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Home > What We Do > Learning: Youth > Youth Hebrew Learning

Youth Hebrew Learning

Youth Hebrew Learning

We are changing the way students learn Hebrew at Beth Am! To learn more, read A Different Type of Hebrew School by Sarah Lauing Cohen, Director of Learning and Educational Innovation.

Hebrew Tracks
Sunday Schedule
Wednesday Schedule
Goals
Objectives
Frequently Asked Questions

Hebrew learning at Beth Am follows a “sound-to-print” approach, introducing the sounds of Hebrew early,  by integrating it in Hebrew-rich Youth Education programs for all our Pre-K through 5th graders. Once they have an aural and oral foundation in Hebrew, students have a choice of when and how they learn to read Hebrew:

TRACK 1: Onward Hebrew

TRACK 2: Basic Modern Hebrew

PreK-4th Grade
In the early years, all students build an aural and oral foundation for Hebrew in our Hebrew-rich Youth Education Programs, which include T'filah, Music, Hebrew Through Movement and learning Jewish Life Vocabulary.

Occurs during Sunday Program, Hagigah or Chavurah. No additional registration is required.

3rd-4th Grade
In this optional enrichment program, students learn to read earlier and have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of Modern Hebrew vocabulary. They may begin in either 3rd or 4th Grade and will be placed by level.

Sundays 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM OR as Individual Tutoring. 
 

5th Grade
5th Grade students who have no prior Hebrew reading experience learn the Hebrew letters and build reading skills in this program that teaches Hebrew through active learning modalities.

Sundays as part of Sunday Program OR Wednesdays prior to Hagigah OR as Individual Tutoring. *Additional registration is ONLY required for tutoring.

5th Grade
Students who have been enrolled in the Basic Modern Hebrew track will continue building Hebrew reading and Modern Hebrew vocabulary skills in this enrichment program.

Sundays as part of Sunday Program OR as Individual Tutoring.

 

 

6th-7th Grade
6th and 7th Grade students learn Hebrew in small groups by level, providing an intimate and accelerated environment to learn or reinforce reading skills and explore the meanings of our prayers and key t’filah vocabulary.

Sundays 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM OR as Individual Tutoring.

Beit Midrash
Seven months prior to the date of their B’nei Mitzvah, students switch from 6th-7th Grade Hebrew into Beit Midrash, our cohort-based study hall model for B’nei Mitzvah preparation. Together with their peers, supervised by tutors and madrichim, students learn and practice the prayers they will lead on their B’nei Mitzvah.

Sundays 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. 

Read more about our Beit Midrash and B’nei Mitzvah preparation programs.

For further Youth Education meeting date/time information, please see the 2024-2025 Youth Education Calendar.

Goals

  • Hebrew is the language of our sacred texts, prayers and rituals, the state of Israel, and the shared vehicle for communication among all Jews.
  • The study of Hebrew engenders connections with Judaism and the Jewish community everywhere.  
  • Through learning Hebrew at Congregation Beth Am, students develop a Jewish cultural literacy which deepens their Jewish identity and helps contextualize Jewish values, history, and ritual.  
  • Hebrew learning prepares our young people for active participation in Jewish life, from home holiday observances to milestones like B’nei Mitzvah to prayer spaces they will encounter throughout their adult lives.  

 

OBJECTIVES

Hebrew Reading

  • Identify the names and sounds of Hebrew letters
  • Decode, meaning to sight-read syllables and words
  • Feel confident in their Hebrew decoding skills

Prayer Competency

  • Read and chant prayers for Shabbat morning and
    evening and home blessings
  • Understand key words and themes in Jewish rituals and prayer (Baruch atah Adonai, siddur, etc.)
  • Feel confident in prayer spaces
  • Value Hebrew as a sacred language

Cultural Literacy

  • Use important Jewish words and phrases in Hebrew as part of their Jewish lives (e.g. shanah tovah, haggadah, mazel tov)
  • Understand key modern Hebrew words in conversation ( e.g. todah/ thank you)
  • Sing Hebrew songs
  • Value Hebrew as a relevant part of their Jewish identity

Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the plus symbol to reveal an answer for each question.


