MIDWEEK Blog 22-23

HEBREW:

Gimel and Hey students continued developing their Hebrew reading skills and Hebrew fluency in prayers. They worked on the blessing for an Aliyah to the Torah and the Friday Night Kiddush.

Dalet and Hey students did some in class Hebrew reading assessments.  These assessments are very useful and help us to see which students are where they need to be at in terms of their Hebrew reading and who needs some extra support with their Hebrew fluency.

Vav students continued their end of year challenge. Students worked on reading various prayers in Hebrew such as the Ashrei, Aleinu, and paragraphs from the silent portion of the Amidah. They also created bookmarks that will be donated to the scholars of the Shalom Park Freedom School.

Hebrew:

Gimel - Students learned to read the Ma Nishtanah by studying and quizzing each other on flashcards with the words of the song and then reading the text. Some students also learned to read the ten plagues in Hebrew. When we return after the Pesach break, students will learn to read the V’ahavta prayer.

Hey -Students learned to read the Ma Nishanah and practiced singing the song together.  They also practiced reading the V’ahavta prayer. First, they reviewed flash cards with the words of the prayer and then they read the text of the prayer.

Vav - Students created matzah covers that depicted the order of the Seder written in Hebrew and illustrations of the fourteen steps of the Seder. Hopefully, these covers will be a nice addition to your Pesach Seder!

Experiential Education:

We had another great week in Experiential Education!

This week, we had a fully immersive cooking experience for Pesach. We started class reviewing information about Pesach. After, students were given a cup of flour, a cup of water, a plate, and a fork. Students then learned that for matzoh to be kosher for Pesach, it must be prepared and cooked in less than 18 minutes. Students then started to make the dough, flatten, and poke holes in the dough as the timer began. Once students finished their preparation, we placed the dough on a cookie sheet and cooked it at the oven’s maximum temperature until the matzoh was ready or the timer almost ran out. While the matzoh was cooling, students tasted fresh charoset made of apple, pear, coconut, raisins, and grape juice. At the end of class, students ate their matzoh and discussed how it tasted, if they would have done anything differently and if they preferred our homemade matzoh or store-bought ones.

Experiential Education:

We had another great week in Experiential Education!

This week we made Hamantaschen in the TIRS kitchen to get ready for Purim. Students had a choice between raspberry, apricot, marshmallow, or chocolate chips for fillings, and at the end of the class got to eat their creation! It was a delicious and fun way to spend the afternoon!

Hebrew:

Tuesday:

Gimel

The Gimel students practiced their Hebrew reading skills. They rotated through stations where they read lines of Hebrew from the Ma Nishtanah, played Hebrew Connect Four, and read a page of Hebrew to Rabbi Kornsgold.

Dalet and Hey: 

Students learned the Hebrew words associated with the 4 mitzvot of Purim as well as other Purim related Hebrew words.

Vav

The Vav students worked on the V’ahvta prayer in Mitkadem. They read the prayer aloud and learned about the symbols in the prayer.

Wednesday:

Gimel and Dalet:

Students learned the Hebrew words associated with the 4 mitzvot of Purim as well as other Purim related Hebrew words.

Hey

Students learned to read the V’ahvavta prayer and the Torah blessing.

Vav

Students played a Jeopardy game where they answered questions about the meaning of the Kiddush, V'ahavta, and Torah blessing and also read lines of the prayer aloud. We continued practicing the Ashrei and had two students lead prayer for the class. We also started exploring Hebrew songs and prayers from the Passover Haggadah and  began with the song that is sung about the order of the Seder.

Midweek Hebrew - Margaret

Tuesday

Gimel

Students rotated through Hebrew stations where they read lines of Hebrew words from the Siddur (prayer book) aloud, played a Hebrew board game, and sped read Hebrew flashcards. These activities are helping the students sharpen their Hebrew reading skills and improve their Hebrew reading speed.

Dalet and Hey 

Students worked through their Mitkadem packets. Many of the students are working on learning the blessing formula and when we recite dufferent blessings (over food, holidays, shabbat,special occasions, etc..) They are also working on learning new vocabulary which will help them  understand the tefilot they are learning in Shira/Tefillah. 

