Kindergarten with Desiree
Our Kindergarten class has been a hub of activity with many exciting learning experiences.
Each week, we begin class with work stations that include a coloring station with the newest Hebrew letter of the day to color. We also have alternating stations of Jewish-themed puzzles and reading stations. We then begin with our Shalom activity and discuss the mitzvot we have done during the week and how to make the world a better place. (Tikun Olam).
We have learned the Hebrew alef-bet through the letter Yud. Each class we review the letters we have learned prior to beginning a new letter. We do this through letter games, play dough and art projects. I’m very proud of how much our students have mastered. In addition, we have Hebrew with Rohan, our new Hebrew specialist, where our students learn Hebrew songs, games and stories from Israel.
Shabbat and Chanukah are the two Jewish holidays we have learned about this past month. We learned the blessings over Shabbat candles, wine and challah. For our big art project, we made homemade Shabbat candles with our art specialist. It was fantastic! We also learned about Havdalah and beginning the new week. The children loved seeing a braided Havdalah candle and spice box up close. We recited the prayers as I explained how nice it is to end Shabbat and start a new week with this lovely ceremony.
Coincidentally, we learned the Hebrew letter, chet, on the same day that we were studying both Shabbat and beginning to study Chanukah (which begins with the letter chet.) Add to this that on Shabbat we enjoy a Challah (which also begins with chet). As a special treat, I brought in a challah for snack which we all enjoyed.
For Chanukah we enjoyed learning about Judah and the Maccabees, and the story and miracle of Chanukah. We have also practiced the blessings over the candles, and have sung some great and funny holiday songs with our music teacher, Daniel. We made delicious dreidels out of pretzel sticks, marshmallow, swirled Hershey’s Kisses and a small dab of white frosting as our “glue.” For our final class prior to vacation, we had a big Chanukah party during which we celebrated all things Chanukah! We made and ate delicious potato latkes from scratch, sang Chanukah songs, played dreidel and made an edible chanukiah (menorah) out of pretzels, marshmallow and frosting. Sophia, our fantastic student helper, brought in her guitar and we enjoyed singing with her.
Grade 1A with Erica
Aleph has been learning a lot and having a great time while doing so. We have been focusing on the holidays, doing mitzvot, aleph/bet and learning Hebrew with Temple Sinai’s new K – 2 Hebrew specialist, Rohan Turel. Below is a sampling of what we have been doing this past month:
Holidays The children learned about Chanukah this past month. We read together in the “Let’s Celebrate” pamphlet, and explored the various traditions of the holiday. We also made a Chanukah hot plate with Rachel, the Art specialist, and completed fun worksheets related to the holiday. Each week in music, Daniel teaches us marvelous songs, and during Chanukah we reviewed the candle blessings. Shabbat has been another important focus. The children have been working on an ongoing Shabbat project that they will bring home at the end of the year.
Mitzvot and Torah Tzedakah is an important mitzvah we talk about regularly in class. We explore other mitzvot, as well, such as visiting the sick and caring for the environment. Each week during circle time we talk about Tzedakah, and pass around the class Tzedakah box. The children have decided to donate our money to an animal shelter. Each week we have been reading Torah stories, and learning about our biblical patriarchs and matriarchs, such as Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac and Rebecca. We talk about how our ancestors performed mitzvot so we should, too! Abraham and Sarah, for example, performed the mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim, which is hospitality.
Aleph/Bet The class has learned about 10 Hebrew letters. When we complete our Alef to Tav book, the children will play Alef Bet Adventure and Alef Bet Bingo to help reinforce learning the letters. Next year in Grade 2 they will learn vowels and begin putting it all together.
Hebrew with Rohan The class loves their time with Rohan, our new Hebrew specialist. Each week, Rohan teaches us various Hebrew words through games and activities. She will often teach them opposites. For example, if they learn the work big, they will learn the word small. The children are especially enjoying learning colors in Hebrew.
We have had a wonderful time so far in Aleph Class. We are almost half way through our year!
