About Third Grade

The Hebrew Language program is driven by the belief that mastery of Hebrew will promote students’ understanding of their history, culture and tradition, excite them about lifelong Jewish learning, foster a sense of belonging to the Jewish people, and cultivate strong ties with Medinat Israel (the State of Israel) and Am Israel (the Jewish people).

The multi-dimensional program focuses on the four major communication skills — listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Student language acquisition is promoted through immersion in the target language and exposure to everything from classical Hebrew texts to Israeli music, and from historical documents to poetry and drama.

The curriculum is sequential and based on a structured linguistic progression. Lessons are centered on themes of interest to children, ranging from the child’s close surroundings, leisure activities to friendship and freedom. Each theme is presented using different instructional approaches so that the student will have multiple options for taking in the information, absorb it naturally, and use it effectively in the appropriate settings.

Through this curriculum students will

• Construct a sentence using the appropriate pronouns
• Incorporate new vocabulary into simple conversation
• Describe what they are able/not able to do
• Read with expression
• Understand actions taken at various times of the day
• Write sentences that indicate periods of time
• Describe playing with friends
• Explain what they like to do after school
• Describe specific animals and their environments
• Use the Hebrew word “shell” properly
• Express wishes by using the word “want” in its correct form
• Converse with an adult
• Give instructions
• Interview someone met for the first time
• Write questions
• Write a conversation with a friend who is sick
• Sing the song “And you shall love your friend as yourself”
• Write more than five sentences about themselves
• Write more than five sentences about a friend
• Understand and explain the concept of before and after
• Write a recipe
• Write a descriptive paragraph
• Find words that they are familiar with in the Siddur
• Compare life in Israel to life in the USA
• Talk about lessons learned from short stories

Tanach (Bible) study is universally at the core of Jewish day school curricula across denominations as befitting our identification as the “People of the Book”. As such, its main objective is to help students become independent readers of the biblical text in Hebrew, developing skills to navigate through the text as well as increasing their familiarity with the different stories.

Through their studies, students will learn to appreciate Tanach as a multi-vocal text and as the formative narrative of the Jewish people. They will be able to understand and value the central importance of the Land of Israel in shaping the historical, theological and sociological experiences of the Jewish people throughout time. The students will develop an appreciation for the sacredness of Tanach as the primary record of the meeting between G-d and the people of Israel and as an essential text through which Jews continue to grapple with theological, spiritual, and existential questions. Students will understand, through the study of Tanach and its interpretations, the role of mitzvot (commandments) in the shaping of the ethical character and religious practices of the individual and the Jewish people. They will develop a love of Tanach study for its own sake and embrace it as an inspiring resource, informing their values, moral commitments, and ways of experiencing the world.

Creation, Abraham

Through this curriculum students will

• Read text accurately and fluently
• Identify difficulties in text
• Cite textual quotations to support opinions
• Make inferences from the text/story of Creation about G-d
• Describe what do we learn about G-d from the story of creation
• Describe the order of the first story of creation
• Describe the relationships between man and animals
• Compare the two stories of creation
• Describe the partnership between man and G-d
• Describe the relationship between man and woman
• Find the key word that is the central idea of the text
• Suggest what can be learned from the story about the human’s nature
• Explain the attributes of G-d as a parent-guardian
• Describe the covenant between G-d and Avram
• Describe the relationship between G-d and Avram
• Identify the two promises G-d made Avraham
• Describe the importance of these promises
• Explain why the words “brit” and “between” repeat
• Explain the “brit” as a source for Mitzvot
• Explain the importance of the “brit” to Avraham to the Land of Israel

The study of Jewish Tradition is designed to provide students with the core knowledge, skills, and perspectives that will enable them to be active participants and potential leaders of the Jewish community. Gesher’s students are engaged in a variety of significant cultural, religious and academic activities that allow them develop an understanding of and appreciation for Jewish history and culture as expressed through our prayers, our sacred texts, and our religious rituals. Throughout these experiences, students will develop a strong sense of Jewish identity and pride. Students will incorporate Jewish practices and Jewish values in their lives. By studying Jewish communities around the world and throughout time, our students come to learn about the multiple perspectives existing within Judaism while respecting individual traditions in their home and synagogue environment. Families play an important role as participants in school life and as partners in Jewish learning.

Students continue their study of holiday rituals and customs. To help students gain knowledge and understanding of text study, class discussions, review activities, and art projects are used. For each Jewish holiday, students study one prayer recited on that holiday, a section of the Torah which talks about the holiday, and learn holiday songs.

