Religious School Curriculum

Gan

Our pre-K students will learn about what it means to be Jewish, different Jewish ideas and values, and how we celebrate holidays.  Each week, they will have their own t'fillah and enjoy challah and grape juice.

Consecration

Our kindergarten and first grade classes will explore the ideas of God and Prayer and also learn Bible Stories, and the lessons that we can learn from them.

Second Grade

Our second graders will engage in learning about Jewish values through videos created by Bim Bam and hearing stories about these values.  They will actively engage in these values by practicing them in the classroom, discovering how these values relate to the Jewish holidays, and will further explore these messages through art projects, skits, games, and more.  Students will also begin learning basic Hebrew language through a new program called "Hebrew Through Movement."

Third Grade

Third grade will explore the cycles of Jewish Life:  The Calendar, Torah, Holidays, and the Life Cycle.  The calendar and holidays will be learned about throughout the year (as they happen), through videos, art projects, skits, and games.  They will learn about the life cycle with their stuffed animals -- each bringing in a stuffy at the start of the year who will experience pieces of the life cycle (with the child as the parent/guardian).  Note: the stuffed animals will not experience death, but mourning and will practice Jewish grief rituals and how to support those who are mourning.  The year will culminate in a Teddy Bear Wedding, at which all of the stuffed animals will get married to each other, and the class will celebrate together.

Fourth Grade

The fourth grade will be using a curriculum known as Shhhhh! from the Jewish Education Center in Cleveland.  Shhhhh! is filled with stories that all include secrets from ancient and modern times.  Each of the people and groups shared in this curriculum faced challenges that they could never solve completely, or tackle by themselves.  But each of these people mustered up courage, thus embodying the text from Pirke Avot 2:21, "It's not upon you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it."

Fifth Grade

The fifth grade will be using a curriculum called The Box from the Jewish Education Center in Cleveland.  Loosely following the teachings of Pirke Avot 1:12, students will learn of and begin to emulate the characteristics of Aaron, brother of Moses and first High Priest (Hakohen Hagadol) of the Israelites.  Learning is pulled along by the unfolding mystery of a box filled with a variety of items.  You can learn more about this curriculum here:  VIDEO

Sixth Grade

Hi, Story! will frame the learning for the sixth grade, as they delve into Jewish history through exploring the stories of people that lived at different times and places.  The learning will involve actively hearing these stories, in order to consider how this history has shaped the Judaism we know today.  After learning about these historical people, the students will consider different figures of today's Judaism and create presentations about them.  In addition, the students will consider how to tell their own stories, as they each bring in an artifact from their family in order to create a Living Museum, which the other classes in school will have the opportunity to visit.

Seventh Grade

The seventh grade will focus on Leadership, Tzedakah, and Me.  During the first part of the day, students will become active leaders in the school community by being madrichim in religious school classrooms or in other leadership roles in the school.  During the second part of the day, students will learn leadership skills to help them in these roles, explore what it means to be a Jewish leader, and how leadership relates to the value of tzedakah, righteous giving and living.  As part of their learning, the seventh grade will take charge of the collection of tzedakah from the other classes, determining how to collect it, how to encourage giving, and how to determine what organization(s) will receive the funds at the end of the year.