Curriculum

List of 9 items.

• Chumash

  In 7th grade Chumash we learn Sefer Bmidbar, focusing on Bnei Yisrael’s experience in the desert. We will trace the nations' development, including its growth, setbacks, and relationship with Hashem. We will alternate between in-depth study of the Pesukim and surface-level study.  Our primary goal is to engage in sincerely authentic learning, with both cognitive and affective goals. Cognitively, we will learn the pshat (basic meaning) of the pesukim, and explore the world of Rashi to clarify and deepen our understanding. We will also taste the world of other mefarshim (commentators) to enrich our understanding. We will sharpen our critical thinking and analytical skills, translate words using their shorashim (roots), and develop text-to-text and text-to-self connections. Affectively, the goal is to discover the Torah’s timeless messages, highlight overarching themes, and develop a personal and enduring connection to Torah.

• Engineering

  In 7th grade the students take a STEM rotation in engineering. STEM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The rotation begins with a focus on forensic science. They learn fingerprinting, forensic entomology, handwriting analysis, fiber and hair comparison, ballistics, forensic odontology, and forensic anthropology. We simulate a mock crime scene for the last class in the forensic series. The students use what they have learned to solve the case! The next segment of the engineering rotation concentrates on 3D printing and designing on tinkercad. The students love using the 3D printer and their favorite things to print are definitely phone cases. In the last section of the engineering rotation, students learn to code using scratch and how to design their own video games using flolab. We focus on projects using littlebits and Aurasma.

• English

  ELA 7th Grade Theme: Nature Vs. Nurture: How We Are Shaped By The World Around Us

  There is a rich American tapestry to be found within literature!  Throughout the course of this year, we will examine how the world around us shapes our thinking, matures our convictions, inspires us to raise our own voices in the face of adversity, and aids us in following a meaningful path in life.  We will be revisiting and answering the questions Why am I the person that I am?  How can become who I want to be?  Which values should I embrace? and What actions and events bring me joy and satisfaction?  We will debate Nature vs. Nurture arguments, as we decide how much of our own personalities are innate, and how much is shaped by our nationality, religion, gender, economic status, and family dynamic.  We will be exploring a wonderful variety of genres, including novels, poetry, short stories, music lyrics, graphic novels, non-fiction, news and magazine articles, primary sources, biographies, and art.

• Gemara

  7th grade Gemara picks up where 6th grade left off, engaging the Torat ha’Amorim - the teachings of the Amoraim.  After spending the last two years being introduced to Mishnah and Gemara through the creative and thoughtful “Vishinantam” curriculum, this year we will be focusing on the final piece of the puzzle - the Gemara itself. Students in the 7th grade receive their first Gemarot and will divide their time between two major areas of focus: the “Vidi barta Bam” skills program and sugyot in the third and fourth chapters of Masechet Rosh HaShana.  

  There are 4 goals we have in mind for our 7th grade Gemara students:

   

  1) Dveykut - Students will understand that learning Gemara is an incredibly deep way of connecting to Hashem (G-d). Our Sages were men of tremendous wisdom and divine inspiration, and through learning their words, we grab onto their coattails and ride the wave of Dveykut  (connection to Hashem). Through this, learning Gemara, and more importantly Torah throughout life becomes a primary focus and consistent drive.

   

  2) Development - continued development of skills in identifying parts of the Gemara. Through this, it is the hope that our students gain the confidence to open any Gemara and feel comfortable navigating the page and approaching the seeming web of complexity. Textually, the students will focus on the statements of the Amoraim, and will learn how to identify and classify statements of the Amoraim. This will build on their previous learning of Torat ha’Tannaim - the teachings of the earlier Sages in the Mishna and Braitot (Mishnayot that did not make it into the Mishna).

   

  3) Reinforcement - reinforcing the skills through learning selected sugyot in Masechet Rosh HaShana.  Students will be challenged to think about halachik questions around topics that are familiar.  This will broaden their knowledge and respect for the process by which halacha is developed. An added bonus is that the Amoraim are famous for their life-lesson statements on appropriate conduct towards our fellow man, ourselves, and most importantly, towards Hashem.