Vav

Most students completed Ramah 6 on the blessing for an Aliyah to the Torah. In their assessments, they identified the meaning of the prayer by matching vocabulary words and reflected on the words about God choosing the Jewish people, why the prayer uses the words “gives” the Torah, and why the prayer says that God planted everlasting life within us. Their responses included that God chose the Jewish people to receive the Torah and perform mitzvot, the prayer says “gives” because we continue to receive the Torah today, and that we can have everlasting life by passing the Torah from generation to generation.

Wednesday

Gimel

Students rotated through Hebrew stations where they read lines of Hebrew words from the Siddur (prayer book) aloud, played a Hebrew board game, and sped read Hebrew flashcards. These activities are helping the students sharpen their Hebrew reading skills and improve their Hebrew reading speed.

Dalet

Students worked through their Mitkadem packets. Many of the students are working on learning the blessing formula and when we recite dufferent blessings (over food, holidays, shabbat,special occasions, etc..) They are also working on learning new vocabulary which will help them  understand the tefilot they are learning in Shira/Tefillah.

Hey

Students read lines of Hebrew words from the Siddur (prayer book) aloud and then played a Hebrew board game while being pulled out individually to read three lines of Hebrew to the teacher. These activities are helping the students sharpen their Hebrew reading skills and improve their Hebrew reading speed.

Vav

As the Vav students time in traditional religious school is coming to a close, we are reviewing all of the prayers and their meanings that the students have learned in Mitkadem so that they will hopefully recall the prayer’s meaning as they are preparing for their B’nai Mitzvot and when they later attend services as Jewish adults. Students are also learning to lead the Ashrei and may have an opportunity to lead it in services, if they want. We are also spending the last 15 minutes of each class continuing our introduction to conversational Hebrew, with common phrases that the students can use if they travel to Israel with their families or teen trips or on Birthright trips, when they are older. So far, the students can introduce themselves, state where they are from, say that they are traveling somewhere, and what they might have in the backpack. This week, we started learning words for food and beverage items. It Is great to hear them speaking Hebrew.

HEBREW

Tuesday:

Gimel 

Gimel students reinforced their Hebrew reading skills by playing Hebrew word board games, writing the answers to riddles in Hebrew, and reading Hebrew word flashcards. Most of the Gimel students can decipher and sound out all of the Hebrew letters and vowels; we are now working on sharpening their skills and increasing their reading speed. 

Dalet -

We practiced reading and working our vocabulary with the letter tzadi.

We talked about the upcoming holiday Tu B'shvat, and played some fun Hebrew bingo.

Hey -

We practiced reading and working our vocabulary with the letter tzadi.

We talked about the upcoming holiday Tu B'shvat, and played some fun Hebrew bingo.

Vav

Vav students worked in their Mitkadem binders. Most students are working on the blessing for an Aliyah to the Torah. They completed an activity where they attached different prefixes to the word “Torah” and saw how it changed the meaning of the word. Students also interacted as they quizzed each other on vocabulary words. By studying the vocabulary and meaning of the prayer, students are hopefully developing a more meaningful connection to the prayer – beyond knowing how to chant the prayer alone. 

Wednesday

Gimel  - Gimel students reinforced their Hebrew reading skills by playing Hebrew word board games, writing the answers to riddles in Hebrew, and reading Hebrew word flashcards. Most of the Gimel students can decipher and sound out all of the Hebrew letters and vowels; we are now working on sharpening their skills and increasing their reading speed. 

Dalet - 

Hey -  Students practiced reading with the Tzadee and Final Tzadee and completed their Hebrew reading review in the Tiyulim book. They read aloud as a group and individually with our “popcorn” reading activity. We will celebrate next week with a “siyyum”- a celebration held in Judaism when you finish a book.

Vav - Students continued learning conversational Hebrew. Students can now introduce themselves and a friend in Hebrew. They also know how to say where they are from and where they might be traveling to. We also discussed how Hebrew uses different verbs for genders and singular/plural nouns and practiced reciting sentences aloud where they said they were traveling to Israel using singular and plural nouns.

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

We had another great week in Experiential Education!

This week in honor of Tu B’Shevat, we had a Tu B’Shevat Seder. Students tasted different fruits and some of the seven species along with practicing blessings over grape juice, the shehecheyanu after eating a fruit for the first time, and blessings said after eating a new fruit.

