We are using Jot and Tittle and find it excellent. I am using it
with myself and 5 children ages 7, 9, 11, 14 and 15 and after a few weeks
most of us can read Hebrew pretty well, if not very quickly. You do need the audio lessons
which come with FFOZ Vol 1 but you may be able to buy them separately.
The workbook consists of a double page spread each week. The right hand page has the
aleph bet down one side, the name of the week's torah portion, and
places for practicing writing the torah portion name in block and cursive
(cursive is optional). Under each letter of the torah portion name you write the
name of the letter, and on the aleph bet list you circle or colour the
letters used. You quickly gain familiarity with the aleph bet.
The left page has a scroll picture with the first sentence of the torah portion
of the week in Hebrew. We look up the vowel points and put them in,
either from http://www.mechon-mamre.org/ or our print tanach. I require the
children to memorise the verse in Hebrew and know what each word
means. The literal meaning of the verse is given.
Then there's a list of usually 8 related words, related to the Torah Portion
name. For example this week is Vayechi, which means "and he lived".
So the related words are things like "mayim chayim" which means living
water, and "chayecha!" which means "I swear upon your life!" So all to
do with chai, or life.
At the end of a book, which is where we are now, at the end of Genesis, or Breisheet, there is review, crossword puzzles etc.
The audio lessons go for about 10 minutes each, and we listen to them at
least once a day. Tikvah Michael does them.
It takes about 30 minutes practicing each day. (Tikvah suggests 10
min but that hasn't been enough for us.) I give the children a reward
of a special ice cream if they learn the verse, the meanings, the
related words, and can write the name of the portion in both block and
cursive. If we have a busy week I give them until Sunday to memorise,
otherwise I test them on Friday. One of them also tests me!
Hope this helps with anyone considering purchasing it.
Also I requested and was given permission to copy the book for my own
homeschooled students. If I had been in the US with better shipping
rates and no exchange rate problem I probably would have bought them a
workbook each. I like to support FFOZ; they are a good organisation.
More info here: http://ffoz.org/resources/books/jot_tittle.html
• Sunday, March 8, 2009 - question about Jot and Tittle
Thanks!
-Hope (also Tikvah)