Education at Beacon Hebrew Alliance

Hebrew School Curriculum

Tots ~ 3 - Kindergarten

Bereshit ~ Grades 1 & 2

Sh'mot ~ Grade 3

Vayikrah ~ Grade 4

Bamidbar ~ Grade 5

Devarim ~ Grade 6

Neev'im ~ Grade 7

Hebrew School Curriculum

Tots 3 - Kindergarten	The tots meet once a month. The program consists of stories, art projects, songs and various activities centered around the Jewish holidays.
Bereshit Grades 1 & 2	The class meets for one hour a week on Sunday mornings. The children learn the letters and sounds of the Hebrew alphabet. They also learn simple prayers, such as the candles, bread, etc. They also learn about the holidays through songs and stories.
Sh'mot Grade 3	The class meets twice a week for 1 1/2 hours each class. The class really begins the study of the Hebrew language. Knowledge of the letters and sounds are put to practice. The children begin to read. Towards the middle of the year, the children begin to read and translate simple stories, begin to build a vocabulary and learn phrases in order to speak the language. More of the basic prayers are learned (sh'ma; fruit of the vine, tree, etc.). The history segment begins here. The children study about Israel. They also continue a more in-depth study of the holidays and religious customs. Bible stories are read and songs are sung.
Vayikrah Grade 4 Top of Page	The class meets twice a week for 1 1/2 hours each class. The children continue to read Hebrew and translate stories. The Friday night service is taught as well as various prayers used during the holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Pesach, etc.). The children study the history of the Jewish people. We focus on important figures and the impact that they made on history.
Bamidbar Grade 5 Top of Page	The class meets twice a week for 1 1/2 hours each class. This level consists of a more intensive study of prayer. The students begin to learn the Saturday morning service, Amidah, Kiddushah and the Torah service. The children continue with the translation of stories, moving to book 2 of the series. The children take a close and detailed look at Jewish history from its beginnings through the study of modern day Israel. Various Jewish communities around the world are studied and compared. We study various periods in history where Jews have been persecuted, i.e. Spanish Inquisition, Holocaust, Russian Jewry, etc.
Devarim Grade 6 Top of Page	The class meets twice a week for 1 1/2 hours each class. The children continue their study of the Hebrew language, by translating stories and using vocabulary to write small stories and have short conversations. Bible stories studied and various topics, such as kashrut, laws regarding Shabbat and Pesach, etc. Prayerwork is stressed heavily during this year. The students will be expected to attend services, both Friday and Saturday in order to reinforce what is taught in class. They will be asked to participate, often taking an active role in the running of the service. Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation begins by learning the Haftarah trope (the system of notes for chanting from the prophets). The Haftarah is learned at this time. Students meet 1-2 times over the summer to receive help or review chanting of the Haftarah.
Neev'im Grade 7 Top of Page	The class meets twice a week, 1 1/2 hours during the week and 2 hours on Sunday. During the weekday class, the students will study the Hebrew language, including vocabulary and grammar, so that students may engage in conversation. The students will practice leading the service on the bima in front of their classmates. Torah trope is taught and applied to aliyot. If a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is held during the beginning of the year, special and individual arrangements can be made with the teacher and Rabbi. The students will discuss relevant topics, i.e. anti semitism, discuss current news events and continue to study the people that shaped Jewish history.