Experiential Education

We had another great week in Experiential Education!

This week we started to learn about different foods in Israel. We started class by reviewing where Israel is, what type of weather it has, and comparing it to life in Charlotte. Next, we discussed how the Jewish calendar lines up perfectly with harvests and seasons in Israel. Students then learned about the 7 species that grow in Israel by doing a gallery crawl around the room. Students went around the room learning about each of the 7 species, what Jewish value they represent, what they look like, and one fun fact they learned.

HEBREW

Dalet Students are working their way through the different Mitkadem levels. This week a number of students completed Ramah 3 where they worked on learning about root words, prefixes and suffixes. A few students completed ramah 4, where they were learning the blessings over food, candle lighting and different holiday blessings.

Hey students sharpened their Hebrew reading skills by reviewing the Hebrew letters and vowel flashcards and reading aloud with lines of Hebrew that emphasized reading with the Hebrew letters Samech and Sin. Some of the Hey students, who are already proficient Hebrew readers, worked in their Mitkadem binders on the unit about the blessings that are recited for eating foods and lighting candles. They also considered times when we want to pray individually or collectively as a community.

Tuesday Vav students continued working in their Mitkadem binders. Some students completed their unit on the Friday night Kiddush where they learned that the Kiddush is recited as we make Shabbat a holy time and that the prayer recalls the creation of the world and the exodus from Egypt. Other students are working on the blessings for an Aliyah to the Torah where they are reflecting on what it means that God chose the Jewish people to receive the Torah and putting the acts of the Torah service in chronological order.

Wednesday Vav students (in Margaret’s class) started a new conversational Hebrew reading curriculum which will supplement their Mitkadem activities. They learned how to introduce themselves and state where they are from in Hebrew. They enjoyed learning by reading a Hebrew play about four people that meet in the airport on their way to Israel. 

HEBREW:

Hey: - Students worked in their mitkadem binders. Then, the class engaged in some Hebrew through Movement. The students played musical chairs, but the key was their instructions were in Hebrew. Using the Hebrew rules they have been learning about root words, prefixes and suffixes, they saw the way Hebrew words are constructed and how to decode the words to find the meaning.

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION:

We had another great week in Experiential Education! This week we reviewed what we learned so far about kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) and reviewed Chanukah by playing trivia with our buzzer system.

Hebrew -

Gimel (3rd) students practiced reading with the Hebrew letters Kaf, Chaf, Chaf Sofit, and Yud. They read aloud as a group as well as individually. Student also played a game of Connect Four with Hebrew words.

Dalet (4th) students continued to work in their binders. Some students are learning which blessings to recite over different foods, while others are working on the Friday evening kiddush. 

Hey (5th)students practiced reading with the Hebrew letters Sin and Pey. They read aloud as a group as well as individually. Student also had fun completing a Hebrew crossword puzzle.

Vav (6th) students continued to learn about different tefillot in their Mitkadem notebooks. Students in Ramah 5 learned how the Kiddush reminds us to rest on Shabbat because it recalls that God also rested on the seventh day of Creation and that God redeemed us from slavery in Egypt because we, as all humans, should be able to rest. Students in Ramah 6 put the events of the Torah service in chronological order and reflected on the words of the Torah blessing which state that God chose us from among other nations and planted within us everlasting life. Students reflected that we can have everlasting life by passing on the Torah from generation to generation – L’dor V’dor. Students in Ramah 9 put phrases on the Shema in order and discovered the origin of the mitzvot of wearing t’zitzit and tefillin and hanging a mezuzah, which are described in the prayer. Students in Ramah 11 worked on learning the meaning of the Amidah by studying vocabulary and recognizing how the prayer has evolved with the addition of the matriarchs.

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

We had another great week in Experiential Education!

This week we focused on how to look for kosher packaged food in stores. Students learn about hechshers (kosher food symbols), the process food and other products go through to be certified kosher, and where to look on packages to search for a hechsher. Students then had the opportunity to look at various products to search for hechshers in different products in the classroom. Each student was given a checklist with each product to mark if the product had a hechsher, if the ingredients were kosher, and if they felt the product was kosher. At the end of class, we reviewed each answer and discussed different reasons a product could be ruled as not kosher.

