For the GEMS Orientation, use the GEMS Companion to view visual and content. The video presentation will be sequenced in the same as order as GEMS Companion.

You will need the GEMS Companion for this Orientation:

You can purchase it here, or you may already have it has a component of your Letter Lab Gems Set.

The Letter Lab GEMS Companion is a comprehensive resource that provides:

• Background knowledge on Hebrew phonology, vocabulary, letter knowledge, and orthography
• Organization by topic for easy reference
• Insights into the alignment of out traditional Mesorah approach to Kriah and the science of Hebrew reading
• Detailed instructions for each experience, including:
  • Explicit instruction
  • Guided practice
  • Independent/peer practice with accountability
• Variations and suggestions for adapting the materials to your teaching style

We encourage you to use this companion in a way that suits your needs:

• Read it in-depth all at once or step-by-step
• Bring the materials into the classroom day by day, as you’re ready
• Don’t worry if you have questions – it’s a sign of integrating new information and advancing your teaching!

Celebrate each step of the way, and remember, we’re here to support you!

The GEMS Companion begins by providing an overview of whats included and then moves on to the Scope & Sequence of the GEMS experiences. This Scope & Sequence offers a concise overview of the comprehensive Hebrew literacy pathway. This pathway seamlessly integrates Hebrew phonology, vocabulary, letter knowledge, and orthography, providing a cohesive learning journey. The Scope & Sequence is a valuable resource for curriculum planning, outlining the learning targets and progressions of each experience. With this tool, educators can effectively plan and implement instruction, ensuring a clear understanding of what students will learn and how they will progress through the GEMS system.

To accommodate different teaching styles and student needs, the GEMS system offers a flexible progression pathway. The chart below illustrates how you can progress by:

• Introducing more letters
• Focusing on a segment of letters to build foundational literacy skills

This adaptive approach enables you to teach syllables, words, and simple phrases and sentences in a way that suits your students’ interests, abilities, and learning pace, even before they learn all the Hebrew letters.

We’ve organized the GEMS experiences into 5 segments, corresponding to the 5 rows of the Hebrew alphabet found in the holy Siddur chart. This structure allows for a logical progression in skills, not just letter knowledge. Each segment includes:

• Letter learning
• Syllable learning
• Word reading and building activities
• Decodable books

Student Progress Tracking System:

Coming Soon

Letter Lab GEMS Overview

If you’re new to the GEMS system, the following section provides a brief overview of how it works. If you’re already using the GEMS Companion, you may want to skip the next section and continue using the Companion. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a quick summary, this section provides a concise introduction to get you started.

Hebrew Phonology– Letter Lab GEMS A, B, C, D and E

Hebrew phonology is the sound system that underlies the Hebrew language, comprising 22 consonants and 13 vowels that combine to form unique sound patterns. A key aspect of Hebrew phonology is the “Body-Coda” concept, where final consonants (the “coda”) blend with the main syllable (the “body”) to create a cohesive sound unit. Mastering this Body-Coda pattern is crucial for accurate pronunciation and fluent reading in Hebrew, as it enables readers to recognize and pronounce words with precision and ease. By understanding and mastering Hebrew phonology, including the Body-Coda concept, students can significantly improve their ability to read and communicate in Hebrew.

Hebrew Phonemic Awareness

Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness are related but distinct skills, especially when it comes to learning Hebrew:

Phonological Awareness:

• Refers to the ability to recognize and manipulate larger units of sound, such as syllables and rhymes
• Involves identifying and working with sound patterns in words, like identifying words that start with the same syllable
• In Hebrew, phonological awareness might involve recognizing syllable patterns, such as identifying words that end with the “el” or “an” sound, meaning they have the same rime, and therefore they rhyme.

Phonemic Awareness:

• Focuses on the smallest units of sound, individual phonemes (distinct sounds)
• Involves identifying, isolating, and manipulating individual sounds within words
• Phonemic awareness in Hebrew may require a student to identify the first sound of the word “bayit” (house) and recognize that it matches the sound of the letter “Bet” (ב)
• Phonemic awareness will help a child realize that the word “geshem” (rain) starts with the letter “Gimmel” (ג), not “Mem” (מ) or “Shin” (ש), because the first sound they hear in “geshem” is the same as the sound of the letter “Gimmel”
• Phonemic awareness will help a child realize that Shabbat (שבת), Shalom (שלום), Shlomo (שלמה), and Shiana (שינה) all start with the same sound ‘sh’ and therefore all start with the letter Shin (ש).
• This type of phonemic awareness helps students develop a strong connection between sounds, letters and words, and is an essential skill for reading and spelling in Hebrew.

To illustrate the difference between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness in Hebrew, would be recognizing that two words start with the same syllable or sound pattern, such as “dam” (דם) meaning “blood” and “dag” (דג) meaning “fish” both start with the “da” sound (kamatz-daled).

Phonemic awareness would involve identifying the individual sounds within the word “shalom”, such as the distinct sounds of “sh”, “a”, “l”, “o”, and “m”

While phonological awareness provides a broader understanding of sound patterns, phonemic awareness zooms in on the individual sounds that make up those patterns. Both skills are essential for reading and spelling in Hebrew!

