Spiraling Hebrew Through Movement Units

A director recently told me that her Hebrew Through Movement teachers are beginning to think about "what's next" for HTM - how will student learning continue next year for their classes? Each educational program will answer this question for itself, but here's a pattern that I've been seeing and encouraging:

• Kindergarten through Grade 1 - Foundational Units are taught, with some focus on holidays once students have completed Level 5.
  
• Grades 2 & 3 - Foundational Units are heavily reviewed and Holiday Units are introduced. The Synagogue Unit is also a great addition for third grade.
• Grades 4, 5 & 6 - Ditto on the above PLUS Hebrew Through Movement commands are introduced to open the meaning of blessings, prayers and rituals. Check the HTM curriculum guide (downloadable from the homepage of this website) for more thoughts on using Hebrew Through Movement to help with "print literacy."

The goal of Hebrew Through Movement is to open up for our students the blessings and prayers that are core to our rituals. A Cleveland-based Community of Practice has spent this year exploring what this could look like - you'll see the fruit of some of their labor on the Pesah Holiday Unit page including a really wonderful video that shows that it could mean to teach the Four Questions using HTM. But you'll also find on that page easy-to-download teaching scripts, pictures that illustrate vocabulary and concepts, and teaching notes, all from this quite productive group (way to go, Cleveland!). In addition, a Sh'ma and its Blessings curriculum that will be released by the JECC this summer, will include an integration of Hebrew Through Movement in the more common blessings/prayers taught in that section of our t'fillah.


So, how are YOU thinking about the curriculum spiral for next year and what questions do you have? Feel free to post in the comment section (below), come join us in the "Hebrew Moves Me!" Facebook Group, ... or both!

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