Upper Elementary Curriculum
Curriculum for students in Grade 3 to Grade 5.
Grade 3
Humanities
"Revolution: Taking Perspective" invites students to explore the American Revolution and its foundational texts, emphasizing empathy and perspective-taking. This unit enhances students' understanding of historical events, critical thinking, and opinion writing skills. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, personal and social development, and content acquisition, with a special focus on the values of equality and the pursuit of happiness as reflected in the American Revolution. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
How can we understand and retell the key events of the American Revolution from multiple perspectives?
What are the foundational texts of the American Revolution, and why are they important?
How do the concepts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness influence the formation of government and individual rights?
In what ways can we connect historical events and texts to our own lives and values today?
During the unit, students engage with various texts such as "Independent Dames" by Laurie Halse Anderson, "The Bill of Rights" by Christine Taylor-Butler, and "Paul Revere’s Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. They participate in activities like creating perspective-taking written pieces, illustrating and explaining amendments, and conducting interviews about family immigration stories. These activities help students practice paraphrasing, summarizing, and analyzing historical documents, as well as expressing their own opinions and supporting them with evidence. Assessments include creative projects such as trifold poster presentations, writing assignments, and reader's theater performances, which allow students to demonstrate their understanding and creativity.
The "Wampanoag" unit invites students to explore the rich history and contemporary life of the Wampanoag people. This unit enhances students' understanding of Native American culture, historical perspective, and informational writing skills. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, personal and social development, and content acquisition, with a special focus on how the Wampanoag people’s relationship with nature and their cultural practices have evolved and endured over time. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
How can we write informative texts that clearly convey ideas about Wampanoag culture and history?
What are the roles and responsibilities of men and women in Wampanoag society, both historically and today?
How do Wampanoag customs and practices demonstrate a respect for and appreciation of nature?
In what ways does Native American culture persist in the present day?
How have Wampanoag place names and geographical features influenced modern maps?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with content through a variety of activities, such as taking notes from videos and texts, comparing different versions of the Thanksgiving story, and exploring Wampanoag folklore. They practice organizing information, summarizing content, and developing explanatory texts. Assessments include a final project where students create and perform an informative news broadcast, allowing them to demonstrate their understanding through roles such as anchors, interviewers, and experts.
In "Winn Dixie: Character Studies" students explore the intricate world of characters through the lens of Kate DiCamillo's "Because of Winn-Dixie." This unit enhances students' reading comprehension, analytical thinking, and narrative skills. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, personal and social development, and content acquisition, with a special focus on understanding character development and story structure. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
How can we make careful, close observations of characters?
How can we draw on these insights to craft theories and predictions about characters?
How can we understand how all stories are structured, particularly through the challenges and growth of characters?
How can we accountably respond to literature and articulate our thoughts clearly?
Over several weeks, students engage with "Because of Winn-Dixie" through interactive read-alouds, character jottings, and discussions. They practice identifying character traits, making predictions, and analyzing character actions and motivations. Assessments include creating character theories, mapping story structure, and participating in discussions and activities that deepen their understanding of the characters and the narrative.
Math
Unit 1: Understanding Equal Groups (23 Sessions)
Multiplication and Division 1
This unit focuses on understanding the meaning of multiplication, modeling multiplication using arrays, and understanding the inverse relationship between multiplication and division. Students make lists of things that come in groups and use them to write multiplication and division story problems, and equations to match. Multiples and arrays are introduced as two ways to represent multiplication. Students use arrays, and known facts, to develop fluency with the multiplication facts, and are assessed on those that involve multiplying numbers to 10 by 1, 2, 5 and 10. They find factors of numbers up to 100, and examine the relationship between multiplication and division.
Investigation 1: Things That Come in Groups (4 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Skip Counting and 100 Charts (6 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Arrays (7 Sessions)
Investigation 4: Understanding Division (6 Sessions)
Unit 2: Graphs and Line Plots (15 Sessions)
Modeling with Data
This unit focuses on using bar graphs, pictographs, and line plots to represent, describe, and compare categorical and numerical data. They solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in the graphs. Students also generate measurement data in inches, half-inches, feet, and yards.
Investigation 1: Modeling with Data (9 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Collecting, Representing, and Analyzing Measurement Data (6 Sessions)
Unit 3: Travel Stories and Collections (25 Sessions)
Addition, Subtraction, and the Number System 1
This unit focuses on understanding and extending knowledge of place value and the number system to 1,000, and adding and subtracting accurately and efficiently. Students use a place value context (the Sticker Station) to represent numbers as hundreds, tens, and ones, and find equivalent ways to use 100s, 10s, and 1s to represent a given number. They construct and locate numbers on a 1,000 Chart. They also develop strategies for adding and subtracting 2-digit and 3-digit numbers with sums and differences to 400. Students encounter a variety of different addition and subtraction problems types.
Investigation 1: Working with 100 (5 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Building 1,000 (4 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Addition (5 Sessions)
Investigation 4: Finding the Difference (5 Sessions)
Investigation 5: Subtraction Stories (6 Sessions)
Unit 4: Perimeter, Area, and Polygons (17 Sessions)
2-D Geometry and Measurement
This unit focuses on understanding and finding perimeter and area using standard units of measurement, and on classifying 2-D figures. Students use standard measurement tools to measure the length of objects and the distance around 2-dimensional figures (perimeter). They use square units to measure the amount of space a given object covers (area). Students build on work connecting arrays and multiplication, and find area by multiplying length and width. They also recognize area as additive: a shape can be composed and its area found by adding the areas of the parts. Students look at rectangles that have the same area and different perimeters, and the same perimeter and different areas. Students also identify attributes of triangles and quadrilaterals, and explore different categories of quadrilaterals.
Investigation 1: Linear Measurement (5 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Understanding and Finding Area (7 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Triangles and Quadrilaterals (5 Sessions)
Unit 5: Cube Patterns, Arrays, and Multiples of 10 (17 Sessions)
Multiplication and Division 2
This unit focuses on the meaning and structure of multiplication and division and the relationship between them, solving multiplication and division problems, multiplying by multiples of 10, and learning the remaining multiplication facts to 10 × 10. Students use connecting cubes to identify and analyze arithmetic patterns and the relationship between multiplication and division. Problems about multiplying single-digit numbers by multiples of 10 and multi-step problems are set in the context of a toy factory.
