Elementary School Curriculum
Guide
Elementary School
Curriculum Guide
Creating a Love of Learning
that Lasts a Lifetime
Learning by doing:
The WDS waterfront provides an
ideal setting for experiential learning.
At Westchester Day School, we believe that ‘learning by doing’
is the most effective way of teaching.
Westchester Day School (WDS) provides an
outstanding General and Judaic Studies education in a
warm and nurturing Torah environment. Founded in 1948,
WDS educates over 425 students from nursery through
eighth grade and is the only Modern Orthodox day school in
Westchester County.
Girls and boys study the same comprehensive and rigorous
dual curriculum throughout their WDS experience and they are
encouraged to strive for excellence on every academic level.
Our school structure allows us to address each child’s
individual strengths and learning styles. We accomplish
this by implementing differentiation strategies and small
group instruction in our classrooms, our Learning Center and
through our Challenge Program.
Our faculty features specialists in all subjects including English,
Math, Science, Social Studies, Hebrew Language and Judaic
Studies. We also provide a wide range of specialty classes such
as Computer Science, Art and Music, as well as an exciting array
of extra-curricular programming. Our use of SMART Boards
deepens and broadens our students’ academic experiences.
Physical Education is an integral, daily facet of the curriculum,
and our children participate in group sports in our gymnasium
or on our outdoor playing fields.
backdrop for experiential learning. Whether conducting a
science lesson while wading into the Long Island Sound or
teaching the laws of tevilat kelim as our students actually
perform the mitzvah, we believe that “learning by doing”
is the most effective way of teaching.
We instill in our students a strong connection to the State of
Israel. The entire school celebrates Yom Ha’Atzmaut and Yom
Yerushalayim at our annual chagiga. Our fourth and fifth grade
students march proudly in the Israel Day Parade together with
our Middle School students, parents and teachers. We involve
our students in an array of special projects to reinforce our
ties with Israel including the Partnership 2000 Program and
various community chessed activities.
We recognize that a strong partnership with parents is
essential to a child’s education and growth, and we welcome
the involvement of our parent body in scheduled programs
and activities. We benefit from a very active and involved
Parent Teacher Association. In addition, as the community
day school of Westchester County, we work closely with our local
rabbis, who visit our school often and interact with our students.
Our ultimate goal is to develop well-educated and caring
individuals who can take their place as proud leaders of
contemporary society and of Klal Yisrael.
Our beautiful facilities provide an ideal setting for educating
children, and our unique oceanfront campus serves as the
Creating a Love of Learning
that Lasts a Lifetime
2
Westchester Day School Elementary School Curriculum Guide
Grade 1
Enhancing the Curriculum...
GENERAL STUDIES
JUDAIC STUDIES
SOCIAL STUDIES
• Family
• School
• Friends
• Neighborhoods
• National holidays
TEFILAH
• Learn core tefilot in Tefilat Shacharit
• Learn to daven from a siddur
• Participate in Chag HaSiddur celebration
SCIENCE
• Scientific Method
• Three states of matter
• Five senses
• Plants
• Weather
• Water cycle
• Inquiry-based science lab activities
MATH
• Addition and subtraction
• Counting and number patterns
• Data analysis and graphing
• Calendar skills
• Measurement
• Introduction to money and time
• Sorting, ordering, comparing
and estimating
READING
• Build fluency and comprehension
using leveled readers
• Focus on anthologies: fiction,
non-fiction, fables and narratives
• Decode skills through mini lessons
• “Book Talk” – chapter book discussions
• Read and understand poetry
WRITING
• Focus on:
- handwriting development
- sentence structure
- grammar and punctuation
• In-class creative writing:
- descriptive paragraphs
- fiction story
- poetry
• Weekly writing in personal journals
• End-of-year authors’ breakfast
CHUMASH
• Introduction to Chumash using
“HaChumash Sheli”
• Study Parashat Bereisheet
• Focus on fluency in reading
Chumash Hebrew
• Learn to identify roots of
Chumash words
• Begin to build basic Chumash
vocabulary
HEBREW LANGUAGE
TAL AM PROGRAM
• Master writing the Hebrew alphabet
in print and script
• Develop fluency in reading and
comprehension
• Understand grammatical rules of
masculine and feminine, singular and
plural, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions
• Acquire language skills through
stories and songs
• Learn how to construct sentences
