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KEHILA'S CURRICULUM
Download Curriculum Overview (updated January 2010)
At Kehila we strive for excellence within an enriched environment in
all aspects of education. We use state-of-the-art materials and implement
the results of educational research into our teaching strategy. Instead
of just listening passively to the teacher, our students use all their
intelligences: visual, audial, kinesthetic, social, logical, mathematical,
reflective, linguistic and emotional.
Our curriculum is designed in a spiral model so that every grade reinforces
what was learned previously, while adding depth and breadth to every subject.
Integration of secular and Jewish studies is a central principle of our
curriculum. We believe Judaism is not a subject, like math or science,
but a way of life that touches on everything we do. As such, making a
connection between the secular and the Judaic is crucial. During Tu Bishvat,
the "birthday of the trees", for example, our kindergarten students
combine the theme of trees and growth with mathematics by sorting, patterning,
classifying, charting, graphing and sequencing leaves and seeds. They
also use seeds as musical instruments and source material for art.
We find ways to endear our heritage to our students in a supportive and
challenging environment. Our students love to write and perform plays
- so we integrate Language Arts, and Drama into the existing curriculum
and invite parents to see their children perform plays and musical pieces
they have written and staged themselves.
Hebrew is the language of the Bible but it is also the language of modern
Israel and a connection to Israel is one of the key values the school
fosters in its students. As such Hebrew is taught as a living language
using the Ivrit Be'Ivrit (Hebrew in Hebrew) program.
Learning skills are very important at this age where patterns of behaviour
are set for the rest of the child's academic life. Children need to know
how to learn and we make learning ... fun!
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
SENIOR KINDERGARTEN
In Senior Kindergarten, the child’s
personal development shares equal weight with the acquisition of basic
skills and information. In a comfortable, inviting environment,
the individual needs of each child are recognized and met. Students acquire
the necessary tools to learn, as well as the encouragement to reach his
or her potential.
LEARNING THROUGH
PLAY Senior
Kindergarten provides an informal basis for further academic study in
the elementary grades. There is a heightened emphasis on learning through
play and personal exploration, through active, “hands-on” learning centers,
cooperative group interaction, and self-expression through the arts.
The children learn to communicate appropriately with peers and adults,
demonstrate consideration for one another, share responsibility, identify
feelings and emotions, and use strategies (planning, organizing, sequencing)
for successful problem-solving. Language and math, science and social
studies, fine and gross motor skills, Hebrew and Judaica are explored
through integrated thematic units that weave together general studies
and Jewish studies. While enhancing the content with a stimulating,
multifaceted approach, these units also implicitly teach the connectedness
of our secular and Jewish selves and the unity of the world around us.
We aim for children
to acquire a love for Hebrew, the language that expresses our religious
heritage and our bond with Israel. In morning prayer, we join together
to welcome the day as friends and Jews. The children are introduced
to the vocabulary that relates to Jewish life and to the Hebrew words
that refer to the world around them. They then begin to recognize
the sounds, forms and letter names of the Hebrew alphabet.
GRADES
1-5
LANGUAGE ARTS
Language is
key to students’ intellectual, social, and emotional growth and is a crucial
tool for learning in all other areas. In elementary grades, our
students do more than master the basic skills in reading, writing, oral
language, spelling and grammar. Throughout the elementary grades,
they develop a love of reading and an appreciation for literature.
They learn to express and communicate their feelings and opinions effectively.
Most importantly, they learn to plan, organize their ideas, think critically
and use critical and analytical skills to interpret the world around them.
Our language program allows for individual progress.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Social studies emphasizes the
interdependence of humanity and connects our students to our community
and the large world. Our students acquire an understanding of important
social science concepts, such as change, culture, environment and the
marketplace. They also develop important attitudes and values: tolerance
and understanding of individual, group, and cultural differences; respect
for the environment; concern for social justice, Tikkun Olam (our
Jewish ethical responsibility to help repair the world); as well as other
rights and ethical responsibilities connected to being Jewish and citizens
of a democratic, multicultural society. Through an integrated curriculum,
students develop their Jewish and Canadian identity in a holistic manner.
Students learn about Canada, its provinces, territories, and government.
They also learn about the land of Israel and develop an appreciation for
Israel's unique connection to Jewish life.
MATHEMATICS
The grades one to five mathematics
program focuses on problem-solving, understanding of concepts, application
of mathematical procedures, and communication of required knowledge.
The expectation is that students will be able to use mathematics as a
powerful learning tool as part of their critical thinking skills.
