Learning at Rashi
In grades 3-5, Rashi students continue to build on the strong foundation of basic skills that they have learned in the early elementary grades. We continue to focus on developing students’ academic, emotional, and social skills through an integrated curriculum.
Students explore more complex ideas and concepts while developing independence and both personal and academic responsibility. This exploration enables students to gain a better understanding of themselves as learners and adopt strategies and approaches that best suit their learning styles. While learning how to tackle an independent research project, students also gain appreciation for the value of working cooperatively with others in small groups. When advancing to Rashi’s middle school, students take with them strong study skills and the self-confidence that helps to guide their interests, decisions, and motivation as young adolescents.
Advancing the Depth of Study
Rashi’s third grade curriculum exemplifies the school’s cross-disciplinary approach to learning.
For example, when third graders study classification in the animal kingdom, they explore similarities and differences among animal types and use language arts skills to research, organize, synthesize and write a five-paragraph animal report. Students also read animal fables from around the world, become more familiar with the elements of a fable, reinterpret traditional fables and write their own scripts for a school-wide performance of Aesop’s Fables. Performing on stage provides students with the opportunity to hone their public speaking skills and build self-confidence. This multi-faceted approach enables students to appreciate the interconnectedness of their learning.
In fourth grade, one example of Rashi’s in-depth, cross-curricular approach is our study of Native Americans. Students use reading and writing skills to research and collect information about different tribal nations which they present in oral, written, and visual formats. Fourth graders study the geography and topography of the land and question how it affects daily life, as well as hypothesize how different factors influenced a tribe’s history and culture. When reading Native American creation stories, students’ textual analysis includes concepts that they are learning in language arts such as looking for recurrent themes and analyzing characters’ perspectives. The year culminates in a theatrical presentation, in Hebrew and English, that encompasses all of the specific texts and themes that the children have studied.
Fifth grade is a year of great excitement at Rashi as students take on leadership roles and receive increasing autonomy and responsibility in their classroom. During Science Fair and Nationality Day, fifth graders showcase the depth of their knowledge and their ability to speak publicly when they have the opportunity to teach both students and faculty of the entire school. In both of these large-scale projects, students choose their topics by interest and then are supported in the process of researching, organizing, and synthesizing information into a creative format that demonstrates the depth and breadth of their learning. Students face deadlines throughout the projects to help them learn about prioritizing tasks and organizing their time.
Rashi fifth graders proudly advance to middle school as learners who ask probing questions, confidently seek answers, and present their learning in organized and unique ways.
Integrating Jewish studies and Jewish life
The integration of general and Jewish content continues as a central pillar of Rashi’s curriculum in grades 3-5.
As third graders study the moon and solar system, they concurrently study the Jewish calendar and its lunar cycle. Students learn that Jewish practice and science are connected. They gain a deeper understanding of the world around them by seeing these natural connections and approaching novel tasks and concepts with an eye towards making connections.
As fourth graders read Native American creation stories, they embark on a year-long study of the book of Genesis. Students identify similarities and differences between Jewish texts (both traditional and allegoric) and Native American legends. Through this comparative analysis, students deepen their appreciation for both Judaism and other cultures.
In Jewish Studies, fifth graders study Exodus, the second book of the Torah, and in social studies, they study ancient civilizations, from early Mesopotamia to Egypt. Students do a formal research project and present their findings not only in writing, but also through a Powerpoint presentation. These examples represent only a few of the ways that Rashi’s curriculum weaves Jewish and general studies together.
