General Studies
Highly innovative professional teachers and staff use specialized methods and materials to engage formerly struggling learners who learn confidence as they acquire skills in an academically corrective setting. Following New York State curriculum guidelines the General Studies program provides an active and compassionate structural environment.
Curriculum Development
Our commitment to precision teaching allows staff professionals to flexibly gear teaching methods to meet student needs. Verbal, visual and hands-on learning experiences engage the student’s attention fostering curiosity and minimizing distraction.
Both General and Judaic Studies teaching staff collaborate with therapists and curriculum directors on a regular basis to plan motivational strategies. As the student becomes more aware of his or her personal responsibility towards education and behavior in general, a carrying over takes place beyond the school and/or classroom environment.
Fundations/Wilson Reading Program
Fundations, and the Wilson Reading Program, are multisensory, structured language programs, which provide research-based materials and strategies essential to a comprehensive reading, spelling, and handwriting program, while laying the groundwork for life-long literacy. Students in grades K-3 receive a systematic program in critical foundational skills, emphasizing:
- Phonemic awareness
- Phonics/ word study
- High frequency word study
- Reading fluency
- Vocabulary
- Comprehension strategies
- Handwriting
- Spelling
The instruction aligns with states’ rigorous college- and career-ready standards.
Handwriting
The Handwriting Without Tears Program provides developmentally appropriate, multisensory strategies for early writing. The program follows research of how children learn best using materials that address all styles of learning.
- Multisensory activities and manipulatives appeal to all learning styles and provide a hands-on approach to handwriting.
- Teaches handwriting alongside other subjects. Fun letter lessons and writing activities connect handwriting to math, social studies, ELA, and science.
- Innovative letter order and style to promote easy learning for every letter, print and cursive.
- Double lines and line generalization activities- promote legible writing so students know how to place letters and write well on any style of lined paper.
Language Arts
Using the Wonders Reading Program, students receive a comprehensive set of connected resources. The Wonders Reading program combines literacy with social emotional learning, helping students strengthen skills, bolster learning, and encourage independence, enhancing the important and inspiring work the students do in their classroom.
Students read widely across connected text sets, notice and annotate, listen and speak about what they’ve noticed, and write in the genre using an expert model or mentor text. Along the way, they are learning the elements of each genre, looking at the author’s craft, and gaining the skills they need to read independently.
By mastering the key features of each genre, students are better prepared to understand subject matter, read more broadly and deeply, and write about what they know. They’ll be ready to approach any text—whether their interests and curiosities draw them to literature, biography, nonfiction, or drama—and communicate effectively.
Students are encouraged to listen before speaking, speak before writing, and think critically all along—asking questions, finding text evidence, and building a more advanced set of literacy tools. With integrated grammar, spelling, and handwriting instruction, students build their capabilities every day.
Differentiated instruction is built into the resources and lessons, providing all students with the scaffolding or extensions they need to be an active part of their classroom community of learners. Students are provided with a collection of resources and instruction to move students ahead as soon as they are ready.
Writing
Step Up to Writing is an organizational program that teaches explicit writing strategies within the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, final copy, proofreading, sharing) to help students organize their thinking and their writing. It is used primarily for informational, expository writing. Through this program, students learn to organize and write in a logical order, expand and support their statements, and write cohesive multi-paragraph pieces, even at an early age. Students learn some key strategies in the Step Up to Writing Program:
- How to write effective topic sentences using Power Statements and Occasion/Position Statements.
- How to write strong “Accordion” paragraphs
- How to write strong topic and concluding sentences
- How to make transitions between ideas
- How to write comparison sentences
Math
The mathematics program is designed to meet the individual needs of every student. The Educational Directors meet with each student and teacher to coordinate individual programs. Math and test taking skills strategies and concepts are taught through the use of conventional aids, as well as concrete manipulatives. Simple to follow instructions help the student learn key skills and concepts. The systems utilized are:
SPOTS Math
Sadlier Oxford Progress in Mathematics
The SPOTS Math program provides visual representations of numbers and operations, to break through their inherently abstract nature and make these constructs approachable for the younger student. The program’s predictability enables students to continually add layers of meaning to their knowledge base as they make connections from strand to strand in mathematics.
Spots for M.A.T.H. expands on the Dot Card system to advance students’ operational skills in a manner that fluidly builds confidence and automaticity while strengthening conceptual understanding. The Dot Cards used throughout provide constant visual reinforcement of concepts and strategies, ensuring lasting internalization of skills learned. In addition to the Dot Card system, Spots for M.A.T.H. employs other innovative and research-driven representational strategies, such as use of the “Empty Number Line,” as well as real-world problem solving.
The Spots for M.A.T.H. system has been extensively pilot-tested in over 80 classrooms and has been revised and fine-tuned to maximize its efficiency and effectiveness. It has successfully raised achievement levels and enhanced the learning experience for students of varied abilities and learning styles.
Progress in Mathematics provides rigorous content focused on building deep conceptual understanding of key math skills and concepts at each grade level. It provides students with the foundational skills needed to become proficient in math and uses a consistent instructional approach, with stepped-out lessons, to help learners gain confidence and master skills. It strengthens students’ comprehension levels with ample opportunities to implement the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Science
Scientific exploration naturally requires multi-sensory participation. Students are given the opportunity to observe, investigate and experiment using active learning to develop skills and insure comprehension. Focused discussions take place in collaborative groups while experimental recording sheets help categorize each unit of investigation and collection by organizing data and discussing results.
Systems for science include: FOSS, Full Option Science System, which uses several instructional pedagogues including inquiry, hands on active learning, multi-sensory methods, student-to-student interaction, discourse and reflective thinking.
In the Upper Grades we utilize Science Fusion. ScienceFusion® combines the interactive digital engagement today’s students expect, and the learning support they need, to advance in science with in-depth understanding.
Award-winning Digital Lessons and Virtual Labs, enhanced by more than 3,000 videos, animations, and simulations, create learning that lasts by enriching the print program with complementary content. It opens the door to a world of science beyond the classroom.
Social Studies / History
Social Studies content includes Geography; Mapping; Cultural Studies; History; and Civics.
The Social Studies program is an integrated course of study which includes all conventional elementary content. Students are involved in discussion, reading, writing, study skills development, cumulative projects and field trips.
Other Classes
A student’s community is essential for healthy self-esteem. Rabbis and teachers provide visual exercises, hands-on study and field trips with a strong emphasis placed upon Jewish customs and heritage.
On Three Things the World Exists: Torah, service to Hashem and acts of kindness to others. Incorporating age-appropriate acts of kindness into the program syllabus is an integral component at Gesher Yehuda.
Each week our Rabbinic staff, and in honor of special occasions and chagim, our esteemed Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Mansour share insightful and family friendly commentaries on the Weekly Biblical Portion.