Investigation 1: Relationship between Multiplication and Division (5 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Solving Multiplication and Division Problems (6 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Multiplying by Multiples of 10 (6 Sessions)
Unit 6: Fair Shares and Fractions on Number Lines (13 Sessions)
Fractions
This unit focuses on understanding the meaning of fractions as numbers and as equal parts of a whole; reasoning about equivalent fractions; comparing fractions; and using notation to model fractions and fraction relationships. Students build their knowledge of fractions and fraction equivalents as they represent and compare fractional quantities, including fractions greater than one, with pattern blocks and on the number line.
Investigation 1: Sharing Brownies (8 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Many Ways to Make a Share (5 Sessions)
Unit 7: How Many Miles? (18 Sessions)
Addition, Subtraction, and the Number System 2
This unit focuses on understanding the operations of addition and subtraction, and adding and subtracting fluently. Students add multiples of 10 and 100 to, and subtract them from, 3-digit numbers. They use multiples of 100 as landmarks as they solve addition and subtraction problems with 3-digit numbers, including problems that involve liquid volume and mass. Students share, discuss, and compare different strategies for addition and subtraction.
Investigation 1: Numbers in the Hundreds (7 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Addition Strategies (5 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Subtraction (6 Sessions)
Unit 8: Larger Numbers and Multi-Step Problems (16 Sessions)
Multiplication and Division 3
This unit focuses on solving multiplication and division problems, learning the division facts, identifying arithmetic patterns, and solving multi-step problems. Students develop strategies to solve multiplication and division problems, including problems with remainders. Stories about children who receive a certain number of marbles each night presents a context for multi-step problems. They use representations and tables to compare different situations and develop a rule for describing the relationship between the number of days and the total number of marbles.
Investigation 1: Solving Division Problems (6 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Solving Multiplication and Division Problems (5 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Solving Multi-Step Problems (5 Sessions)
Science
Water and Climate
In the "Water and Climate" unit, students explore how water shapes weather and how weather conditions vary across places and seasons. This unit develops students’ understanding of the water cycle, evaporation and condensation, the effects of temperature on water, and how water interacts with natural materials in the environment. The curriculum addresses key domains such as Earth science, engineering, math, and literacy, with a focus on observing patterns, describing cause-and-effect relationships, and collecting data. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
How is water involved in weather?
How does temperature affect water?
What does weather look like in different places and across the year?
Over several weeks, students investigate how water behaves on different surfaces, how it flows on slopes, and how much water different materials can absorb. They measure water temperature using standard tools, explore how water expands, freezes, melts, and changes density, and observe ice melting under varied conditions. Students compare their own weather observations with meteorologists’ forecasts, investigate evaporation and condensation, and connect these processes to the global water cycle. Assessments from Water and Climate Assessment Masters ask students to explain water’s interactions with materials, describe temperature effects, and use evidence to show how water moves through the environment.
Motion and Matter
In the "Motion and Matter" unit, students investigate forces, motion, magnetism, and mixtures to understand how objects move and how scientists measure and describe physical interactions. This unit strengthens students’ ability to make predictions, interpret data, and use models to explain phenomena. The curriculum addresses key domains such as physical science, engineering, math, and literacy. The essential questions guiding this study include:
What causes objects to move?
How do forces affect motion?
How can tools help us measure and compare materials?
Students explore magnetic and gravitational forces, noticing that both can act without direct contact. They investigate pushes and pulls, balanced and unbalanced forces, and use magnets, paper clips, and simple systems to observe fields and interactions. Students design wheel-and-axle systems to explore rolling motion, build tops and twirly birds to examine rotational motion, and use patterns of motion to solve engineering challenges. They then study mixtures by measuring mass before and after mixing solids and liquids, observing dissolving, and investigating chemical reactions such as vinegar and baking soda. Assessments from Motion and Matter Assessment Masters include predicting motion, analyzing force diagrams, and explaining the conservation of mass using measurement data.
Structures of Life
In the "Structures of Life" unit, students investigate how plants and animals are built and how their structures help them grow, survive, and reproduce. This unit develops students’ understanding of life cycles, adaptations, and the ways organisms depend on their environments. The curriculum addresses key domains such as life science, literacy, and math, with a focus on observing traits, comparing structures, and describing how function relates to survival. The essential questions guiding this study include:
How are living things structured, and how do their structures help them survive?
How do plants and animals grow and change over time?
How do organisms interact with their environment to meet their needs?
Throughout the unit, students investigate seeds and plant structures by dissecting seeds, observing germination, and comparing root, stem, and leaf functions. They study small classroom organisms—such as snails, isopods, or beetles—to observe behaviors, body structures, and environmental needs. Students construct simple habitat models, test which conditions support plant or animal survival, and compare traits across species. They explore variation, inherited characteristics, and how different organisms protect themselves, gather food, and care for their young. Assessments include life cycle models, structure–function explanations, and habitat designs that show how organisms’ needs are met.
Jewish Studies
In "Yosef the Dreamer," students take on more sophisticated translation work: identifying and explaining the vav-consecutive, translating simple verbs with familiar shorashim, and parsing actor–action phrases (e.g., vayomer Yosef). Literacy goals include naming key characters, recognizing differences between modern and Biblical Hebrew, and demonstrating oral fluency in longer narrative passages. The unit explores family tension, moral courage, and the impact of deception. Essential questions include:
Who is responsible for maintaining peace in a family?
When, if ever, is it okay to lie?
How do power, jealousy, and favoritism shape relationships?
Students storyboard psukim, prepare interview questions for a chosen character, and write letters from Yosef’s perspective as he sits in the pit—then write responses showing empathy and interpretation. Assessments include storyboards, letters grounded in textual evidence, and short reflections comparing Yosef’s feelings to their own experiences of conflict or exclusion.
In "Yosef in Potiphar’s House," students advance their translation abilities by analyzing verbs with vav-yud forms, identifying the actor, action, and tense, and reading multi-pasuk segments fluently. They explore Yosef’s rise in Potiphar’s house, his imprisonment, and the role of dreams. Essential questions include:
How do we know when God is with someone?
Can people in power still need advice from others?
