Or+Ami

==SPECIAL NOTES: [|Rabbi Carr Officiates]the 5th Grade Wedding Program-April 7, [|Carl Goldstein from Goldstein's Rosenberg Raphael-Sacks]-April 9 ==

General Information
The CD can be used without connecting to the internet, however games cannot be accessed through the "table of contents." Instead the games can only be accessed after the completion of a chapter. There is a "results" page at the end of each lesson and each student can print the progress report. I will accept completed progress reports showing significant learning in that particular lesson or a note from you that your child has practiced as extra credit. Students are also permitted to work ahead of the class by using the program. The publisher of Hineni 2 also has an interactive website with additional activities and information for the students and their families at [|__http://www.behrmanhouse.com/__]. When a student completes a chapter from the CD, the program will produce a progress report. For each chapter completed, those students who bring in a printed progress report showing significant learning will receive extra credit towards their grade. The class takes a test at the completion of each lesson. There will also be supplemental tests that cover a particular element of our studies over a group of lessons, e.g., grammar or reading skills. The tests provide a standardized format by which the students and I can see how their Hebrew language skills are progressing. The test grades are not the students' "class" grades. I understand that each student will progress at different rates especially when studying a foreign language. In determining report card grades, I will also consider classroom participation, completion of assignments and extra credit work. I consider the students' enthusiasm to learn Hebrew to be more important than the rate of their language acquisition; their grades will reflect that, too.
 * USING THE HINENI 2 CD **
 * BEHRMAN HOUSE WEBSITE **
 * EXTRA CREDIT **
 * TESTING **

Current Lesson
Chapter 5 Goals
 * Hineni 2, Chapter 5, Birkat Shalom **
 * Read //Shalom Rav// and //Sim Shalom// fluently.
 * Identify the final blessing of the Amidah as a prayer for peace; peace is the most important blessing for the Jewish people.
 * Recognize that in the evening service this blessing is known as //Shalom Rav//; in the morning service a different form of the prayer is recited—//Sim Shalom//.
 * Recognize the roots //shin-lamed-mem// (“peace,” “harmony,” “completeness,” or “wholeness”); //bet-resh-kaf// (“bless”); //shin-yod-mem// (“put”); //nun-tav-nun// (“give”).
 * Recognize the prefixes //bi-//, //b’-// (“with”), //k’-// (“as”); //v’-// (“and”).
 * Recognize the suffixes //-cha// (“your”), //-nu// (“us” or “our”).
 * Explain the ethical value: //rodef shalom//—seeking peace.

General Information
The textbooks the class will use throughout the year are (1) __The Gift of Wisdom, The Books of Prophets and Writings__ and (2) __The Time of Our Lives, A Teen Guide to the Jewish Life Cycle__. We are also using a specially prepared lesson entitled "Etrog, Palm, Myrtle and Willow" from Torah Aura Productions to encourage an in depth discussion of the Sukkot holiday. __The Gift of Wisdom__ is a text designed to give the fifth grade students an introduction to the Tanach, specifically Prophets and Writings. The class will focus on two overall themes contained in the broad spectrum covered by the material. First it is important to learn that to be holy, to be a hero, to be selected by God for a mission or cause, to be Jewish does not require perfection. The students should learn and understand that even a flawed person can be a leader, a hero, a prophet, and a good person. The second important theme is redemption. The students should learn that there are choices no matter how wonderful or bleak events may appear. They should learn and understand that Judaism teaches that the right path is always available to them, and it is never too late to change. Throughout the school year you will be invited to share in the lessons with your children, sometimes in school and sometimes at home. I hope you accept the opportunity to become a part of the class.
 * The life-cycle portion of the curriculum will explore the importance of life-cycle events to the Jewish people. The students will have a chance to learn not only the traditional customs, but about their own values, goals and unique identity as Jews in the community. We will look into why and how Jews take life events everyone experiences and make them Jewish ones, for example: (1) why Jews don’t just celebrate a birth, they have a brit milah or a simcha bat, (2) why we don’t just celebrate a 13th birthday, but celebrate becoming a bat or bar mitzvah, and (3) what makes a wedding Jewish.**

Niviim and Kituvim

 * The Gift of Wisdom Chapters 7, 8, 9 and 10** **and**

Life Cycle Intensive Now Scheduled--Information and Links below!
We are putting aside our lessons and discussion of the first Kings of Israel, Saul and David and Solomon to focus for about 8 weeks on our Life Cycle Intensive. We will have guest speakers and a very special wedding program with an Or Ami family and officiated by [|Rabbi Carr]. In this program we will study the customs, traditions and Halacha (Jewish law) of life cycle events.

[|Mohel Cantor Mark Kushner]spoke to the class February 26 about circumcision and brit milah.

