FIFTH GRADE CLASS ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
Judaic Studies
The fifth grade year will be used to introduce the Jewish life cycle rituals and events. These events should be seen through the motif of how they contribute to building community. The fifth graders are also ready to understand God as a multi-dimensional Being not constricted to what we can perceive. A great way to introduce this is the game where you have to identify something by what it is not. This should be followed up by an explanation of Maimonides idea of a negative theology made age appropriate.
Basic research skills will be introduced to the student in the form of going to the library and looking up Jewish subjects that interest them and then presenting in front of the class.
Hebrew & Prayer
This year, students will make the transition towards understanding Hebrew through the prayer service instead of with a text book. Knowing and recognizing word parts, roots and other language elements should be part of their skill set. Being able to let go of the goal to teach our students to speak Hebrew allows for them to use the Hebrew they know to connect and make meaning out of the important prayers. The BJL curriculum, which will be elaborated more on below, uses a technique called the “approximation of translation” that:
1. Teaches students a core Hebrew vocabulary
2. Builds their skill at recognizing roots in context
3. And then challenges them to use those tools to build an evolving sense of general meaning of key passages in the Siddur.
This is all based on the premise that when students sense a growing ability to understand the siddur their connection to Judaism deepens.
The fifth grade students will be studying the BJL: Journeys Through the Siddur for both Friday Evening and Saturday Morning. Looking at the prayer section of the curriculum map on the next couple pages, it does seem quite daunting. That is why the teacher needs to have a clear perspective on what is feasible for the fall class led service and what can then be accomplished during the spring. The BJL curriculum is set up in such a way that only a few of the basic prayers can be focused on. The teacher should feel at liberty to spend extensive amounts of time on each prayer, telling the stories in the curriculum and allowing the students to be creative in Hevruta when developing meaning.
Here the “art of prayer” should be introduced to the students as an overall goal. Prayer is something that happens in the heart, the mind and the soul and not just through the mouth. Students should try and discover how prayer is communication with the self, communication with the community and then communication with God. Seeing how these various levels of communication develop relationship is important.
How the Rabbis saw prayer is an enduring understanding we should try and transmit to the students. This involves studying the Rabbinic period historically. Students can discover how, over the ages, the Rabbis attempted to capture the memory of the Temple ritual in Jerusalem when we had a unique experience with the Divine. If the student can then relate to the Rabbinic prayer ritual, they will be that much closer to making the liturgy part of their life so that they can use it as a lens to understand their own life’s experiences and struggles.
Holidays
Students will understand the agricultural connection to all of the holidays. For example, Sukkot is the harvest time for wheat. The Mishnah and Gemara of the holidays should also be introduced to the students following the format of Pardes. Understanding what a pilgrimage is and why it was so important for the Jews to celebrate together in Jerusalem is an important enduring understanding.
The students should be able to compare and contrast the Jewish calendar with the secular calendar paying special attention to how the moon features in the Jewish month versus the sun in the secular calendar. Other comparisons such as Sukkot to Thanksgiving can be done. Students can begin to delve deeper into concepts such as repentance during Yom Kippur and what it means to return to the “right path after missing the mark”. Fifth graders are able to lead plays for the younger children.
Ethics and Morals
The importance of being part of the Jewish community and finding meaning within is central to the fifth grade Derech Eretz curriculum. The term Klal Israel should be introduce and expanded on through the sources. Students should focus on the structure of the Vancouver Jewish Community as a model for Jewish communities in the diaspora. Students can do a project on the different Jewish communal organizations such as Jewish Family Service, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Jewish Cemetery and more. Having the ability to project the JCC’s website to the classroom and have the students investigate what currently exists will help them with their project. The enduring understanding that the students should come away with is how by helping individual Jews each of these programs helps the Jewish community as whole. Sources that should be discussed are those that reference to the Mitzvah of: dowering the bride, burying the dead, visiting the sick, caring for the orphan and widow, providing means and funds for the needy, ransoming the captives and supporting Jewish schools.
Some fun activities that would help the students creatively understand the importance of the Jewish community is to simulate disbursing funds at a Jewish Federation board meeting. They can invite one of the Federation Board members and discuss afterwards the challenges the mock board has and how they are similar to the real board.
Israel
CHAI’s lesson plan on Defending Israel will be used to deepen the sense of nuance when relating to Israel. The lesson explores, “the challenge of establishing a Jewish country that reflects the commandments, values, and ideals of Judaism despite the complexities, conflicting needs, and opportunities for corruption inherent in running a state. Our tradition requires us to build a society that will serve as an example of justice and holiness to all the nations of the world– to be ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ (Ex. 19:6).” By looking at the challenge of a Jewish State, our students will be able to have effective intellectually deep conversations about the situation in the Holy Land. Knowing various narratives allows us properly relate to our national story. Building effective advocates for Israel demands a wide perspective so that their perspective can be heard.
