GAN (K)

Beginning to explore, “I am Jewish!”—What does it mean for myself, my family and my community?

TOPICS:

Torah stories (Genesis), holidays, Modern Hebrew, Tefillah, the synagogue

SCHEDULE:

Wednesdays: 4-5:45/6 PM

BIG IDEAS:

• We learn about being Jewish from family, friends, teachers and our synagogue.

• Jews celebrate special holidays and read special stories in the Torah.

• Hebrew is the language that Jews speak, and I can speak it, too!

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

• What does it mean to be Jewish?

• What are Jewish holidays and how do we celebrate them?

• What are Jewish stories? How do we learn about them?

• What is a synagogue all about?

OBJECTIVES:

Students will learn how to…

• Identify ideas, mitzvot and objects associated with holidays.

• Celebrate major Jewish holidays (calendar split between Gan and Kitah Aleph).

• Use basic Hebrew phrases to greet people, identify people/places, refer to colors and numbers, and identify ideas, mitzvot and objects associated with holidays.

Students will understand that…

• Each Jewish holiday has its own story, mitzvot, and ways that we celebrate it.

• Torah stories teach us about what it means to be Jewish.

• Hebrew is the language that Jews from all over the world can use to communicate.

Students will believe that…

• It is fun to be Jewish!

• We do “Jewish things” with family, friends, and our synagogue community.

• People at our synagogue care about them.

• We celebrate holidays with other people to share our joy.