Third through Sixth Grade JEWL Programs Explained

Third Grade - Gimel
Meets twice per week: Sundays (Session I or Session II) and Tuesdays OR Wednesdays

Build a warm, socially integrated, and inquiry-based learning environment based around a chevrutah (paired or small group) model of study. Learners have opportunities to “show what they know” and become teachers as pairs and in small groups, sharing their ideas and their accomplishments.

Explore each weekly Torah portion and begin to recognize words as leaders decode Hebrew over the course of the year. Learners explore their feelings about each portion, the lessons they find in it, and how those messages relate to today’s world.

Broaden their appreciation of Hebrew as a language through their formal study of the Aleph-bet (Hebrew alphabet). Learners learn the sounds of letters and vowels and apply their knowledge to reading and writing. Their daily use of functional Hebrew vocabulary is complemented by games, common phrases, and common classroom items used daily.

Embrace the mitzvah of rodef tzedek (pursuing justice), and the ways in which they can actively contribute to a more just world. Learners explore opportunities to be up-standers rather than bystanders and share their ideas about people, places, and organizations that could benefit from their donations for tzedakah.  

Integrate the value of menschlichkeit as a standard of personal behavior. Explore the rabbinic sage Hillel’s threefold teaching on caring for self, for others, and the call to seize opportunities to act with integrity at every moment. Students are honored as a “Mensch of the Week.”

Fourth Grade - Dalet
Meets twice per week: Sundays (Session I or Session II) and Tuesdays OR Wednesdays.

Expand this knowledge of Torah to include rabbinic teaching, including a special focus on wisdom literature. Chevruta pairs explore texts from Pirkei Avot to seek meaning for their lives today and compose their own ethical teachings.

Master the V’ahavta paragraph of the Shema for reaching fluency and explore the mitzvot associated with it (love of God), the importance of learning throughout our lives, rituals connected to these words, such as mezuzah and tefillin, and the idea of being holy. Learners solidify their studies through action as role models for younger students. 

Build upon their Hebrew reading skills by advancing to reading for comprehension. Learners also begin to amass a wider vocabulary and learn about three letter roots of Hebrew words. Students explore popular modern-day literature for strengthening mechanical reading skills.

Seek out opportunities for hachnasat orchim (welcoming guests), and consider how a host can make an impact on their guests. Learners will explore daily blessings, in addition to expressing gratitude, and call us to support the human needs of others. Learners create polar fleece blankets for families as a part of Pack Away Hunger. There are leadership opportunities to enrich younger learners’ understanding of Purim through teaching the various characters.

Focus on the value of shalom, peace, whether between people or between nations, with a special emphasis on shalom bayit (peace within our homes). The mafteach (key) recognition reiterates the concept of gaining the “keys” to building a warm, kind, and peaceful environment, at home and with the wide world.

Fifth Grade - Hey
Meets twice per week: Sundays (Session I or Session II) and Tuesdays OR Wednesdays

Search for kushiyot (thoughtful questions about texts) and explore commentaries on the Torah. Learners develop a greater sense of ownership of Jewish text as they approach their b’nai mitzvah years, amidst a legacy of stories, questions, and thoughtful dialogue and debate. They continue to amass Hebrew vocabulary, and read simple stories to build grammar and comprehension skills.

Act based on their understanding of daily mitzvot. Creating dramatic role-plays for themselves and younger learners allows them to explore different ways they might act in particular situations. Learners also focus on shmirat ha adamah, (caring for the earth) as they explore sustainability issues at Temple Israel and in the wider world.

Integrate Hebrew reading with understanding of  Shabbat liturgy. Learners consider how language shapes ideas about God, and begin to understand worlds of Bar’chu, Kiddush, Yotzer, and V'shamru, which they lead during JEWL Ruach programs. Creative Hebrew stories are also included to strengthen their reading and expand their vocabulary. 

Plan the next steps on their personal and collective journeys of menschlichkeit, tzedakah, and tikkun olam as they approach the b’nai mitzvah years together. 

Lead by designing activities for younger students that showcase their own Jewish knowledge and pride, especially our Chanukah activities and celebrations. In the second half of the year, learners experience three leadership tracks:

1. Madrichim: Assist in JEWL classrooms with younger learners.

2. Wrestle with Judaism: Study with Temple Israel’s clergy on student driven topics.

Sixth Grade - Vav
Meets twice per week: Sundays (Session I or Session II) and Tuesdays OR Wednesdays; PLUS four Shabbat retreats throughout the year at Camp TEKO

Broaden their understanding of biblical characters in Jewish text - the good, the bad, and the ugly - through their weekly class by working together as a classroom with fresh and engaging activities; and advance their knowledge of Shabbat prayers with an emphasis on key words, understanding meaning, and finding relevance to their daily lives.

Experience four Shabbat retreats all with their own unique theme: Kehillah Kedosha (building sacred community), Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), B’tzelem Elohim (in God's image), and Israel: The Land and the People.

Creating lifelong bonds with other learners at Temple is one way we experience kehillah kedosha (sacred community).