The City as Our Classroom We are devoted to the idea of exploring our environment and acquainting ourselves with the sights, smells, and culture of our surrounding community. Throughout the year, we will take walks around the neighborhood; visit local museums, synagogues, libraries, and the lakefront; and attend plays and symphonies. We look forward to learning from our community and inviting people who live and work around us into our classroom. We feel that their presence and knowledge enhances our learning. We believe that there is a tremendous value in connecting to the larger community and encourage our students to take care of each other and the world.
Academic Curriculum Chicago Jewish Day School provides a standard of excellence in both Judaic studies and general studies through an integrated, experiential curriculum that is attentive to students’ individual needs. We align our learning expectations with the Common Core Standards. We are accredited through the Independent Schools Association of Central States (ISACS). Through school experiences, our students gain creativethinking and critical-thinking skills and develop a passion for lifelong learning. One significant change in the middle school program from that of the lower grades is that subject classes become departmentalized with a dedicated teacher for each core subject. Our upper grade teachers have specialized knowledge of particular content area such as science, mathematics, social studies and language arts. Our middle school faculty works as an interdisciplinary team made up of humanities, science, mathematics, Hebrew language, Judaic studies, art, music and drama specialists. The team works together to create a dynamic curriculum which is exploratory and challenging and incorporates student generated questions and concerns. Curriculum is guided by the Common Core Standards to determine age appropriate content and skills. The middle school team develops these basic concepts and skills into studentcentered, inquiry based interdisciplinary units designed for the distinctive nature of young adolescents.
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Curriculum Overview