Scope and Sequence

Here's the Scope and Sequence I designed for our hypothetical school, based on the Mission Statement in my preceding post.

Grade - K/1 (Yr A) [Note: Since this is a combined class, there needs to be a Year A and a Year B, so that students don't repeat exactly the same information each year]

• Text - Creation to Joseph (Let's Discover the Bible, Set 1)
• Holidays & Values - Let's Discover the Holidays
• Spirituality - Let's Discover God
• Hebrew - Oral Hebrew Language, focus on Family, School, & Body words
• Israel - Places in Israel

Grade - K/1 (Yr B)

• Text - Moses through Writings (Let's Discover the Bible, Set 2)
• Holidays & Values - Let's Discover Shabbat; Whole School materials: Symbols
• Hebrew - Oral Hebrew Language, focus on Colors, Numbers, Holiday words
• Israel - Our Jerusalem
• Jewish Experiences - Let's Discover the Synagogue

Grade - 2

• Text - Creation, Noah
• Holidays & Values - Let's Celebrate the Holidays; BJL Values
• Spirituality - BJL God
• Hebrew - Oral Hebrew Language, focus on Holdays, animals, home, weather; incorporate easy sentences
• Jewish Experiences - Let's Explore Being Jewish

Grade - 3

• Text - Lech Lecha, Joseph
• Holidays & Values - Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur
• Spirituality - I Have Some Questions About God
• Hebrew - Z'man Likro
• Israel - The Great Israel Scavenger Hunt

Grade - 4

• Text - Being Torah
• Holidays & Values - Chanukah & Purim
• Spirituality - Partners with God
• Hebrew - Hineini 1
• Jewish Experiences - The Life Cycle Journey

Grade - 5

• Text - Exodus
• Holidays & Values - Sukkot, Pesach, Yom Ha'Atzmaut
• Hebrew - Hineini 2
• Israel - Artzeinu
• Jewish Experiences - Out of Spain: Celebrating Sephardic Culture

Grade - 6

• Text - A Topical Bible
• Holidays & Values - Simchat Torah
• Hebrew - Hineini 3
• Jewish Experiences - Challenge & Change, Vol 3

Grade - 7

• Text - Think Prophets
• Holidays & Values - Rediscovering the Jewish Holidays
• Israel - History of Israel; Matsav
• Jewish Experiences - Klal Yisrael

Grade 8 - Judaism & Human History

Grade 9 - Why Be Different?

Grade 10 - Apples and Oranges

Grades 11/12 - Hot Topics

Initially, one of the parameters for this hypothetical school was that it would meet two hours a week. After looking at the Mission Statement, the materials available, etc., I arbitrarily decided to have K-7 meet 2.5 hours a week. That decision would never be made so quickly or easily in real life ::grin:: but, hey -- this is a "hypothetical school" and it made things much easier for the purposes of this training exercise.

If you'll compare the curricular materials to the Mission Statement, you'll see that it's a pretty good match. The one topic area covered (actually quite extensively, given the amount of time available for study) not mentioned specifically in that document is the area of Israel. Nominally, at the very least, it could be encompassed in the "social studies" aspect of the curriculum. I've chosen to separate it out because I think an understanding and awareness of Israel is a key component in helping our young men and women understand World Jewry of today.

In our lab session of our Teaching Teachers class, we'll work with the materials from grades K/1 (Yr A), grade 4 and grade 7. That will provide the developmental span I'd like the participants to experience. This Scope and Sequence will enable participants to see how the materials they'll be working with fit into the "big picture."

[NOTE: In "real life," depending on your minhag hamakom / the custom of the place, the educational leader might pass a new curriculum by the lay board charged with oversight for the religious school. I always did: I found it gave me practice explaining why I had made the choices I made, and it enabled the board to speak more knowledgeably about our program.]