Secular Studies Curriculum

Language Arts

SINAI offers a comprehensive program in language arts and literature.  This includes speaking and listening skills, learning to read, vocabulary development, reading comprehension, grammar and written expression and appreciation of literature.  Systems utilized include Lindamood Bell, Wilson Reading, School Discourse, and a variety of others.  In composition workshops, strategies for effective writing are developed.  Computers are provided, and in some cases relieve the burden of manual writing.  Spelling instruction is highly individualized and closely correlated at beginning levels.  Depending on the child’s learning style or level of skill, a spelling program will feature phonics, whole word spelling, linguistic patterns or elements of all three.  Speech and language therapy is offered as prescribed, either in small groups or individually.

Mathematics

The mathematics program is designed to meet the needs of all SINAI students, from the high achiever to the student who has particular difficulties with the subject.  Our math coordinator meets with individual groups of select students and with classroom teachers to coordinate individual programs.  Math skills and concepts are often taught through the use of manipulative and concrete aids.  Emphasis is placed on number fact acquisition.  The use of calculators is encouraged when appropriate.  The practical skills of money, time, calendar, weight and measurement are ongoing concerns, as is problem solving ability.  As in all subject areas, children who can function on or close to grade level, are encouraged to do so in mainstream classes and are offered tutorials to ensure success.

Science and Social Studies

The content subjects are intended to help children acquire information, develop skills, and foster thinking and creativity.  Geography classes help children develop skills in map reading and expose them to other cultures.  Our social studies and science classes involve the children in observation, discussion, reading, writing, study skill development, trips, projects, and experiences of many kinds.  Children are exposed to conventional yavneh content in both science and social studies.

Physical Education

Physical education classes are designed to develop gross motor skills, teach team sports and foster good sportsmanship.  Capable students become members of school athletic teams.  Adaptive classes are offered for students needing support in acquisition of gross motor skills.

Judaic Studies Curriculum

The Hebrew curriculum at SINAI encompasses a wide range of Judaic studies.  Depending on a student’s age and specific needs, he/she may be exposed to all or part of the following curriculum.  Students mainstream at all grade levels for as many subjects as they are able.

T’filla

From the beginning, children are taught an appreciation of Jewish prayer as they begin to learn new t’fillot and slowly add to their repertoire.  Many of our students participate in the school’s daily minyanim for Shacharit and Mincha and know that they too are part of the “tzibur”.

Hebrew Language

As we build upon current educational research in the area of reading instruction and use various approaches and materials, many SINAI students are taught to read Hebrew, opening the door for in-depth textual studies in higher grades.  Hebrew language instruction can range from the development of a functional sight word base of key words and phrases to a working knowledge of grammatical rules and conversational language.

Parshat Hashavua

Parshat Hashavua is taught at all grade levels, each year building on the knowledge base students have acquired previously, thus providing  them with a rich heritage of prestigious role models.  Hands-on projects, songs and plays enhance the younger children’s enjoyment of parsha learning.  Upper grade students learn to appreciate weekly Divrei Torah and to develop the skills of presenting their own thoughts. 

Laws and Customs

A major emphasis on SINAI’s Judaic studies program is placed on providing all of our students with strong and meaningful knowledge of Jewish law and its practical application in their own lives.  A highly individualized curriculum for SINAI children, requiring a functional approach for learning, provides opportunities for them to practice newly learned skills in school while ongoing parent contact allows for carry-over at home.  Whether students are learning to set a Shabbat table, the proper order for washing their hands before meals, or how to recognize kosher food symbols, once the lesson is learned, it is truly their own.

Chumash

A systematic and highly structured approach to Chumash instruction provides students with an in-depth knowledge of Torah content as well as the skills for eventual independent textual study.  Each student on his/her own level learns to access the Torah in the most meaningful way for him or her.  When SINAI students graduate from our yavneh school, many take with them a large fund of Chumash vocabulary, an intricate knowledge of grammatical structures and proficient skills for Rashi learning.

Navi

Those students for whom Navi learning is appropriate are taught content as close to grade level as possible.  In these classes there is less of an emphasis on textual study as there is on mastery of key information, long-term retention, and maintaining an overall chronological perspective of Jewish history.

Mishna and Gemara

Mishna and Gemara studies focus on the development of vocabulary and textual analysis necessary for understanding the structure of Torah She B’al Peh.  Over time, students develop skills they can apply to future learning.  Throughout the study of Gemara they are exposed to the exciting realm of halacha development leading to discussions of how these halachot apply to their own lives.

Social Skills

Social skills curricula at SINAI focus on areas such as problem solving and decision making, skills for reading and sending non-verbal cues (facial expression, gestures, posture, etc.) and developing appropriate interpersonal relationships.  Peer groups provide a forum for students to discuss real-life situations and to practice newly acquired skills in a supportive environment.  Activities are geared to meet individual needs and to address specific aspects of belonging to the observant Jewish community.

Work Study

Upper grade students in the yavneh school participate in a work study program designed to develop strengths in areas such as organizational skills, effective communication, problem solving and decision making.  While helping parents organize school lunches, working as a nurse’s aide or library assistant, or assisting in various other settings within the school, students develop meaningful relationships with adult role models.  Providing opportunities for our students to see themselves in positions of responsibility has helped them establish feelings of self-confidence and independence.

Peer Tutoring

One of the most anticipated sessions for many SINAI students is peer tutoring.  Upper grade tutors are matched with younger tutees to work on individualized goals in areas such as reading, writing, and computer skills.  Tutors participate in weekly problem solving sessions with the program coordinator to address areas of concerns and to evaluate the progress of their “students”.  In addition to the academic and social value of this program, bonds formed between tutors and tutees have extended well beyond tutoring time.