Curriculum
Beth-El: Learning for Jewish Life
Enduring Understandings of the Curriculum Core
We at Beth El Religious School are thrilled to be joining over 400 other congregations in the Reform Movement in using the CHAI Curriculum. The CHAI curriculum engages students about big questions that are relevant to their lives, exploring the richness and depth of Jewish tradition. It is our hope that you, as parents will enjoy learning along with your children as they explore this new curriculum. As members of the Reform Movement we will receive on-going training and support to ensure the successful implementation of this curriculum as well as its continued success within our congregation.
Our ancient texts tell us that the world stands on three things, Torah, Avodah and G'milut Chasadim. Our new curriculum focuses on these three areas and engages students on all levels in deep understanding of these core Jewish concepts. Throughout the seven years of the curriculum students focus on developing a personal understanding of in each of the three areas.
Torah
- Torah is an ongoing dialogue between the text and its students.
- Torah is real in our daily lives; it is with us wherever we are.
- Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives.
Avodah
- Avodah is the work we do to find sacred connections to God, community, and self
- Engaging in the work of avodah can bring order, beauty, meaning and insight to our lives.
G'milut Chasadim
- We have a responsibility to perform acts of g'milut chasadim to make the world a better, holier place.
Each week parents will receive a letter which informs you of what your children learned in class. We encourage you to be active learners with your children and to engage them in conversations about their learning in religious school.If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Education Director, Ilana Knust.
For a printable version, click here.
| Grade | Description | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday Students age 5 by Sept. 1 | Children will discover the joy of our holiday tradition through a series of booklets called “Jewish and Me,” and through lots of crafts, music and games. The Bible story will be introduced through an exciting book called Torah Alive, a unique method teaching Torah to young children (dramatic role-playing, puppetry and more. Basic Hebrew holiday vocabulary will be introduced. Bible stories and the values drawn from them will be explored through a series of booklets called “Teach Me Torah." A Hebrew specialist will introduce the Hebrew Aleph Bet weekly for thirty minutes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| New Curriculum for Grades 1-7 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Torah Torah is an ongoing dialogue between the text and its sudents. Torah is real in our daily lives; it is with us whereever we are. Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives | Avodah Avodah is the work we do to find sacred connections to God, community, and self. Engaging in the work of avodah can bring order, beauty, meaning, and insight to our lives. | G'milut Chasadim We have a responsibility to perform personal acts of g'milut chasadim in order to make the world a better and holier place. | |||||||||||||||||||
First Grade Sunday Students age 6 by Sept. 1 | Theme: Discovering myself in the Jewish Story | ||||||||||||||||||||
| I am part of the ongoing story of Torah and the Jewish people. | My Jewish acts help me to discover the beauty and order of sacred time and my place in the jewish story. | I am part of the ongoing story of the Jewish people when I perform acts of g'milut chasadim. | |||||||||||||||||||
Second Grade Sunday Students age 7 by Sept. 1 coordinating with secular school grade. | Theme: The personal relevance and and power of Torah, Avodah, and G'milut Chasadim | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Studying Torah can teach me important lessons about how God wants me to live. | Jewish stories, celebrations, and rituals help me to understand and express my relationship with God. | We make the world a better place by performing acts of g'milut chasadim in our everyday lives. | |||||||||||||||||||
Third Grade Sunday Students age 8 by Sept. 1 coordinating with secular school grade. | Theme: Kedushah (holiness) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| The laws and rules found in the Torah can help us to live a life filled with holy moments. | Through advodah, we can make our lives and the world more holy (kadosh). | Each individual act of g'milut chasadim can make the world more holy (kadosh). | |||||||||||||||||||
Fourth Grade Sunday Wed. (Hebrew) Students age 9 by Sept. 1 coordinating with secular school grade. | Theme: Me in my community | ||||||||||||||||||||
| With the promise of a holdy land (Eretz Yisrael), we as a holy people (Am Yisrael) have a responsibility to strive toward holiness by observing the brit (covenant). | Keva and kavannah, the fixed order of worship and the personal intention we bring to prayer, are complementary aspects of Jewish worship, combining to help us make sacred connections. | We have a responsibility to perform acts of g'milut chasadim for the people we encounter in our daily lives. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fifth Grade Sunday Wed. (Hebrew) Students age 10 by Sept. 1 coordinating with secular school grade. | Theme: Reform Judaism and the power of community | ||||||||||||||||||||
| The words and messages of the prophets are at the heart of Reform Judaism. | The practice of prayer can help me to grow through personal reflection, can increase my connection to the Jewish people, and can strengthen my relationship with God. | We are all part of klal yisrael and have a responsibility to actively support and sustain the Jewish community through acts of g'milut chasadim. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sixth Grade Sunday Wed. (Hebrew) Students age 11 by Sept. 1 coordinating with secular school grade. | Theme: Revelation - What does it mean in our lives today? | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Studying Jewish texts allows us to explore our relationship with God and reflect on the ways God is continually revealed to others and to ourselves. | Avodah is the work we do, by exploring our personal and communal role in Revelation, to find sacred connections to God, to community, and to self. | We can experience God in our world, in others, and within ourselves, by engaging in acts of g'milut chasadim. | |||||||||||||||||||
Seventh Grade Sunday | Theme: Hineini - What does it mean to be a responisble Jewish adult? | ||||||||||||||||||||
| My life is reflected in and reflects Torah. | The message and power of Jewish prayer can help me to understand and define myself as an individual and as an authentic member of the Jewish community. | Our development as emerging Reform Jewish adults and authentic members of the Jewish community is closely linked to our ethical behavior (middot) and the performance of acts of g'milut chasadim. | |||||||||||||||||||
Eighth & Ninth Grade Midrasha Sunday |
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Tenth Grade Sunday | This program is designed to develop critical thinking about Jewish topics. Jewish teaching, Jewish law, Jewish tradition and Jewish history all embraces a remarkably constant set of beliefs and behaviors that can be found in Jewish books. Applying Judaism to everyday life and learning how being an active Jew enhances life. Topics include:
Theology with the Rabbi: Rabbi Mecklenburger will analyze with the students selected biblical texts and rituals to see how they correlate with what we perceive Judaism to stand for. He will also prepare them for the Confirmation service. Special Project This year, the confirmation students will create a special project related to the Religious School Theme, “God.” Looking into non-fiction Jewish books such as the Torah, Talmud, the books by the sages and so on, they will be able to find (a) the importance of them in the Jewish tradition, (b) a Jewish way of looking at them, and (c) that they are not remote antiquities but are a real, vital force in the lives of Jews. The students will pick the book/topic or author and research and create a project in a multi-media way (slide show movie, play, creative writing, and so on). | ||||||||||||||||||||