What do dreams reveal about a person or a community?
Students annotate psukim for key grammatical structures, compare Yosef’s interpretations with their own conclusions, and explore how Yosef’s leadership develops in challenging conditions. Writing tasks may include explaining the meaning of Yosef’s dreams, creating diary entries from jail, or drafting advice Yosef might offer to others. Assessments focus on translation accuracy, textual reasoning, and written interpretations supported by evidence.
In "Yosef Meets his Brothers," students synthesize third-grade translation benchmarks by accurately reading consecutive psukim, identifying vav-consecutive forms, and translating familiar verbs and nouns in extended passages. Interpretation skills deepen as students analyze forgiveness, change, and emotional complexity. Essential questions include:
Can people truly change?
What makes forgiveness difficult?
How do mixed feelings within a family shape decisions?
Students evaluate Yosef’s actions in Egypt, create publicity posters highlighting key scenes, and write opinion pieces about whether Yosef should have revealed his identity earlier. They reflect on the themes of change and reconciliation after viewing a performance or dramatization. Assessments include written interpretations, creative representations, and interpretive writing grounded in close reading.
Hebrew
In “All About Me,” students learn to talk and write about themselves using connected sentences about daily routines, likes and dislikes, family, and personal information. They practice asking and answering questions such as “איך קוראים לך?”, “בן כמה אתה?”, and “מה אתה אוהב לעשות?”, while expanding vocabulary for hobbies, school subjects, foods, colors, seasons, and activities. The essential questions include:
How do I describe who I am and what I like?
How do I talk about my daily routines at home and school?
How do I summarize a story in my own words?
Students build skills in speaking, writing, listening, and reading short authentic texts. Language goals include gender/number agreement, common verbs, time expressions, and connectors such as "אח״כ" and "כי." Assessments include oral descriptions about themselves, reading-comprehension tasks, short personal paragraphs, and story summaries using learned vocabulary.
In "My Family and Our Free Time," students learn to describe their families and talk about activities they enjoy doing together. They use connected sentences in the present tense with exposure to past and future, practicing questions such as “מה אתם עושים בשעות הפנאי?” and “מה אתה הכי אוהב לעשות עם המשפחה?” The essential questions include:
How do I describe the people in my family?
What do I like to do with my family in my free time?
How do I tell about a family experience or trip?
Students listen to and read stories, poems, and authentic texts about families, identify characters and events, and retell them using simple Hebrew. They expand vocabulary for family members, activities, professions, and sequence words like קודם, אחר כך, בסוף. Assessments include describing family activities, writing about a shared experience, reading new texts, and answering comprehension questions.
In "My Neighborhood," students learn to describe where they live, what is in their neighborhood, and what they do there. They explore the idea of a neighborhood and belonging while learning vocabulary such as רחוב, ספרייה, גינת משחקים, מרכז קניות, and basic directions. The essential questions include:
What makes a neighborhood a neighborhood?
What places are in my neighborhood and what do people do there?
How do I talk about where I live and how to get from place to place?
Students build connected descriptions using structures like “אני גר/ה ב…,” “ליד הבית שלי יש…,” and “בשכונה שלי…,” along with connectors such as וגם, אפילו, ובגלל. They read texts about Israeli neighborhoods, watch short videos, and identify main ideas and details. Assessments include writing about their own neighborhood, reading an unfamiliar text, and completing listening-comprehension tasks.
In "Traveling in Israel," students learn vocabulary for places, travel, and sightseeing while describing trips they have taken or would like to take. They practice using basic past tense, descriptive adjectives, and patterns such as “אני טיילתי ב…,” “אני ממליץ/ה לטייל ב… כי…,” and “אני הכי אוהב/ת…”. The essential questions include:
How do I describe a place I visited or want to visit?
How do I explain why a place is interesting or enjoyable?
What places in Israel do people travel to and what can you do there?
Students read short informational and narrative texts, watch videos, and extract key details. They ask and answer questions about travel experiences, describe places with simple adjectives, and write short recommendations. Assessments include reading unfamiliar texts, listening tasks, and creating a written or video recommendation about a place to visit.
Grade 4
Language Arts
In the "El Deafo" unit, students explore the themes of friendship, identity, and inclusion through the graphic novel "El Deafo" by Cece Bell. This unit enhances students' reading comprehension, critical thinking, and empathy by examining the experiences of a young girl navigating life with hearing loss. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading, writing, and personal and social development, with a special focus on understanding how personal differences can be perceived as strengths. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
How can we use the QAR reading framework to deepen our understanding of the text?
How do illustrations and text work together to create deeper meaning in a graphic novel?
What lessons can we learn about friendship and inclusion from Cece's experiences?
How can we draw connections between the characters' "superpowers" and our own differences?
How do characters in the story change and grow, and what does this reveal about their journeys?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with "El Deafo" through interactive read-alouds, character charts, and thematic discussions. They practice answering questions based on the QAR framework, summarizing text, and analyzing character development and figurative language.
In "Love That Dog" students delve into the world of poetry through the narrative of "Love That Dog" by Sharon Creech. This unit enhances students' appreciation for poetry, their understanding of literary devices, and their personal expression through writing. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, personal and social development, with a special focus on interpreting and creating poetry. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
How can we use the QAR reading framework to deepen our understanding of the text?
How do patterns of sound and visual patterns in poems create meaning?
What role does figurative language play in enhancing a text?
How can we connect with the main character’s growing appreciation for poetry and apply a growth mindset to our own learning?
In what ways can we express our personal experiences and emotions through poetry?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with "Love That Dog" through interactive read-alouds, poetry analysis, and creative writing exercises. They practice answering questions based on the QAR framework, summarizing text, and identifying themes and character development. Assessments include writing various types of poems, such as apology poems, shape poems, and poems inspired by music, as well as character analysis and thematic discussions.
In "The One and Only Ivan" students explore the themes of friendship, courage, memory, and the power of art and storytelling through Katherine Applegate's novel "The One and Only Ivan." This unit enhances students' reading comprehension, creative writing, and advocacy skills. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, personal and social development, and content acquisition, with a special focus on how language and stories can transform perspectives and inspire action. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
What makes a story unforgettable, and how can we as writers create an unforgettable story?
How can we use the power of language to improve our world?
