 To explore Hebrew while acquiring the skills to participate and lead tefillah for our congregation, we utilize the Mitkadem Curriculum. Mitkadem is an exciting Hebrew curriculum that generates enthusiasm and excitement from teachers, students and parents. Our students learn to read Hebrew and enjoy a sense of accomplishment as they progress through a series of well-organized, stimulating, and self-paced ramot (levels).
Mitkadem offers a new approach to teaching and learning Hebrew and prayer by building on the positive commitment parents have made by enrolling their children in our schools. Mitkadem's self-paced and child-centered approach allows each student to achieve according to his/her own ability. The Mitkadem approach helps every teacher feel capable and confident of administering this program to all different kinds of student learners, identifying those students who need additional help early on. The content of the program should seem familiar to other Hebrew programs; the approach is new.
Mitkadem Ramot (Levels) The Mitkadem program is constructed of 23 ramot, or levels. Students may work independently, with another student at a similar level, or with another student in a "tutorial" relationship. On average, students can complete between four and six ramot per year depending on hours of Hebrew school and students' pace. Each ramah presents a single prayer or group of prayers and continues to develop the students' abilities to read and understand the Hebrew language of prayer. Each ramah is structured in the same way so that students will become familiar with the system very quickly. Before beginning the work of the ramah, the student receives a contract outlining the requirements to pass the ramah. As the student completes each of the five components of the ramah, the teacher signs the contract, showing that the student successfully completed the work. After completing the required work for the ramah, the student completes a written assessment and a reading assessment before advancing to the next ramah. Each ramah has these five components and are color-coded:
(1) Hakdamah/Introduction Students always begin with this component that introduces the prayer or group of prayers. After completing this introductory section, the student works on the next four components in any order he or she chooses. The student keeps all of the components in a personal folder until the student is ready to advance to the next ramah.
(2) Kri'ah/Reading In the reading component, students are guided to read alone or to read to a partner. There is an accompanying CD that helps the student/s practice reading and chanting the prayer correctly. This CD will contain all of the reading sections for all 23 ramot, so that a class may purchase one CD and make individual tapes for the appropriate ramot.
(3) Otzar Milim/Vocabulary The vocabulary component teaches all of the vocabulary associated with the prayer or group of prayers. It includes written and creative activities to reinforce the meaning and definitions.
(4) Dikduk/Grammar The grammar component teaches the essential words, roots and phrases found in the prayer. It includes written activities to reinforce the concepts.
(5) Divrei T'filah/Words of Prayer This component helps to make prayer relevant and meaningful to our children. It includes interesting questions and activities that encourage our children to participate in the prayers of Jewish holidays, ritual, life cycles, and traditions. In this section, students have a chance to investigate central themes of the prayer book and Jewish thought.
In general, the ramot progress in level of difficulty (reading and subject matter) and build somewhat on each other, although each school can choose which ramot to include in its program. Because Ramah 3 is an introduction to how the self-paced program works, it must be completed first by all students, no matter which ramot follow.
The role of the teacher in using Mitkadem In a Mitkadem classroom, the teacher becomes more of a resource and facilitator for students' self-directed Hebrew learning. The teacher or other adult keeps the records of student progress. The teacher also uses the assessments in order to determine what kind of help each student needs from him/her in order to progress. The teacher manages a classroom of students that are all working at a variety of different paces and levels, encouraging each one and consciously building classroom community. Some teachers have found it helpful to begin or end each class as a group with reading of a familiar text, a review of language elements, or a discussion of ideas within the prayer.
Mitkadem Ramot Recordings At home, you can listen online to the prayers read in Hebrew and sung that correspond to the Mitkadem curriculum. |
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