Zekelman Standards

2. Content

A major part of the goal of learning חומש, in addition to fulfilling the obligation of לימוד תורה, is to learn its content: the history, life lessons, personalities, and instructions which are our national heritage. Although schools may differ in their particular syllabus choices as to which פרשיות or פרקים to cover, students in grades 1 through 6 can amass a large and valuable base of Torah knowledge. The essence of the Mitzvah of learning Torah is mastery of its content – ‘ה’s communication to the Jewish people.

Note to teachers: This standard provides an opportunity for students who struggle with other areas of learning חומש to shine. While engaging successfully with the text and language of חומש can prove challenging for many students, those same students may excel in engaging with the content learned from the חומש, independent of the text it is derived from.

Also note that the standards do not dictate a school’s choice of syllabus and which content is covered. For suggested content items in ספר בראשית, see the Appendix to Standard 2.

Enduring Understandings

  1. The greater one’s knowledge base of תורה content, the more confidently and readily one can access new topics and texts within תורה.
  2. Knowledge and retention are the keys to be able to analyze, delve into and think deeply about תורה.
  3. Every detail in the תורה is equally holy and important, and selection of particular content is a purely pragmatic decision (based on time constraints and the role of the content in being able to access future topics and texts).

Essential Questions

  1. Why do I have to know this?
  2. How can I remember this?

2.01 People

A. Knows the names and basic profiles (i.e. main characteristics provided in the text being learned) of the main characters in the text being learned.

B. Knows the names of secondary characters who interact significantly with main characters, and the roles that they play.

C.
Grade 1: Identifies family relationships between main characters in the חומש  being learned.

Grades 2-3: Draws a family tree of main characters in the חומש being learned.

A. Knows the names and profiles of the main characters being learned, including details provided by sources other than the חומש text (רש”י, מדרשים, מפרשים), and retains names and profiles from previous grades.

B. Knows the names and roles of a greater range of secondary characters (but not all), focusing on those who play a greater role in the main narrative of the חומש being learned, and retains knowledge of secondary characters from previous grades.

C. Draws a family tree showing relationships among main and secondary characters in the חומש being learned, including family trees from previous grades.

A. Constructs personality profiles of main characters in the text being learned, based on the חומש text and relevant מפרשים being learned,[8] and retains names and profiles from previous grades.

B. Knows the names and roles of most of the characters that appear in the חומש text and relevant מפרשים being learned, and retains knowledge of secondary characters from previous grades.

C. Draws a family tree showing relationships among main and secondary characters in the חומש text and relevant מפרשים being learned, including family trees from previous grades.

[8] See Standard 4.09.

2.02 Places

A. Knows the names and basic profiles (i.e. main characteristics provided in the text being learned) of the main characters in the text being learned.

B. Knows the names of secondary characters who interact significantly with main characters, and the roles that they play.

C. Identifies family relationships between main characters in the חומש being learned.

A. Knows main places, referring to lands or nations, and more specific locations, i.e. cities, which are important to the story being learned (e.g. חברון, גרר, סוכות), and what took place in each, and retains knowledge of places from previous grades.

B. Finds locations and traces routes on a map.

A. Knows main places, referring to lands or nations, and more specific locations, i.e. cities, which are important to the story being learned (e.g. חברון, גרר, סוכות), and what took place in each, and retains knowledge of places from previous grades.

B. Can place major locations and trace significant routes on a map (i.e. ארץ ישרא-ל and מצרים, מדבר סיני, the ירדן).

2.03 Events/Narratives

A. Knows the storyline (main events) of clearly cohesive stories learned in Chumash.

A. Knows the main events and significant details of the narrative that they are learning, and retains knowledge of storylines from previous grades.

A. Knows the broader storyline of multiple, connected stories in the Chumash that they are learning, and retains knowledge of storylines from previous grades.

2.04 Quotations – לשונות

A. Recognizes and understands select key לשונות and expressions from the פסוקים and content being learned.

A. Recalls and recites select key לשונות and expressions from פסוקים and content learned, and retains knowledge of quotations from previous grades.

A. Recalls and recites key לשונות, expressions, and important quotations from פסוקים and content learned, and retains knowledge of quotations from previous grades.

Conceptual Knowledge

The student will be able to demonstrate knowledge and retention of terms, concepts, life lessons and מצוות.

2.05 Terms and Concepts

A. Knows and understands key terms and concepts in the פסוקים and content being learned, and retains knowledge of key terms and concepts from previous grades.

B. Knows and understands the major lessons of the חומש narratives being learned, and retains knowledge of lessons learned in previous grades.

2.06 חלוקה לפרשיות, פרקים

Grade 1: Is familiar with מצוות that appear in the text.

Grade 2: Is familiar with מצוות that appear in the text, along with the details provided by the text.

A. Is familiar with מצוות that appear in the text, along with the details provided by the text.

B. Can relate a מצוה learned to its source/context in the חומש.i[9]

A. Compare and contrast similar personalities, events and texts in learned פסוקים to unlearned פסוקים. (See Appendix for items to compare and contrast, and how to do so.)

B. Can relate a מצוה to its source in the חומש text, i.e., the specific לשון הפסוק.

[9] E.g. “We first learn about the מצוה of ברית מילה when ה commanded אברהם to have a ברית at 99 years old.”

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