Curriculum at a Glance

Makom’s curriculum is rooted in Project Based Learning. This is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects. Another important aspect of Makom’s curriculum is how we begin by focusing on the needs and experiences of the individual and gradually, over time, expand how our students understand and see themselves as part of a larger community and world. 

 To that end,during K-2^nd grade, Makom students focus on how Judaism might look in their own home and their own lives. Then in 3^rd-5^th grade the students start to focus on their community, followed by 6^th and 7^th grade when the students start to think beyond their immediate community and to the larger Jewish Peoplehood. 

Each Grade will cover: 

Kindergarten and 1^st graders will learn about Jewish traditions at Home and the Jewish holidays. 

2nd graders will learn about the Torah stories in an age-appropriate manner and how they can celebrate the Jewish holidays at home. 

3rd graders will focus on the different life cycle events that a Jewish child/adult will go through. They will learn about naming, bris, B’nei Mitzvah, Confirmation, Weddings, conversion, and the ritual of sitting shiva.  The 3^rd grade project will be putting on a mock Jewish wedding in the Spring that the community will be invited to attend. 

4th graders will be diving into Israel education and learning the weekly Torah portions through acting. The students will be working all year on a play/skit that the community will be invited to in the Spring. 

5th graders will focus on learning more about the people of the Torah.  Diving into how the different characters are connected by blood or marriage. Putting on the persona of a biblical character and thinking about how the character might have felt or thought. The 5^th grade project will be to take part in a mock trial of Caane and Abel. 

6th graders will be taking a step outside of Pennsylvania and learning about the global Jewish community through cooking. Diving into the different spices, tastes, and ingredients that make up different Jewish communities around the globe. The 6^th grade project will be to create a collective cookbook that can be shared with the Adath Israel community.  

7th grade will focus the first half of the year on thinking about their place in the Jewish community, while also preparing for their B’nei Mitzvah. The second half of the year will be spent learning more in-depth about the Holocaust. The 7^th grade project will be a Mitzvah fair at the end of the school year to showcase their B’nie Mitzvah Projects to the wider Makom community. 

Hebrew at Makom: 

Kindergarten through 2^nd Graders focus on learning the Hebrew alphabet, the names and sounds of all the letters and vowels. The kindergarten through 2^nd Graders use the curriculum “Hebrew through Movement,” a language acquisition strategy in which students learn Hebrew by hearing and responding to Hebrew commands. Hebrew through Movement is an adaptation of James J. Asher’s Total Physical Response (TPR). Using our bodies to learn and internalize the Hebrew language. 

Our 3^rd through 6^th graders use a multi-media Hebrew curriculum called Hebrew through Harmony. Our students focus on learning the different prayers that make up our services to better understand not only the Hebrew but also the meaning of each prayer. This curriculum allows our students to become comfortable with the general service that way they feel confident in any Jewish setting.