Welcome To 5th and 6th Grades

Judaics, history and culture: Fifth Grade: “Jewish Journeys” is the theme for our Fifth grade students.  Sukkot and Pesach (Passover) are pilgrimage festivals – and Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebrates the Jewish people’s journey to establish a state of our own. Exodus (the text study unit for the fifth graders) reflects the journey our people made from slavery into freedom.  The spirituality unit expands on the topic of living as partners with God in our daily life. 

Sixth Grade:  Sixth graders are experiencing a year of transition from elementary school to middle school:  our theme for this year of study is “Tradition and Change.”  The holiday focus is on Simchat Torah; text study includes an introduction to source materials from the Torah, Tanach, and Rabbinic Literature, including a comparison between liberal and orthodox interpretations of text. 

Hebrew: 5th and 6th Graders focuses on building and improving reading, writing and comprehension of tefillah (prayer) through the structure of the Shabbat morning service.  They will use the Behrman House series “Hineini,” which offers a companion CD to take home to aid students in their language acquisition.

Each grade has prayer goals, keyed to their text books. Students in grades 3-6 have separate teachers for Hebrew and Judaics. Teachers are chosen for their enthusiasm and knowledge.  We also have a Hebrew Resource Specialist and an Inclusion Specialist who are available on Sunday mornings to work with students.  Our large and talented teen Madrichim core offers small group and individual instruction as well.  We try to make our program for all students, regardless of their ability.

In mid-week classes, students review their Hebrew reading skills and take part in a Learning Service. During the Learning Service, students will use our Student Siddur. This Siddur incorporates the language used in the adult siddur, Kol Haneshamah, but the Hebrew print is sized for beginning readers.  This service will be lead by Rabbi Heifetz.

For the remaining hour, students break up into clubs, offering the chance to study Jewish values through the lens of different chuggim (clubs):  art, drama, creative writing, music and movement, and cooking!  Approximately every six weeks, students demonstrate what they’ve learned in our “Show and Share.”  This culminating activity is open to families. Please see the calendar for the specific dates and times.