PARASHAT HASHAVUA & CHAGIM
• Discuss highlights, mitzvot and
middot found in each parasha
• Become familiar with laws and
customs pertaining to the chagim
• Participate in hands-on activities
relating to each chag
• Develop a love of Eretz Yisrael and
Medinat Yisrael
• Celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut and
Yom Yerushalayim
Westchester Day School Elementary School Curriculum Guide
TECHNOLOGY
• Two weekly sessions in Computer Lab
• “Success Maker” - individualized
reading and math program
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
• Separate group sports for boys and girls including lead-up activities for
team sports
• Participation in spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination activities
• Emphasis on physical fitness and
good health habits
• End-of-year President’s Physical
Fitness Test
• Practice of good middot and
sportsmanship
LIBRARY
• Bi-weekly visits to school library
• Learn responsibility for care and return of borrowed material
• Develop ability to identify and
locate fiction vs. nonfiction books
ART
• Draw fall landscapes using rubbings and textures
• Study masks from around the world - a Purim project
• Create a Jerusalem landscape collage using shapes and space
• Learning to Look - art appreciation program
MUSIC
• Learn and sing popular Jewish songs
• Enjoy and appreciate classical
Jewish songs and zemirot
WDS provides an
outstanding education
in a warm and nurturing
Torah environment.
5
3
Grade 2
Enhancing the Curriculum...
GENERAL STUDIES
JUDAIC STUDIES
SOCIAL STUDIES
• Communities
- visit local establishments
- create community market
- invite local workers into classroom
• Immigration and citizenship
• Geography – maps and globes
• National holidays
• “Time For Kids” current events magazine
TEFILAH
• Increase fluency in davening
Tefilat Shacharit
• Learn how to daven Shmoneh Esrai
• Begin to understand meaning of
Tefilat Shacharit
• Introduction of special tefilot for
Rosh Hashanah and special days
SCIENCE
• Animal kingdom
• Plants and bugs
• Human body
• Properties of matter
• Inquiry-based science lab activities
MATH
• Addition and subtraction with regrouping
• Introduction of multiplication and division
• Learn place value to one thousand
• Problem solving skills
• Fractions
• Measurement: length, weight
and capacity
• Geometry: pattern recognition
utilizing shape, size and color
• Basic understanding of money and time
READING
• Increase fluency and comprehension using leveled readers
• Introduction to literature-based
series, poetry and chapter books
• Focus on character, plot, conflict
and resolution
• Guided reading groups emphasizing decoding skills
• Daily independent reading
WRITING
• Utilize a graphic organizer
• In-class creative writing:
- descriptive
- interview
- friendly letter
- poetry
• Animal research report
4
CHUMASH
• Participate in Chag HaTorah
celebration
• Study Parashiot Lech Lecha, Vayera
and Chaye Sarah
• Focus on fluency in reading
Chumash Hebrew
• Increase ability to identify roots
of Chumash words
• Continue to acquire Chumash
vocabulary
HEBREW LANGUAGE
TAL AM PROGRAM
• Strengthen Hebrew reading and
writing skills
• Develop ability to construct
sentences and paragraphs
• Increase language skills through
conversation, games, stories
and songs
• Expand Hebrew vocabulary including words relating to daily life, schedules, Shabbat and chagim
PARASHAT HASHAVUA & CHAGIM
• Discussion of highlights, mitzvot
and middot found in weekly parasha
• Understand laws and customs
pertaining to the chagim
• Participate in creative lessons
relating to each chag
• Develop a love of Eretz Yisrael
and Medinat Yisrael
• Celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut
and Yom Yerushalayim
TECHNOLOGY
• Two weekly sessions in Computer Lab
• “Success Maker” - individualized
reading and math program
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
• Separate group sports for boys and girls including lead-up activities for
team sports
• Participation in spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination activities
• Emphasis on physical fitness and
cardio-vascular strength training
• End-of-year President’s Physical
Fitness Test
• Practice of good middot and
sportsmanship
LIBRARY
• Bi-weekly visits to school library
to select reading materials
• Focus on books dealing with
community life
• Use library resources to write
research report on ocean life
ART
• Discover the underwater world through lines, shapes and fish
• Study color and value with
pastels and paints
• Create an artistic castle using
simple shapes
• Learning to Look - art appreciation program
MUSIC
• Learn and sing popular Jewish songs
• Enjoy classical Jewish songs relating to Shabbat and the chagim
We instill in our students
a love for Eretz Yisrael.
