they think of Reggae, or "Ragged
Music.”

The music was born in the 1950s

REGGAE and 1960s from the musical style of
rocksteady.

The most famous reggae star was

Bob Marley, who was backed by his
group the Wailers. 
 RELIGIONS

Many are
Rastafarians, followers
Jamaicans are very spiritual
of a Christian-based
people and follow many religions,
faith, which grew out
including Christianity, Hinduism,
of a civil rights
Judaism, and Islam.
movement in the
1930s.
 A COUNTRY IN THE MAKING

Jamaica, was once a In the year 1655, the The country received its With a permanent Its capital and largest
Spanish possession country was renamed full independence and population of 2.8 million city is Kingston, with a
known as Santiago, came Jamaica.  sovereignty from the inhabitants, Jamaica is population of 937,700
under the rule of England United Kingdom in the the third-most populous (34 percent of the total
and later Great Britain in summer of 1962 and has English-speaking country population). Jamaica has
1655. remained independent to in the Americas (after a large Diaspora around
this day.  the United States and the world, due to
Canada.  emigration from the
country.
 JAMAICAN FLAG
• After independence in 1962,
government officials claimed the
black color stood for the difficulties
faced by the country, the green
represented the island itself, and the
gold color symbolized the bright sun
that shines over the land. 
 HISTORY OF EDUCAITON
The education system and
its administration were
The history of education in
modeled after the British
Jamaica is perhaps best
System; and many of the
explained and understood
developments in the history
in the context of the
of Jamaican education can
island's colonial history.
be seen as responses to
events such as:

The abolition of slavery in The onset of public Finally, The achievement of

1834. elections in 1944. independence in 1962. 
 SCHOOLING BY THE AGES

Education School/Level Grades Age Years Notes

Primary Primary School 6–12 6 Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 11.

CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education

Secondary Secondary School 12–17 5
Certificate) Examinations

Post- CXC Caribbean Advanced Placement

Senior Secondary 17 2
secondary Examination (CAPE)

Tertiary Bachelor's 3–4

Tertiary Master's 2

Tertiary Doctorate 3 PhD

TYPICAL JAMAICA
SCHOOL DAY
o The school day usually begins at
8:00 am in the morning and lasts
until 2:00 pm or 2:30 pm in the
afternoon.
o Some schools may have extra
lessons for students who wish to
improve on their studies.
o The children who attend Jamaican
schools wear a uniform. Various
different schools have school colors
the students must wear.
 The 6 years of primary school education in
Jamaica is compulsory and free.

Children receive their instruction in English,

and remain there between the ages of 6 and
12.

PRIMARY Schools may be state-owned, or private

preparatory schools.

EDUCATION
However there are private schools - they are
about 200$ paid every half year. 

These schools are usually catholic and have

students wear colorful uniforms. 
 Students tend to do a variety of subjects
at the primary school level including
religious studies, art and crafts, Spanish,
physical education and computer studies,
THE though Spanish and computer studies are
not the norm in most schools.

SCHOOL
DAY When students get to Grade 4, a lot of
emphasis and focus is placed on the five
subjects they will do at the end of Grade
6 (GSAT).
 • The typical school
week goes Monday
SCHOOL through Friday, and
WEEK FOR students must go to
ELEMENTAR mandatory retreats
Y STUDENTS twice a month
depending their
schooling system.
INCORPORATION OF GOD
• In Jamaica it does not matter if a student attends a private or public school, every
morning students start the day off with a morning prayer to God.

• Following Prayer, the students must sing the Jamaican National Anthem.
 Grade 3:
Grade 1:
Assessment tests
Readiness
in Math and
Inventory
Language Arts

TESTS
THROUGHOUT Grade 6:

THE YEARS Achievement Test

(GSAT): in Math,
Language Arts,
Grade 4: Literacy Social Studies
and Numeracy (Civic Studies,
Tests Geography and
History), Science
and
Communication
Task
 PRIVATE VERSUS PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
In elementary school,
private and public schools offer v class sizes.
ery different educational outcomes
.

