CHAI CURRICULUM CORE Levels 1 through 7 Themes and Lesson Titles Level: Since some of our classrooms reflect mixed-age groupings, the CHAI Curriculum uses the word "level" instead of "grade" to specify a set of twenty-seven lessons to be used during the course of any one year. Strand: Each of these three strands--Torah, Avodah and G'milut Chasadim--contains nine lessons and is connected to each other by a thematic thread. Thematic Thread: Each level of CHAI has a thematic thread that connects all three strands together and reinforces central ideas throughout the year. Overall Theme: Each strand within a level has its own overall theme that connects its nine lessons together. We have indicated this theme in the curriculum chart below to help educators understand the connection among the lessons in a strand. CHAI sample lessons are available for download. CHAI lesson overview CHAI THEMES & LESSONS- Level 1 Torah Avodah G'milut Chasadim Thematic thread: Students relate personally to each strand through the theme of "discovering myself in the Jewish story." Theme: B'reishit--The Story of My Jewish Family Theme: The Stories Jewish Holidays and Celebrations Tell About Me Theme: A G'milut Chasadim Hero Lesson Titles: Introduction: What Is Torah? Adam and Eve Noah Abraham and Sarah Rebekah: Woman of Kindness and Courage  Jacob and Esau Joseph (Lesson Alef): Trouble among Brothers  Joseph (Lesson Bet): Personal Change and Reconciliation The Genesis Journey Map Family education lesson: Torah, Me, My Family, and My People (family version of lesson 1) Lesson Titles: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download sample lesson* Sukkot Download sample lesson* Simchat Torah What Is a Blessing? Havdalah Chanukah Purim Pesach Shehecheyanu Family education lesson: A Havdalah Pajama Party (family version of lesson 5) Lesson Titles: Being a Jewish Hero: An Introduction to G’milut Chasadim and Tzedakah Being Kind with Derech Eretz Download sample lesson* Do Not Do to Others... Repentance: Is Saying Sorry Enough? Welcoming Guests: Hachnasat Orchim Helping Our Synagogue Community Taking Care of the Earth Tzedakah: A Different Way of Helping G’milut Chasadim Hero Family education lesson: Behaving in Special Ways: A Family Introduction to G'milut Chasadim (family version of lesson 1) CHAI THEMES & LESSONS- Level 2 Torah Avodah G'milut Chasadim Thematic thread: Students learn about each of the three strands and the personal relevance and power of Torah, Avodah, and G'milut Chasadim. Theme: The Book of Sh'mot; The Torah is About Me Theme: Getting to Know God Theme: I Can Do G'milut Chasadim Lesson Titles: Intro to Torah Intro to Book of Sh'mot Parashat Sh'mot-Finding God in Small Places Parashat Bo: Marking Our Freedom (Session alef) Parashat Bo: Marking Our Freedom (Session bet) Parashat B'shalach: Nachshon Comes to Visit Parashat Yitro: Helping Hands Parashat Ki Tisa: Hold On to Your Hat, God! Parashat Mishpatim: Reaching Out to Strangers Lesson Titles: Why Can't I See God? Shabbat Blessings Download sample lesson* Morning Blessings Sh'ma Evening Blessings How Do I Talk to God? Why Does God Want Me to Grow? How Does God Talk to Us? Does God Know Me? Lesson Titles: Making A Difference Opportunities to Do G'milut Chasadim Download sample lesson* Torah Teaches Us In God's Image Download sample lesson * Being God's Partner Welcoming Guests Taking Action Reflections on Doing G'milut Chasadim G'milut Chasadim Celebration CHAI THEMES & LESSONS- Level 3 Torah Avodah G'milut Chasadim Thematic thread: Students refine their own understanding and definition of k'dushah and apply that understanding to how ritual objects, symbols, prayer, and our behaviors can make moments and places special, holy, and closer to God. Theme: Vayikra, Living a Life of K'dushah/Holiness Theme: Ways We Experience God Theme: Taking Responsibility for G'milut Chasadim, Planning and Doing Lesson Titles: Introduction to Vayikra/Leviticus - Parashat K'doshim: Holiness Download sample lesson * Parashat Vayikra: Sacrifice, Gifts, Drawing Near Parashat Sh'mini: Kashrut - Holy Eating Parashat K'doshim Session Alef: Stumbling Block Parashat K'doshim Session Bet: Tochecha (Rebuking Others) Parashat Emor: Shabbat - Holy Time Parashat B'har: The Sabbatical Year - Holiness of