Westchester Day School Elementary School Curriculum Guide
Grade 3
Enhancing the Curriculum...
GENERAL STUDIES
JUDAIC STUDIES
SOCIAL STUDIES
• American history
• Rainforests
• Desert experience
• Polar lands
• Map skills
TEFILAH
• Increase scope and fluency in
davening Tefilat Shacharit
• Introduction of additional
Shacharit tefilot
• Introduction of Yom Tov tefilot
• Increase understanding of words
and themes contained in tefilot
SCIENCE
• Solar system
• Biomes and habitats
• Animal habitats
• Units of measure
• Inquiry-based science lab activities
MATH
• Subtraction with exchanging
• Two-Digit multiplication
• Long division
• Two-step word problems
• Fractions
• Decimals
• Geometry
• Relationships of coins and dollars
• Mastery of telling time
READING
• Identify elements of a story:
- summarize events
- predict outcomes
- describe characters
• Short story anthologies
• Literature – chapter books
e.g. Charlotte’s Web, Stone Fox
• Guided reading groups
• Daily independent reading
WRITING
• Master cursive writing
• Response to literature: topic sentence, character analysis, summary
• Focus on grammar and punctuation
• In-class creative writing:
- narratives
- personal journals
- book reports
- poetry
• Use of a rubric for self-assessment
• Learn how to utilize story maps
CHUMASH
• Study Parashiot Toldot, Vayetze
and Vayishlach
• Understand storyline and lessons
derived from Chumash
• Increase ability to identify roots
of words, prefixes and suffixes
• Introduction of Rashi alphabet
and vocabulary
HEBREW LANGUAGE
TAL AM PROGRAM
• Continue to strengthen Hebrew
reading and writing skills
• Demonstrate ability to construct
complex sentences and paragraphs
• Learn to count by ones and tens in
masculine and feminine forms
• Increase acquisition of Hebrew
vocabulary through stories and songs
PARASHAT HASHAVUA & CHAGIM
• In-depth discussion of story and
lessons found in weekly parasha
• Understand laws and customs
pertaining to the chagim
• Learn tefilot and zemirot associated with each chag
• Participate in grade-wide Purim
production
• Develop a love of Eretz Yisrael
and Medinat Yisrael
• Celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut and
Yom Yerushalayim
Westchester Day School Elementary School Curriculum Guide
TECHNOLOGY
• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• Educational software
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
• Separate group sports for boys and girls including lead-up activities for
team sports
• Participation in spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination activities
• Emphasis on physical fitness and
cardio-vascular strength training
• End-of-year President’s Physical
Fitness Test
• Practice of good middot and
sportsmanship
LIBRARY
• Bi-weekly visits to school library to select reading materials
• Use library resources to write research report on explorers
• Introduction to the Dewey Decimal System
ART
• Draw and paint animals of the rainforest
• Create a Chanukah collage using
shapes and patterns
• Learn about repetition and variety through shape painting
• Learning to Look - art appreciation program
MUSIC
• Learn and sing popular Israeli and
Jewish songs
• Enjoy classical Jewish songs relating to Shabbat and the chagim
At WDS we focus on each
child’s strengths and
individual learning style.
7
5
Grade 4
Enhancing the Curriculum...
