Congregation B'nai Israel

"A home for your total Jewish experience on the Southside of Atlanta"

 

Elementary School

Kindergarten

Following the first Jewish experiences in the Early Childhood curriculum, the Kindergarten focuses primarily on Jewish holidays and stories from the Torah. Using those two content areas as a backdrop, other areas like mitzvot and Jewish values are introduced, as they pertain to holidays and the Torah. For the first time, students are exposed not only to what Jews do, but also why they do them. The Kindergarten curriculum, while illustrating many of our practices, is not entirely experiential; students are expected to understand the holidays and stories that they are learning about.

Content Areas: Community, Jewish Holidays, Mitzvot and Jewish Values, Tanach: Torah

Big Ideas:

1. Celebrating Jewish holidays is an essential aspect of Jewish identity.

2. The Torah contains stories that teach us how to live our lives.

3. Hebrew is the language of the Jewish people.


First Grade

As the students continue to grow, they continue their understanding of Judaism. In this year, the students will be learning about mitzvot and how it can impact their everyday lives. They will begin their exploration of God through a variety of activities and experiences. They will continue their exploration of Jewish holidays, but learn about them through the certain mitzvot that are associated with each holiday.

Content Areas: God, Hebrew & Prayers, Jewish Holidays, Mitzvot & Jewish Values

Big Ideas:

1. Mitzvot are commandments that can be applied to our everyday lives.

2. God is a central part of Judaism and we all explore God in our own way.

3. Judaism is filled with many celebrations.

4. Hebrew is made up of letters that make different sounds.


Second Grade

As students mature, they will delve deeper into their exploration of Jewish life, gaining greater skills and knowledge of the rubrics of Jewish life. This year the students will explore the Jewish community and their role in it. They will be exposed to a variety of activities that demonstrate the community in the synagogue through holiday celebrations, life cycle events and symbols that identify Jewish people and places. The students will begin their exploration of Israel as the Jewish homeland.

Content Areas: Community, Culture and Symbols, Hebrew and Prayer, Israel, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Lifecycle Events

Big Ideas:

1. The role of the Jewish community can be seen in the synagogue as part of Jewish holidays, lifecycle events, and through symbols.

2. The Jewish homeland is Israel, which is part of the larger Jewish community.

3. Hebrew will be able to be deciphered by using Hebrew decoding skills.


Third Grade

The reading skills of third graders have progressed to the point where they are able to gain insights into the values and messages of the Torah. Students' spirituality will deepen as they develop Jewish God-concepts and contemplate their relationship with God. Students continue to increase their appreciation and understanding of Jewish holidays.

Content Areas: God, Hebrew and Prayer, Jewish Holidays, Mitzvot and Jewish Values, Tanach: Torah

Big Ideas:

1. There are lessons and values that we learn when we read the Torah.

2. Jewish holidays are joyously celebrated.

3. Jewish values and Jewish concepts of God can be explored through a personal journey of spirituality.

4. Hebrew words can be decoded by using vowels and final letters.


Fourth Grade

In the fourth grade, students will continue their exploration of Jewish spirituality, gaining insights into the meanings of the stories in Prophets and Writings and developing an understanding of what it means to be a partner with God. Jewish holidays will be explored with increasing sophistication as students learn the history of the different Jewish holidays and the values they express.

Content Areas: God, Hebrew and Prayer, Jewish Holidays, Tanach: Prophets and Writings

Big Ideas:

1. The stories of the Prophets and the Writings from the Tanach have messages that are valued by the Jewish people.

2. Through the Brit (sacred covenant, partnership) between the Jewish people and God, Jews learn to actualize teachings that partnership in our dealings with our communities and with the world.

3. The origin and history of Jewish holidays explain the values associated with them.

4. Prayers in Hebrew can be decoded and studied to find the meaning in English.


Fifth Grade

In the fifth grade, we see a clear maturation of the students. They are ready and able to explore concepts of an intellectual and emotional nature. The curriculum meets their abilities and developmental stage with discussions and activities related to living as Jews with milestone events and celebrations. They also continue to build a relationship with Israel and to recognize that there are Jewish values and experiences that link all Jews.

Content Areas: Hebrew and Prayer, Israel, Jewish Life Cycles, Mitzvot and Jewish Values

Big Ideas:

1. The Shabbat morning service contains the reading of the Torah.

2. Modern Hebrew is still used as a living language.

3. Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people and has a rich and unique history.

4. The Jewish life cycle is filled with the special moments that happen in a Jew's life from birth to death.

5. There are many Jewish heroes that we can turn to as role models.

6. Judaism has many values (midot) that we can turn to as role models.




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