6th Grade

The sixth grade curriculum focuses on the Jewish life cycle, and revisits the Jewish holidays from a more mature perspective. Students will learn about the following lifecycle events: entering into the covenant through Jewish ritual, becoming a B’nai Mitzvah, Confirmation, a Jewish wedding and divorce, conversion, keeping kosher, aging, and death, through discussions, mock lifecycle rituals, speakers, and trips. Students make their own wimpels, Torah binders, hold a model bris, with mohel Barry Meisel, visit a local mikveh, hear from a panel of converts from Temple Beth El, hold a mock wedding, and hear about Jewish mourning rituals from Stephanie Garry of the Plaza Jewish Community Chapel. They also meet with a mashgiach, kosher supervisor, visit Ben’s Kosher Deli and participate in a kosher grocery store scavenger hunt. The holiday portion of the class will inspire students to honor and explore the meaning of the Jewish holidays with the goal of making each Jewish holiday more personalized. Sixth graders spend a significant amount of time exploring Purim.

In Hebrew, sixth graders will continue to explore Hebrew prayer through the utilization of Berhman Houses’ Hineini Level 2 textbook. Many students will be able to read/chant the following prayers: Avot/Imahot, Gevurot, Torah Blessings, Haftarah Blessings, and the Four Questions. Most students will be able speak about the meaning and history of these prayers, and some of the most advanced students will be able to translate the prayers based upon an understanding of the Hebrew roots system, also used in Modern Hebrew. Sixth graders and their parents will participate in a few family learning sessions with Rabbi Jaffe to increase their understanding of Shabbat liturgy that is used as a part of the bar and bat mitzvah service. Families will also participate in the sixth grade Mitzvah Corps Orientation for the majority of a Saturday during the spring of their sixth grade year, where they will volunteer with their families and peers at different sites around our community and learn about the seventh grade Mitzvah Corps program. Sixth graders will help to lead services at one of the First Friday Shabbat Services.  

·         Trip to Ben’s Deli in Scarsdale on Thursday, March 22^nd.

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