GENERAL STUDIES
JUDAIC STUDIES
SOCIAL STUDIES
• Exploring New York State
- colonial period - revolutionary period
- statehood
- industrial growth
- present day life
• Geography
- landforms
- map skills
• Native Americans
• Immigration
TEFILAH
• Increase scope and fluency in
davening Tefilat Shacharit
• Introduction of additional Yom Tov tefilot
• Strengthen understanding of
words and themes contained in tefilot
SCIENCE
• Environment
- recycling
- water conservation
• Plants and animals
• Minerals and rocks
• Systems of the human body
• Properties of matter
• Magnetism and electricity
• Inquiry-based science lab activities
MATH
• Numbers and operations
• Word problems
• Measurement: weight, volume,
area and length
• Fractions, mixed numbers, common factors and multiples
• Decimals
• Plane and solid geometric figures, symmetry, area, perimeter and volume
READING
• Learn to summarize, contrast,
compare and infer meaning
• Increase comprehension skills through mini lessons
• Group reading e.g. Dear Mr. Henshaw, The Toothpaste Millionaire
• Continue to build vocabulary
WRITING
• Strengthen creative writing skills:
- descriptive
- narrative
- persuasive
- expository
• Increase proficiency in spelling,
grammar and punctuation
4
6
CHUMASH
• Study Parashiot Vayeshev, Miketz,
Vayigash and Vayechi
• Understand storyline and lessons derived from major Torah personalities
• Develop independence in decoding
and understanding pesukim
• Increase skills in reading and
understanding Rashi
HEBREW LANGUAGE
TAL AM PROGRAM
• Develop increased accuracy in reading and comprehension
• Understand use of past, present
and future tenses
• Continue to strengthen writing skills
and vocabulary acquisition
• Demonstrate ability to converse in Hebrew
NAVI
• Study Sefer Yehoshua
• Understand storyline and lessons learned from Navi
• Acquire ability to understand and
translate pesukim
• Develop map skills to enhance
understanding of Navi
PARASHAT HASHAVUA & CHAGIM
• In-depth discussion of story and
lessons found in weekly parasha
• Focus on dates, laws and traditions
pertaining to the chagim
• Learn tefilot and zemirot relating to
each chag
• Participate in grade-wide
Chanukah Production
• Develop a love of Eretz Yisrael
and Medinat Yisrael
• Celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut and
Yom Yerushalayim
TECHNOLOGY
• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• Publisher
• Print Shop
• Internet research
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
• Separate group sports for boys and
girls including basketball, baseball, hockey, touch football, volleyball, soccer and tennis
• Participation in team sports
• Emphasis on physical fitness and
cardio-vascular strength training
• End-of-year President’s Physical
Fitness Test
• Practice of good middot and
sportsmanship
LIBRARY
• Bi-weekly visits to school library
to select reading materials
• Use library resources to write
research report on Native Americans
• Learn about Readers’ Theater
ART
• Create multi-media clown pictures
using simple shapes
• Construct Native American artifacts
• Draw colorful collage self-portraits
• Learning to Look - art appreciation
program
MUSIC
• Learn and sing popular Jewish songs
• Enjoy classical Jewish songs relating
to Shabbat and the chagim
Our students consistently
improve their standardized
test scores as they
progress through our
school.
Westchester Day School Elementary School Curriculum Guide
Grade 5
Teaching middot and mentschlichkeit is an
integral part of our curriculum.
Enhancing the Curriculum...
