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Riverside Temple Beth El
Religious School Curriculum, 5769 (2008-2009)

PRESCHOOL

The Preschool curriculum is Torah ALIVE! published by the URJ. It elaborates on Torah stories with art, dressing up, songs and games. We begin in September with Creation and end in June with God presenting the Ten Commandments to Moses.  A continuing project throughout the school year will be a Wall Torah depicting the different stories from the Torah that we will be illustrating.

Information about the new CHAI CURRICULUM

GRADES K-7

Temple Beth El has chosen the Union for Reform Judaism’s CHAI Curriculum for grades 1-7.  (The Kindergarten class is taught with the first grade class so will utilize this curriculum in conjunction with some selections from Behrman House Publishing’s “Let’s Discover” series.)  It is designed to facilitate lifelong Jewish learning within Reform congregations.  The lessons focus on the three pillars of Judaism: Torah, Avodah (worship/prayer) and G'milut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness/social justice). CHAI lessons are based on the "Understanding by Design" curriculum development model, which is widely used in the field of general education.  This method strives to push learning beyond specific classroom activities to reach a deeper, enduring understanding of Judaism’s values.  Enduring understandings are the "big ideas," the concepts that provide the foundation for a lifetime of Jewish learning and living.

The curriculum provides students with a sound foundation in Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), Jewish values, prayer, Peoplehood, Israel and social justice.  The lessons offer a mix of intellectual, emotional, social and artistic learning, with an opportunity for students to exercise their creativity.

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.

Level 1: I am part of the ongoing story of Torah and the Jewish people

Level 2: Studying Torah can teach me important lessons about how God wants me to live.

Level 3: The laws and rules found in the Torah can help us to live a life filled with holy moments.

Level 4: With the promise of a holy land (Eretz Yisrael), we as a holy people (Am Yisrael) have a responsibility to work towards becoming holy by observing the brit (covenant).

Level 5: The words and messages of the prophets are at the heart of Reform Judaism.

Level 6: Studying Jewish texts allows us to explore our relationship with God and reflect on the ways God is continuously revealed to others and to ourselves.

Level 7: Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives. My life is reflected in and reflects Torah.

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.

Level 1: My Jewish acts help me discover the beauty and order of sacred time and my place in the Jewish story.

Level 2: Jewish stories, celebrations and rituals help me understand and express my relationship with God.

Level 3: Through avodah we can make our lives and the world more kadosh (holy).

Level 4: Keva and kavanah, 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.

Level 5: The practice of prayer can help me grow through personal reflection, can increase my connection to the Jewish people, and can strengthen my relationship with God.

Level 6:Avodah is the work we do, by exploring our personal and communal roles in revelation, to find sacred connections to God, community and self.

Level 7: The message and power of Jewish prayer can help me understand and define myself as an individual and as an authentic member of the Jewish community.

G'milut Chasadim

  • We have a responsibility to perform acts of g'milut chasadim to make the world a better, holier place.

Level 1: I am a part of the ongoing story of the Jewish people when I perform acts of g’milut chasadim.

Level 2: We make the world a better place by performing acts of g’milut chasadim in our everyday lives.

Level 3: Each individual act of g'milut chasadim can make the world more kadosh (holy).

Level 4: We have a responsibility to perform acts of g'milut chasadim for the people we encounter in our daily lives.

Level 5: We are all part of K'lal Yisrael and have a responsibility to actively support and sustain the Jewish community.

Level 6: We can experience God in our world, in others and within ourselves by engaging in acts of g’milut chasadim.

Level 7: 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.


GRADES 8-9

A special curriculum has been designed by the Rabbi for Grades 8-9.  It will focus on three important areas:

1) Comparative Religion.  At a time when religious differences has been at the center of so many conflicts in the world, it is more vital than ever for students to understand the faith of others as well as their own.  

2) The History and Current Issues Related to Israel.  Students will acquire tools to speak intelligently about the conflict in the Middle East and to defend Israel when she comes under unfair attack and criticism. 

3) The URJ’s “Sacred Choices: Adolescent Relationships and Sexual Ethics,” a comprehensive curriculum designed to teach sexual ethics to teens. Our teens live in a culture in which the societal boundaries about what is sacred and what is to be “saved” for adulthood or marriage have changed. They are continually confronted by pressures to conform and participate in activities and behaviors for which they may not be physically or emotionally ready. In few places where teens spend their time are there opportunities to talk openly and honestly about such issues or to develop their own sense of personal sexual ethics. The synagogue is a natural place for these conversations to take place.

Students in these grades will also be involved in social action projects.


CONFIRMATION

Confirmation will involve a monthly dinner and discussion with the Rabbi on “Hot Topics,” issues in the news from a Jewish perspective; participation in at least one NYFT retreat; co-classes and activities with students at Temple Emanu El in San Bernardino; and a trip to Washington, DC for a weekend sponsored by the URJ’s Religious Action Center to teach students about Congress.