Grade 1B with Adinah
What an exciting two months! We have made much progress studying the Hebrew alphabet, and are about halfway done learning our letters. Your children have been exploring the Hebrew Bible. They were particularly interested in learning about Abraham and Sarah, and enjoyed the story of Abraham’s attempt to persuade his father not to worship idols. This resulted in a conversation about idol worship. We, of course, learned all about the holiday of Chanukah. We made chanukiot which hopefully you enjoyed over the holiday. Our monthly art specialist, Rachel Eisenberg, also made gorgeous Chanukah hot plates with the students. In music, your children studied the blessings over the candles with Daniel. We practiced these blessings in the classroom when we lit our classroom menorah.
In January we will continue our study of Eretz Yisrael. Your children will learn all about the Jewish connection to the land, both past and present. Additionally, we will be making Shabbat boxes. These are boxes that contain the essentials for celebrating Shabbat, including a Kiddush cup, Challah cover, and more. We will finish up the alphabet while your children continue to study with Rohan, our K – 2 Hebrew specialist, to further their exposure to the Hebrew language. Rohan is teaching them Hebrew vocabulary (such as colors and animals) through fun learning games, a felt board, and lots of repetition.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at adinah@bu.edu.
Grade 2A with Marcia
Grade Two has been busy during November and December! We read “Jacob and Esau” and “Noah’s Ark.” The children loved talking about a sibling’s responsibilities, and what it means to have a “birthright.” We made gorgeous maps of Noah’s ark to accompany this lesson. The children made their own creations of what they imagined the ark to look like. In “Hebrew Conversation with Rohan” we focused on Hebrew vocabulary for colors and animals. We have reviewed the Alef Bet up through letter Tet, and have been learning to recognize the Hebrew vowels. Over the past month, we have studied all of our Hebrew vowels. With the help of our workbook, “Shalom Aleph-Bet,” the children are having a fantastic time putting the letters and vowel sounds together to make words. Grade Two loves to start our Hebrew sessions with review games. We play “Around the World,” “Alef Bet Bingo,” and a silly game where we post the Alef Bet letters on our wall. Then we break up into two teams. One member of each team goes up to the wall, each with a fly swatter. Whoever hits the letter that matches the sound I say first wins and their team gets one point!
We studied Shabbat and Havdalah. We started to discuss our Shabbat Bag project, and made beautiful hand-dipped Shabbat candles with Rachel, our fabulous art specialist (and my fabulous sister). We had a wonderful time studying the history and traditions of Chanukah. The children wrote their own miracle story books, and played dreidel with M&M’s! Rachel came to our class to make Hanukkah tiles. We also made latkes and had our very own Hanukkah celebration together. Grade Two enjoyed learning Hanukkah songs with Daniel in the sanctuary. Have a wonderful New Year. I can’t wait for our second session together.
Grade 2B with Dalia
The year is going great. The children are learning and having fun at the same time. Grade 2B is slowly becoming familiar with Hebrew routine questions (such as the weekly weather!) as we learn more Hebrew letters. The class is advancing in their Hebrew workbook, “Shalom Aleph-Bet,” and together we have reviewed the letters shin, tav, mem, lamed, hey and reish, (ש,ת,מ,ל,ה,ר). Every class we also review the vowels, with the goal of putting letters and vowels together to create words. The children have been exploring Jewish values such as Brit (covenant), Shabbat, Lashon Ha-ra (not using words that can insult someone else), and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). The Torah stories we learned in class this past month were about Noah, Tower of Babel, Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac and Rebecca. We frequently talk about the mitzvot our patriarchs and matriarchs performed. The children enjoy weekly Hebrew conversation sessions with Rohan, and music with Daniel. Rohan has been teaching the children the Hebrew words for colors and animals, using interactive games, a felt board, and lots of repetition. During our recent sessions with Rachel, our monthly art specialist, we dipped Shabbat candles and made Chanukah hot plates. In addition, we learned about the customs of Chanukah. Every week we have snack time during which the children recite the blessings before they eat, and often I read to them a Judaica story which we later discuss. We had a wonderful month! I wish you all a Happy (secular) New Year!
