YEAR ONE

OVERVIEW

First graders enter a school life with a sense of wonder and an anticipation of something new. They stand at the culmination of seven years of physical development, which they spent getting to know the physical world through senses and play. They now get introduced to the world of literacy and formal teaching. Little by little, the first grader moves away from the dreamy days of kindergarten. The child still perceives him-/herself as one with the surrounding world. First grade teaching preserves that unity by moving gently from the whole to the parts. Curriculum themes for the year grow out of animal stories where a picture of the whole human being is created out of a panorama of archetypal characters. Stories stretch a first grader’s capacity to think in pictures. They are told by the teacher and later recalled by the students. Concepts emerge from the story pictures: letters of the alphabet, numbers, and mathematical operations.

Experience with the natural environment in gardening and nature walks, as well as nature stories, form the first lessons in natural science and social studies. First graders start learning two foreign languages (Hebrew and a choice of Spanish/French/German/Russian), handwork, movement classes, and eurythmy. The teacher weaves music, beeswax modeling, drawing, and painting into the day. Lessons include much physical movement. Language is built up through speech exercises, which emphasize on gesture and rhythm. Number patterns are developed with clapping and stepping rhythms. Childhood games, such as jump rope, hopscotch, and ball playing develop large motor coordination. Exercises on the balance beam and in balancing objects on the head enhance the ability to concentrate. Visual-motor coordination grows out of the practice of form drawing, where movement is brought to rest with a line on the paper. All learning requires the capacity to come to stillness, to sit and listen. As the first grader becomes part of a homeschooling group, he begins to move with his groupmates or/and siblings through the day full of learning. This requires a practice in being tolerant and taking turns, a willingness to participate and to try again, even if the task is difficult.

SKILLS BY SUBJECT AREA

MIDOT

In Grade One, students should: • Respect adults and authority • Raise hand to speak, take turns • Become a member of the group, adjusting self needs to the needs of the group, supporting group mates and group activity (where homeschooling pods are available; otherwise, practice this with family members) • Treat others with respect and tolerance • Work through challenging tasks, correction, and frustration • Develop skill in social use of language, for example, the use of “please” and “thank you."

TEFILAH

By the end of Year One, students will know the order of morning blessings on a regular day as well as the order of Morning Blessings for Shabbat. They will recite by memory a minimum of the first part of most sections of Tefilah except for the parts that require standing (Amidah, Aleinu, and some other parts).

TORAH STUDIES

Adapted stories from Chumash are told to students following the Yearly Parsha Calendar. By the end of Year One, students will learn and memorize basic Torah facts such as names of patriarchs and matriarchs, 7 Generations from Adam to Jacob, Noach’s Family, Abraham’s Family, 48 tzaddikim, Names of Judges, Kings, and more through songs and rhymes.

TEHILIM

Students will learn and memorize at least 10 tehilim used during prayers during the week and on Shabbat.

SHULCHAN ARUCH (GIFTED PROGRAM OPTION)

For the students who are ready to embark on study of Torah laws, a slow introduction to Shulchan Aruch will be appropriate.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Towards the end of First Year, students should be able to: • Sit quietly through an oral presentation of a story for progressively longer periods of time up to 20 minutes • Recall story from the previous day with sequencing as well as attention to main characters, events, and details • Memorize poems, gestures, rhythms, verses, rhymes, and songs • Listen to instructions, focus and remain on task for the designated time • Speak clearly in question-and-answer periods and daily recall (individual) • Participate in group recitation of memorized material (with siblings or in study groups if available) • Recognize sounds, shapes, capital letters of handwritten text • Know alphabetical order of letters • Recognize letter sounds in words, rhyme words, alliteration (optional depending on child’s readiness; can be pushed off to a later year) • Copy words written on the board in upper case letters of handwritten text (optional depending on child’s readiness; can be pushed off to a later year).• Grip writing implement correctly • Work with dominant hand • Space letters and words appropriately on the page (optional depending on child’s readiness; can be pushed off to a later year) • Recognize sentences (optional depending on child’s readiness; can be pushed off to a later year) • Read self-constructed or copied sentences and memorized words (optional depending on child’s readiness; can be pushed off to a later year).

TORAH MATH

During the First Year, students should be able to: • Identify number patterns in the human figure, nature, and geometric forms • Write numerals 1–12 • Recognize numerals 1–20 • Count 1–20 forward and backward • Count to 100 by ones • Recognize the four operations and symbols (+ - x /) • Use manipulatives to solve problems in all four operations up to 20 • Count by twos, threes, fives, and tens, forward and back—emerging skill • Show emerging skill in doing mental calculations • Write calculations in sentence form (horizontal).

NATURAL SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES

During the First Year, students will: • Participate in the festival life of Jewish community and share their works to other students Through stories, walks outdoors, and work in the garden, students should be able to: • Become familiar with seasonal changes • Have an imaginative understanding of natural phenomena, for example, the water cycle • Experience local geography • Begin color study in painting.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE (HEBREW, SPANISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, OR RUSSIAN)

By the end of Year One, a student’s active vocabulary should include a minimum of: • Main colors • Main items in the classroom/house • Parts of the body • Days of the week • Family members • Numbers up to 20 • Students should also be able to respond to simple commands and basic questions.

MUSIC

During Year One, students should be able to: • Sing freely floating melodies, mostly in the pentatonic mode, learned by listening and imitation • Begin playing the pentatonic flute in the second part of the year • Develop the ability to play notes and tunes by ear • Develop the ability to imitate basic rhythms

ART

In Grade One, students should be able to: • Achieve visual motor coordination through form drawing, to be applied to writing and geometry • Recognize patterns of straight and curved lines • Work on form drawing patterns with beeswax crayons • Recognize the three primary colors • Derive the secondary colors from the primary colors • Using block crayons, imitate guided drawing from the blackboard • Begin to work with rudiments of composition.

AVODA YAD/HANDWORD AND COOKING

By the end of Grade One, students should be able to: • Finger knit • Cast on and off • Knit garter stitch with confidence • Recognize small knitting mistakes such as a missing or an extra stitch • Recognize color value (dark to light) • Change color while knitting with minimal help • Thread a darning needle with large thread. • Do simple sewing stitches (running and whip stitch)• Sew on buttons • Sew up and stuff knitted projects • Help mother bake cookies, desserts, and Shabbat and holiday Challah • Help mother check eggs for blood (for families who eat eggs) and greens for bugs • Help mother make salad • Learn to cut vegetables under parental supervision (apple cutters can be used for apples) • Learn the rules of making tea on Shabbat and Chagim • Learn to make simple salad dressings (little food science experiments!).

EURYTHMY/ORIENTATION IN SPACE

In Grade One, students should be able to: • Form circle, stay in circle (when group activities are available) • Follow teacher, moving to create forms in space: triangle, square, spirals, figure eight (no crossing), and lemniscates • Walk straight and curved lines • Walk rhythms • Know right from left • Follow copper rod exercises: roll up and down, weave between legs, circle all around, jump over (*copper rod exercises are not required if parent is not ready to have this activity for their children).

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

In Grade One, students should be able to: • Participate in group circle activity and games (when groups are available) • Clap rhythms • Jump rope: forward, backward, with crossovers, individually and with a partner • Throw and catch a ball (any dimension) and bean bag • Crawl, tumble, somersault • Skip, hop, shuffle, crisscross, stomp • Walk on a balance beam • Play simple tag games • Work on basic juggling skills • Enter into imaginative games

YEAR ONE

OVERVIEW

​

​​​

​

SKILLS BY SUBJECT AREA