The CHAI Curriculum is divided into 7 core levels. Each contains 27 complete one-hour classroom lessons in Torah, Avodah and G'milut Chasdadim plus family education lessons. The CHAI lessons follow a curriculum model known as "backward design," as outlined in the book Understanding by Design (UbD) by Wiggins and McTighe and published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). This approach, and that of the CHAI curriculum is designed so that student learning will go beyond the specific classroom activities and will reach a deeper enduring understanding, establishing the basis for later Jewish learning and living.

There are enduring understandings, or “big ideas” on which the curriculum, as a whole, is built. Following these enduring understandings is more specific information about each of our class groups and the enduring understandings they will focus upon this year.

Enduring Understandings for Our Program

Torah

·         Torah is an ongoing dialogue between the text and its students.

·         Torah is real in our daily lives; it goes with us wherever we are.

·         Developing the skills to study Torah is essential to integrating Torah into our lives.

Avodah

·         Avodah is the work we do to find sacred connections to God, community, and self. Engaging in the work of avodah can bring order, beauty, meaning and insight to our lives and our community.

G'milut Chasadim

·         We have a responsibility to perform personal acts of g'milut chasadim to make the world a better and holier place.

Israel

·         A fundamental aspect of a healthy Jewish identity is a relationship to Israel as the historical homeland and the spiritual inheritance of the Jewish people.

·         A fundamental aspect of a healthy Reform Jewish identity is a commitment to advancing the cause of religious pluralism within the modern State of Israel.

Kindergarten – Grade 1

Torah

• I am part of the ongoing story of Torah and the Jewish people

• My Jewish acts help me discover the beauty and order of sacred time and my place in the Jewish story.

• I am a part of the ongoing story of the Jewish people when I perform acts of g’milut chasadim.

• Our Country: Here & There (Part 1): What is a country and what does a country have? How are the Jewish holidays that I celebrate in my country here the same or different than they are celebrated in Israel, my country there?
• Our Country: Here and There (Part 2): How are some of the sounds, foods, and symbols of Israel similar to and differetn from those I am familiar with in the United States?

Grades 2 & 3

• The laws and rules found in the Torah can help us to live a life filled with holy moments. 

• Through avodah we can make our lives and the world more kadosh (holy).

• Each individual act of g'milut chasadim can make the world more kadosh (holy).

• From the Galilee to the Negev: Making the Map Ours: What do I want to know about the land and landscape of Israel? What are the distinctive qualities and features of the land?
• A Tale of Three Cities: What are the distinctive qualities and features of Israel’s three largest cities: Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem?
• Go to the Desert: What are the distinctive qualities and features of the Negev Desert? What important things happened in the desert? What did God choose to speak to people in the desert at some important times?

Grades 4 & 5

• The prophets were focused on reminding the Jewish people how God wants us to live, and their messages are at the heart of Reform Judaism.
 

• The practice of prayer can help me grow through personal reflection, can increase my connection to the Jewish people, and can strengthen my relationship with God. 

• We are all part of K'lal Yisrael and have a responsibility to actively support and sustain the Jewish community through acts of g’milut chasadim.

• Agricultural Law and Social Justice in Israel: What makes Israel unique? What does living in a Jewish land demand of the Jewish people? What challenges and opportunities do Eretz Yisrael and M’dinat Yisrael present to Judaism and Jews? How does Torah guide us to live in Israel? How can we make sure that the country takes care of all of its people? What difficulties are there in doing so?
• Defending Israel: How can and how should Israel protect and defend its people? What difficulties and moral issues are there in doing so?
• Arabs and Jews in Israel: In what ways is the experience of a member of the Arab minority in Israel similar to and different from the experience of a Jew or other minorities in North America?

Grades 6 & 7

• Studying Jewish texts allows us to explore our relationship with God and reflect on the ways God is continuously revealed to others and to ourselves.
 

Avodah

• Avodah is the work we do, by exploring our personal and communal role in Revelation, to find sacred connections to God, community and self.
 

G'milut Chasadim

• We can experience God in our world, in others and within ourselves by engaging in acts of g’milut chasadim.
 

• Living in the Promised Land: Why do Jews regard themselves as being connected to the Land of Israel? Where and when does God promise the Land of Israel to the Jewish people? How is the belief in God’s promise of the land reflected in our history and prayers? In what ways have the Jewish people actualized God’s promise?
• Living in the Promised Land: The Rise of Modern Zionism: How is Zionism related to God’s promise of the land? What new ideas did Zionism add to the historic and religious attachment Jews felt for the Land of Israel? Does God’s promise of land require any specific action from the Jewish people? In what way have the Jewish people actualized God’s promise? How did Zionism affect the way Jews saw themselves and their mission?
• Living in the Promised Land: Water for Life: What role does water/rain serve in Jewish text sources? What is the issue of water so important to the State of Israel? What are the water sources in Israel today?

Grades 8 - 10

 

 

Our post Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah students have a special opportunity to explore what is most important to them. Based on their understanding of Jewish values, they will delve into discovering "Where Do You Give?" -- a groundbreaking new curriculum created by the American Jewish World Service.

 

They will be empowered to claim their own tzedakah priorities in connection with contemporary issues that matter to them. They will be on the cutting edge by integrating social media with Jewish text, history, culture and values. They will create lasting change by bringing their own young voices into a national conversation about tzedakah. They will make a real and deep impact on the way our community thinks about giving.

 

 

Confirmation - Grade 10

10th graders are an integral part of our YAFE program and attend Sunday mornings throughout the year. In addition, they have a special confirmation class that meets on Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Rabbi Gottlieb, beginning in January 2013.

Important dates/meetings with the Rabbi:
        January 9. 16, 23, 30 & February 6, 13, 20, 27
        March 6, 13, 20 [no class March 27 & April 3]
        April 10, 17, 24
        May 1, 8 [no class May 15 = day 1 Shavuot]

Please make note that the confirmation service (which will be led, in part, by your child) will take place on Friday, May 17, 2013, and will be part of the Friday Night Feast for that month.