Curriculum Highlights
Gan Hayeled
Gan Hayeled is a monthly program for pre-schoolers, ages 3 and 4, and parents, and/or grandparents. These age-appropriate holiday oriented sessions are held on eight Saturday mornings and are open to any child in the Jewish community. Ideally the child is accompanied by a parent or grandparent, but nannies are very welcome. For an application, contact the Temple office.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten: Introduction to Judaism through classroom study of holidays, Torah stories, and Jewish ideas. The “ Let’s Discover the Holidays” curriculum actively involves parents in their child’s education. Most importantly, we endeavor to instill in each student a comfort level in the synagogue and a sense of Jewish identity.
First Grade
First Grade: Exploration of the people, symbols, activities, and holiday celebrations in the synagogue. Students are introduced to their responsibility and relationship to the world through the study of tzedakah and mitzvot. As in the kindergarten, an important goal is to create a comfortable relationship between the student and the synagogue. Among materials used are the Discover the Synagogue series and Let’s Discover God. Students begin Hebrew very informally.
Second Grade
Second Grade: Beginning with Creation, key stories in the Torah are introduced, highlighting Jewish experiences, ethical concepts, and Jewish insights in a way that is both exciting and meaningful. Responsibility to others is pursued through the study of mitzvot. Children begin the formal study of Hebrew with recognition of the Alef-Bet. The Mitkadem - Hebrew for Youth, Ramah 1 are used, along with the new level 1 CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life curriculum, which includes Torah, Avodah and Gimilut Hasidim.
Third Grade
Third Grade: Students learn about the Jewish year. Important concepts and vocabulary for each of our holidays are introduced as children begin to understand why we observe the festivals. In third grade, the importance of the land of Israel to Jewish people everywhere starts to become apparent and a highlight of the year is a “trip to Israel,” discovering the people, places, and customs of the Jewish state. Students continue the Hebrew Alef-Bet. They begin to put letters together to read words and develop a Hebrew vocabulary. Texts used are The Jewish Holiday Treasure Trail, the CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life curriculum, Let’s Explore Being Jewish, and Journeys: A Hebrew Primer.
Fourth Grade
Fourth Grade: Exploring the Torah is the basis for our Judaic curriculum. Torah heroes and history come alive for the students through a variety of projects. A strong connection is made between the stories of the Torah and our lives today as we relate people and events of the past to the present. Hebrew study includes reinforcement of reading and writing skills, a basic vocabulary for both home and synagogue prayer, and mastery of blessings for Shabbat and other holidays. Texts include Torah: The Growing Gift, Chai: Learning for Jewish Life, Partners With God, and various ramot of Mitkadem - Hebrew for Youth. Highlighting the year is the presentation to students of prayer books, celebrating their mastery of the Alef-Bet.
Fifth Grade
Fifth Grade: Our fifth graders are taken on a whirlwind course in Jewish history, looking at the people and events that brought them to where they and their families are today. Projects and other “hands-on” activities make history come alive. Highlighting the year is a trip to the Lower East Side of New York City where our students can further explore their roots. Hebrew study focuses on the reading and understanding of prayers in our worship service, as well as continued building of vocabulary and reading skills as they move through Mitkadem. Other texts include Introduction to Jewish History, Atlas of Great Jewish Communities, The Gift of Wisdom, Let Freedom Ring, The History of the Jewish People, and Chai: Learning for Jewish Life.
Sixth Grade
Sixth Grade: The Jewish Life Cycle from birth to death, with all of the beautiful customs and traditions are studied in the sixth grade. Students also learn about the Jewish holidays in a more adult way, examining in detail the rituals, ceremonies, and symbols. Hebrew study continues to focus on prayer, with concentration on fluency in reading. Texts include Rediscovering the Jewish Holidays, The Book of Jewish Life, various ramot from Mitkadem, and our own Woodlands Community Temple prayer books, and Chai: Learning for Jewish Life.
Seventh Grade
Seventh Grade: Students have a very busy year! Hebrew is studied, both as a modern and Biblical language, as students prepare for their B’nai Mitzvah. In addition to twice-weekly Hebrew and Jewish Studies classes, families have their very own Torah sessions with the Rabbi. In Judaic studies, the seventh grade has a variety of mini-courses, including tzedakah, genealogy, Israel, the world-wide Jewish community, and comparative religions. Seventh graders use a variety of texts and other materials for both Hebrew and Jewish Studies. In April, 7th graders move to academy on Monday evening, while continuing their Wednesday afternoon classes. A highlight is the annual 7th grade Shabbat service, where the students both create and participate in the service.
Academy (8th-12th Grades)
Academy (8th - 12th Grades): Acknowledging our students’ growing maturity and knowledge of Judaism, Academy is a combination of special programming, elective courses, all-school activities, social action, and our very successful Gesher l’Kesher - Peer Mentoring.
Although our program is designed for three distinct groups, 8th and 9th, 10th grade Confirmation class, and 11th and 12th Post Confirmation, we refer to all three groups as Academy. They meet on the same night of the week. The dinner segment is designed to allow all students to meet and spend time with friends in an informal atmosphere. At times the entire Academy studies together to allow for all students to benefit from special programming.
All students in grades 5 - 12 are members of our Youth Congregation. Activities are planned by the Youth Board and our Youth Director for grades 5 - 6, 7 and 8 - 12. Academy students are members of Woodsy. Students in grades 9 - 12 are also connected to NFTY, the National Federation of Temple Youth