Experiential Education

We had another great week in Experiential Education!

This week we started learning about Kashrut. For our younger students, we began class with a short video about what makes certain animals kosher and others not. Next, each group was given sheets of paper that had rules written on them such as “all fish with fins and scales are kosher.” Students then worked together to make lists of what animals would fit in that category.  Our older students started class trying to remember some of the rules of Kashrut and animals that would fall under each category. We then learned about the 3 classifications of food: meat, dairy, and pareve. At the end of class, students worked together to try and name foods that are pareve such as oranges, greens, pasta, etc.

Midweek Hebrew - Tuesday Gimel

The Gimel students read lines of Hebrew aloud as a group and also read individually with “popcorn reading”. They focused on reading with the Hebrew letters Nun and Aleph along with the letters and vowels that they already learned to read with.

Tuesday Vav

The Vav students continued their Hebrew reading review. They read lines of Hebrew aloud as a group and also read individually to the teacher with “popcorn” reading. They focused on some of the less common vowel sounds and exceptions to the general reading rules. Next week, we will finish our Hebrew reading review.

Wednesday Hey

The Hey students continued their Hebrew reading review. They read lines of Hebrew aloud as a group and also read individually to the teacher with “popcorn” reading. They focused on reading with the four “OH” vowels and the two “OO” vowels sounds.

Wednesday Vav

The Vav students learned about the services that are part of our Shabbat worship which include Shacharit, Musaf, Mincha, and Ma’ariv. We discussed how prayers such as the Amidah are a part of each service, and we found the Amidah in these various services in the Siddur (prayer book). They also practiced their Hebrew reading skills by reading the Ashrei prayer.   

SEPTEMBER, 13 & 14

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

We had a great first class in Experiential Education!

We started class with classroom expectations and an introduction to the class. Students then broke into pairs to do our first activity. During each round, students would talk about a prompt. One example is "what is your favorite Jewish holiday," and share it with their partner. After each round, students found a new partner and had the opportunity to talk about the next topic.

Next, students received a prompt written on the board that tied into Judaism. Examples included grapes, candles, and prayer. The students would then write the first thing they think of on the board through a Jewish lens and review it as a group.

HEBREW

Tuesday Gimel - Margaret Musa

We are beginning the year by reviewing and reinforcing reading with all of the Hebrew letters and vowels that the students learned last year. To start, we reviewed the Hebrew letters: Shin, Tav, Bet, Lamed, Mem, and Lamed, and the Hebrew vowels making the AH and OH sounds. Each student practiced reading lines of Hebrew aloud, and most of the students were excited about how much Hebrew they remembered from last year!

Tuesday Vav - Margaret Musa

We are beginning the year by reviewing and reinforcing reading with all of the Hebrew letters and vowels. Once the students’ Hebrew reading skills are refreshed, we will start our Hebrew prayer program. We reviewed and practiced reading with the ten most common Hebrew letters and the AH, OH, EE, and silent vowels. The students did a fantastic job with their Hebrew reading!

Wednesday Hey - Margaret Musa

We are beginning the year by reviewing and reinforcing reading with all of the Hebrew letters and vowels. Once the students’ Hebrew reading skills are refreshed, we will start our Hebrew prayer program. To start, we reviewed the Hebrew letters: Shin, Tav, Bet, Lamed, Mem, Dalet, Alef, and Lamed, and the AH, EE, silent, and OH vowels. Each student practiced reading lines of Hebrew aloud, and most of the students were excited about how much Hebrew they remembered from last year!

Wednesday Vav - Margaret Musa 

After reviewing the Hebrew letters and vowels, the students began working in the Mitkadem Hebrew prayer program. Each student reviewed the activities they were working on at the end of last year, and then worked on new activities. Each student also read the prayer that they studying aloud to the teacher.

Kitah Zayin - Rabbi Kornsgold

Students began class talking about prayer; what it means to them, where and how they have experienced prayer.  Then, students had the opportunity to go around the round and read various quotes about prayer. Students selected the quote which resonated with them the most and explained to the class the reason they chose that quote. Finally, students were asked to decorate a Jewish star with words or drawings which connected them to Judaism. The Jewish stars will be put together and displayed in the school, showing the connections among the students in the class.