How do the themes of friendship, courage, memory, and art manifest in the story?
How do characters' perspectives and experiences influence their actions and relationships?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with "The One and Only Ivan" through interactive read-alouds, thematic discussions, and creative writing exercises. They practice identifying and analyzing literary devices, tracking character development, and drawing inferences from the text. Assessments include a creative writing piece that incorporates skills learned from studying the author's craft, and a non-fiction opinion piece advocating for animal welfare and habitat conservation.
Social Studies
The "North American Civilizations and Exploration" unit invites fourth-grade students to explore the rich history of ancient North American civilizations and the era of European exploration. This unit enhances students' historical understanding, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, social studies, and map skills, with a special focus on interpreting historical sources and understanding the impact of colonization. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
How do we differentiate between primary and secondary sources, and why are both valuable in understanding history?
What are the characteristics of a civilization, and how do geographic features influence its development?
What were the motivations and consequences of European exploration and colonization?
How do artifacts and archaeological evidence help us infer conclusions about past civilizations?
How can we take the perspectives of others to understand different historical viewpoints?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with historical texts, artifacts, and maps through direct instruction, group work, and individual projects. Assessments include artifact exploration and analysis, primary and secondary source sorting, creating 3D models and museum plaques, and designing a trifold travel brochure to present their invented civilization.
The "United States Regions" unit invites fourth-grade students to explore the diverse geographical, historical, and cultural features of the United States. This unit enhances students' map skills, teamwork, and ability to synthesize information from nonfiction texts. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as geography, reading and writing, and social studies, with a special focus on understanding the unique characteristics of each U.S. region. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
How can we locate and spell all 50 United States?
What are the key geographical, historical, and cultural features of each U.S. region?
How do regions differ, and why do we break up the country into regions?
How can we use nonfiction texts to learn new information and practice note-taking?
How can we work productively in teams to share responsibilities and perspectives?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with maps, nonfiction texts, and collaborative projects through activities such as weekly map quizzes, group research on regional features, and creating travel guidebook pages and slideshows. Assessments include map quizzes, note catchers, group presentations, and writing postcards from different regions.
The "Folktales" unit invites fourth-grade students to explore the rich tradition of folktales, focusing on their moral lessons, cultural significance, and the way they explain natural phenomena. This unit enhances students' reading skills, cultural awareness, and creative expression. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, social studies, and map skills, with a special focus on analyzing and creating folktales. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
What are the characteristics of a folktale, and how do they explain natural phenomena and impart moral lessons?
How do folktales connect generations and change over time and media?
What similarities do stories share across different cultures?
How can we locate the origin of a folktale on a map and identify features of the location that correspond to the folktale?
How can we create our own folktales that explain natural phenomena and impart moral lessons?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with folktales through read-alouds, discussions, and creative writing exercises. They practice identifying the moral of a folktale, explaining how it answers an otherwise unanswerable question, and breaking down stories into key components. Assessments include writing and performing folktale scripts, creating folktale maps, and writing their own folktales that explain a natural phenomenon from the northeast region.
Math
Unit 1: Arrays, Factors, and Multiplicative Comparison (12 Sessions)
Multiplication and Division 1
This unit focuses on using arrays and multiplicative comparison problems to understand multiplication, and gaining familiarity with factors and multiples. Students use arrays to model multiplication situations and to find factors and identify prime numbers to 100. They use what they know about factors of 100 to find factors of multiples of 100, and examine the idea that factors of a number are also factors of a multiple of that number.
Investigation 1: Representing Multiplication with Arrays (8 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Finding Factors (4 Sessions)
Unit 2: Generating and Representing Measurement Data (11 Sessions)
Modeling with Data
This unit focuses on using line plots to represent, describe, and compare measurement data; on modeling real-world problems with mathematics; and on constructing arguments based on data. Students measure and compare the heights of first and fourth graders. They collect measurement data of their choosing, and use line plots to represent and analyze the data.
Investigation 1: Modeling with Data (5 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Using Data to Compare (6 Sessions)
Unit 3: Multiple Towers and Cluster Problems (18 Sessions)
Multiplication and Division 2
This unit focuses on solving multiplication problems with 2-digit numbers, understanding the meaning and structure of, and the relationship between, multiplication and division, and using that understanding to solve multiplication and division problems. Students use marked and unmarked arrays to represent multiplication strategies that involve breaking numbers apart. They solve and represent division story problems, including problems with remainders. Students develop strategies for breaking the numbers in larger multiplication problems apart in order to use number relationships that they know, including multiplying by a multiple of 10.
Investigation 1: Breaking Apart Multiplication Problems (5 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Solving Division Problems (6 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Strategies for Multiplication (7 Sessions)
Unit 4: Measuring and Classifying Shapes (20 Sessions)
2-D Geometry and Measurement
This unit focuses on measuring with standard units, including perimeter, area, and angles; describing and classifying 2-D shapes, and identifying mirror symmetry.
Investigation 1: Linear Measurement (5 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Sorting and Classifying Polygons (5 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Measuring Angles (4 Sessions)
Investigation 4: Symmetry and Area (6 Sessions)
Unit 5: Large Numbers and Landmarks (19 Sessions)
Addition, Subtraction, and the Number System
This unit focuses on understanding the meaning of addition and subtraction, understanding the base-10 number system with numbers to 1,000,000, and adding and subtracting multidigit numbers fluently, including with the U.S. standard algorithms.
Investigation 1: Studying Addition (6 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Studying Subtraction (7 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Adding and Subtracting Large Numbers (6 Sessions)
Unit 6: Fraction Cards and Decimal Grids (24 Sessions)
Fractions and Decimals
This unit focuses on understanding the meaning of fractions and decimals; and comparing fractions and decimals including finding equivalents. Students use contexts and representations such as rectangles (an area model) and number lines (a linear model) to add, subtract, and multiply fractions.
Investigation 1: Parts of Rectangles (6 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Comparing Fractions and Decimals (8 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Adding and Subtracting Fractions and Decimals (6 Sessions)
Investigation 4: Computation with Rational Numbers (4 Sessions)
Unit 7: How Many Packages and Groups? (18 Sessions)
Multiplication and Division 3
This unit focuses on the operations of multiplication and division, including problems involving converting measurements. Students refine their strategies for solving multiplication problems with two 2-digit numbers and with a 4-digit number and a 1-digit number, and they use the relationship between multiplication and division to develop and practice strategies for solving division problems with up to a 4-digit dividend and a 1-digit divisor.