Hebrew Vocabulary and Language

Vocabulary is crucial for decoding in Hebrew because it enables children to:

1. Monitor their reading: Recognize words and ensure they’re reading correctly.
2. Receive intrinsic feedback: Understand the content to confirm they’re decoding accurately.
3. Stay engaged and motivated: Comprehension boosts interest and encourages continued reading.
4. Build stamina: Vocabulary knowledge helps children read with more fluency and less fatigue.
5. Achieve accuracy and fluency: Vocabulary is essential for developing sight words, instant recognition, and smooth reading.
6. Create sight words: Familiarity with words allows children to recognize them instantly, without decoding.
7. Develop language skills: Vocabulary acquisition is directly linked to improved reading abilities.

We want to emphasize the interconnectedness of vocabulary, language, and reading abilities.

Letter Knowledge – Letter Lab GEMS F, G, H, I, J and K

Enduring letter knowledge can be supported by:

• Multi-sensory instruction: Engage visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning
• Mnemonics: Associate letters with memorable images and stories
• Vocabulary: Connect letters to words and meanings
• Handwriting: Develop muscle memory through writing practice
• Sound matching: Link letters to initial, final sounds of words (phonemic awareness)

Letter Knowledge & Phonemic Awareness

Letter knowledge and phonemic awareness are closely intertwined and interdependent skills that support each other in the development of reading and literacy abilities.

Letter knowledge provides the visual representation of sounds, while phonemic awareness allows readers to hear and manipulate those sounds. As students learn to recognize and name letters (letter knowledge), they also develop an understanding of the sounds those letters represent (phonemic awareness).

Conversely, as students become more aware of phonemes (sounds) in words, they can better understand the relationship between those sounds and the letters that represent them. This reciprocal relationship strengthens both skills, enabling readers to decode words more accurately and build a stronger foundation for reading and spelling.

In essence, letter knowledge and phonemic awareness are two sides of the same coin, working together to help readers crack the code of written language!

Hebrew Orthography: Syllables – Letter Lab Gems L, M, N and O

Hebrew is a unique language with its own set of rules and structures. One of the key aspects of Hebrew is its syllable-based phonology and orthography. Understanding syllables is crucial for reading and writing in Hebrew.

What are Syllables?

A syllable is a unit of sound in a word that contains a vowel sound. In Hebrew, syllables are the building blocks of words. They consist of a combination of consonants and vowels.

Hebrew syllables follow a specific pattern:

• Open Syllables: End with a silent letter (alef, ayin, or hey) or a vowelized consonant
• Closed Syllables: End with a consonant
• Words can have one open or one closed syllables, or words can have a combination of both types of syllables

Learning Pre-Blended Syllables

To access Hebrew orthography in the simplest way, children can learn pre-blended syllables. This means learning syllables as a whole, rather than individual phonemes. By teaching children pre-blended syllables, they can easily read open syllable words and lay the ground work to easily add a consonant to close the syllable.

Hebrew Orthography: Words– Letter Lab GEMS P, Q, R and S

Picture-supported vocabulary learning offers numerous benefits, including:

1. Improved retention: Associating words with images enhances memory and retention.
2. Enhanced comprehension: Pictures help learners understand word meanings and context.
3. Increased vocabulary acquisition: Visual aids facilitate learning and recall of new words.
4. Better word recognition: Pictures support recognition of words in different contexts.
5. Boosts engagement: Pictures make learning more enjoyable and interactive.
6. Supports diverse learning styles: Visual aids cater to different learning styles, such as visual and kinesthetic learners.
7. Sight word recognition: Pictures can help learners recognize high-frequency sight words, building fluency and reading proficiency.

To ensure children develop strong decoding skills and don’t just rely on memorization, we’ve incorporated less familiar words without picture support into our program. This approach helps children learn to attack and decode unfamiliar words. Unlike in English, where teachers often use pseudo or nonsense words to assess decoding skills, we’ve found that using fake words in Hebrew can be counterproductive, especially for second-language learners. Instead, we focus on:

• High-frequency vocabulary words to build familiarity
• Less familiar words to sharpen decoding skills

By striking a balance between familiar and unfamiliar words, we help children develop a deeper understanding of Hebrew patterns and improve their ability to decode and read with fluency.

The Decodable Books for Alef Bet Learners

Decodable texts are valuable for early literacy learning because they:

1. They reinforce phonemic awareness: Decodable texts help children connect sounds to letters and letter combinations, developing phonemic awareness.
2. Develop decoding skills: By sounding out words, children practice decoding and build accuracy and fluency.
3. Boost confidence: Decodable texts offer a sense of accomplishment as children read texts with accuracy and fluency.
4. Foster independence: Decodable texts enable children to read independently, without relying on memorization or pictures.
5. Develop reading comprehension: As children decode with accuracy, they can focus on understanding the text’s meaning.
6. Provide a bridge to more complex texts: Decodable texts serve as a stepping stone to more complex, authentic texts.

These decodable books for alef bet learners offer an extra layer of benefit by introducing controlled and rewarding reading experiences early on, even before children have learned all the letters. This allows them to apply their emerging decoding skills to real reading, building confidence and momentum. As a result, children experience a sense of accomplishment and motivation, reading texts with accuracy and fluency despite limited letter knowledge. This approach enables teachers to assess and support children’s decoding development in a more authentic and engaging way, fostering a sense of agency and independence in their reading.