A: Since the 2020-2021 school year and continuing into 2022-2023:
  • Clear and realistic goals for Hebrew learning that are in line with our vision for Youth Education
  • Hebrew is integrated into all our Youth Education Programs. Enrollment and tuition have also been integrated so that you will enroll for one program and pay a single fee unless you are choosing Track 2 enrichment options.
  • Students engage with the sounds of Hebrew at an earlier age, experiencing vibrant Hebrew learning through Hebrew Through Movement, t’filah, music, and Jewish Life Vocabulary that is integrated into and connected to Judaic learning.  Students build positive feelings for Hebrew at a young age.
  • Many students wait to learn to read Hebrew until 5th grade, when they have already developed an aural and oral facility with the language, and when they are motivated by an upcoming B’nei Mitzvah. Only families who wish their children to learn the fundamentals of Modern Hebrew speaking and comprehension choose to add a separate Hebrew learning course beginning in 3rd grade.
 

A: There are a few reasons:
  • We want to focus on clear and realistic goals for our programming, understanding the reality of the limitations of our setting. In a few hours per week, we cannot achieve fluency in reading, prayer and Modern Hebrew. The new program will allow us to achieve the goals we really want for our young people.
  • This is an ongoing process of pursuing Jewish educational excellence at Beth Am. The 2016 B’nei Mitzvah Revolution task force made several recommendations toward this model as they did a critical look at our B’nei Mitzvah preparation process, and we were able to pilot some ideas in the 2018-2019 school year. With the arrival of a new Director of Learning and Educational Innovation, we partnered with a task force of parents and teachers to continue to refine the change process.
  • We are part of a national movement of re-visioning Hebrew learning in Jewish education. Educators around the country are finding similar challenges and using sociolinguistic research to find innovative solutions.
 

A: Sunday programs (as well as Hagigah) include several elements:
  • A typical Sunday includes a 15-minute Hebrew through Movement session and a Hebrew-rich t’filah and music session, along with curriculum learning and other specialty sessions like art and library.
  • Track 2 students may add a 45-minute Basic Modern Hebrew class to their Sunday or schedule a 45-minute Hebrew tutoring session at another time during the week.
  • 6th and 7th graders spend 1 hour in Hebrew or Beit Midrash, 45 minutes in t'filah, and one hour and fifteen minutes in a core course,  in addition to a 30-minute structured social moment. 
 

A: To help students build community, we will offer more robust menu of community building opportunities, including Family Shabbat evenings that reinforce prayer learning in real time and demonstrate prayer knowledge by grade level.
 

A: The 6th and 7th grade core curriculum now includes teaching the meanings of the prayers, making them relevant at a middle school level before they begin to practice reciting them for B’nei Mitzvah. Enriched t’filah experiences throughout their time in Youth Education Programs also reinforce the meanings of the prayers.
 

A: We actively work to individually tailor our Hebrew teaching to different types of learners, no matter which track they choose. It is important that we partner with families to make sure we can meet students' needs from the beginning of learning Hebrew all the way through b'nei mitzvah. The more we know ahead of time, the better we can accommodate and customize the Hebrew curriculum to fit your child's needs and style. Please reach out to Alex Lyon or Lauren Bohne to set up a time to talk.
 

A: That’s ok! Please email Alex Lyon or Lauren Bohne to set up a time to discuss your child’s unique situation.
 

A: The new program means that “learning Hebrew” might look different than it used to, and that they are not supposed to be able to recognize letters or read words until later in their education. Ask your child if they can sing any Hebrew songs or prayers or what words they remember about the holidays or Jewish traditions. Remind them that they do know Hebrew even if they can’t yet read, and ensure them that our talented teachers, educators, and clergy will prepare them to read from the Torah and the siddur with plenty of time.
 

A: In Hebrew tutoring, students meet one-on-one with one of our talented Hebrew teachers for 22, 45-minute sessions to learn to read and gain fundamentals of Modern Hebrew language (or achieve additional Hebrew learning goals to be discussed with our educators and the tutor.) Tutoring schedules are determined directly by tutors and parents. Individual tutoring costs $1,550 in addition to Youth Education Program tuition.
 

A: All students will enter the Beit Midrash B’nei Mitzvah prep program seven months prior to their date. Students will remain in Hebrew from the beginning of 6th grade until they enter Beit Midrash. Our hope is that this new program will better prepare our students for the B’nei Mitzvah preparation process.
 

A: We begin teaching Hebrew reading in 5th grade, but students with much earlier B'nei Mitzvah dates may choose to begin Hebrew year. We will be in touch with that group on an individual basis.
Sat, December 21 2024 20 Kislev 5785