Welcome to Sixth Grade Hebrew at Or Chadash Religious School!

Teacher – Rabbi Joe Forman

jmf2010Our Hebrew curriculum includes four main components which work together to provide a complete program for our students as they move from our younger grades to our older grades.  We want to teach our students basic Hebrew language, reading and prayer skills while also providing them with a living experience and meaningful connection to the Hebrew language. 
 
Hebrew Through Movement is a program through which students learn Hebrew by sharing and responding to Hebrew commands.  Hebrew through Movement introduces language in a playful and meaningful way, creating a positive link between children and the Hebrew language. The Hebrew through Movement curriculum starts by laying a foundation of modern, spoken Hebrew and it builds toward the goal of making our prayers, Jewish vocabulary and Hebrew decoding more accessible to students. The Hebrew through Movement program is supported by the latest brain research on learning, providing an aural foundation for Hebrew that opens the door to Hebrew reading and decoding.  Student in Grades K – 5 will take part in weekly Hebrew through Movement activities.  
 
Jewish Life Vocabulary is the component of our program that provides our students with the key Hebrew words and phrases (such as shalom, mazel tov, tikkun olam and more.). By learning, using and exploring Hebrew terms, our students will experience the world through Jewish values as they develop a greater connection to and understanding of the Hebrew language.  Weekly vocabulary words will be integrated into classroom teaching for students in very grade level.
 
Hebrew Reading and Language Program starts by building a foundation in recognizing letters and reading simple Hebrew.  With each year of learning students will be able to acquire further language and prayer skills while also building confidence in their ability, proficients and knowledge. 
 
Tefillah (Prayer Service) is an opportunity for building community, making meaning and learning prayers.  Tefillah is one of the ways in which Jews celebrate Shabbat and holidays, connect with the larger Jewish world and take part in synagogue life.  We believe the best way to learn Tefillah is to participate in Tefillah.

 


Welcome to Sixth Grade Jewish Studies at Or Chadash Religious School.

This year our class will focus on modern Jewish history, beginning with the great wave of immigration from Eastern Europe to the United States in the late 19th  century, the evolution of Judaism in contemporary America, and the creation of modern Israel.

We are living in historic times and we will talk about some of the social and political changes that have occurred under the Trump administration and a geopolitical shift to the far right in many countries. We will talk about Charlottesville and what lessons we can take from it.  

To help us along, we will be using the second volume of The History of the Jewish People: A Story of Tradition and Change, written by two leading scholars, professors Jonathan Sarna and Jonathan Krasner.  It’s a fascinating curriculum. The students will have fun learning about their family’s heritage by doing a bit of genealogy and asking relatives about family stories. And, oy vey, I’ll do a shtick about the origins of Yiddish, they’ll learn a few Yiddish words and hopefully have a few laughs. 

We will also deal with some heavy subjects, including the pogroms, the two world wars and the Holocaust. I hope to have a former student’s grandmother, who was a hidden child in Poland. visit my class again and talk about her experience. Many of my students have said it was the highlight of their year.

I look forward to this and to all that the year ahead will bring.


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