Religious School
Hebrew
Hebrew is taught in our school through two (2) separate series that we have successfully intertwined to complement each other.
Our main thrust in on TaL AM. Originally developed in Canada, TaL AM (an acronym that stands for curriculum, learning, Hebrew and heritage) was designed to teach students in Jewish Day Schools. TaL AM is a whole language program designed to teach Hebrew, holidays and much more. This curriculum is based on the principles of communicative-heritage language acquisition. It activates learning in all frames of mind by utilizing a wide range of activities for all modes of communication and integrates Hebrew language acquisition, the development of Jewish concepts and values, and reading and writing skills. In accordance with these principles, the program creates a visual and aural Hebrew environment in the classroom that is monitored in the students’ materials, thus extending its use into the home and enhancing retention and reinforcing the learning process. It offers a variety of stories, Jewish sources, prayers and blessings, as well as songs, recitations and plays which are age-appropriate and which aim to develop the child and his/her Jewish identity.
In 1998, our Director of Education, Leah Beker, along with the TaL AM founders and educators, “tailored” the program to meet congregational (supplementary) school needs. This allowed the full day school program to be taught with our limited teaching hours. All of our TaL AM teachers are certified by the program and continually have their training updated.
The goal of TaL Am is LIMUD
L efateach - to develop
I (Y)elud Yehudi - a Jewish Child
M askil - who is literate
U masur Bechol - committed and
D rachav - skilled to live Jewishly
TaL AM is composed of the following attributes:
- Curriculum – this attribute deals with thinking and learning skills, language skills, children’s literature, integration, making connections between home and school, bridging gaps, using Jewish sources, concepts and values.
- Learning – Using active learning is the key to TaL AM as well as fostering communication skills (listening comprehension, oral communication, reading and reading comprehension and functional and creative writing) and constant and consistent monitoring of progress and evaluation.
- Hebrew – TaL AM uses the fundamental principles of language development, language patterns proper grammar, spelling and literature.
- Heritage – Combines the traits of Torah, T’filah, Shabbat, holidays, mitzvot, Jewish laws and customs and sensitivity and respect for the versatile Jewish experience.
This is all done through the all-inclusive program in which Hebrew (and the rest of the subjects) is taught in Hebrew. TaL AM is organized into four inter-related tracks.
- Shalom – Daily life in class, at home and outdoors.
- Shabbat Shalom – Shabbat and the weekly Torah reading.
- Chag Sameach – Jewish holidays and festivals.
- Ariyot Koreh Vekotev – Development of Hebrew reading, writing and language skills.
Through the use of all four thematic tracks, the students learn and experience concepts, values, children’s literature, prayers, blessings, laws and customs in Hebrew, and develop Hebrew literacy and language skills.
Hineni – The New Hebrew Through Prayer, our second series presents the Shabbat Morning Service in its exact order; prayers, blessings, and songs for home observance of Shabbat and the holidays; and selections from the Friday Night Service and Hallel. Students will learn to read fluently from the siddur, translate key words, understand the themes of the prayers, place the prayers in the sequence of the service, and actively participate in synagogue services.
Special features of the series:
- Presents several prayers (Shema, Ve'ahavta, Mi Chamochah) in their original context-the actual page from the Torah
- Isolates and reviews common prayer-reading problems, such as visually similar letters, providing reinforcement throughout
- Milon – Dictionary for easy look-up of prayer words
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