YFE Preschool-5th Grade Curriculum
Youth and Family Education Overview for 2020-2021
Educating our children so that they grow to be literate and confident Jewish adults who find meaning in their identity and their tradition.
YFE ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
Judaics – Understanding various points in the history of the Jewish people that can provide meaning and relevancy to my life today.
Holidays/Rituals – Knowledge about Jewish holidays enables me to connect to my Jewish ancestors through culture, community, traditions, and spirituality.
Hebrew – Familiarity with Modern Hebrew connects me to the greater Jewish people as well as traditions in Judaism.
Community – Building relationships in the Jewish community makes me feel connected and part of a people.
Prayer – Prayer is the mode and language that can help me deepen my relationship with God and my spiritual self.
Tikkun Olam – Helping to repair the world and bring justice to it is our Jewish responsibility.
Israel – Israel is the Jewish homeland and is a part of our history, past and present.
Preschool – Getting to Know You
Major Themes:
- The Torah and Torah Stories
- Tzedakah
- Holidays and Rituals – Shabbat/Havdalah, Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur, Chanukah, Passover and many more
- Community
Kindergarten – The Jewish Calendar
Major Themes:
- The Jewish Calendar
- Torah Stories
- Holiday and Rituals – Shabbat/Havdalah, Sukkot, Tu B’Shvat, Purim and many more
- Tikkun Olam
Grade 1 – My Jewish Community
Major Themes:
- Torah Stories – Adam and Eve, Tower of Babel, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and more
- Holiday exploration
- Community – identifying communities and what stands out in the Jewish ones, visiting clergy, exploring the temple, connection to the larger Jewish community
Grade 2 – Jewish Values – Middot
Major Themes:
- Torah Stories – Mitzvot are in the Torah (hospitality (Sarah), kindness (Rebecca), Shalom Bayit, and forgiveness (Jacob, Esau and Joseph))
- Holiday exploration
- Tikkun Olam – Mitzvot from the Torah can be shown through action
- Community – Derech Eretz, Hachnasat Orchim, honoring parents/grandparents/adults in your life
- Israel – Symbols of Israel (Magen David, lion, and flag), geography (where is Israel located), and who lives in Israel
Grade 3 – God: Where can holiness be found?
Major Themes:
- Torah – sacredness in Time, Space, Deeds and Faith, lashon ha’rah, korbanot – offerings, where is God found in the Torah and kashrut
- God – Where can holiness be found?
- Holidays and Rituals – Shalosh Ragalim – major festivals – Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuout
Grade 4 – Israel
Israel is the overarching theme for the 4th grade year. Topics and themes will connect back to Israel.
Major Themes:
- People and places in Israel connected to the Torah stories, holidays, history, and today.
Grade 5 – Prophets
Major Themes:
- History – Early Israelites through US Jewry 1880s
- Tanach (Torah/Nevi’im/Ketuvim) – Knowledge of the prophets and what goes beyond the Torah – Moses, Amos, Devorah, etc. walking the walk, actions, role modeling, Kevah (practice)and Kavanah(intention)
UPCOMING EVENTS
One Shabbat Service (2/26/2021)
6:00 pm - 6:45 pm | Shabbat service led by Rabbi Sarah Joselow Parris and…
Torah Study (with Rabbi Jonathan Singer - 2/27/2021)
9:15 am - 10:15 am | Torah Study with Rabbi Beth Singer followed by Mourner's…
Unity Group: Mass Incarceration -- What You Can Do About It
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm | With increasing numbers of people being sent to jail…