Investigation 1: Multiplication with 2-Digit Numbers (7 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Strategies for Multiplication (5 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Solving Division Problems (6 Sessions)
Unit 8: Penny Jars and Towers (10 Sessions)
Analyzing Patterns and Rules
This unit focuses on solving multi-step problems, generating and analyzing patterns, and using symbolic notation to model situations. Two contexts (Penny Jars and Windows and Towers) are used that include both additive and multiplicative situations.
Investigation 1: Representing and Analyzing Patterns (10 Sessions)
Science
In "Mixtures and Solutions, Matter, and Interactions," students investigate how substances combine, separate, and change, and what that reveals about the nature of matter. This unit builds core ideas about particles, physical vs. chemical change, and the difference between mixtures, solutions, and pure substances. Essential questions include:
What happens when different substances are mixed together?
How can we separate mixtures and solutions, and what does that tell us about their properties?
How do particles and invisible interactions explain the changes we see?
Students design and carry out investigations with water, salt, sand, and other materials to compare mixtures and solutions, test solubility, and explore concentration and saturation. They use filters, evaporation, and other separation methods, record data in tables and graphs, and use particle models to explain their results. Assessments ask students to explain how to separate an unknown mixture, classify changes as physical or chemical, and use evidence to argue whether a substance is a mixture, solution, or pure substance.
In "Extreme Weather: Natural Events and Natural Resources," students explore how Earth’s systems create powerful weather events and how people depend on and manage natural resources. The unit connects weather patterns, climate, and hazards like hurricanes, floods, and droughts to real-world decision-making. Essential questions include:
How do air, water, and sunlight interact to produce different kinds of weather?
What makes some weather events "extreme," and how can communities prepare for them?
How do we use natural resources, and what makes that use sustainable—or not?
Students analyze weather maps, storm tracks, and climate graphs to identify patterns in temperature, precipitation, and severe storms. They model hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods with simple investigations, and evaluate the impacts of extreme events on people and ecosystems. Case studies and simulations ask students to make resource-use decisions (for example, water, energy, or land) and justify their choices with evidence. Assessments include written explanations of how an extreme weather event forms, and proposals for reducing risk or managing a key resource in a given community.
In "Plants and Animals: Structures, Functions, and Ecology," students examine how organisms’ body structures and behaviors help them survive, grow, and reproduce, and how they fit into larger ecosystems. This unit ties together life science ideas about adaptation, food webs, and interdependence. Essential questions include:
How do the structures of plants and animals help them meet their needs?
How are organisms connected in food chains, food webs, and ecosystems?
What happens when part of an ecosystem changes?
Students observe live organisms, models, or videos to identify key structures (roots, leaves, stems, beaks, teeth, limbs) and connect them to functions like getting food, water, and protection. They build and analyze food chains and webs, model energy flow, and investigate how changes—such as the loss of a species or a change in resources—affect the whole system. Assessments ask students to explain how a specific structure supports survival, describe an organism’s role in an ecosystem, and predict the effects of an environmental change using diagrams and written explanations.
Jewish Studies
Hebrew
התחלות חדשות—New Beginnings and School Life
In this strand, students explore the experience of being new—new year, new class, new student—through stories, poems, and songs such as "בחזרה אל בית הספר” ,”טוב לדעת לקרוא ולכתוב,” and “ילדה חדשה.” They build vocabulary around classroom objects, school routines, and emotions (excited, nervous, tired), and review/core structures such as pronouns, singular/plural, present tense, and an introduction to past tense (“אני אכלתי, אנחנו אכלנו”). This work strengthens reading, listening, speaking, and writing in Hebrew while helping students name and share their own feelings and routines.
Essential questions:
How does it feel to start something new?
What words and phrases do I need to describe my school life in Hebrew?
How can I talk about myself and my day using the past and present?
Key activities & assessments: dramatizing first-day-of-school scenes; labeling and using classroom vocabulary; short written or oral summaries about ”my first day;” simple past-tense writing about what they did yesterday.
חברות ורגשות—Friendship and Feelings
Students explore friendship, conflict, and reconciliation through a rich set of texts and songs, including "שני חברים," "ריבים קטנים," "מי רוצה להיות חבר שלי," "ברוגז עם מיכל," "לא מפחד," and clips from הכבש השישה עשר and ילדי בית העץ. They develop vocabulary for emotions (afraid, angry, sad, happy, jealous), relationships, and social situations (arguing, making up, apologizing). The focus is on expressing feelings, telling short stories about conflicts, and recognizing how language can help repair relationships.
Essential questions:
What makes someone a good friend?
How can I describe my feelings and conflicts in Hebrew?
How do we move from "ברוגז" back to "שלום קטן?"
Key activities & assessments: role-plays of conflicts and reconciliations; writing apology or “making up” notes; sorting and matching emotion words to situations; short reflections about friendship using new vocabulary.
אתרים בארץ ישראל—Places in Israel
Through stories, videos, and songs such as “סבתא מינה מבנימינה,” “יש לי חבר,” and resources on Masada, the Galilee, Agmon Hula, Gilboa, Har Tavor, and more, students “travel” across Israel. They learn place names (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Negev, Kinneret, Yam HaMelach), geography terms (north/south/east/west, mountains, desert, lake), and nature vocabulary (flowers, birds, sunrise, trails). The focus is on connecting language to maps, landscapes, and Israeli sites.
Essential questions:
What are some important places in Israel and what makes them special?
How can I describe where places are in Hebrew (directions, regions)?
What does it mean to “travel” and “see the land” in Hebrew and in my own life?
Key activities & assessments: creating simple travel posters or mini-books about a chosen site; labeling maps with Hebrew place names; writing or recording a short “trip report” about an outing (real or imagined) in Israel.
קיץ ומחנה—Summer and Camp
In this strand, students focus on summertime, beaches, and camp life. Using songs like “שיר הגלשן” and a “מחנה קיץ” dream-camp project, they learn vocabulary for summer activities (pool, sea, beach, sunscreen, sandcastles, camp, games, fruits, heat, vacation). They describe what they like to do in the summer and design their own ideal camp.
