Academics
Hebrew
Hebrew Curriculum
Hebrew Language Curriculum Overview K-12
Through the mastery of the Hebrew language, our aim is to enable our students to connect to their Jewish tradition and peoplehood, and have a richer relationship with the people and culture of Israel.
Donna Klein Jewish Academy students are exposed to Hebrew language from the moment they enter our school building every day. Hebrew greetings of “Boker tov” mingle with English wishes of “Good morning.” Hallway walls feature student work exploring Hebrew language and culture, and voices are raised in song during morning Tefila. Stepping into Hebrew classrooms, students are immersed in the language, from the early years of letter recognition and simple words, to the later years of complex dialogues, stories and essays.
The goals of the Hebrew language curriculum at Donna Klein Jewish Academy are two-fold:
to foster a love of the Hebrew language and to encourage the development of effective communication skills.
Our Hebrew language instruction is focused on developing all four skills of second-language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as learning about Israel and Israeli culture. Our curriculum was inspired by The Hebrew Proficiency Guidelines by American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Our selection of homogeneous groups available to accommodate different levels of students’ Hebrew proficiency in grades K - 12 and our comprehensive and intensive curriculum of five times a week was positively recognized at our last accreditation.
In grades K-4, our Tal Am Hebrew program offers a Hebrew and Heritage curriculum, which develops Jewish knowledge, language skills, and identity. The program involves the learners through a gradual process, with a holistic and spiral curriculum. It activates learning in all frames of mind by utilizing a wide range of activities for all modes of communication integrating Hebrew language acquisitions, the development of Jewish concepts and values, and reading and writing skills.we incorporate games, literature, poetry, movement and drama to build vocabulary and provide opportunities for students to speak Hebrew in various settings.
Middle and high school Hebrew classes are centered on themes of interest to teenagers, Each theme is presented in context students relate to and understand. Hebrew language classes in the middle and high school are also about modern Israeli culture as learning culture enhances the learning of the language. Each unit of study incorporates art, music, prose, poetry, news articles, and Jewish texts. Students learn how use the Hebrew keyboard and how to expand their language skills using the web site and its products as a tool and a vehicle for learning Hebrew.
At the end of eighth grade, it is wonderful to see our students take their classroom knowledge “to the streets” as they readily speak in Hebrew while visiting Israel.
In addition to our selection of homogeneous groups, we offer Honors Hebrew Speakers groups for students who are fluent in the language, feel confident with their Hebrew and would like to challenge themselves with more advanced grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Students enrolled in this level are encouraged to take the Jerusalem Examination and the SAT 2 exam when they reached senior year.
