Rishonim Curricular Overview 2015-2016/5776 What do our Students Know, Do, and Feel?

Kindergarten and First Grade: Through playful exploration, our youngest children are introduced to the meaning and rituals of , the letters of the Alef-Bet, and important people and events in stories. Students become familiar with people, places, and objects around the . Students discover through hands-on activities how is expressed in our every-day life and learn to ask questions of our teachers and our tradition. Primary Resources: BJL: Beginnings, A Child’s Garden of Torah, Alef to Tav Activity Book, Supplemental PJ Library books

Second Grade Theme: Doing Mitzvot (Commandments and Holy Actions) Second grade students learn about what it means to do mitzvot, commandments that guide how we live as and how we treat one another to make the world a better place. Students discover values and lessons from stories in the Torah. By learning the Hebrew letters and vowels, second graders begin to develop the ability to recognize Hebrew words. Primary Resources: A Kid’s Mencsh Handbook, Let’s Discover Mitzvot (Packets), Bible from Alef to Tav, My Weekly Sidrah

Third Grade Theme: Genesis and the People and Third graders will be introduced to the study of Torah through the engaging stories of Genesis. Students will learn about important places and people of Israel as a way to build a relationship to our Jewish homeland. Students will experience a tiyul (trip) throughout the land of Israel. Primary Resources: Explorer’s Bible 1, Welcome to Israel

Fourth Grade Themes: Our Torah Story (Exodus-Prophets and Writings) and our Jewish lives Fourth graders encounter Torah where Third Grade leaves off, taking students through the Exodus and into the land of Israel and beyond. Students dive deep into Torah by exploring biblical interpretations like midrashim and their bringing their own commentary. Students also travel through the journey of a Jewish life from Birth until death, exploring how we use rituals and life cycles to mark our big life occasions and transitions. Primary Resources:, Explorer’s Bible vol. 2, Jewish Values from Alef to Tav, Journey of a Lifetime/The Cycle of Jewish Life (to Copy)

Fifth Grade Themes: Jewish Values and Heroes Students will come to understand that the Jewish charge to pursue Justice influences all the choices we make in our lives. Based on Pirke Avot 2:21 (Lo Alecha: “It is not your duty to complete the work, neither are you free to desist from it.”) students will recognize that their actions can help make the world a better place. Students will be able to identify and name the relevant Jewish values that guide us as we make decisions. Students will be able to point to key figures from our broad Jewish community who represent those values in action. Primary Resources: Eizehu Gibor: Living Jewish Values, The Prophets – Speaking Out for Justice

Sixth Grade Themes: American , The Holocaust, and Modern Israel. Sixth graders study Jewish History with a focus on the question, “How can I be both Modern and Jewish?” By studying American Jewish history, the Holocaust, and the beginnings of the State of Israel, students are challenged to see the connection between the people they are today and the influence of the generations before them. Students are encouraged to explore the Jewish choices they make in their own lives and understand how they fit within the historical Jewish conversation of what it means to be a Modern . Primary Resources: History of the Jewish People vol. 2