We are excited to start the 2020-2021 school year! Now, maybe more than ever, community is so important and we hope that by being back at Makom Community (whether in person or virtual), kiddos feel more grounded through community building and Jewish learning. We want to give you a brief overview of what our curriculum will look like this year.
Even though Afterschool Enrichment will feel and look a bit different this year, Makom Community is committed to ensuring that all kiddos are heard, seen, and have fun while engaging with Jewish wisdom, tefilah (prayer), and more. We are also planning to teach Jewish texts through Project Based Learning, where students will have voice and choice about how they showcase their learning as they work through each unit.
We will start the year digging deeper into the idea of working for tzedek (justice). Kiddos will begin to understand that working for tzedek is an ongoing act of love. Through core texts in Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, students will also learn how Torah guides us on our own journeys of pursuing justice. We will regularly be reflecting that back on ourselves as individuals and Makom Community as our laboratory for living and learning.
- We will read the stories of Miriam and Aaron talking poorly about how Moses married a Cushite woman and how only Miriam was punished.
- We will ask how we can stand up to God for justice, be kind to people even if they make a mistake, and hear the concerns of other people.
- We will learn the story of the Spies who traveled to the Land of Canaan to see if Moshe and the Israelities could conquer it as well as the story of the Daughters of Zelophehad and their fight for equity and justice.
Hebrew language will be infused throughout the day from our youngest to our oldest learners. This will look like:
- Letter decoding and recognition (including a review for all students at the beginning of the year)
- Infusing Hebrew vocabulary words throughout the afternoon
- Practice decoding and reading both vocabulary and frequently used words during tefilah (prayer).
As the year progresses, students will also learn about Peace and Conflict through the stories of Yaakov and Esav. Our third theme will be Challenge and Resilience. During this unit, we will learn about key events in Jewish history and time where people have faced challenges and shown resilience.
In this first unit, you might consider discussing some of these things as a family:
- How words, not just actions, have significant effect on people
- What it means to deeply hear other people’s concerns and empathize
- How people learn from their own mistakes and other people’s mistakes
By the end of our first unit, your child will have developed ideas about:
- What it means to live in a just community
- What choices or processes they can participate in to make Makom Community just
- What they can expect from other people in building relationships of love and justice
- People standing up to God for the cause of justice
By the end of this unit, your child will be able to:
- Evaluate leadership strategies that support tzedek (justice)
- Share strategies that help them stay calm when someone wrongs them
Even though parents aren’t entering Makom Community this year, we are getting creative about how parents and families can learn alongside their children. Look out for online blogs, videos, and even virtual showcases through Zoom. If you want to hear more about our upcoming learning, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] and we’ll arrange a walk or outdoor cup of coffee.
Amanda