T Filah Scope and Sequence

10/20/09 TEMPLE BETH ABRAHAM RELIGIOUS SCHOOL: DRAFT

An Evolving Program of

Judaic Studies

A work in Progress

Temple Beth Abraham Religious School

Welcome

We are pleased to present the following comprehensive program of Judaic studies to the Temple Beth Abraham community. Teaching our children is one of the greatest mitzvot and one, which demands our utmost dedication and thoughtfulness. In creating and implementing this scope and sequence and curriculum, we have focused on bringing to fruition our vision developed by the Mah Tovu Committee:

Students of Torah who have the tools to live Jewishly

and thereby build a personal relationship with God and Israel.

What You Will Find In This Binder

The first section, which you are currently reading contains, detailed explanations of all of the different aspects of this program of Judaic studies. The next section is Scope & Sequence Charts which provide a quick overview of what is covered throughout a child’s religious school education and in which years subjects are covered. Following this you will find, Class-by-Class At-A-Glance Charts. These charts outline what each class learns over the course of the year. These overviews are followed by, Class-by-Class Curricular Outlines. These in-depth outlines present detailed information on what we expect each student to learn in each grade.

Following the Class-by-Class Curricular Outlines are the Mitzvah of the Month Curriculum and Teacher Resources.

“Value-Themes”

In determining the best way to structure and organize our many curricular items, each grade has been assigned a “value-theme,” a theme through which the core-values of the school and Judaism are intrisicly taught and around which that grade’s course of study is organized.

Grade / Value-Theme
Gan and Aleph / Mishpacha – Family
Bet and Gimel / Kedusha – Holiness
Dalet and Hay / Kehilla – Community
Vav and Zayin / Mitzvah – Commandment

Mishpacha - Family

Gan and Aleph base their studies around the significance of family in Judaism and their own family experience. Our youngest learners are still at the stage, when they enter our program, when their life experiences revolve, in large part, around their family. As they begin to interact in a more mature manner with their peers, we hope to celebrate the values of family and teach our children to bring these values into their peer and adult relationships.

K’dusha - Holiness

Students in grades Bet and Gimel look at the world and everything in it with awe and wonder. We hope to draw upon that “radical amazement” by celebrating it in a uniquely Jewish way through the Bet and Gimel curriculum. Becoming aware of the significance of every creation and the holiness, which is imbued in all life. Specifically, the Bet and Gimel curriculum focuses on the lashon kodesh – the holy language of Hebrew.

K’hillah – Community

As our children grow, their relationships begin to include not just their families and close friends but also, their larger peer group and community. In the Dalet and Hay years we hope to appreciate the importance of being a part of and participating in a community and through that experience growing in our understanding of ourselves and our relationships with others and God.

Mitzvah – Commandment

While the religious school education we offer our students at Temple Beth Abraham is geared toward giving children the tools they will need to be life long Jewish learners and “live-ers,” one cannot deny the significance and excitement with which students and families approach the Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration. Given this, we hope to capitalize on this excitement by basing our Vav and Zayin year studies around the “value-theme” of Mitzvah – commandment.

10/20/09 TEMPLE BETH ABRAHAM RELIGIOUS SCHOOL: DRAFT

Chagigot – Celebrations

Over the course of the school year, each class will have a Value celebration.

Grades / Siyum Celebration

Gan

/ Erev Shabbat Celebration (Fri. Evening)
Aleph /

Havdalah and Melaveh Malka (Sat. Eve)

Bet /

Siddur Ceremony (Friday evening)

Gimel /

Chumash Ceremony (Saturday morning)

Dalet /

Jewish Boston (Sunday)

Hay /

Jewish New York (Sunday)

Vav /

Tzedaka Fair (Sunday morning)

Zayin /

Israel!

Y’sodot: Foundations of Jewish Learning

This scope and sequence identifies subject areas which are the Yesodot (building blocks) of Jewish knowledge,

1. Hagim/Luah – Jewish Celebrations of the Calendar Year

2. Ivrit – Hebrew (Lashon Hakodesh – the holy tongue)

3. T’filah – Prayer

4. Talmud Torah – Torah Study

5. Jewish Life

6. Jewish Values and Virtues

7. Israel

8. History/Philosophy/Theology

Each year, different aspects of each subject will be studied.