Essential questions:
What makes summer special for me?
How can I describe weather, clothing, and activities in different seasons?
What would my “dream camp” look like and why?
Key activities & assessments: designing and presenting a “קייטנת החלומות שלכם” (dream camp) with labeled activities and facilities; short oral or written descriptions of favorite summer days; comparing summer and other seasons.
העשרה ותרבות ישראל—Enrichment and Israeli Culture
Students deepen their exposure to Israeli culture and history through enrichment with Nirit and focused topics such as Rambam (via podcasts and texts), Operation Yonatan (Entebbe), Yoni Netanyahu, Rachel the poet, and modern Israeli songs (e.g., Rami Kleinstein, “מכתב לאחי,” “שישמור אותך האל”). They build advanced vocabulary (e.g., “הוגה דעות,” “מנהיג גדול,” “התמודדות,” “עובדה,” “שאיפה”) and practice reading informational and biographical texts.
Essential questions:
Who are some important figures in Jewish and Israeli history and culture?
How can stories, songs, and speeches help us understand courage, leadership, and memory?
What can I learn about myself from the way these figures faced challenges?
Key activities & assessments: listening to podcasts and answering comprehension questions; vocabulary quizzes requiring students to use new words in sentences; writing short responses or letters (e.g., "מכתב ליוני"); creating a brief profile of a historical or cultural figure.
חגים ומועדים—Jewish Holidays Across the Year
Over the year, students revisit a rich cycle of holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Hebrew Language Day, Tu BiShvat, Purim, and Pesach. They encounter videos, songs, BrainPOP clips, and creative tasks (e.g., building a sukkah, exploring sufganiyot ads, learning about Purim parades and Pesach freedom texts). Vocabulary focuses on holiday rituals (shofar, fasting, sukkah, four species, menorah, sufganiyot, masks, mishloach manot, seder plate, plagues, freedom).
Essential questions:
What are the key symbols and practices of each holiday?
How do holidays express ideas like gratitude, freedom, memory, and joy?
How do my family’s traditions connect to these broader themes?
Key activities & assessments: holiday-specific projects (e.g., Pesach "freedom" padlet, exploring מספר 4 בהגדה), creating holiday posters or comics, comparing how the same holiday is represented in different media.
Grade 5
Language Arts
The "Tuck Everlasting" unit invites students to delve into the timeless themes and literary devices found in Natalie Babbitt's novel "Tuck Everlasting." This unit enhances students' reading comprehension, literary analysis, and writing skills through an in-depth exploration of the text. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, personal and social development, and content acquisition, with a special focus on understanding figurative language and the concept of immortality. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
How can we define, differentiate, and identify examples of figurative language?
What is the main idea or theme of each chapter, and how can we use sticky notes to document our close reading responses?
How does the author’s use of figurative language and imagery help us visualize and experience the story?
What are the qualities of a strong written response to a text-based question?
How can we support our positions with specific evidence from the text?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with "Tuck Everlasting" through interactive read-alouds, class discussions, and creative activities. They practice identifying figurative language, summarizing chapters, and making personal connections to the characters. Assessments include sticky note responses, chapter title assignments, written responses, a partner scavenger hunt, an art project illustrating figurative language, and a final analytical essay on the theme of the novel.
Social Studies
In the "Reading and Analyzing Maps" unit, students learn how to read, interpret, and create maps by developing fluency with the essential features of geographic tools. Students explore political, physical, and thematic maps, practice distinguishing between observation and inference, and learn how cartographers communicate information through symbols, scales, and keys. This unit builds foundational geography skills that students will need across all later social studies units. The essential questions guiding this work include:
What information do different types of maps show?
How do the parts of a map help us interpret geographic information?
How can we analyze a map to understand what it is telling us about a place?
Over several weeks, students identify map parts, compare political, physical, and thematic maps, label continents and oceans, and analyze regional maps of the United States and world. They practice using map scales, compass roses, and keys to make inferences about climate, landforms, and regional characteristics.
The "Prehistory" unit invites fifth-grade students to explore the early periods of human history, focusing on the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. This unit enhances students' understanding of early human life, geography, and the development of societies. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, social studies, and critical thinking, with a special focus on understanding human evolution and the transition from nomadic to agricultural lifestyles. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
What are the characteristics of the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods?
How did early humans migrate from Africa to other continents?
What advancements and challenges defined the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras?
How did the discovery of agriculture change human societies?
How can we use maps, videos, and texts to understand prehistory?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with maps, and texts to learn about early human history. They participate in activities such as labeling maps, comparing the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, and writing paragraphs that summarize the advancements and challenges of each era.
The "Ancient Egypt" unit invites fifth-grade students to explore the beginnings of human civilization with a particular focus on Ancient Egypt. This unit enhances students' historical understanding, reading comprehension, and research skills. The curriculum addresses key learning domains such as reading and writing, social studies, and critical thinking, with a special focus on interpreting historical texts and timelines. The essential questions guiding this exploration include:
What defines a civilization, and what are the key characteristics of the earliest civilizations?
How did geographical features influence the development of civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and the Yellow River Valley?
What were the major contributions and innovations of Ancient Egypt?
How can we analyze and interpret different types of nonfiction texts, including articles, timelines, and maps?
What methods can we use to conduct research on historical topics and present our findings?
Over the course of several weeks, students engage with historical texts, maps, and multimedia resources to understand the development of early civilizations. They conduct a detailed study of Ancient Egypt, participate in virtual field trips, and complete research projects. Assessments include reading comprehension checks, research projects, essay writing, creating posters, and presenting their findings through hands-on projects and museum-style presentations.
"American Revolution"
In the "American Revolution" unit, students examine how tensions between Great Britain and the colonies escalated into a fight for independence and how the Revolution reflected emerging American ideas about rights, representation, and government. The unit builds students’ skills in reading primary sources, analyzing causes and effects, and using evidence to explain historical events. The essential questions guiding this study include:
Why did the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies break down?
How did ideas about rights and government motivate colonists to seek independence?
How did key events and individuals contribute to the outcome of the Revolution?