Judaic Studies
The fifth grade year will be used to introduce the Jewish life cycle rituals and events. These events should be seen through the motif of how they contribute to building community. The fifth graders are also ready to understand God as a multi-dimensional Being not constricted to what we can perceive. A great way to introduce this is the game where you have to identify something by what it is not. This should be followed up by an explanation of Maimonides idea of a negative theology made age appropriate.
Basic research skills will be introduced to the student in the form of going to the library and looking up Jewish subjects that interest them and then presenting in front of the class.
Hebrew & Prayer
This year, students will make the transition towards understanding Hebrew through the prayer service instead of with a text book. Knowing and recognizing word parts, roots and other language elements should be part of their skill set. Being able to let go of the goal to teach our students to speak Hebrew allows for them to use the Hebrew they know to connect and make meaning out of the important prayers. The BJL curriculum, which will be elaborated more on below, uses a technique called the “approximation of translation” that:
1. Teaches students a core Hebrew vocabulary
2. Builds their skill at recognizing roots in context
3. And then challenges them to use those tools to build an evolving sense of general meaning of key passages in the Siddur.
This is all based on the premise that when students sense a growing ability to understand the siddur their connection to Judaism deepens.
The fifth grade students will be studying the BJL: Journeys Through the Siddur for both Friday Evening and Saturday Morning. Looking at the prayer section of the curriculum map on the next couple pages, it does seem quite daunting. That is why the teacher needs to have a clear perspective on what is feasible for the fall class led service and what can then be accomplished during the spring. The BJL curriculum is set up in such a way that only a few of the basic prayers can be focused on. The teacher should feel at liberty to spend extensive amounts of time on each prayer, telling the stories in the curriculum and allowing the students to be creative in Hevruta when developing meaning.
Here the “art of prayer” should be introduced to the students as an overall goal. Prayer is something that happens in the heart, the mind and the soul and not just through the mouth. Students should try and discover how prayer is communication with the self, communication with the community and then communication with God. Seeing how these various levels of communication develop relationship is important.
How the Rabbis saw prayer is an enduring understanding we should try and transmit to the students. This involves studying the Rabbinic period historically. Students can discover how, over the ages, the Rabbis attempted to capture the memory of the Temple ritual in Jerusalem when we had a unique experience with the Divine. If the student can then relate to the Rabbinic prayer ritual, they will be that much closer to making the liturgy part of their life so that they can use it as a lens to understand their own life’s experiences and struggles.
Holidays
Students will understand the agricultural connection to all of the holidays. For example, Sukkot is the harvest time for wheat. The Mishnah and Gemara of the holidays should also be introduced to the students following the format of Pardes. Understanding what a pilgrimage is and why it was so important for the Jews to celebrate together in Jerusalem is an important enduring understanding.
The students should be able to compare and contrast the Jewish calendar with the secular calendar paying special attention to how the moon features in the Jewish month versus the sun in the secular calendar. Other comparisons such as Sukkot to Thanksgiving can be done. Students can begin to delve deeper into concepts such as repentance during Yom Kippur and what it means to return to the “right path after missing the mark”. Fifth graders are able to lead plays for the younger children.
Ethics and Morals
The importance of being part of the Jewish community and finding meaning within is central to the fifth grade Derech Eretz curriculum. The term Klal Israel should be introduce and expanded on through the sources. Students should focus on the structure of the Vancouver Jewish Community as a model for Jewish communities in the diaspora. Students can do a project on the different Jewish communal organizations such as Jewish Family Service, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Jewish Cemetery and more. Having the ability to project the JCC’s website to the classroom and have the students investigate what currently exists will help them with their project. The enduring understanding that the students should come away with is how by helping individual Jews each of these programs helps the Jewish community as whole. Sources that should be discussed are those that reference to the Mitzvah of: dowering the bride, burying the dead, visiting the sick, caring for the orphan and widow, providing means and funds for the needy, ransoming the captives and supporting Jewish schools.
Some fun activities that would help the students creatively understand the importance of the Jewish community is to simulate disbursing funds at a Jewish Federation board meeting. They can invite one of the Federation Board members and discuss afterwards the challenges the mock board has and how they are similar to the real board.
Israel
CHAI’s lesson plan on Defending Israel will be used to deepen the sense of nuance when relating to Israel. The lesson explores, “the challenge of establishing a Jewish country that reflects the commandments, values, and ideals of Judaism despite the complexities, conflicting needs, and opportunities for corruption inherent in running a state. Our tradition requires us to build a society that will serve as an example of justice and holiness to all the nations of the world– to be ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ (Ex. 19:6).” By looking at the challenge of a Jewish State, our students will be able to have effective intellectually deep conversations about the situation in the Holy Land. Knowing various narratives allows us properly relate to our national story. Building effective advocates for Israel demands a wide perspective so that their perspective can be heard.