the Earth Parashat K'doshim: Love Your Neighbor Parashat B'chukotai: Rules, Laws, and Teachings - Passing It On   Lesson Titles: Synagogue Helps Us Make Room for God Road Signs to God How Do We Relate to God? Getting Connected Acting Holy Everything's B'seder, All Is in Order Our Bodies Are a Gift from God Ordinary Moments Can Be Kadosh Taking God Home   Lesson Titles: Taking Responsibility: Doing G'milut Chasadim K'lal Yisrael: Helping Jews around the World G'milut Chasadim: Helping Others and Helping Ourselves Our Actions Make a Difference: Caring is Contagious G'milut Chasadim Everyday A G'milut Chasadim Road Map The G'milut Chasadim Holiday Connection (Session Alef) The G'milut Chasadim Holiday Connection (Session Bet) G'milut Chasadim: Review and Taking Action   Bonus family education lesson: The Great God Hunt CHAI THEMES & LESSONS- Level 4 Torah Avodah G'milut Chasadim Thematic thread: Students see a direct relationship between being a member of a community and our behaviors, through study of the relationship between the People and the Land in the Torah, the significance and structure of communal prayer, and acts of g'milut chasadim affecting relationships. Theme: B'midbar and D'varim; the brit Theme: Keva and Kavanah Theme: How our Behavior Affects All of Our Relationships Lesson Titles: Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, and the B'rit Am Yisrael—Session Alef: All Jews are Members of Am Yisrael; I Am a Member of Am Yisrael Am Yisrael - Session Bet: It Takes Twelve Tribes to Create a People Eretz Yisrael - Session Alef: The Physical Land Eretz Yisrael - Session Bet: The Land for Our Souls B'rit - Session Alef: Parashat Sh'lach L'cha: Becoming Like Joshua and Caleb B'rit - Session Bet: Parashat Sh'lach L'cha: Becoming Like Joshua and Caleb B'rit - Session Gimel: Keeping the B'rit Wrap-Up: We Are About to Enter the Land   Lesson Titles: Kavanah Keva: Why We Pray Siddur Geography: Our Journey through the Prayer Book The Sh'ma and Its Blessings: Finding Kavanah in Keva (Session Alef: Sh'ma and V'ahavta) The Sh'ma and Its Blessings: Finding Kavanah in Keva (Session Bet: Creation, Revelation, Redemption) Kiddush: Sanctifying Our Lives Through Fixed Prayer and Personal Feelings of Holiness Communal and Individual Prayers Blessings of Wonder Download sample lesson * Silent Prayer: Creating a Moment for Ourselves, with Our Own Words   Lesson Titles: Making Peace Among Friends Sh'lom Bayit: Peace and Harmony at Home Accepting Differences: Love Your Neighbor as Yourself (V'ahavta L'rei-acha Kamocha) Show Honor with Action: Honor Your Parents (Kibud Av Va-em) Befriending the Lonely The Danger of Gossip: L'shon Hara Understanding the Elderly Honoring the Elderly (Kibud Z'keinim) Session Alef Honoring the Elderly (Kibud Z'keinim) Session Bet: Intergenerational Program   Bonus family education lesson: The Many Faces of My Jewish Family CHAI THEMES & LESSONS- Level 5 Torah Avodah G'milut Chasadim Thematic thread: Throughout this year, the theme of Reform Judaism and the power of community will connect the strands. How is Reform Judaism based on the message of the prophets? What is the role of the individual in a community? How has our Movement dealt with the prayers in the siddur? How can we each reach out to those in our community? Theme: N'vi'im and Prophecy Theme: Prayer as a Discipline, Prayer as a Learning Process Theme: G'milut Chasadim and our Community; Reaching Out Lesson Titles: Tanach: Getting to Know You Meet the Prophets Download sample lesson * Joshua: Warrior Prophet Deborah: Bringing Light to Her World  Jonah and Jeremiah: The Reluctant Prophets Amos and Isaiah: The Intolerant Prophets Elijah: Who Was He? Who Is He? Reform Judaism: Response to Prophecy Your Sons and Daughters Shall Prophesy   Lesson Titles: The Prayer-to-Action Connection Introduction to the Amidah Amidah Section 1: Brachot of Praise  Download sample lesson * Amidah Section 2: Brachot of Petition Amidah Section 3: Brachot of Thanksgiving The Aleinu Prayer: Choosing God The Kaddish Prayer: Remembering and Affirming God Israel in Our Prayers The Prayer-to-Action Wrap-Up   Lesson Titles: K’hilah: The Jewish Community Al Tifrosh Min Hatzibur: Do Not Separate Yourself from the Jewish Community K'vod HaMet: Showing Honor to the Dead