Robbins Hebrew Academy

Coding The SK class scrambles into the Imaginarium for their coding class and the excitement is palpable. We know that coding is one of the most in-demand skills across industries. We also know that teaching it early empowers kids, makes them fluent in technology, and provides what is essentially a new language. But as far as these students are concerned, coding is just fun! The challenge today is to direct RHA coding specialist Jenny Sumerlus to walk from one side of the Imaginarium to the other, pick up an item from a table and drop it into a box on the floor. To make Ms. Sumerlus perform, the students must give precise commands – just as they would direct a computer to do a task. "In the early stages, we want our students "writing" algorithms for everyday tasks using verbal skills," Jenny says. "Eventually the students will create computer programs with loops and events and will learn about internet safety. But for now we are helping them understand that coding is like a verbal command. It must be clear and specific." 7 Advanced Literacy It's reading time in Senior Kindergarten, and the kids scamper into the literacy centre. Today, Ella and her classmates are reading a book on packing for a trip. It's a happy time for the children. Some read books with a partner. Others do word work and writing. Then the group comes together to share poetry, tell stories and play word games. "These literacy centres are excellent for enhancing skills like collaboration and independence," says early years teacher, Lisa Glass. "And of course they cultivate the hard skills like decoding, comprehension, word recognition, expression and fluency." As Ella and her friends delve into their books, it's clear that each child reads at a different pace. That's no problem at RHA. "We consistently benchmark the students to track their reading levels, always with an eye to keep moving them along," Lisa says. Each child gets the level of reading and instruction that is right for them. There is no one-size-fits-all. The most important thing is that the children acquire a love of reading and have a strong sense of themselves. After that, everything falls into place. The centres are only one part of RHA's early years literacy program. "The latest research is telling us that what children read is as important as how much they read," Lisa explains. "We are participating in a Canadian pilot project to test these findings. We're the the only Toronto school in the study right now." "The books we choose must adhere to certain criteria," according to Lisa. "For instance, they must contain a certain amount of mystery to elicit curiosity. They have to ask a bigger question and force deeper thinking about what might happen next in the story. Our book choices promote better vocabulary development, global thinking and an understanding of more sophisticated concepts." Cary Fagan's Little Blue Chair is one of the books. It tells the story of Boo's little blue chair and its journey after Boo outgrows it and his mother gives it away. "As our students follow along with the story, they relate it to our unit on the environment. What does it mean when we discard things? What does it mean to recycle? Where do things go?" The students explore these questions through various activities, all the while relating back to Boo and his little blue chair. "When we teach literacy," says Lisa, "we don't just read a book. We dive into it." Oops. Ms. Sumerlus has hit the wall. "Turn, turn," squeal the kids as Ms. Sumerlus spins in one place. "Half turn, half turn!" direct the kids. A half turn works temporarily, until Ms. Sumerlus walks into the table. "Stop!" instructs the class. Finally, after several stumbles, Ms. Sumerlus is on her way across the room. She arrives at the table, picks up the item and drops it into the box. But not before SK students learn a little something about coding.

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