Religious School Curriculum

The JCJ Religious School meets on Sunday mornings with the mission of developing Jewish identity. Our goal is for all students to become educated Jewish adults in our community as well as the wider world.

Classes begin with a monthly TOT program where children attend class with parents as an introduction to Jewish learning and celebrations. Sunday classes are held weekly for pre-k through B’nai Mitzvah students. Wednesday afternoon B’nai Mitzvah preparation classes are held for 5th through 7th graders. Families are encouraged to attend monthly Family Kabbalat Shabbat Friday evening services and dinner. Saturday morning services provide our older students the opportunity to prepare for their B’nai Mitzvah.

Each class has designated “enduring understandings” or “big ideas” within Judaism on which the curriculum is based. Students work as a learning community both in their own class and across levels sharing ideas, collaborating and cooperating in their learning experiences. The program aims to equip our students with the skills they need to become thoughtful, socially conscious and Jewishly literate.

Sunday classes meet from 9:30-12:30
B’nai Mitzvah classes meet on Wednesdays from 4:30-6:15
TOT program meets monthly on Sundays from 11:00-12:30

Tot Program

The TOT program meets monthly to introduce our youngest children (ages 1-4) to Shabbat and the major holidays. Children attend with their parents and participate in singing, crafts, snack and “schmoozing” for parents.

Gan Class: Children 4 years old by September 1 and 5 years old (pre-K/K)

Gan class serves as an introduction to the basic concepts of Judaism and Jewish worship through a holiday curriculum called “Fingerprints.” Each holiday unit introduces rituals, customs and related Jewish values through age-appropriate activities. The themes for each of the holidays, “food,” “birthdays” and “structures,” provide the children with concrete experiences that will leave fingerprints-of-connections to Jewish holidays.

The goals for the Gan class are:

• Learn about the Jewish Holidays with a focus on a few “big ideas”
• A Jewish value linked to each holiday
• Age appropriate symbols and rituals
• The Bible story connected to each holiday
• Songs and basic prayer for each holiday
• Expand and develop in their identities as a Jews
• Have fun and build meaningful connections to a Jewish life
• Introduction to the State of Israel

Hebrew:

• Gan class introduces the Aleph-Bet and simple Hebrew vocabulary used in the classroom and synagogue.

Aleph Class: Grade 1

The Aleph class continues to use a holiday based curriculum. Students understand and share how the holidays are celebrated personally at home and in the synagogue. Bible stories connected to the holidays are reviewed. Shabbat and an introduction to the Torah are taught in the Aleph class.

The goals of the Aleph class are:

• Learn about the Jewish Holidays and how they are celebrated at home and in the synagogue
• A Jewish value linked to each holiday
• Age appropriate symbols and rituals
• The Bible story connected to each holiday
• Songs and basic prayer for each holiday
• Begin to understand the concept of Tzedaka
• Introduction to the Torah as the holiest ritual item for Jews
• Continued understanding of the State of Israel (Israeli flag, map of Israel, language spoken in Israel, why Israel is important to the Jewish people)

Hebrew:

• Students learn the names and sounds of all letters of the Aleph Bet and are introduced to the shapes and sounds of the vowels
• Students begin to decode simple Hebrew letter and vowel combinations
• Students begin the New Hebrew Primer for decoding using cultural words such as “tzedaka” when learning the letter tzadee

Prayer and Worship:

• Beginning to form habits of personal and communal prayer
• Introduction of the notion of communal prayer and the “minyan”
• Review of prayers learned in Gan
• Shema, Barchu,Oseh Shalom, Borey pri-Haeitz,Chanukah candles, first and second blessing, all questions for Passover
• Begin to pray in the sanctuary during T’fillah time
• Begin prayers for Kabbalat Shabbat
• Havdala introduction, Havdala four blessings, Eliyahu Hanavi, Shavua Tov

Bet-Gimel Class: Grades 2-3

The Bet-Gimel class begins the study of the Torah and the weekly Parsha. Students begin with a deeper understanding of the Torah and the concept of the five books of the Torah and the division into weekly parashot. The program My Weekly Sidrah is used to teach each parashah. The students read a summary of the parashiot and discuss the big ideas. Students are encouraged to become Torah commentators and to write their own comments relating to the parashah.

