6th-7th Grade Programs

About
Schedule
Curriculum
BAJY: Beth Am Junior Youth

Our 6th-7th grade program builds a unified cohort of learners among our pre- and post -B’nei Mitzvah students and provides them with rich opportunities to engage in study with our clergy and educators as they prepare for Jewish adulthood. Students grow socially and emotionally through community building exercises designed to build relationships and personal identity. Students engage in a critical reading of Torah, explore the meanings of prayers, and learn about Modern Jewish History and the Holocaust. 

Students build Hebrew reading skills in 6th-7th grade Hebrew or individual tutoring, and those choosing to celebrate B’nei Mitzvah at Beth Am begin our Beit Midrash program seven months prior to B’nei Mitzvah.  Students will transition from Hebrew to Beit Midrash based on the timeline of their B'nei Mitzvah. Read more on our Youth Hebrew Learning page.

Sundays, 9:00 AM - 12:30 AM:

• 9:00-10:15 AM: Core Class with Rabbis or Educators
• 10:15-11:00 AM:  T’filah with Cantor Shpall
• 11:00-11:30 AM: Hafsakah (Community building & Lunch)
• 11:30 AM -12:30 PM: 6th-7th Grade Hebrew* or Beit Midrash (students transition from Hebrew to Beit Midrash 7 months prior to their B'nei Mitzvah date)

*6th-7th Grade Hebrew is also offered as Individual Tutoring

NOTE: 8th graders on the B'nei Mitzvah track should attend Sunday mornings 10:00-12:30 until their B'nei Mitzvah, and also enroll in Wednesday Teen Nights!

Curriculum
Our 6th & 7th Grade Program is foundational to building the 6th and 7th grade cohorts, so the program incorporates a large amount of social-emotional learning as part of each session. Students will check in and get to know one another as they begin to form relationships that will hopefully last throughout their teen years at Beth Am and beyond.

The core class curriculum is designed to help our 6th and 7th grade students become critical thinkers as they engage with big ideas in Jewish education— values, Torah, prayer and history:

• 6th Grade Semester 1: Jewish American History 
• 6th Grade Semester 2: Part I of A Critical Read of Torah (taught by our rabbis)
• 7th Grade Semester 1: Part II of A Critical Read of Torah (taught by our rabbis)
• 7th Grade Semester 2: Facing History and Ourselves Holocaust & Human Behavior (This continues into 8th Grade)
• 6th & 7th Grade Hebrew: Decoding and Prayer Themes

BAJY: Beth Am Junior Youth
Our middle school youth group is a special community space for 6th-8th graders. Events include social, cultural and social action experiences, as well as opportunities for peer leadership. Membership to BAJY is part of your registration for 6th or 7th Grade Programs!