A curriculum is a structure, not a pile of lessons.

Masa is built backwards from what we want a child to carry at twelve, and forwards from what a five-year-old needs to feel first. Here is how the pieces hold together.

The Growing Tree

Children grow the way a tree grows — first down into the soil, then up and outward. Nine years, four stages. Each stage tells a teacher what is developing, not just what is being taught.

  1. PREK–K

    Roots Shorashim

    Belonging, warmth, the rhythm of the Jewish year

    “This is my place, and I am loved here.”

  2. GRADES 1–2

    Trunk Geza

    Foundational stories; first Hebrew, blessings, and ritual

    “I know our stories, and I can do Jewish things.”

  3. GRADES 3–4

    Branches Anafim

    Prayer, sacred time, family story, and the diversity of our people

    “I can pray, and I see how big and varied my people are.”

  4. GRADES 5–6

    Fruit Peirot

    Lifecycle, Torah, B’nei Mitzvah, and emerging leadership

    “I am becoming a Jewish adult and a leader in my community.”

Three pillars, in every lesson

Not values on a wall — three questions each unit has to answer.

Da’at · Knowledge

What will children understand, know, and be able to do?

Kehillah · Community

How does this connect children to one another, to the congregation, and to K’lal Yisrael?

Yahadut · Jewish Identity

How does this help children experience Jewish life as their own?

Four Golden Threads

Four commitments that spiral through all nine years. A thread is not repeated at each stage — it matures, so a child meets the same idea in a form that has grown with them.

I Am a Blessing · B’tzelem Elohim

Every child is created in the image of the Divine and is inherently worthy.

  1. ROOTS
    “I am special and I belong.” My-family and my-name pages.
  2. TRUNK
    “My strengths and my values.” Connecting personal traits to Jewish values and stories.
  3. BRANCHES
    “My family’s story is part of a bigger story.” Identity maps and family interviews.
  4. FRUIT
    “Who am I becoming?” Ethical reflections, a d’var Torah, and a B’nei Mitzvah vision.

Our Beautifully Diverse People · K’lal Yisrael

We deliberately centre the full diversity of the Jewish people — Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian and beyond; interfaith and multiracial families; every way of being Jewish.

  1. ROOTS
    Meet Jewish children who look and live differently, as a matter of course.
  2. TRUNK
    Stories and images audited so every child sees a mirror and a window.
  3. BRANCHES
    Holidays celebrated around the world; the Jews of Ethiopia; many tables, one people.
  4. FRUIT
    K’lal Yisrael as a lived commitment — whose voices are missing, and who am I to them?

I Belong and I Contribute · Kehillah

Children engage with the congregation as real participants, not visitors. Every grade has an authentic, public role.

  1. ROOTS
    Weekly tzedakah; sing at a family T’filah.
  2. TRUNK
    Share a story with buddies; lead the Hanukkah candle blessing.
  3. BRANCHES
    Help lead Shema and Barchu; present family stories at a community showcase.
  4. FRUIT
    Lead Torah-service blessings and full T’filah segments; mentor younger grades.

The Hebrew & T’filah Ladder · Sound-to-print

Children first HEAR, sing and understand prayer, then come to the printed letter. Hebrew is a living, communal language — never a worksheet.

  1. ROOTS
    Hebrew Through Movement; the Alef Bet by ear.
  2. TRUNK
    Sounds and singing, then letters and vowels; the blessing formula.
  3. BRANCHES
    Reading the prayers they already know by heart; first Amidah blessings.
  4. FRUIT
    Torah and Haftarah blessings; leading prayer; chanting for B’nei Mitzvah.

What “knowing it” means here

A sound is not learned because a child got it right once. In Masa a star lights only when a child can produce it on 3 different days, in 3 different activities. Three correct answers in one enthusiastic afternoon is not mastery, and the system will not pretend it is.

Not yetnot yet→In progressgrowing→Litlit

And “not yet” is never drawn as a gap or a lock. It is a star that is waiting.

The week

Through Grade 1, one class with one teacher and Hebrew woven in by ear. From Grade 2, Hebrew becomes its own hour with its own teacher.

PREK – GRADE 1

  • Class
    120 min
  • Snack
    15 min
  • T'filah
    45 min

GRADES 2 – 6

  • Eitz Chayim
    60 min
  • Nativ (Hebrew)
    60 min
  • Snack
    15 min
  • T'filah
    45 min

Six design commitments

These shape every unit in every grade. They are written for a school staffed by volunteers, so each one is practical.

  1. Belonging and joy come first — before content, a child must feel safe, known and glad to be here.
  2. Mirrors and windows — children must see themselves in our materials and meet others.
  3. Sound-to-print Hebrew — hear, sing and understand prayer before decoding letters.
  4. Inquiry through Key Questions — open questions, not facts to memorise.
  5. Asset-based, inclusive language — words that build up, designed for neurodiverse learners.
  6. Family as co-educator — give families the words, questions and rituals to extend each unit at home.

And every unit carries the teacher

Masa is taught by dedicated volunteers, most without a Judaic-studies background. So each unit hands the teacher everything they need — no outside research, and a version for the week they are short on time.

  • What you need to know
    Plain-language background so you can teach with confidence — no outside research required.
  • Why this matters
    The big idea, so you can answer “why are we learning this?”
  • Two-minute prep
    The absolute essentials if you’re short on time.
  • Session flow
    Welcome → explore → create → close, with timing.
  • Words to know
    Hebrew vocabulary with easy pronunciation and meaning.
  • Kids often ask
    Common questions and gentle, honest ways to answer them.
  • Inclusion & sensitivity notes
    How to keep the unit affirming for every child and family.
  • Family connection
    The Mishpacha Note / home extension to send home.