Kindergarten
Kindergarten Language Arts
The kindergarten language arts program is designed to foster a love of reading, writing, and discussion while encouraging each child’s self-confidence and excitement about his/her emerging literacy.
Children learn to recognize letters (both in Hebrew and in English) by sight and by sound, pairing each letter with words that include that letter. We teach, and reinforce through second grade, the writing of both the upper and lower-case letters of the English alphabet, using the curriculum series Handwriting without Tears. Listening and responding to books and stories takes place daily in the classroom and children are encouraged to explore and, if ready, read books appropriate to their interest and ability. Children freely explore written language through labeling pictures, journal writing, and dictating captions or stories for the teachers to transcribe. These essential experiences in literature, phonemic awareness, and sight-word recognition are the foundation for more formal reading instruction in first grade.
Kindergarten Math
The kindergarten math curriculum is based on the Singapore Math program, supplemented with manipulatives and games. Children learn the basic mathematical principles of one-to-one correspondence, numeric order, patterns, measuring, graphing, and estimating. They begin to develop concepts of place value, skip counting, time, money, and simple equations. The math program is integrated with the Judaic studies curriculum at many points throughout the year. For example, during the holiday of Hanukkah, the children learn equations to figure out how many candles are required for all eight nights of the holiday, and they play probability games while spinning the dreidel.
Kindergarten Science
The kindergarten science curriculum is centered on the natural world, observing and caring for plants and animals, and learning about the many cycles of nature. Children begin to learn the process of scientific observation, observing, among other things, the metamorphosis of butterflies. Like the math program, the science program is similarly integrated with Judaic studies. For example, while studying the third day of creation (the separation of water from the land) the children engage in an evaporation experiment.
Kindergarten Social Studies
The focus of the kindergarten social studies curriculum is the sequence of Jewish and American holidays throughout the year. As each holiday approaches, the class hears stories, learns songs, and engages in art activities that reflect the significance of and the traditions associated with that day.
Through indoor and outdoor work and play activities, and through directed Second Step lessons (an emotional intelligence/conflict resolution curriculum for school-aged children), children learn the fundamental, yet challenging, skills of positive social interaction.
Kindergarten Hebrew and Judaic Studies
The emphasis in the kindergarten Hebrew program is on the development of oral language through a whole language approach. Acquisition of vocabulary happens through a variety of activities, including meals, conversations, songs, games, stories, cooking, dancing, art, and drama.
In Judaic studies, stories from Genesis (Bereshit) are studied with an emphasis on the musar (moral lessons) that can be gleaned from each story. Specific middot (values) are emphasized, including: v’ahavta l’re’akha kamokha (treating others as you would like to be treated); hakhnasat orchim (hospitality); tz’dakah (righteous justice); g’milut chasadim (acts of loving-kindness); kibbud horim u’morim (respect for parents and teachers); tza’ar ba’alai chayyim (compassion for animals); and additional values related to specific holidays. Children make their own Torah scrolls by drawing pictures of the stories and labeling them in Hebrew.
The children learn about the cycle of the Jewish holidays and celebrate them with the entire school community. The study of Israeli history and culture is introduced in conjunction with the celebration of the holidays. Israel Independence Day provides the backdrop for an extended unit of study on Israel.
The prayers and blessings taught are selected based on the conceptual understanding of the kindergarten child. Students are introduced to Modeh Ani, Mah Tovu, Elohay Neshamah, and the Sh’ma. Every Monday morning, kindergarteners begin the week with a havdalah ceremony, separating rest from the work week, which includes the blessings over the wine, spices, and candles. They end the week with a Kaballat Shabbat celebration, which is made all the more exciting by the children baking their own challot each week. Blessings such as ha-Motzi and Birkat ha-Mazon (blessing after a meal) are recited at appropriate times throughout the day.
