Temple Sholom Religious School

Temple Sholom Religious School

CURRICULUM FOR GRADE FIVE

JUDAIC STUDIES

Our Judaic curriculum for grade 5 follows the Union of Reform Judaism CHAI curriculum level 5, which teaches 3 major subject areas: Torah, Avodah (prayer) and G’milut Chasadim (Jewish values, good deeds). The grade 5 class will study Torah and G’milut Chasadim:

TORAH

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS (CHAI level 3):

·  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 laws and rules found in the Torah can help us to live lives filled with holy moments.

Specific lessons will include:

·  Parashat Kedoshim: Holiness

·  Parashat Vayikra: Sacrifice, Gifts, drawing near

·  Parashat Sh’mini: Kashrut – Holy eating

·  Parashat Emor: Shabbat – Holy time

·  Parashat Kedoshim: Love your neighbour

G’MILUT CHASADIM (GOOD DEEDS)

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:

·  We have a responsibility to perform acts of g’milut chasadim in order to make the world a better, holier place.

·  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.

Specific lessons will include:

·  K’hilah: The Jewish Community

·  Do not separate yourself from your community

·  Showing honour to the dead.

·  Conversion: Becoming part of the Jewish community

·  Welcoming Jews by Choice into the Jewish community

·  Justice in the community

·  Tzedakah: How to choose where to give.

·  Tzedakah: Avoiding embarrassment

·  Speaking out and speaking up.

JEWISH HOLIDAYS

GOALS: Students will participate in celebrating the Jewish Festivals as they occur. Previous knowledge will be reviewed and new vocabulary and concepts introduced, using games, stories, videos and art projects.

Students will be able to:

·  Explain the concept of Teshuvah.

·  Understand the terminology: Yamim Noraim, Yom Teruah, Yom Hazikaron, Tekiah, Teruah, Shevarim.

·  Understand the vocabulary of Yom Kippur: Shabbat HaShabbaton, Tekiah Gedolah, Kol Nidre, Al Chet, Avinu Malkenu, Minchah, Neilah, Shacharit, Yizkor, and Yontif.

·  Describe how Sukkot was celebrated at the time of the Temple in Jerusalem.

·  Retell the true story of Chanukah. Realize that it is O.K. to be different.

·  Associate Chanukah with the challenges of Jewish continuity.

·  Understand the Exodus from Egypt as a central and recurring theme in Jewish life and prayer.

·  Consider Yom Hashoa a time to grieve and remember.

·  Recall the date of Israel’s Independence and name some of the Founders of the State of Israel.

·  Recall that Yom Yerushalayim commemorates the unification of Jerusalem in 1967.

TEXTS: Teshuvah She Wrote (Instant lesson), First Fast (novel by Barbara Cohen), Various chapters in “The mystery of the coins”.

CURRENT EVENTS

GOALS: Students will become familiar with some of the News events that are shaping Jewish life in Israel and North America. They will develop an awareness of the politics and issues facing modern Israel.

TZEDAKAH

Grade 5: Israel (JNF, New Israel Fund, Beit Halochem, ZIV tzedakah foundation)

Objectives:

·  It is a Mitzvah to love Israel “Ahavat Yisrael”

·  Jews in the diaspora have always supported Israel financially

·  We can contribute to Israel in many ways

·  Students will learn about the work of the New Israel Fund, ZIV mitzvah heroes in Israel, and contribute to a fund in Israel.

MINYAN

GOALS: Students will practice their Hebrew reading skills, and become familiar with the morning Service (Sundays) and evening service (Midweek). All the prayers that students will lead at their Bar or Bat Mitzvah services will be rehearsed during the Minyans. Students will gain an understanding of the responsibility of communal prayer.

CHUGIM (electives)

The electives allow the grade five students to deepen their knowledge and understanding using all their senses. For example: they can choose to learn Jewish music, demonstrate their understanding of values and traditions in art, learn about foods and customs in different Jewish traditions.

HEBREW

Hebrew is taught in midweek Hebrew clubs

GOALS: The goal for Grade five is to review Hebrew reading of prayers and to understand concepts and key vocabulary in prayers.

Students should be able to:

·  Recognize and remember the names and sounds of all Hebrew letters.

·  Recognize and remember the sounds of all Hebrew vowel combinations.

·  Read and understand simple sentences using Holiday vocabulary.

·  Recognize singular and plural endings of verbs and nouns.

·  Recognize masculine and feminine endings of verbs in the present tense.

·  Recognize related words with the same root letters such as the baruch, ahavah and kadosh families.

·  Recognize the word endings that mean “our” and “his” etc.

TEXTS: Shalom Uv’rachah followed by Mitkadem

STRUCTURE OF THE GRADE FIVE PROGRAM

Sundays: MidweekHebrew clubs:

9:30 all school welcome Check in

9:40 Minyan Hebrew instruction: on-line, independent,

10:05 Chai program one-on-one and small group work

10:55 Recess Review games

11:15 Chugim

12:00 Dismissal