Students explore the causes of the Revolution through close reading of texts about the French and Indian War, colonial protests, and British laws such as the Stamp Act and Intolerable Acts. They analyze primary sources such as Paul Revere’s engraving, excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, and colonial broadsides. Later lessons focus on the major battles, strategies, and alliances that led to American victory. Throughout the unit, students practice using timelines, reading maps of the colonies and battle sites, and constructing arguments about why independence became necessary. Students culminate the unit with a trip to Boston where they walk the Freedom Trail, visiting many historical sites and bringing American history and Jewish Boston beyond the walls of the classroom.
Math
Unit 1: Puzzles, Clusters, and Towers (19 Sessions)
Multiplication and Division 1
This unit focuses on the operations of multiplication and division. Students refine their strategies for solving multiplication problems with 2-digit numbers, and use the relationship between multiplication and division to develop and practice strategies for solving division problems. They use order of operations to solve computation problems.
Investigation 1: Properties of Numbers (5 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Multiplication Strategies (7 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Division Strategies (7 Sessions)
Unit 2: Prisms and Solids (12 Sessions)
3-D Geometry and Measurement
This unit focuses on the structure and volume of three-dimensional (3-D) shapes, specifically on rectangular prisms and solids composed of rectangular prisms. Students build models and patterns for boxes that hold quantities of cubes and calculate the volume of these boxes, using a cube as a unit of measure. Because volume is additive, students find the volume of solids by decomposing them into rectangular prisms. They use standard units of measure for volume and apply formulas for volume as they determine the volume of a variety of rectangular solids.
Investigation 1: Finding the Volume of Solids (8 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Using Standard Cubic Units (4 Sessions)
Unit 3: Rectangles, Clocks, and Tracks (19 Sessions)
Rational Numbers 1: Addition and Subtraction
This unit focuses on deepening and extending students’ understanding of fractions and equivalent fractions and representing fractions using an area model (rectangles), a rotation model (a clock), and a linear model (number lines). They use these understandings to add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers.
Investigation 1: Comparing and Ordering Fractions (6 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Adding and Subtracting Fractions (7 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers (6 Sessions)
Unit 4: How Many People and Teams? (17 Sessions)
Multiplication and Division 2
This unit focuses on the operations of multiplication and division. Students refine their strategies for solving multiplication problems fluently, including using the U.S. standard algorithm. Students continue using the relationship between multiplication and division to efficiently solve division problems with 4-digit dividends and 2-digit divisors.
Investigation 1: Multiplication Strategies (5 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Division Strategies and Notation (7 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Using the Operations (5 Sessions)
Unit 5: Temperature, Height, and Growth (14 Sessions)
Analyzing Patterns and Rules
This unit focuses on using coordinate graphs, ordered pairs, tables, and symbolic notation to model real world and mathematical situations. Students analyze arithmetic patterns in tables and the shapes of graphs to describe and compare these situations. Students work both with situations that follow patterns, allowing predictions of future values (e.g., how the area of a square varies as the length of a side increases) and situations based on data (e.g., temperature over time).
Investigation 1: Graphing Temperature and Height (7 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Analyzing Geometric Patterns (7 Sessions)
Unit 6: Between 0 and 1 (17 Sessions)
Rational Numbers 2: Addition and Subtraction
This unit focuses on deepening and extending students’ understanding of decimals and the base-10 number system. Students represent decimals on grids and number lines. They use their understanding of decimals to compare, add, and subtract decimals.
Investigation 1: Representing and Comparing Decimals (8 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Adding and Subtracting Decimals (9 Sessions)
Unit 7: Races, Arrays, and Grids (26 Sessions)
Rational Numbers 3: Multiplication and Division
This unit focuses on multiplying and dividing rational numbers, which includes extending students’ understanding of the meaning of those operations and of place value. Students use contexts and representations (fraction bars, arrays, and grids) to solve problems involving multiplication and division of fractions and decimals. Students also apply their understanding of multiplication and division to solve measurement conversion problems.
Investigation 1: Multiplying and Dividing Fractions (11 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Fractions as Division (4 Sessions)
Investigation 3: Multiplying and Dividing Decimals (11 Sessions)
Unit 8: Properties of Polygons (10 Sessions)
2-D Geometry and Measurement
This unit focuses on classifying triangles and quadrilaterals based on their properties and on using patterns to describe how the perimeters and areas of rectangles change when the dimensions of the rectangle change. Students examine how categories of polygons are related and how a figure can belong to more than one category. As they build sequences of related rectangles, they analyze numerical relationships and practice adding and multiplying mixed numbers and decimals.
Investigation 1: Categories and Properties of Polygons (5 Sessions)
Investigation 2: Finding Perimeter and Area of Related Rectangles (5 Sessions)
Science
In "Water Cycle," students explore how water moves through Earth’s systems and why that movement matters for weather, climate, and human life. The unit emphasizes phase changes, reservoirs, and the cycling and distribution of water on our planet. Essential questions include:
Where is Earth’s water found, and in what forms?
How does water move through the water cycle locally and globally?
How do humans depend on, use, and clean water?
Students model evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection using diagrams, simulations, and simple investigations. They build or analyze models of local watersheds, track water through their community from source to tap and back to the environment, and often design and test simple filtration systems to clean "dirty" water. Graphing activities help them represent how Earth’s water is distributed across oceans, ice, groundwater, and surface water. Assessments ask students to trace a water droplet’s journey through the cycle, explain how phase changes drive the cycle, and propose solutions for conserving or cleaning water in a real-world context.
In "Landforms: Weathering, Erosion, and Plate Tectonics," students investigate how Earth’s surface changes over time—from slow processes like weathering and erosion to large-scale patterns created by moving plates. The unit links what we see on the landscape to the processes that shape it. Essential questions include:
How do weathering, erosion, and deposition change Earth’s surface?
What evidence shows that Earth’s surface has changed over long periods of time?
How are mountains, trenches, volcanoes, and earthquakes related to plate boundaries?
Students model mechanical weathering with simple materials, simulate erosion and deposition using water and sediment, and observe how these processes build and wear down landforms. Using maps and data sets, they locate mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, volcanoes, and earthquake epicenters and identify global patterns. Discussion and modeling activities connect these patterns to plate boundaries and plate motion. Assessments include explaining how a local landscape could have formed, interpreting maps to describe tectonic patterns, and using evidence to support claims about the roles of weathering, erosion, and plate movement.
