Students in the classroom-based block for grades 3-6 have two educational components: Jewish Studies and Hebrew. Incorporated into both is the goal of building Kehillah (community) and a positive relationship to one another, to Temple Beth Ami, and to Judaism.

In Jewish Studies, students explore Torah, Holidays, Israel, and Life Cycles as part of a 4-pronged spiral curriculum. Using this approach, students revisit key topics utilizing various methodologies during their Machane TBA education. As students progress, the complexity of topics increases and deep new learning takes place. Concepts in Jewish history and spirituality are addressed.

Hebrew goals for grades 3-6 begin with a focus on letter and vowel recognition, decoding and reading fluency. As the Hebrew curriculum advances, students study key prayers related to Shabbat, holidays and lifecycle events with the goal of achieving decoding fluency. Students are introduced to Torah cantillation, liturgical melodies, and the service structure in an interactive and lively way.   Our 5th and 6th grade students have the opportunity to lead our congregation in a service each year, which gives them the experience of being on the bima leading up to their B’nai Mitzvah.

Our grades 3-6 Hebrew program is tailored to reflect and dovetail with the Jewish Studies lessons in terms of introducing vocabulary, appropriate liturgical prayers from tefillah, and Torah texts whenever appropriate.