They will be able to apply their knowledge of mathematics to other subject
areas and in everyday life situations. Kehila's math program is
designed to ensure students build a solid foundation in the five areas
of the Ontario Ministry of Education Mathematics Sense (including knowledge
of numbers, computations, estimating and strategies for problem solving);
Measurement (including perimeter and area, capacity, volume and mass);
Geometry and Spatial Sense (including two and three dimensional geometry,
symmetry, spatial relations and coordinate systems used in games, maps,
and grids); Patterning (including attributes, models, and charts); and
Data Management and Probability (including collecting, organizing and
analyzing data, drawing conclusions and reporting. The program includes
mastery of basic pencil and paper calculation skills and also includes
the effective and appropriate use of calculators and computers.
Starting in
grade one, students use a math program considered to be the most up-to-date
and comprehensive available for elementary school students. Students
are given the opportunity to explore, communicate and reflect on important
mathematical ideas and procedures. They are encouraged to use computational
skills in ways personally meaningful to them in day-to-day life.
SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
Kehila’s students act as scientists
and technology experts as they engage in real problem-solving activities.
Through scientific investigation involving exploration, experimentation,
observation, measurement, analysis and dissemination of data, students
develop the skills as well as the attitudes and values needed to make
accurate, informed and responsible decisions. Mathematical and language
arts skills are used and reinforced. Charts and graphs are used
to measure and analyze. From the earliest grades, our students begin
to develop the appropriate scientific and technological terminology required
to describe and communicate their experiences. Even at the kindergarten
and grade one level, students are asked to apply scientific method and
“hypothesize”. For example, what will happen when heat is applied
to apples or when baking powder is added to honey cake batter?
Science
and technology are combined in an integrated curriculum for grades one
to five. The program includes the following areas: life systems (plants,
animals, habitats and communities, and the human organ system);
 matter
and materials (properties or liquids and solids, magnetic and charged
materials, materials that transmit, reflect or absorb light or sound and
properties of and changes in matter): energy and control (wind, moving
water, forces and movement, light and sound energy, and conservation of
energy); structures and mechanisms (every day structures, movement, stability,
pulleys and gears, and forces working on structures); earth and space
systems (daily and seasonal cycles, air and water, soils, rocks, minerals,
erosion and weather).
JEWISH STUDIES
Jewish Studies at Kehila are interwoven with secular studies. Our
school’s philosophy is rooted in a strong commitment to Jewish values
- including pluralism, egalitarianism and social justice - and a meaningful
and integrated Jewish identity. Students study Hebrew, prayers,
Bible, Jewish holidays and traditions.
Our curriculum is designed to enable students to connect the history and
ethical heritage of the Jewish people to world history, science, mathematics,
literature and the arts.
HEBREW LANGUAGE
& JEWISH LIFE
Beginning in kindergarten, our students learn Hebrew as a living language.
They experience Hebrew as our heritage language, central to our culture,
philosophy, values and ethical standards. Hebrew roots us to our
traditions, opens sacred texts to study and connects us with the State
of Israel and the worldwide Jewish community. The TaL AM Hebrew
language and Jewish heritage curriculum, introduced in grade one, integrates
a whole language based skills component (listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and comprehension) with content knowledge related to Shabbat,
holidays, prayers, everyday ethical values and practices. Our students
listen to Hebrew, speak Hebrew, and see written Hebrew words and phrases
informally and naturally throughout the school day.
Each day begins with
an opening and welcoming prayer service. In an informal atmosphere,
students gradually become proficient with the prayer service and develop
an appreciation of the spiritual dimensions of life. Music, song,
movement activities and an exciting visual environment enrich the learning
of Hebrew and contribute to making prayers a meaningful communal activity.
TORAH
(BIBLE) STUDIES
Students begin Bible study in kindergarten through the study of the Torah
portion of the week (Parashat haShavuah). More formal Torah
study in Hebrew begins in grade two. The development of critical and analytical
skills is emphasized in the interpretation of Jewish texts. Whenever
possible the lessons, values, and ethics embedded in the text are related
to other areas of the curriculum and the day-to-day lives of the students.
MUSIC
PROGRAM
CLASSROOM
- Objectives:
- Learn
concepts of musical pitch, notation, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, rhythmic
dictation.
- Create
and perform their own musical compositions.
- Identify
and perform the music of notable composers.
- Identify
and perform music from various cultures.
CHOIR
- Objectives:
- Exploration
of vocal ranges, tonal colour and breath control.
- The
singing of sacred and secular songs.
- Singing
in two-part ensemble.
- Singing
of Hebrew, French and English repertoire performance of repertoire for
school functions.
INSTRUMENTAL PROGRAM - Objectives:
- Fundamentals
of recorder playing - finger positions, breath control.
- The
playing of simple tunes as part of an ensemble.
- Performance
of repertoire during special events.
ART PROGRAM
Core Values (based on the UN millennium goals)
- Respect All Life
- Reject Violence
- Share with Others
- Listen to Understand
- Preserve the Planet
- Rediscover Solidarity
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