   

  4) 21st Century Torah Learner - students will continue to expand their digital footprint in Torah resources. Along with chabad.org, we will hopefully gain familiarity and fluency in resources like Sefaria.org, a website designed for accessing a treasure trove of Torah with both Hebrew and English versions.

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• Hebrew

  Goals: To increase and foster the students’ connection to and love for Eretz Yisrael and to develop and strengthen their ability to use modern Ivrit through: reading, writing, speaking, listening, current events, geography, culture, and conversation.

  
  The focus of the year will be מנהיגים ומקומות, Leaders and Places, and will include text study, articles, songs, stories, and more. Students will learn about leaders in various fields and their contributions to Eretz Yisrael, and about various places where those leaders took action, had responsibility, and how those places commemorate and represent their legacies. Holiday units will connect to the leaders. Current events will be presented by the students on a bi-weekly rotating basis. Students will independently read and prepare book reports during the year. 

• Math

  The goals for the upcoming year as outlined by the New York State Department of Education include:
  
  1) To make sense of problems and persevere in solving them;
  2) To reason abstractly and quantitatively;
  3) To model with mathematics;
  4) To use appropriate math tools;
  5) To attend to precision;
  6) To look for and make use of structure; and
  7) To look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. 

• Navi

  Building on the students' knowledge of ספרשמואלא, we aim to cover the second book of שמואל, focusing on the historical content of the ספר, as well as the religious guidance that it offers us today, on both an individual and a nationalistic level.  Emphasis is placed on the skills necessary to independently understand the storyline of the נביא, as well as to appreciate the role of the מפרשים in the process of learning תנ”ך. Our classroom uses a variety of modalities in order to enhance our learning. These include: frontal lessons, חברותא learning, cooperative group instruction, smartboard lessons, and creative assignments (projects, skits, etc.)

   

• Science

  Throughout the course of the year, the students will use and learn mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions in the physical science field.  They will also hone in on ideas through reasoning, research, and discussions with others, including experts. The students will learn the scientific method and use it to solve real problems through experimentation. They will understand the principles of Motion, Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration. The students will learn about the SI unit system and use it in mathematical calculations. They will understand Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation and be able to explain the relationships among the forces acting on and between objects, their masses, and changes in their motion. The students will have a solid understanding of what work and power mean in scientific terms. They will learn about simple machines and how they are used in the real world. The students will learn that energy exists in many forms such as thermal, potential, kinetic, etc. The students will participate in weekly STEM projects that will inspire their interest in the growing field of Technology. 

• Social Studies

  In accordance with the 7th grade New York State curriculum, students will explore the history, geography, government and economy of the United States from pre-Columbian times to the 19^th century.  Students need to understand why the content they are learning is important and how it relates to their lives and the world around them.  Therefore, the content will be presented in a wider context so that the past will be connected to the present.  American History will be brought alive by having students write and perform original songs about the content, make animated presentations and videos and write and perform in historical plays.

  Units of study include: Meso-American Civilizations, Exploration, the 13 Colonies, Life in the Colonies, the American Revolution, the Constitution, American Government, the Early Republic, the Age of Jackson, Reform Movements and Westward Expansion.   Lessons will provide students with various opportunities to acquire and develop a variety of intellectual skills that will help them analyze the continuum of events from past to present.  Some of these skills include: forming and justifying arguments, analyzing primary and secondary sources, interpreting maps and locating specific places.
  
  

  Lessons will also emphasize the choices and actions individuals took that shaped America.  This will help students understand that “history did not just happen; it was made - made by real people who faced real challenges, who had uncertainty about the future, just as we do today” (Graseck, 2008, p.2). Just like the individuals of the past, students have a place in making the choices that will become the history of tomorrow.  Essentially, students will explore the past to understand the present and shape the future.