Conversion: Becoming Part of the Jewish Community Keruv: Welcoming Jews-by-Choice into the Jewish Community  Justice in the Community Download sample lesson * Tzedakah Session 1: How to Choose Where to Give  Tzedakah Session 2: Avoiding Embarrassment  Speaking Out and Speaking Up   Bonus family education lesson: Prayer and Community: Reform Judaism and Change CHAI THEMES & LESSONS- Level 6 Torah Avodah G'milut Chasadim Thematic thread: What is Revelation and how do we experience it? Is there a human role in divine revelation? Students investigate Biblical texts which relate to the individual's relationship with God, study the components of the Torah service and the role of the sh'liach tzibur (prayer leader), and g'milut chasadim on a more universal level. Click here to download the CHAI: Revelation Study Guide for Teachers Theme: Ketuvim; My Relationship with God Theme: Torah Service and My Role in it Theme: G'milut Chasadim and the World; Widening Circles of Involvement Lesson Titles: Introduction to K’tuvim/Writings M'gillat Rut/The Book of Ruth: Mining the Text For Meaning Megilat Rut/The Book of Ruth: Finding God in Moab and Canaan Introduction to Wisdom Literature Download sample lesson* Mishlei/Proverbs: Wise Words for All  Kohelet: Wise Man or Cynic?  T'hillim/Psalms Session Alef: Poetry and Liturgy  T'hillim/Psalms Session Bet: Images of God God, How Are You Revealed in the World and What Is My Relationship with You? Lesson Titles: Standing at Sinai: My Role in Revelation The Torah Service as a Public Reading The Torah Service and Community Building Finding Our Way to Sinai: A Map of the Torah Service  Choreography and Etiquette of the Torah Service The Blessings of Torah Download sample lesson * What is the Haftarah? The Role of Sh'liach Tzibur My Communal Role in Revelation: Entering the Covenant as a Jewish Adult   Lesson Titles: Finding God in Our World Through Acts of G’milut Chasadim Bal Tashchit: Protecting the Rainforests  Bal Tashchit: Recycling and Conserving Energy Tzaar Baalei Chayim: Care and Protection of Animals World Health Issues Peace World Hunger Jews and the Struggle for Civil Rights Hineini: Embracing Our People around the World   Bonus family education lesson: Coincidence, Courage, or the Hand of God? A Family Exploration of the Book of Esther CHAI THEMES & LESSONS- Level 7 Torah Avodah G'milut Chasadim Thematic thread: This year focuses on personal reflection and improvement with the theme "Hineini--Here I am." Torah study turns to B'reishit and commentaries, focusing on family and interpersonal relationships; Avodah explores liturgical texts on the topic of Jewish identity and the boundaries that define us; G'milut Chasadim starts with the individual, tikkun middot and repairing ourselves. Theme: B'reishit and Finding Myself in the Story Theme: Prayer and Ritual Help Me Define Myself as a Jew Theme: Starting with Myself; Tikkun Middot Lesson Titles: Lech L’cha, The Journeys We Take Cain and Abel: Family Relationships Akeidat Yitzchak, The Binding of Isaac: Honoring Parents Rebekah: A Virtuous Woman?  Rebekah: Tough Choices  God and Abraham: A Relationship Like No Other  Jacob and the Ish/Being: Struggling to Change (Lesson Alef) Jacob and the Ish/Being: Struggling to Change (Lesson Bet) Wrap Up: Our Lessons from Genesis/B’reishit Lesson Titles: Introduction to the Jewish Life Cycle B'nei Mitzvah and Marriage: Responsibility and Relationships Birth and Death: Teach Us to Number Our Days Download sample lesson * The High Holy Days: Focus on Repentance  Pesach--Questions: Then and Now  Chanukah and Purim: Do You Believe in Miracles (and Boundaries)?  My Jewish Identity: Eilu D'varim – What Must I Do? My Jewish Identity: Sh'ma – What Do I Believe? My Jewish Identity: Hineini Lesson Titles: Time for a Checkup That’s What Friends are For: Dibuk Chaverim Truth as an Act of Kindness (Emet) Stop the Bullying NOW!: Not Standing Idly By (Lo Taamod Al Dam Rei-echa) Download sample lesson* Keep Your Cool: Being Slow to Anger (Erech Apayim) What’s With The Attitude? Having a Pleasant Demeanor (Seiver Panim Yafot) Courage! (Ometz Lev) Living Generously (N'divut) Hineini--Here I Am! I Am Ready to Act! Bonus family education lesson: Creating Jewish Memory CHAI sample lessonsare available for download.