Kehillah – Community Time

Kehillah is an opportunity to build community amongst our students and supplement their formal learning with other areas of interest and importance. Some of the topics/activities that might be included are:

· Cultural Arts

· Beit Midrash Learning

· Debates/Discussions

· Community meetings

· T’filah

· Holiday celebrations

· Milestone celebrations

Each Kehillah meeting will conclude in prayer with Hatikva

10/20/09 TEMPLE BETH ABRAHAM RELIGIOUS SCHOOL: DRAFT

A Week in the Life of a Student

Tuesday (3:30-5:00pm) (Thursdays for Hay Sheni)

Time / Bet through Zayin
3:30-4:15 / Kitah - Class
4:15-4:25 / Hafsakah – Break
4:25-5:00 / Kitah- Class

Sunday (9:00am-12:30pm)

Time / Gan/Aleph/Bet / Gimel/Dalet/Hay/Vav / Zayin
9:00-10:50 / Kitah- Class / Shacharit Minyan
10:00-10:50 / Kitah- Class
11:00-11:30 / T’fillah / Kitah- Class
11:30-12:00 / Optional Lunch / Aruchat Tzahorayim – Lunch
12:00-12:30 / Optional Kehillah / Kehillah - Community Time

Textbooks

Aleph

Let’s Discover Holidays / Behrman House
Let’s Discover God / Behrman House
Let’s Discover Aleph Bet / Behrman House

Bet

Let’s Celebrate Holidays / Behrman House
My Land of Israel / Behrman House
Z’man Likro (Bernstein program) / Stephanie Bernstein

Gimel

My Jewish Year / Behrman House
The Great Israel Scavenger Hunt / Behrman House
Shalom Uv’racha Primer / Behrman House

Dalet

Hineni 1 / Behrman House
The Synagogue / Behrman House
Welcome to Israel / Behrman House

Hay

Hineni 2 / Behrman House

Vav

Hineni 3 / Behrman House
Is This Apple Kosher? / Melton

Zayin

Sh’ma and Company / Tora Aura

Family Education

Toolboxes For Jewish Living

Over the course of their elementary studies in the Religious school students are exposed to, and learn about, a number of important ritual objects used in living Jewishly each day. So that our learning can translate into living, each year (beginning in Pre-Hebrew,) parents and students in each grade will participate in a family program in which each family will create one of these ritual objects. Students and their families, by the time they reach Bar/Bat Mitzvah age, will have created and filled their own “Toolbox for Jewish Living.”

Ritual items have been chosen based on each grade’s “value-theme.”

Class / Value-Theme / Toolboxes Program
Pre-Hebrew / Mishpacha / Shabbat Set including:
Candle sticks/kiddush cup/challah cover
Aleph / Mishpacha / Havdalah Set including:
Havdalah candle, kiddush cup, b’samim
Bet / K’dusha / Kippah
Gimel / K’dusha / M’zuzah
Dalet / K’hillah / Kos Eliyahu/Kos Miriam
Hay / K’hillah / Wimple
Vav / Mitzvah / Tzedakah Box
Zayin / Mitzvah / Tallit (In conjunction with the BM Family Program)

Mitzvah of the Month

Everyday we have the chance to do hundreds of mitzvot (commandments.) Those mitzvot which are bein Adam l’Makom (between people and God) namely the ritual mitzvot, are encorporated in the Scope and Sequence which follows (particularly in the Hay and Vav years. Mitzvot which are bein Adam l’chaveiro (between people and their friends (other people,) are presented each year in every grade through the Mitzvah of the Month program. These “ethical” mitzvot are reinforced every year because they are the foundations of our heritage and the primary message of our sacred texts.

Every year that children learn at TBA, students (and families) will celebrate one of these mitzvot each month according to the curriculum, which follows. Each mitzvah will be addressed in an age appropriate fashion for grades Bet through Zayin at the first Kehillah meeting of each month. For each mitzvah students perform, they can fill out and add a leaf to our Mitzvah Tree. While the students alone can perform some of the mitzvot, others involve the whole family.

Students can also thank and honor their peers when they see them doing a mitzvah by putting up a special leaf in their honor. By the end of each year, with everyone learning about and performing mitzvot, we will have a Mitzvah Tree in full bloom!

Month / Mitzvah /

School Wide Actions

Tishrei / Hachnasat Orchim (Welcoming Guests) / Inviting guests to the sukkot dinner or to the sukkah. Bring a friend to the Hebrew School Sukkah Day

Cheshvan

/ Bikur Cholim (Visiting the Sick) / Meet the Chesed committee. Learn about how the Zayin class builds a sukkah for Norwood Caritas.

Kislev

/ Ma’achil R’evim (Feeding the Hungry) / Food Drive. Volunteer to deliver at Family Table

Tevet

/ Kibbud Av Va’em (Honoring Parents) / Take a few moments to learn something new about your parents and learn the Parent’s Blessing for Shabbat

Sh’vat

/ Tza’ar Ba’alei Chayim/Bal Tashchit (Kindness to Animals and Environmentalism) / Learn about our our bottle and can drive and then make a contribution.. Bring in a towel or a blanket that will be donated to an animal hospital

Adar

/ Hiddur P’nei Zaken (Esteeming our Elders) / Find out the name of your elder recipient family. Create and deliver a Mishloach Manot Basket to your partner family.

