Welcome to Second Grade at Or Chadash Religious School!

We have adopted the CHAI curriculum for our second grade Jewish Studies class. The CHAI Curriculum is a flexible educational system specifically designed to facilitate lifelong Jewish learning within Reform congregations. The CHAI curriculum concentrates classroom learning on Torah (study) Avodah (worship) and G'milut chasadim (acts of loving-kindness), focusing on the big ideas of the core of Jewish education. Teaching these foundational concepts ensures that student learning will go beyond the specific classroom activities and will lead students to a deeper, enduring understanding, establishing a basis for lifelong Jewish learning and living.

The core curriculum them for second grade is the personal relevance and power of Torah, Avodah and G'milut Chasadim.

The Essential Questions for the Torah strand are:

• Why is the Torah Different from other books?
• How can Torah study help me in my everyday life?

The Essential Questions for the Avodah strand are:

• What can I do to connect to God?
• How do prayer, ceremonies, and celebrations affect my world?

The Essential Questions for the G'milut Chasadim strand are:

• Why do we do acts of g'milut chassadim?
• What difference does it make if we do g'milut chasadim??

Additionally, in second grade students are introduced to the sight/sound relationship of the Hebrew alef-bet (alphabet.)

Each week, Tzedakah money will be collected in class. The students will understand that tzedakah means doing acts of justice and righteousness, and at various times during the year they will help decide how and where the class tzedakah funds will be used.