Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
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Curriculum Highlights

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Curriculum Key Content Areas

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The ISJL Education Curriculum is a spiraled curriculum, in which students revisit key content areas with increased sophistication as they progress through the curriculum.  We continually update the curriculum not only to add content, but also to ensure it's in line with current educational best practices and ever-evolving pedagogical understanding.

The ten key content areas are: Community, Culture and Symbols, God, Hebrew and Prayer, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Lifecycle Events, Mitzvot and Jewish Values, and TaNaKh (Torah, Prophets, and Writings).

The curriculum is developmentally appropriate, nurturing students’ Jewish identity, equipping students to live rich and meaningful lives.  Each grade has thirty lesson plans (two hours in duration), including Hebrew. There are a variety of activities in each lesson that implement the idea that students have different learning styles. Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic learning activities are used throughout each lesson.
The ISJL curriculum provides class-by-class lesson plans for each grade, which include both the big picture (big ideas and the objectives) and the nitty-gritty (supplies and other things to prepare). We have even provided a script and a time allocation for teachers who want further guidance in the classroom.

Throughout the curriculum, students will continue to be exposed to these key content areas:

Community
  • By being part of the religious school experience, students will feel a particular pride for their heritage as southern Jews and identify with the larger American and global Jewish community.

Culture and Symbols 
  • The ISJL curriculum provides students with the opportunity to experience the colorful culture of Judaism and the symbols. The students will develop a deeper understanding of Jewish culture as their religious school education builds.

God
  • Religious school is a place where students can openly discuss their thoughts and feelings about God. Students will learn that throughout history Jews have explored their relationship with God.

Hebrew and Prayer
  • During religious school students will have the ability to participate in synagogue prayer services and find personal meaning in them, recognizing Jewish worship as an essential facet of Jewish life and as an opportunity for self-discovery, self-assessment, and self-development.

Israel
  • Throughout the curriculum, students learn about the history and culture of Israel, historically and in a modern context.

Jewish History
  • Students will develop a meaningful identification with Jews past and present through the study of Jewish history, culture, Hebrew language, liturgy, music, literature, arts, and texts.

Jewish Holidays
  • Whether it is with the entire religious school at an All School Program or in each  grade, students will familiarize themselves with the many rituals and traditions that are celebrated during Jewish holidays.

Jewish Lifecycle Events
  • The spiraled curriculum allows students to mark the passages of time and seasons through Jewish lifecycle ceremonies using the symbols, rituals, prayers, and traditions of their Jewish heritage.

Mitzvot and Jewish Values
  • The ISJL curriculum provides students with a chance to view mitzvot-both ritual and ethical-as opportunities to build a relationship with God.

TaNaKh (Torah, Prophets, and Writings)
  • Through the religious school experience, students will recognize that Jewish education is a lifelong endeavor, one that involves a critical and inquiring approach, whereby the process of questioning is as valued and important as the quest for answers.
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  • Home
  • WHO WE ARE
    • Our Mission & History
    • Goldring and Woldenberg
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Our Founder
    • Jobs and Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Conference >
      • Conference Registration 2025
      • 2025 PRESENTERS
      • Conference Info 2025
    • Education >
      • Education Overview
      • ISJL Program Bank
      • Hineinu Y'all
      • Education Partners
      • Curriculum Highlights >
        • Lesson Plan Evaluation
      • Literacy >
        • LAB
        • Our Reading Family
        • TAP >
          • TAP Basic Resources
          • TAP Newsletter
          • Zadeck TAP Mentors
    • CULTURE >
      • Culture Overview
      • Cultural Programming >
        • Presenters Roster
      • History >
        • Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities >
          • Alabama Encyclopedia
          • Arkansas Encyclopedia
          • Georgia Encyclopedia
          • Florida Encyclopedia
          • Kentucky Encyclopedia
          • Louisiana Encyclopedia
          • Mississippi Encyclopedia
          • North Carolina Encyclopedia
          • Oklahoma Encyclopedia
          • South Carolina Encyclopedia
          • Tennessee Encyclopedia
          • Texas Encyclopedia
          • Virginia Encyclopedia
          • Encyclopedia Credits
        • Oral History
    • SPIRITUALITY >
      • Spirituality Overview
      • Passover
      • High Holidays Helper
      • Meet Our Rabbi
      • Taste of Torah
    • PODCAST
  • DONATE
    • Donation Options
    • Donate Now
    • Planned Giving
    • Join the Chai Club
    • Donor's Bill of Rights
  • Shalom Y'all
  • Strategic Plan
  • Southern & Jewish Blog
  • Calendar
  • Virtual Press Kit
  • ISJL 25