Elementary
We have created an interactive program to preserve and promote a child’s natural love and appreciation for Yiddishkeit.
At OYYL, we raise independent learners.
We have designed our Elementary program to develop a child’s multitude of skills wholesomely. As humans, we process our surroundings through all our 5 senses, so to properly absorb content, children need to learn using all their senses, and doing so generates within them deep neurological connections. This means that in addition to learning visually and auditory, our students also interact with the subject matter through touch, smell, and taste. Utilizing our multisensory and interactive curriculum, we ensure that our students harness the skills needed to advance more confidently.
Our skill-based multisensory curriculum is led by trained and skilled staff. We focus on:
- Sensory integrated Kria and Ksiva through visual, audiotray, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory activities.
- In-depth and methodological Chumash, Mishna & Gemara literacy skills. We map out skills that are vital to achieve mastery at a particular level, thereby dividing a child’s studies by layers, depending on the cognitive abilities of a particular age.
- Expanding cognition and high-order thinking, giving our students the capability to think abstractly and profoundly .
- Promoting self-regulation and class participation skills, granting our student’s the cognitive ability to be aware of their actions and emotions in a healthy way.
- Building self-esteem and positive peer interactions.
We fully integrate the CVS – Chumash Vocabulary Program into our curriculum.
The CVS program was developed by Rabbi Shoul Klein 40 years ago. He initially created the program to help children of non-Hebrew backgrounds to acquire and possess high-level Loshon Hakodesh skills. The program has been successfully integrated into more than 27 Yeshivos across the globe.
The CVS program guarantees that our students acquire over 800 Shoroshim with complete automaticity during the first two elementary years. These 800 Shoroshim cover 90% of words throughout the Tanach and cover all Shimushim (prefixes and suffixes), and sentence structures, enabling our students to master the Hebrew language in the most efficient way possible.
The program is divided into three stages:
Stage 1 – Word acquisition: Every student receives a box of cards with 800 Shoroshim and Shimushim. Each card has a Shoiresh and a corresponding picture to help the student with the word’s meaning. The Shoiresh’s translation is written on the back of the card. Subsequently, the student draws a personal picture next to the Shoiresh to help them internalize its meaning. With enough practice flipping the cards, children memorize each word at their own pace. As a student gets comfortable with his first pile of words, he adds more new cards, feeling empowered and in charge of their knowledge.
Stage 2– Word hunting: After learning by heart a minimum of 250 Shoroshim, students are ready to examine an actual text. They are tasked to highlight any known Shoroshim and Shimushim with different color highlighters, thereby putting their acquired knowledge into practice.
Stage 3– Learning directly from a Sefer: After mastering many Shoroshim and Shimushim, gaining automatic word retrieval, and in-depth study of sentence structure, students have the confidence to explore the endless sea of Tanach’s holy text. Suddenly, a page of Chumash is not full of confusing words and sentence compounds, making students feel lost; instead, a meaningful text. Every student has adequate skills, knowledge, and confidence, and possesses enough mental tools to navigate its pages and decode its message.
As we implement this program into our curriculum, its impact is far beyond our expectations. Our students have responded with great enthusiasm and excitement.
It is interesting to note that besides serving as a vital tool for our students to learn Loshon Hakodesh, the program has also helped strengthen other areas of their overall development:
Hand and Eye Coordination – Our students hone their hand-eye coordination by flipping cards repeatedly and recognizing distinct letters and pictures.
Independence And Self-Regulation – Each student determines how many cards to add to their pile, owning their knowledge and encouraging independence.
Self-confidence And Joy for Learning – When students have the freedom to learn at their own pace, they feel empowered and successful as they witness their accomplishments.
Concentration And Focusing – Different students are learning various Sheroshim at different times. So, when students learn to stay on track while hearing other peers studying other words, they develop these essential mental capabilities.
Enhancement Of Symbolic Thought – When students draw pictures next to each word, symbolically associating the meaning with a personal picture, they capture its significance.
We believe that our program is an unrivaled choice, from a Yiddishkeit, Chassidishkeit, and educational standpoint.
We seamlessly synthesize a forward-thinking educational philosophy together with “Chinuch Al Taharas Hakodesh.”
Thus, every Chabad child, no matter their academic skills or background, could thrive within the walls of OYYL!
The future of Jewish education is here