• The Jewish Calendar
• Holiday customs for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
• The process of teshuvah
• Book of Jonah
• Sukkot
• Simchat Torah
• Chanukah
• Tu B’Shevat
• Purim
• Passover
• Yom Ha’atzmaut
• Lag Ba’Omer
• Shavuot

Through this curriculum students will

• Distinguish between the solar and lunar calendars
• Identify the lunar calendar as the basis of the Jewish calendar
• Describe the process of preparing to do teshuvah
• Explain the significance of the Yom Kippur customs
• Explain the concept and significance of “the G-d of Forgiveness” (Eloha Selichot)
• Retell the story of Jonah and describe its connection to the process of teshuvah
• Explain how sitting in the Sukkah connects us to the Israelites’ experience of wandering in the desert
• Understand the connection between the farmer’s dependence upon G-d and the Israelites’ dependence upon G-d during their understand the symbolism of the lulav and etrog
• Explain the connection between the lulav and etrog and the land of Israel
• Explain the importance of the Torah to the Jewish people
• Describe the Chanukah miracles
• Describe the difference between Menorah and Chanukiah
• Describe the requirements for Kosher Chanukiah
• List the seven species
• Explain their connection to Tu B’Shevat
• Identify and recite the bracha for each of the seven species
• Read and translate Deut. 8:8 — the first mention of the seven species of Israel
• Retell the story in their own words
• Recite the appropriate blessing for the holiday
• Explain the concept of “All the Jews are responsible for each other”
• Give examples from the Meggilah (The story of Esther) that demonstrate this concept
• List and explain the four names of the holiday
• Describe and explain the Israelites’ experience from slavery to freedom
• Describe and explain the symbols of the Seder plate and their connection to the different names of the holiday
• Explain the importance of the land of Israel to the Jewish people
• Outline major events that led to the establishment of the Modern Israel
• Tell the story of Rabbi Akiva and the plague that ended on Lag Ba’Omer
• Explain how counting the Omer is connected to Shavuot
• List and explain the different names of the holiday
• Tell in their own words the story of Ruth
• Explain the connection between the story of Ruth and Shavuot
• Explain the connection between the historical events of Pesach and the holiday of Shavuot

The study of Jewish Tradition is designed to provide students with the core knowledge, skills, and perspectives that will enable them to be active participants and leaders of the Jewish community. Gesher’s students are engaged in a variety of significant cultural, religious and academic activities that allow them develop an understanding of and appreciation for Jewish history and culture as expressed through our prayers, our sacred texts, and our religious rituals. Throughout these experiences, students will develop a strong sense of Jewish identity and pride. Students will incorporate Jewish practices and Jewish values in their lives. By studying Jewish communities around the world and throughout time, our students come to learn about the multiple perspectives existing within Judaism while respecting individual traditions in their home and synagogue environment. Families play an important role as participants in school life and as partners in Jewish learning. The curriculum enables the children to learn how to chant and understand the common morning prayers. It also provides students with the opportunity to understand and practice the blessings for food, holidays and special occasions. Students learn the Amidah prayer, and they lead the community in their Amidah Siyum special service.

Through this curriculum students will

• Read and sing the daily Amidah through the fourth brachah
• Describe the structure of the daily Amidah
• Describe the different methods for learning that G-d gave to human beings
• Define the term “Teshuvah”
• Explain the process of Teshuvah
• Explain how the Jewish tradition challenges us to imitate G-d and helps us to be forgiving in our relationships with others
• Give examples from Jewish history that our faith in G-d helps us in time of difficulty
• Give examples of ways the healing powers in our bodies are part of G-d’s power to heal
• Explain the connection between the blessing before we eat and “Mevarech Hashanim”
• Explain and give examples of exile (galut)
• Explain life in exile and how living in Israel solves the problems of “exile” for Jews
• Give examples from Jewish History of the time when Jews suffered from brutal persecution
• List qualities of character that are important in making a person a Tzadik (righteous)
• Explain the word Messiah and connect the term to the descendants of David
• Explain the important vision which the prophets of Israel gave to the Jewish people as the hope for a time when human beings would live in peace, justice and mutual understanding
• Explain how G-d hears us and answers our prayers
• Explain the concept of the Avodah in the time of the Temples
• Explain the concept of the Avodah today
• Give examples of how the concept of Avodah today enables Judaism to survive
• List the things we are thankful for
• Describe how the prayer of thanksgiving deepens our awareness of the wonders of life
• Define the word “shalom”
• Describe the relationship between the Torah and the achievement of shalom
• Give examples of mitzvot that help us achieve shalom
• Lead the school community in the recitation of the Amidah