Nissan

/ Pidyon Sh’vuyim (Redeeming Captives) / Listen to a speaker from the American Anti-Slavery Movement and contribute school supplies to the school for Iquabal.

Iyar

/ Ahavat Tzion (Love of Israel) / Attend Boston Celebrates Israel. Participate in TBA Israel Day Celebration.

Scope and Sequence Charts
Luah

Scope and Sequence

To be covered in depth
To be introduced/reviewed
G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
· The Jewish Day
· The Jewish Month
· The Jewish Year

Hagim

Scope and Sequence

To be covered in depth
To be introduced/reviewed
G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
· Symbols
· Basic story concept
· Season/Timing
· Basic Holiday B’rachot
· Holiday greetings
· Holiday Vocabulary
· Holiday rituals
· Holiday Liturgy
· Historical/Textual Source of Chag
· Holiday Mitzvot/Correct Use of symbols

Ivrit (Hebrew)

Scope and Sequence

To be covered in depth
To be introduced/reviewed
Reading / G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
· Hebrew Alphabet Recognition
· Vowel names and sounds
· Decoding skills
· Sight reading 1-2 syllable words
· Sight reading complex words, simple sentences
· Sight reading phrases, sentences and paragraphs

Writing

/ G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
· Letters and vowels in script
· Words and simple sentences in script

Vocabulary

/ G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
· Family vocabulary
· Daily/Classroom vocab.
· Counting 1-10
· Counting by 10’s
· Construct simple Hebrew sentences

T’filah

Scope and Sequence

To be covered in depth
To be introduced/reviewed
Siddur Skills / G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
· Prayers of Expression
· B’racha structure
· Siddur Orientation
· Prayers of Empathy
· Praise, Petition, Thanks
· blessing-Bible-blessing
· T’filah l’chol vs. T’filah l’Shabbat
· The Concept of Minyan
· Prayerobics
· Shaliach Tzibur skills
· Nusach l’Shabbat

S-Able to sing t’filah

D-Able to decode and read t’filah

C-Has a basic comprehension of the meaning of the t’filah and it’s place in Jewish liturgy

G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
Everyday B’rachot / S / S / C / S / D / C / S / D / C / S / D / C / S / D / C / S / D / C / S / D / C
· Hamotzi
· Borei pri ha-gafen
· Borei minei m’zonot
· Borei pri ha-adamah
· Borei pri ha-eitz
· She’hakol n’hi-yeh bidvaro
· Birkat Hamazon
(1st paragraph)

T’filah

Scope and Sequence

To be covered in depth
To be introduced/reviewed

S-Able to sing t’filah

D-Able to decode and read t’filah

C-Has a basic comprehension of the meaning of the t’filah and it’s place in Jewish liturgy

G / A / B
Primary Tastes of T’filah / S / S / D / C / S / D / C

· Modeh Ani

· Mah Tovu

· Shema/Baruch Shem

· V’ahavta

· Hashem S’fatai Tiftach

· Sim Shalom

· Oseh Shalom

· Sh’ma Al Hamitah

G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
Core T’filot – Shabbat B’rachot

· L’hadlik Ner Shel Shabbat

· Borei P’ri Hagafen

· Hamotzi

G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
Core T’filot – Havdalah B’rachot

· Borei P’ri Hagafen

· Borei Minei B’samim

· Borei M’orei Ha’esh

G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
Core T’filot – Kabbalat Shabbat

· L’chu N’ran’na

· Yis’m’chu Hashamayim

· Rom’mu

· L’cha Dodi

· Tzaddik Katamar

· Hashkiveinu

G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
Core T’filot – Birchot Hashachar/P’sukei D’zimra

· Birchot Hashachar

· Baruch She’amar

· Ashrei

· HalleluYah (150)

· Yishtabach

G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
Core T’filot – Ma’ariv L’Shabbat

Using Hineini Book 1

· Barchu

· Ma’ariv Aravim/Yotzeir Or

· Sh’ma/V’ahavta

· Mi Chamocha

· B’rachot

· B’rachot Shel Mitzvah

· B’rachot Shel Shabbat

· B’rachot Shel Yom Tov

· Kiddush

G / A / B / G / D / H / V / Z
Core T’filot – Amidah

Using Hineini Book 2

· Avot v’Imahot

· G’vurot

· K’dusha

· Hoda’ah

· Shalom Rav

· Sim Shalom

· Oseh Shalom