FAQ About Our Jewish & Hebrew Studies

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes ShalomLearning unique?

We don’t just provide you a curriculum with amazing lesson plans.  We provide the tools, training, ongoing support and community of practice that you need to be successful.

What does the ShalomLearning program include?

ShalomLearning provides educators with curriculum and support to teach about Jewish values and tradition  to children in grades K-7. Specifically, our program includes:

  • Lesson plans, PowerPoint slides, resources (videos, songs, etc), and lesson overviews  for our K-7 values-based curriculum.
  • Two approaches to learning to read Hebrew and chant tefillot. 
  • The ability for teachers to instantaneously track student progress and provide feedback through our online Learning Management System.
  • A virtual classroom platform for live, synchronous classes with your teacher and students.
  • Ongoing curricular support for teachers, families and students (including live, technical support for the virtual classes).
  • Annual summer training and professional development opportunities included in program fees.
  • Annual review of curriculum to continually update content and integrate the best emerging trends in education.

How much does your program cost?

We’re a non-profit and try to keep our prices as affordable as possible. Our fees for congressional schools can be as low as $500/year.  Call us at 301-660-3800 to discuss your educational goals.

Do you provide teachers?

We know teachers are the key to a great learning experience.  Most of our partners hire teachers who use our materials and benefit from our training and professional development opportunities. We have gladly helped a few of our partners by providing a ShalomLearning Certified teacher to teach virtually.

Who uses your program?

ShalomLearning currently has over 110 partners. Our welcoming, pluralistic curriculum is well received by reform, conservative, reconstructionist and independent schools. We also have families who are using our curriculum for a homeschool model.

We recently partnered with the JWB (The Jewish Chaplains Council) to make our program accessible to Jewish families in the US military in a variety of ways including on bases throughout the world, in virtual classrooms, and at home for those in remote regions.

 

How much technology do I need to use ShalomLearning in a classroom?

ShalomLearning is most successful if a teacher has a computer and a way to project images.  Access to the internet is wonderful, but not necessary during class time, as all resources (PowerPoints, songs and videos) can be downloaded ahead of time. 

There are options for students to use personal devices (phones, tablets, ipads) in the older grades of the values-based curriculum; however, we also give the teacher options that don’t require additional technology.

For learning to read Hebrew and for learning tefillot, there are self-paced activities students can do at home or in the classroom on a computer, tablet, or iPad. These are enhancements to the teacher guided lessons or can be done in lieu of a teacher led class.

Do I need to purchase the whole program?

No, you can use our values-based curriculum alone or one of our Hebrew programs. You can use our lesson plans in a traditional classroom or in a virtual one. All of our materials are flexible to be used in a variety of ways.

Why does the curriculum focus on Jewish values?

ShalomLearning is built on the principle of creating relevance between a student’s secular life and Jewish tradition. By using a Jewish values-based curriculum, students acquire important tools and develop social emotional skills that they can apply in all of their interactions.

Tell me more about the ShalomLearning Hebrew program.

ShalomLearning partnered with Torah Aura and JLearnHub to create two distinct Hebrew programs for learning to read Hebrew (decoding) and tefillot designed for grades 3-7. 

Both programs include lessons designed for a traditional and/or a virtual classroom. They also include online activities students can use to review materials, make up for a missed class, or as independent study. These interactive, online materials allow for flexibility with larger and smaller classes.

What is the best way to implement the curriculum?

ShalomLearning is designed to be taught in a traditional classroom or a virtual classroom and offers the community unlimited flexibility based on your needs. Give us a call: 301-660-3800 to let us know your vision, and we will give you the guidance and tools to make it a reality.

Can we customize the ShalomLearning curriculum?

Yes! Many teachers appreciate that our lesson plans don’t need any modifications for your next class. Others chose to add their own resources and materials. We encourage you to make any changes that will make it more engaging for your students and share with our community your successes.

How will our teachers receive training?

ShalomLearning educators: 

  • Have access to a self-paced training course to learn about the philosophy of the ShalomLearning curriculum and how to use it. This course can be completed in 30 minutes and is available as a resource at any time.
  • Are invited to attend our annual Summer Training Retreat to learn the features of our program. Please see our Summer Training for more info.
  • Use our online portal for quick-start guides and a forum for peer support

We encourage teachers request 1:1 training at any time. In addition, we provide other professional development opportunities such as

  • Webinars on technology implementation and other relevant educational skills.
  • Subsidies for completing courses offered by partners such as Gratz College/NEXT program.

What type of support do you provide?

We provide ongoing training and professional development for ShalomLearning educators. In addition to our self-paced materials, the ShalomLearning staff is very responsive to any educator’s curricular inquiries. Teachers can also request and provide peer-support on any educational topic.

For those offering a virtual class, our program includes training and best practices for teaching in this setting. Live support for online classes is available as well.

What equipment or tools do I need to use the ShalomLearning curriculum?

There are no books. Your teachers will need computers so they can access our materials.

If your classes are in a building, it’s best if the teacher can present our PowerPoints, videos, and other resources using a TV, projector, or SmartBoard.

If you will be using a virtual classroom, you can purchase your own webconferencing tool (e.g. Zoom) or we can provide licenses for you at an additional cost.