A DINIM CURRICULUM: CONTENT AND METHODOLOGY

Abstract

Dinim, as a subject in the day school curriculum, provides instruction in the normative religious practices of the Jewish religion. Dinim is dogmatic and it is an essential part of the religious curriculum of the Orthodox Day School. In many ways the American-Jewish youngster is restricted by his observance of Jewish Law. Yet, the observance of these laws is part of the value system that is an integral part of the Jewish existence.;The most immediate need was to develop a curriculum for the subject of dinim. A second need was for a methodology for the teaching of dinim. The need for this thesis was established by the dearth of curricula and from the fact that methodology courses are not offered at any of the Hebrew teacher seminaries.;The approach that was utilized in this thesis was to determine which curricular ingredients were necessary for a fully articulated curriculum. Four topics, namely, Blessings, Prayer, Kashrut and Charity, were developed as suitable topics of instruction. Through the development of these topics it was hoped that a model will emerge that can be emulated in other topics of Jewish Law.;Along with the development of a curricular model, a proposed methodology will be developed so that dinim can be taught effectively and efficiently. The proposed methodology will concentrate, not on teaching techniques but rather on the steps that must be followed by the teacher in ascending the various levels of cognition. The methodology will concentrate on how the teacher will organize and create the conditions that are necessary for student achievement.;The main emphasis of the curriculum will center on the cognitive domain of learning. There is also another domain of learning, namely, the affective or the attitudinal. This latter domain is dependent on the teacher, the conditions, the atmosphere and many other variables. Whether or not the school can control all of the variables does not negate its obligations to teach the requirements of Jewish Law.;Appended to this study are sample lesson plans that illustrate a methodology for teaching dinim that avoids using the test and concentrates on the development of principles and concepts.;This study was aimed at providing a utilitarian product for the teaching of dinim in the elementary grades of the Orthodox Day School.