Behrman House: About Us: Open Lion Fall 2003: Not One, But Two Hebrew Series

About Us: Open Lion Fall 2003

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Fall 2003

Not One, But Two Hebrew Series
By Lee Brice

[caption below]
Students at Gates of Heaven, Schenectady, enjoy Shalom Uvrachah Interactive

This year Congregation Gates of Heaven chose to adopt not one, but two separate Hebrew series. It was an unusual choice, arising from our desire to teach prayer but also to incorporate modern language in our school at the same time. And, we wanted to do it with two hours of Hebrew instruction per week.
Our primary Hebrew program will be Shalom Uvrachah/Hineni. The first reaction to the Shalom Uvrachah primer came from our resource teacher, who had been skeptical. "I was prepared not to like Shalom Uvrachah," she said, "because I wanted to continue using my own primer, but now I love it. It's colorful, and clear, and I like the fact that the learning activities are all in one book." Other teachers have mentioned the "Living Tradition" photographs, and the integration of the vocabulary words for both decoding and Jewish concepts. We were especially struck by the usefulness of Shalom Uvrachah Interactive CD for practice at home and enrichment or remediation in the classroom.
We were drawn to Hineni because of the presentation of the concept and history of the prayer, inclusion of root forms and vocabulary, and the explanation of the role of the prayer in the service. Teachers commented, too, on its layout and design. "It's colorful and attractive. It invites you to open it up and just enjoy the pages." The Family Companions were a big draw. Now all the parents will be able to help review at home with their children.
But we wanted more-we want our students to learn, and to truly feel that Hebrew is a living language. So next year we'll also be using Shalom Ivrit—Welcome to Modern Hebrew at the same time. Why? We had always worked hard to ensure that students who needed additional help received it, but we hadn't provided enrichment for quicker and more capable learners. We wanted to offer more. We like the context of the Jewish holidays in Shalom Ivrit, we like the dialogues listing the vocabulary on the same page, and we like the fact that simple grammar is introduced. Every class will use Book 1 this year, and over the next two years we'll introduce Books 2 and 3 with their themes of Jewish values and the daily life of teens.
How will we teach both series and meet the needs of students with differing abilities? We plan to teach a chapter of Hineni first, then read the opening story in each chapter of Shalom Ivrit, with every student. Then, those students who need to spend more time learning the prayer will work in Hineni, while those who are ready for enrichment will complete the chapter in Shalom Ivrit.
Our timing may need adjusting, but we are very excited to have resources that are visually engaging, incorporate computer learning, and present Hebrew as a language expressing ancient wisdom and modern meaning. We're excited, and if we are excited, then the students will be too.
Lee Brice is the Director of Education of Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady, New York. She has a BA from Brandeis and an M.Ed from Lesley College.



Lee Brice chooses Hineni and Shalom Ivrit

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