Kindergarten and First Grade

Hebrew: Students will be able to identify the names and sounds of the Hebrew alphabet, and will develop a basic Hebrew vocabulary.

Torah: Students will discover classic Bible stories, and be able to identify Biblical characters and their relationships ith G-d and each other.

Mitzvot: Students will discover the place of mitzvot—commandments from the Torah—in their lives.

Synagogue: Students will explore the warmth of synagogue life, and the personnel and artifacts that constitute a synagogue.

Holidays: Students will learn about each holiday through traditional stories, and learn about key holiday objects, rituals and vocabulary.

Second and Third Grades

Hebrew: Students will work o mastering decoding while learning cultural Hebrew words. Selected readings of key prayers and blessings, and exploration or special reading rules.

Torah Concepts: Torah is an ongoing dialogue between the text and its students. Torah is real in our daily lives; it goes with us wherever we are. Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives.

• I am part of the ongoing story of Torah and the Jewish people.
• The Torah teaches me how to be part of the Jewish people.

Avodah: Avodah is the work we do to find connections to G-d, community and self. Engaging in the work of avodah can bring order, beauty, meaning and insight to our lives and our community.

• My Jewish acts help me discover the beauty and order of sacred time and my place in the Jewish story.
• Jewish stories, celebrations and rituals help me understand and express my relationship with G-d.

G'milut Chasadim: We have a responsibility to perform personal acts of g'milut chasadim to make the world a better and holier place.

• I am a part of the ongoing story of the Jewish people when I perform acts of g'milut chasadim.
• We make the world a better place by performing acts of g'milut chasadim in our everyday lives.

Fourth Grade

Hebrew: Students will develop reading fluency using the prayers from the Siddur. Students will examine the themes of the prayers and their links to Jewish values and discuss how a blessing helps us pause to appreciate God's world. Students will isolate and review common prayer-reading problems, such as visually similar letters. Prayers include Barechu, Ma'ariv Aravim, Yotzer Or, Shema, Ve'ahavta, Mi Chamochah, Brachot, Brachot shel Mitzvah, Brachot shel Shabbat, Brachot shel Yom Tov and Kiddush.

Torah Concepts: Torah is an ongoing dialogue between the text and its students. Torah is real in our daily lives; it goes with us wherever we are. Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives.

• With the promise of a holy land, we as a holy people have a responsibility to work toward becoming holy by observing the covenant.
• My life is reflected in and reflects the Torah.

Avodah: Avodah is the work we do to find connections to G-d, community and self. Engaging in the work of avodah can bring order, beauty, meaning and insight to our lives and our community.

• Keva and kavanah, the fixed order of worship and the personal intention we bring to prayer, are complementary aspects of Jewish worship, combining to help us make sacred connections.
• The message and power of Jewish prayer can help me understand and define myself as an individual and as an authentic member of the Jewish community.

G'milut Chasadim: We have a responsibility to perform personal acts of g'milut chasadim to make the world a better and holier place.

• We have a responsibility to perform acts of g'milut chasadim for the people we encounter in our daily lives.
• We are all part of K'lal Yisrael and have a responsibility to actively support and sustain the Jewish community through acts of g'milut chasadim.

Fifth through Seventh Grades

Hebrew: Students will continue to develop reading fluency using the prayers from the Siddur. Students will learn more than 90 key prayer words and 30 roots, prefixes and suffixes as they exlore the meaning of the blessings of the Amidah (Avot, Avot Ve'imahot, G'vurot, K'dushah, Hoda'ah, Birkit Shalom), Oseh Shalom, and prayers and songs for Friday night (L'chah Dodi, V'shamru, Shalom Aleichem).

Torah Concepts: Torah is an ongoing dialogue between the text and its students. Torah is real in our daily lives; it goes with us wherever we are. Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives.

• The prophets were focused on reminding the Jewish people how G-d wants us to live.
• My life is reflected in and reflects the Torah.

Avodah: Avodah is the work we do to find connections to G-d, community and self. Engaging in the work of avodah can bring order, beauty, meaning and insight to our lives and our community.

• The practice of prayer can help me grow through personal reflection, can increase my connection to the Jewish people and can strengthen my relationship with G-d.
• The message and power of Jewish prayer can help me understand and define myself as an individual and as an authentic member of the Jewish community.

G'milut Chasadim: We have a responsibility to perform personal acts of g'milut chasadim to make the world a better and holier place.

• Our development as emerging Jewish adults and authentic members of the Jewish community is closely linked to our ethical behavior, middot, and the performance of acts of g'milut chasadim.