Hebrew class is the second hour of religious school. It does not only teach students the prayers of the siddur, but also discusses the origins of each prayer, why each prayer is said, and encourages students to connect with each prayer personally -- to make that prayer relevant to their own lives.
The Hebrew curriculum is divided into five years: aleph, bet, gimel, daled, and hay. The aleph curriculum is integrated into the first and second grade classes, where students are exposed to the brachot forumla, and oral language skills, like counting and colors. The bet curriculum introduces students to the aleph-bet and word reading. The gimel year studies the brachot formula more formally, and teaches the prayers from siddur -- the Sh'ma and her blessings. The daled year studies the siddur prayers found in the Amidah. The hay year studies the Torah service prayers and concluding service.
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