Students learn to:

• Summarize the stories in their own words
• Explore the text by gathering of clues, the tracing of allusions and the asking of questions
• Define and explain the terms peshat (What does it mean?), drash (What does it teach?), and remez (a lesson about the Torah) and be able to apply them to Torah stories learned
• Relate the experiences of the text to his/her own life
• Learn about modern day Israel and Israeli culture

Hebrew:

• Know all Hebrew letters and sounds and all vowels
• Decode Hebrew words
• Complete New Hebrew Primer for decoding using cultural words such as “tzedaka” when learning the letter tzadee.

Prayer and Worship:

• Beginning to form habits of personal and communal prayer
• Introduction of the notion of communal prayer and the “minyan”
• Begin to learn the prayer service during T’fillah time
• Learn prayers for Kabbalat Shabbat
• Discuss the importance of prayer and why people pray
• Review key blessings and read with fluency by the end of Gimel class: Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’Ariv
• L’cha Dodi, Ahavat Olam, Vishamru, Ein Kelohenu, L’chu Neranana
• Havdalah

Dalet Class: Grade 4-5

The Dalat class continues the study of the Torah and the weekly Parsha. Students begin to develop a deeper understanding of the Torah. They learn the concept of the five books of the Torah and the division into weekly parshiot. The program My Weekly Sidrah is used to teach each parsha and is completed this year. The students read a summary of the parashiot and discuss the big ideas. Students are encouraged to become Torah commentators and to write their own commentaries relating to the parsha.

Students learn to:

• Summarize the stories in their own words
• Explore the text by gathering of clues, the tracing of allusions and the asking of questions
• Define and explain the terms peshat (What does it mean?), drash (What does it teach), and remez (a lesson about the Torah) and be able to apply them to Torah stories learned
• Relate the experiences of the text to his/her own life
• Learn about modern day Israel and Israeli culture
• Students will be introduced to the concept of Mitzvot and will be able to define and give examples of Mitzvot, Middot and Gemilut Chasadim

Hebrew:

• Students will improve Hebrew reading fluency through reading sentences and prayer study
• Students will lead prayers learned during T’fillah
• Students will learn the Friday Night Service using the textbook Hebrew through Prayer

B’nai Mitzvah Class: Grade 6-7

Sunday: History of the Jewish People/Israel

Year One:
The students spend the first year of this two year program learning about the history of the Jewish people from ancient times to the establishment of the State of Israel. For many of the students this is the first introduction to the history of Western Civilization. Major emphasis is given to those periods of conflict and challenge for the Jewish people. The class spends time analyzing how the Jewish people were able to survive and flourish.

Special focus is given to:

• Moses and the importance of Jewish laws
• Building and then destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples
• Defeat by the Romans that leads to a 2,000 year diaspora
• Impact of Christianity and Islam on Judaism
• Anti-semitism
• The Holocaust
• Zionism and the creation of the State of Israel
• Resources:
• The Jewish Story – 15 part video series by Unpacked Education
• The Story of the Jews by Simon Schama – The five part series gives a different perspective from Unpacked

Year Two:
The second year is devoted to an in depth look at how and why Zionism was developed and how it eventually led to the creation of the state of Israel. We examine modern day Israel and study the diversity and challenges of this dynamic society.

Resources:

• Selected videos from Unpacked Education
• Text: Israel….It’s Complicated
• Israeli Newspapers and TV coverage is used to supplement the discussions.

Sunday and Wednesday classes taught by Rabbi
Students discuss what it means to be a Jewish adult in the JCJ community and in the wider Jewish community.

Torah/Tanach:

• Apply concepts of peshat, drash and remez in order to discuss the ethical and moral decisions that our ancestors had to make and relate them to one’s own life

Jewish Life Cycle:

• Students develop a deeper understanding of emerging adulthood as it relates to their Jewish journeys.
• Students take on mentorship roles to younger classes

Hebrew/Prayer:

• For those students who are fluent readers, Hebrew class will emphasize the prayers for a Shabbat evening and morning service (S’fatai Tiftah – Book 2 (Shabbat morning) and Book 3 (Torah Service) Review Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv Shacharit and Torah service
• Students who need Hebrew reading review will be placed in the appropriate Hebrew reading class
• Students will begin learning Trope
• Students will lead T’fillah on Sundays. They will become active participants in the JCJ prayer community by attending and helping to lead Shabbat services

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