Every feature of this primer - from its ground-breaking methodology to its vibrant, streamlined design - has been years in the making. Shalom Uvrachah: The New Hebrew Primer teaches decoding skills from key cultural words and concepts. For example, students learn the letters kuf and tzadee from the word tzedakah; they learn tet from tallit and zayin from mezuzah.

Shalom Uvrachah makes use of the best contemporary educational theory:

• Meaningful words teach decoding skills.
• Vowel sounds are systematically introduced in small, manageable increments.
• Confusing look-alike and sound-alike letters are introduced separately.

Exercises include:

• Visual discrimination practice
• Similar letter-sound and vowel-sound drills
• Writing practice to reinforce the forms of the letters
• Exercises allowing teachers to customize reading practice for each class
• Checkpoints to monitor student progress

Teaching Hebrew writing has been simplified with custom-designed Hebrew print fonts, enhanced by arrows showing how to form each letter.

Shalom Uvrachah also features:

• Selected readings of key prayers and blessings, including Shema, Ve'ahavta, and Aleinu
• Heritage dictionary of 80 cultural words
• Explanation of special reading rules
• Text and activities together in one volume