OverView

If I am not for myself, who is for me? Jewish Studies brings together texts and history giving students a more complete **holistic learning experience** providing a **global view** of situations and issues and **making connections between the disciplines**. The lessons are designed for students to become **knowledgeable thinkers and develop a natural curiosity and love of learning.**
 * Finding your own voice **

By looking at the whole picture and not just individual snapshot of people, events or stories students learn about **their own and others’ social and national cultures**. They are able to **explore** and **communicate through multiple forms**, expressing their **knowledge** and **skills**.

The study of texts and history lead to **understandings** that allow each student to grow as a **principled, open-minded, and caring global citizen**, **knowledgeable**, **skilled** and confident in their own cultural background and who they are. Written and oral **reflection** gives students the opportunity to **thoughtfully consider** the affect of the unit and how **they have changed by the learning experience as a student and as a person.**

The 6th Grade Jewish Studies explores the theme of Finding your Own Voice which is based on the teaching of the Sages: If I am not for myself, who is for me? Students first build a foundation of who they are. The first step of understanding and appreciating the world around them is to know who they are. The class looks at the characteristics of; personal responsibility, confidence, and how they identify themselves. Students primarily study Biblical texts. **__ Understanding: __**

S tudents should understand that ¨ who they are reflects/affects the way they think, feel and act. ¨ their personal, family history and heritage affect/reflect in them. ¨ they are responsible for their actions and their consequences. ¨ the consequences of their actions are directly related to their thoughts, feelings and actions.

**__ Essential Questions: __**

How does who I am reflect/affects the way I think, feel and act? How is my personal, family history and heritage affect/reflect in me? Am I really responsible for my actions and their consequences? Are my actions directly related to my thoughts, feelings and actions? Fall: The Life of Avraham ** From the first test of “leave your birthplace” to the final one, Akeidat Yitzchak, the binding of Yitzchak students explore the themes of finding your own identity, responsibility to yourself and your community, and becoming an advocate for yourself and your needs. Students are encouraged to develop skills that will enable them to become productive members of the society. ** ** Student begin to take more responsibility for their learning, developing and implementing “action plans” and schedules, self evaluate their performance and make connections between subject areas by applying skills in new subject areas. **

Winter: Moshe Rabbeinu ** Students study the transition of Moshe Rabbeinu from a person of “heavy of speech” believing he was unqualified to confront Paroh to someone who quickly and confidently pleads to Hashem to save the Bnei Yisrael after the story of the Eigel. ** ** Students learn about healthy confidence and **** their place within their community and how they can act in with confidence to make a positive difference. ** Students reflect seeking out positive criticism, reflecting on areas of perceived limits and working towards improvement. Students practice properly citing biblical sources and analyze the text to gain various points of perspective.

King David ** The adventures of King David tell the story of someone who was willing to “step up to the plate” and do what was right even when it was unpopular, and when things went wrong he took responsibility for it without “passing the buck.” In this unit students reflect on parallels in their own and lives and explore what it means to be principled, productive members of the society. ** ** Students practice goal setting and organizational skills. They are given the opportunity to present their material using a variety of media. Students study stories from both the Bible and textbooks, making connections between a variety of sources. ** **__ Skills: __** Navigate the Tanach Outline narrative flow of a story Outline historical period/reference of each story Identify key biblical figures and places Critically read Tanach - ask questions and contribute ideas Analyze what is read Commentators provide interpretations of the text. There can be multiple interpretations to a given text. There may be more then one answer. Compare and contrast commentaries, answers and opinions Draws connection between text and personal experience Find personal meaning from studies/readings Reflect on personal history Reflect on actions and work towards improvement