GENERAL STUDIES
JUDAIC STUDIES
SOCIAL STUDIES
• Reading and creating maps
• European explorers
• Colonial America
• American Revolution
• Creation of the Constitution
• Westward expansion
• Industrial Revolution
• Slavery and the Civil War
• Immigration and industry
• Year-end Heritage Museum
TEFILAH
• Master fluency in Tefilat Shacharit
• Discuss and understand Yom Tov tefilot
• Master understanding of meaning
of tefilot
SCIENCE
• The scientific method
• Chemistry
• Oceans: geography and organism behavior
• Geology
• Energy and pollution
• Weather: causes and effects
MATH
• Operations on whole numbers and integers
• Using logic to perform mental math
• Relationships of fractions, decimals and ratios
• Probability
• Measurement: US customary and metric
• Graphing
• Introduction to algebra
READING
• Reciprocal reading skills: previewing, making connections, visualizing,
questioning and summarizing
• Independent critical thinking skills
• Information gathering and retrieval
• Genres: realistic, historical and fantasy science fiction, biography and non-fiction
WRITING
• The writing method: organizing, drafting, proofreading, conferencing and editing
• Formal attention to the mechanics of sentence structure and word usage
• Responses to literature
• Research reporting on scienceand history-based topics
• Creative writing:
- personal stories - business letters
- fables
- newspaper reporting
- biographies
- poetry
CHUMASH
• Study Parashiot Shemot, Vaera, Bo and
Beshalach
• Understand storyline and lessons derived from major Torah personalities
• Continue to develop independence in decoding and understanding pesukim
• Acquire ability to read and translate pesukim into simple Hebrew
• Increase skills in reading, interpreting and understanding Rashi
HEBREW LANGUAGE
TAL AM PROGRAM
• Develop increased accuracy in reading and comprehension
• Strengthen writing skills through
essays and book reports
• Continue to acquire Hebrew vocabulary through conversation and stories
• Grade-wide production on famous
Jewish heroes in history
NAVI
• Study Sefer Shoftim
• Understand Navi storyline and lessons
• Increase ability to read/translate pesukim
• Increase map skills to enhance
understanding of Navi
MISHNAH
• Introduction to Oral Law
• Participation in V’Shinantam
Multi-Sensory Mishnah Program
TECHNOLOGY
• Word processing
• Internet research
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
• Separate group sports for boys and
girls including basketball, baseball, hockey, touch football, volleyball, soccer and tennis
• Participation in team sports
• Emphasis on physical fitness and
cardio-vascular strength training
• End-of-year President’s Physical
Fitness Test
• Practice of good middot and
sportsmanship
LIBRARY
• Exposure to fiction: adventure,
fantasy and friendships
• Study of culture comparison
through non-fiction
• Use library resources to write
research report on the Civil War
• Learn about Internet safety and
authenticity of web sites
ART
• Experiments using color mixing
and color fields
• Create paper mosaics
• Study abstract expression: line,
shape, color and emotion
• Learning to Look - art appreciation program
MUSIC
• Learn and sing popular Jewish songs
• Enjoy classical Jewish songs relating
to Shabbat and the chagim
PARASHAT HASHAVUA & CHAGIM
• In-depth discussion of story and
lessons found in weekly parasha
• Focus on dates, laws and traditions
pertaining to the chagim
• Learn tefilot and zemirot relating
to each chag
• Participate in hands-on classroom activities and workshops
• Develop a love of Eretz Yisrael
and Medinat Yisrael
• Celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut and
Yom Yerushalayim
Westchester Day School Elementary School Curriculum Guide
3
7
Our students benefit from a strong partnership between
WDS and our parent body.
AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
PARENTS AND FAMILIES
CLASS TRIPS
Students in every grade can choose
from a wide selection of after-school
activities including weird and wacky
science, peer tutoring, Mishmar,
sports, cooking and study skills. The
selection of activities changes twice
during the school year and offers our
students many opportunities to participate in fun and educational activities
under the direction of professional
instructors and teachers.
During the school year, there are many
opportunities for parents to participate
in classroom activities or accompany
classes on field trips. We view the
education of children as an
ongoing partnership with parents and
make it a priority to keep parents well
informed through newsletters and
electronic mail. Parents and students
can access all homework assignments
and test schedules via the Internet.
Class trips are scheduled to reinforce
classroom instruction and to broaden
students’ scope of knowledge in
both the Judaic and general studies
curricula. Recent trips include: the
Lower East Side Tenement Museum,
the Maritime Aquarium, a local bank
and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
SCHEDULE/LUNCH
Arrival:
8:45 am Monday - Friday
Dismissal: 4:00 pm Monday - Friday Dismissal: 1:40 pm Fridays
Hot lunch and snacks are served daily.
We are always available to answer your questions. Feel free to contact us:
Rabbi Joshua Lookstein, Head of School: 914.698.8900, Ext. 102
Rabbi Stephen Knapp, Assistant Principal, Judaic Studies: 914.698.8900, Ext. 222
Francine Greenberg, Assistant Principal, General Studies: 914.698.8900, Ext. 210
Westchester Day School
• Established 1948
856 Orienta Avenue, Mamaroneck, New York 10543 • Phone 914.698.8900 • Fax 914.777.2145 • www.westchesterday.org
ACCREDITED BY MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS