HEBREW LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

The Hebrew department seeks to develop students’ proficiency in the Hebrew language as a primary vehicle for expanding their connection to and love of Israel, and for enriching their understanding of their national, religious, and cultural identity. Since Biblical times, Hebrew has been a language of Jewish expression. Through the continued evolution and dynamic growth of Hebrew in relation to the modern world, Hebrew language remains key to understanding Israeli society and culture today.  The Hebrew Department is committed to enabling every learner, regardless of his or her background and innate abilities in second language acquisition, to gain proficiency and a connection to and love of the Hebrew language. We design our curriculum to develop Hebrew language skills in four fundamental areas of language proficiency: speaking, reading, writing and listening. Hebrew prose, poetry, drama, newspaper articles, movies, songs, and advertisements, taken from classical Hebrew literature and current Israeli culture serve as the springboard of Hebrew language acquisition. We organize our curriculum around thematic units that provide opportunities for students to use Hebrew language to communicate about ideas and events that are central to their life experiences as adolescents, to support their ability to navigate everyday life in Israel, and to explore their growing and developing identity as Jewish young adults. The Hebrew Department provides three separate tracks for students in ninth through twelfth grade. Students who are heritage speakers, and/or have studied Hebrew in Jewish Day schools, enroll in classes in Hebrew Language and Literature. Within this track, students are grouped according to knowledge and ability. Students in eleventh and twelfth grade are offered the option of an honors Hebrew class. Non-heritage speakers who are entering a Jewish day school for the first time in ninth grade enroll in the Sha’ar track. Sha’ar classes use an Ulpan methodology, and are designed to transition students into the Hebrew Language and Literature track in twelfth grade. Students who require additional support in second language acquisition enroll in the Basic Hebrew track. These small classes provide the individualized attention necessary for students to develop increasing fluency in all areas of language proficiency. Within each track, each successive year of the curriculum builds on the previous year, as students learn to conduct increasingly complicated conversations on a wider variety of topics and read more sophisticated literary texts, and express themselves in writing with greater accuracy and nuance. When appropriate, students may move from one track to another, both mid-year and between years.