In "Energy, Motion, and Stability," students explore how forces and energy affect the motion of objects and the stability of systems, from simple machines to waves and gravitational interactions. The unit integrates physical science ideas about forces, motion, energy transfer, and waves. Essential questions include:
How do forces change the motion of objects, and what does it mean for a system to be stable?
How do waves (like sound or light) carry energy from place to place?
What evidence shows that gravity acts on objects and planets?
Students conduct hands-on investigations with ramps, collisions, and simple machines to see how pushes, pulls, and friction affect motion and stability. They use slinkies, strings, and tuning forks to model mechanical waves and explore how vibrations create sound and how waves transfer energy. Light investigations focus on reflection and refraction and how light enables us to see objects. Gravity lessons use dropping objects, pendulums, and simple calculations or models to argue that Earth’s gravity pulls objects toward its center and varies on different planets. Assessments ask students to analyze motion scenarios, explain wave behavior, and construct arguments about gravitational forces using data and models.
Jewish Studies
Hebrew
התחלות חדשות וחגי תשרי—New Beginnings and Tishrei Holidays
Students connect the start of the school year with the High Holidays using texts like "בין הקיץ לסתיו," "עידן הולך לכתה," and the story "השופט החכם." They review summer experiences, learn the Hebrew months, and build vocabulary around Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot (shofar, תפילה, תשליך, סליחות, חשבון נפש, אושפיזין, סוכת שלום). Grammar focuses on present and past tense (especially היה/הייתה/היו and בניין קל בגוף שלישי), and possessive forms (e.g., סוכתנו, רבנו).
Essential questions:
What does it mean to make a "new beginning" in life and in language?
How do the High Holidays invite reflection on actions, mistakes, and repair?
How can I express opinions and justifications in Hebrew?
Key activities & assessments: class discussions using phrases like "אני חושב ש… / לדעתי…"; role-plays of the wise judge; a quiz on Hebrew months; mock "court" activities with prosecution/defense based on השופט החכם.
סתיו—Autumn, Nature and Research Skills
In this strand, students investigate fall—weather, migrating birds, and citrus fruits—using online texts and research tasks. They learn to search a website, gather information, and prepare short presentations about a specific fruit or bird. Vocabulary includes weather, migration, and nature terms.
Essential questions:
What are the signs of autumn in Israel and in our lives?
How can we use Hebrew to research and present information?
How do we listen and respond respectfully to peers’ presentations?
Key activities & assessments: creating and presenting slides about a chosen citrus fruit or migrating bird; completing peer feedback forms while listening; building a shared class "autumn" vocabulary bank.
אני רוצה להיות—Identity, Aspirations and Stories
Using "החתיכה החסרה" and other adapted stories, students explore questions of wholeness, lack, and desire. They learn vocabulary such as חסרה, מושלם, מאושר, הרפתקאות and connectors like בזמן ש-, מכיוון ש-, עד ש-. The unit emphasizes story structure, main idea, and connecting texts to students’ own aspirations.
Essential questions:
What does it mean to feel "missing a piece" or "whole?"
How do our wants and dreams shape who we are?
How can we use stories to talk about ourselves in Hebrew?
Key activities & assessments: puppet theater or dramatization of החתיכה החסרה; written reflections about "what I want to be"; grammar practice with past tense verbs across all persons.
כמה טוב לרותי / כמה טוב לי—Self-Image and Adjectives
Through "כמה טוב לרותי" (adapted) and related texts, students work on describing themselves and others with adjectives (מיוחד, עצמאי, מרגיז, מבריק, בריא, משעמם). They explore names, nicknames, pets, and "what’s good about me," reinforcing past tense patterns (including hollow verbs) and possessive forms.
Essential questions:
How do I describe myself and others in rich, precise Hebrew?
What does "כמה טוב לי" mean in my own life?
How can language reflect and shape our self-image?
Key activities & assessments: personal "כמה טוב לי" presentations; adjective–noun matching tasks; short autobiographical slides about their names and families.
חנוכה, ט״ו בשבט, העיר, פורים, פסח, חיפה—Holidays and Place-Based Projects
Across the year, students engage with holidays and place-focused units that build both language and content:
חנוכה: exploring materials (metal, glass, clay, etc.) and adjectives through a Hanukkiyah exhibition and home-photo presentations.
ט״ו בשבט: "ההפתעה בכתה" (adapted), planting and nature vocabulary, and prepositions (אצלנו, אצלי).
העיר: city institutions and סמיכות structures (תחנת משטרה, בית אבות, בית כנסת), plus past tense ל״ה verbs. Students create a "העיר שלי" presentation.
פורים: story and language for group plays; past tense פיעל verbs; combining city vocabulary with Purim scenes in a "פורימיר" project.
פסח: selected Haggadah passages, seder symbols, and the "מספר 4 בהגדה" project and class website.
חיפה: texts and videos about Haifa’s sites, geography, and "חג החגים," leading to individual slides on chosen Haifa locations.
Essential questions (across these strands):
How do holidays express community memory and values?
What makes a city or place unique?
How can I use Hebrew to present information, tell a story, and express my opinion?
Key activities & assessments: exhibitions (Hanukkiot, city models), digital projects (Pesach website, Haifa slides), group performances for Purim, short written and oral explanations of holiday symbols and customs.
שירים, שלום ומולדת, קריאה והאזנה—Songs, Nation, and Literacy
Students interact with Israeli songs about memory, war, and peace (e.g., "אין פרפרים בגטו," "רק 5 דקות," "הרעות," and songs for יום הזיכרון ויום העצמאות), and read from biography series like "קטנות גדולות" and "הישראליות." They learn to identify motifs, rhyme, and structure in songs and to report on independent reading. Listening is supported through המהדורה הצעירה (youth news), with comprehension sheets.
Essential questions:
How do songs and stories help us remember and imagine Israel and Jewish history?
What strategies help me understand longer texts and news reports in Hebrew?
How do I express a response or recommendation about what I’ve read or heard?
Key activities & assessments: reading logs and reports; song analyses focusing on motif and structure; listening worksheets; choice-based reading projects with presentations for higher-level students.