Kindergarten curriculum

Posted: Tue, Nov 01 2005, 10:47 pm Post subject: Kindergarten curriculum

I'm taking my daughter to a "Taste of Kindergarten" party tomorrow. She'll be in kindergarten next year. What do/did your kids learn in kindergarten? Limudei kodesh I mean. This is a community school and I just want to see where they are at compared to a frum school. Please be as specific as possible. Thanks!

Posted: Tue, Nov 01 2005, 11:24 pm Post subject:

it really depends on the city and school.
I teach in a boys' yeshiva - kindergarten (which is really pre-k in the public school system - the students are 4 yrs old, turning five next year).
Since it's a yeshiva, my school is very much into the boys learning alef-beis. We also learn parsha up until Pesach, but it's just basics, with a project or two. Holidays, of course, are learned, as well.
If you're referring to what we have as pre-1-a (the year before grade 1), here they learn the nekudos, how to actually read in Hebrew. Not sure about what else, as I don't do that grade.
Btw, what do you mean by "community" school? a day school? May I ask where in the midwest you are?
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Posted: Tue, Nov 01 2005, 11:29 pm Post subject: re: Kindergarten curriculum

I am in Kansas City. By community school, I mean it's the only Jewish day school in the city, so there is not a push for rigorous Judaic studies. (I could go on and on but here is not the place for such a vent... )

And yes, kindy is the same as your pre-1A Smile

Posted: Tue, Nov 01 2005, 11:44 pm Post subject:

so I guess you don't have much of a choice for their curriculum. just make sure to stress at home what you think is important

Posted: Wed, Nov 02 2005, 10:44 am Post subject: re: Kindergarten curriculum

I want to be able to ask them "Do you include such-and-such in your curriculum" etc. I really have no idea as DH and I are BT. Also I need to know what to supplement at home. We plan to move to a community with a better school in 2 years and I don't want her to be behind.

PLUS, I want the school to know that there are parents who want these things treated more seriously. Frum families keep moving away because of the school.

Posted: Wed, Nov 02 2005, 11:09 am Post subject: re: Kindergarten curriculum

My son just started Kindergarten this year and the major push seems to be learning the Aleph Beis so next year they can go fully into Nikudos.

He brings home about 4 projects a week yesterdays was about animals....
Tzaar Baalei Chayim it was very cute.

I definitely didn't have homework when I went to school bet my son has every week.

Moderator Joined: Oct 18 2004 Posts: 2659

I think a boys' yeshiva has a more advanced curriculum for Kindergarten than a girls' school would. I went to a BY school and we knew the alef bais in kindergarten, but didn't learn nekudos until first grade. (my neice is in first grade at that same school now, and she's just now learning how to read both hebrew and english- but I know she's not in the "advanced" class)

Posted: Wed, Nov 02 2005, 7:19 pm Post subject:

in NY I think many schools have the kids reading Hebrew by the time they reach 1st grade. girls schools included

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Moderator Joined: Oct 18 2004 Posts: 2659

well, I guess we're just behind the times. siddurim in the middle of 1st and chumashim the middle of 2nd.
the school is a VERY reputable school (you can PM me for the name).

Posted: Thu, Nov 03 2005, 3:41 pm Post subject:

Here it's aleph bais and a LOT of midrash for parshah.
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Posted: Thu, Nov 03 2005, 5:03 pm Post subject: re: Kindergarten curriculum

Ok if it was your kid what do you think they should be to learning at age 3yrs or 4yrs for that matter in judaic curriculum Question

Gold Member Joined: Jan 14 2005 Posts: 1239

I have taught kindergarten/Pre-1a (same age, different names in different cities) english. but here's what my co-teachers have taught in hebrew:

school A (co-ed): alef-bais, begin to introduce nekudos but the kids didn't have to know all of them perfectly, just have the concept, and lot's of projects (for letters, parsha, yomim tovim, etc)

school B (all boys): alef-bais, learn all nekudos fully and be able to read anything by the end of the year, some projects (letters, parsha, yomim tovim)

Gold Member Joined: Jan 28 2006 Posts: 1341

they learn how to pronounce and recognize all the aleph bet with 3 or 4 different nekudos. THey also start writing letters.

Platinum Member Joined: Jun 09 2005 Posts: 11840

I learned how to read and write in Hebrew in kindergarten.
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Gold Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 1859

My son learned alef-beis in 3yearold preK, nekudos in 4 year old preK and then kindergarten was a whole lot of kriah and beginning some limited teitching. Of course, all along there was something about the parsha, yom tov, etc. as well. 1st grade started with Bereishis, went through about 1/3 of it. 2nd grade finished Bereishis. 3rd grade started Mishnayos.
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Gold Member Joined: Feb 13 2007 Posts: 1263

Our girls' kindergarten does alef-beis, nekudos, and simple kriah. They have a siddur party near the end of the year (a big ceremony where they are presented with siddurim). After that they daven every morning from their siddurim.

First grade does a lot of kriah and also Chumash vocabulary. They have a Chumash party near the end of the year (where they're presented with their Chumashim), and then start learning Chumash inside. They learn the first perek of Bereishis (teitching) and then have a siyum.

Of course there is plenty of parsha, basic halacha (brachos etc.), preparation for different yomim tovim, that kind of thing.