Those who attend private schools

are often at an extreme advantage
while those attending public
schools may leave after six years,
language of instruction.
never fully learning how to read
and write. The factors that create
this disparity include:

By the end of grade six, however,

every student must take the Grade
the class origins of the teachers.
Six Achievement Examination
(GSAT).
 GOVERNMENT CONTROL ON
SCHOOLS

This is to meet Many still favor

The government the needs of an the British
Libraries have
has embarked on emerging grammar school
been restocked Schools are either
a program to economy that model. When
and computers single-sex or co-
upgrade requires more students leave
installed with ed.
secondary advanced literacy secondary school
internet access.
schools. and mathematics their education
skills. ceases to be free. 
 LOWER SCHOOL
• Forms 1-3 (Ages 10–13 or 14) or grades 7-9
• Students are exposed to a wide range of subjects, including
Spanish and French as 2nd languages.
• Generally, Integrated Science is taught until the 3rd form, where
students begin taking
• Physics
• Biology
• and Chemistry
• Some schools group students based on their academic
achievement the year prior.
• This can greatly impact what subjects some students might
be able to take later on in school, and what teachers they
might be assigned to.
 UPPER SCHOOL
Most students take at least one
foreign language. Other subjects
include: History, Geography,
Agricultural Science, Biology,
Physics, Chemistry, Spanish,
Forms 4 & 5 or grades 10-11
French, Accounting, Principles of
Business, Information Technology,
Religious Education, Technical
Drawing, Art, Theater Arts and
about 21 others. 

Students are free to create their

In 4th form, students choose
own curricula which must include
anywhere from 6-10 subjects (8 is
but cannot be limited to:
the standard) that they will sit in
Mathematics and English Language
the Caribbean Examination
all others are optional though some
Council's O-Level school leaving
schools tend to make at least 1
examinations.
other compulsory.
 Most students take at least one foreign language.
Other subjects include: History, Geography,
Agricultural Science, Biology, Physics, Chemistry,
Spanish, French, Accounting, Principles of Business,
Information Technology, Religious Education,
Technical Drawing, Art, Theater Arts and about 21
others. Generally students are informally classified,
or classify themselves as Arts, Sciences, Industrial

UPPER Arts and Business students, especially if they plan on

going to 6th form.

SCHOOL
CONTINUED Grading: Some exams can be taken at either the
Basic or General Proficiency levels, the latter being
more common. Exams are graded from Grades 1 to 6
(up to 7, if A-Level). 1 is a pass with distinction, 2 a
pass with credit. 3 is a satisfactory level pass and 4
and below is either a failure, or a 'basic-level' pass.
 Sixth form is an optional, two years long, advanced post
secondary program, at the end of which students write
SIXTH FORM the CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exams).

- DIVIDED
INTO UPPER
These are the equivalent of the GCE A-Level
examinations which were the standard up until 2003.

AND LOWER
SIXTH, OR Some students still choose to sit A-levels if they wish,
but in doing so they must still meet CAPE's basic subject
requirements/groupings.
GRADES 12
(LOWER) CAPE and A-level exams are significantly harder than
exams sat at the end of high school, and are often

AND 13
thought to be harder than most exams students will ever
sit in university.

(UPPER) Entry into Sixth Form is extremely competitive,

especially in rural and suburban Jamaica, where there
are fewer high schools with sixth form, serving larger
areas.
 • The National Training Agency oversees vocational
training in Jamaica that is provided by state
vocational training centers and private academies.
VOCATIONAL Programs tuned to the nation's needs include
EDUCATION agriculture, automotive skills, beauty services,
clothing manufacture, commercial skills,
information technology, and building and
construction skills.
ST. JOHN
BOSCO'S HOME
FOR BOYS
• One example of this is Saint
John Boscos Home for Boys. 
• Students who have been kicked
out of their usual schools
attend this school as a second
chance, and some families
choose to send their male
children here for a better life. 
• https://vimeo.com/127717463
 BOSCO BOYS CONTINUED

Students here learn trades such as butchering animals, This also gives boys a better chance to make their way to
hospitality and culinary school, electric working and more.  America post graduation. 
Since there are many vacation spots in Jamaica, as well as
cruises, many maintain jobs in the hospitality section of
resorts such as sandals and other places post graduation. 
 BOSCO BOYS VIDEO
• https://vimeo.com/127717463
 KAHOOT
• https://create.kahoot.it/details/jamaica-kahoot/96fc5ed9-7c4b-4466-8f5a
-8040fdc38f5a
 JEPRODY!
• https://www.playfactile.com/reillyjeopardy
 SOURCES

• https://vimeo.com/127717463
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaica
• https://www.visitjamaica.com
• https://www.studycountry.com/guide/JM-education.htm
• https://www.studycountry.com/guide/JM-education.htm
• https://www.scholaro.com/pro/countries/Jamaica/Education-System
• https://www.playfactile.com/reillyjeopardy
• https://create.kahoot.it/details/jamaica-kahoot/96fc5ed9-7c4b-4466-8f5a
-8040fdc38f5a
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KxVck4iCho