On Tuesday, April 9, 2013, at about 5:00 p.m., [|Mr. Carl Goldstein from Goldstein's Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks]will speak to the class about death and mourning rituals.

Both [|Mr. Goldstein]and [|Cantor Kushner]give sensitive and informative presentations of these mature topics.

THE WEDDING PROGRAM: On Sunday, April 7, 2013, at about 9:30 a.m., the fifth grade class has the great privilege of hosting a real wedding. [|Rabbi Carr]will officiate. We will also host a reception after the ceremony.

YOU ARE INVITED AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND EACH OF THESE PROGRAMS!
=...AND THEN BACK TO THE GIFT OF WISDOM= When we return to our study of the Kings after Pesach we will reference Chapters 7, 8, 9 and 10 of The Gift of Wisdom. Objectives of these chapters are the following:


 * Identify the historical period of the Kings.
 * Recognize and explain the dilemma of a monarchy (e.g., for Jews God is King so the monarchy creates a conflict, a king will tax and conscript men into service, on the other hand the Israelites wanted a political system compatible with their neighbors in order to better conduct diplomacy).
 * Identify Saul as a tragic figure whose reign was compromised and cut short by his personal failings, including paranoid jealousy and mismanagement.
 * Identify David as an "underdog" hero who is considered Israel's greatest King.
 * Identify the goal of David's reign asuniting all the tribes of Israel into one Kingdom.
 * Identify Jerusalem as the capital of David's unified Kingdom.
 * Relate the story of David and Bathsheba.
 * Know David's accomplishments and transgressions.
 * Identify Solomon as the monarch under whom the Jerusalem Temple was built.
 * Understand the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem as a major transition in Jewish religious life (e.g., the centralization of sacrificial rituals and religious power).
 * Give an example of Solomon's wisdom.
 * Associate the end of Solomon's reign with the collapse of the united Israelite kingdom.

One of the most important themes of the discussions of the first three kings of Israel is the balancing of their human failings with the their status as kings and prophets, especially David, who is considered the greatest king. The class has been discussing and will continue to discuss the idea of how we can have personal relationships with God even if we are not perfect.

Some of the class activities for these lessons will include identifying "underdogs," creating the most beautiful home for the most important person (or people) they know, skits and vignettes incorporating midrashic elements (the students will "fill in the blanks" of the Biblical narrative and create their own explanations of the stories).


 * Recent Lessons**

=
The class is discussing Samson as a warrior and judge. Samson was chosen by God to lead the Jewish people and defeat the Phillistines. Yet he was a womanizer, a practical joker, and inhumane to animals. The students compared Samson's characteristics as a judge and leader with their ideas and ideals of the characteristics of a leader and we discussed the lessons we could derive from that (e.g., you do not have to be perfect to have a realtionship with God or to be a great leader). We also discussed the idea of a Nazir and identified the ways Samson fit or did not fit that role.======

The class has been having fun performing dramatic readings from the Samson story in the Tanach. We are moving onto Chapter Four of The Gift of Wisdom--Judges: Deborah and Gideon. Objectives of this chapter are the following: The lesson begins with the question, "how do you think you would act or react if God or a messenger from God asked you to do something or go on a mission or lead the Jewish people?" The students are encouraged to think about and consider their reactions "right now," "when you are thirteen," and "when you are forty." I'll get back to you about their answers.
 * The Gift of Wisdom-Chapter 4**
 * Define Judge or Shophet as a strong military and civic leader who guided the Israelites, rallied them together and led them in the conquest of Canaan
 * Identify the pattern of sin and retribution that recur in the story of Israel's growth
 * Recall details from the stories of Deborah and Gideon
 * The Gift of Wisdom-Chapter 2**

We are completing Chapter 2, Joshua, A New Leader For Israel. The objectives of this chapter are the following:
 * Identify Joshua as the leader of Israel after the death of Moses
 * Recognize the "Sinai Peninsula" and the "land of Canaan"
 * Explain the importance of the Land of Israel to the Jewish people in the context of the idea of a Promised Land
 * Learn from the story of Joshua about beginning new situations with courage and positive thinking

The students disussed why Moses was not permitted into the Promised Land. The students thought about how Moses and Joshua communicated with God and conducted "interviews" God and Moses about their thoughts on it. The students then created their own midrashim (explanatory stories) about how God told Joshua to lead the Israelites. The class prepared clever and insightful vignettes to showcase their midrashim (sculptures or scenes created by using classmates as characters and "props").

We are soon moving to Chapter 3, The Walls of Jericho. In this chapter, we will read about how Joshua sent spies into Jericho and how they were protected by a woman who was not an Israelite. We will also read about the defeat of the City of Jericho.

Along with learning about the Jericho story, we will also learn to locate a biblical passage using chapter and verse citations, a very important skill for reading Tanach.