Grade 3A with Eliane
The students have made tons of progress with their Hebrew skills over the past month. At the beginning of the year they were able to identify letters, and now they are actually reading words! They are even able to read blessings/b’rachot from their siddurim (prayerbooks). Soon we will start learning the Hebrew words for household items. Hopefully this will help the whole family improve their Hebrew skills. Each week we enjoy Tefillah with Cantor Toubes. She is teaching us many of the prayers we need to know to feel comfortable in the synagogue, and sometimes we play musical instruments. We learn the meanings behind the prayers, as well. Soon we will decorate our own kippot to use in the sanctuary. This past month we focused on Chanukah. The class sang Chanukah songs with Daniel, reviewed the story of the holiday, and applied the lessons we can learn from the holiday to our daily lives. For example, how would any of our students feel if they were restricted from practicing their religion? This story has also helped us learn more about Israel – since it takes place in Jerusalem, a city we are learning about in our Israel book. Our Chanukah study culminated in a Grade Three Chanukah celebration, during which we performed our special skits and enjoyed latkes and other holiday treats! And, of course, we continue to study Torah and do our parsha plays.
Grade 3B with Talya
December was a wonderful month for Kita (Class) 3B! We started our mitzvah project, explored the oneness of God and all people through the Shema, and celebrated Chanukah in an awesome combined 3rd grade party! For our class mitzvah project, your child read about Cain and Abel in the Torah, and explored the concept of being “your brother’s keeper”. We discussed how we are all responsible for one another and voted on the ways in which we, as a class, could help take part in Tikkun Olam (the Jewish value of “repairing the world”). After brainstorming, the class voted on our Mitzvah focus for the year: helping animals and providing food for those in need. You may have seen the flyers your child made and brought home about our Mitzvah project. Our first goal towards helping in these causes is to increase our tzedakah (money charity) collection each Hebrew School day. Eventually, we would love to do more hands-on work for these causes! The class is doing a wonderful job learning to read and write Hebrew. We do a lot of group work, during which we review our letters and vowels, and sound out new words together. I am impressed with the wonderful progress the students continue to make, and look forward to their milestone Grade 3 Siyyum ha Sefer celebration, on Saturday, March 10. Save the date! Our Hebrew learning is reinforced each week with our Tefillah lessons with Cantor Toubes.
Grade 4 with Becca and Rafi
Hannah Senesh, a Jewish heroine and poet of World War II, once wrote, “Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame. Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart”. Having recently celebrated Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, now is a good time to look at the flames glowing in our hearts. Sometimes a fire can start when you least expect it. Over the past month, we have continued discussing the Prophets and the Jewish holidays. In addition, we have also been reading from one of our student’s Jewish heroes books. These remarkable individuals have included Golda Meir, Albert Einstein, Theodor Herzl, King David, Samson and several others. Originally not part of our lesson plans, we found that our 4th graders were clamoring for us to read from this wonderful book. The interest is there; we are now going to include Jewish heroes and heroines in our lesson plans each week. People like Hannah Senesh are wonderful role models who exemplify the Jewish values we are trying to instill in our students.
In Hebrew, our students are learning how to read and speak Modern Hebrew. Along with reading, writing and expanding our Hebrew vocabulary, we are also focusing on sentence structure. Our book (“Shalom Ivreet – Welcome to Modern Hebrew”) is fun and interactive, and includes games as well other exercises. Every month, your child receives Zim Zoom magazine, which includes interesting articles in both English and Hebrew. This magazine will go home with the students once a month, as a way to help reinforce the Hebrew we are doing in class. On Tuesday afternoons, the students study Hebrew in small groups, led by Ariela Shulsinger and Rohan Turel. The Hebrew we learn in class is reinforced during our weekly Tefillah sessions with Cantor Toubes.
We continue to engage in fun dramatic plays we continue our study of the Ancient Prophets. A candle has been lit and the flame is burning strong. You should be very proud of your children!
Grade 5 with Jessica & Avner
From Avner… It was a pleasure meeting so many of you at our recent Parent Visiting Day. I enjoyed sharing information about the fifth grade curriculum and getting to know the source of the wonderful students I have this year. As we discussed at Visiting Day, the fifth grade has been busy learning about the prophets, Hebrew, and the holidays. This past month, we focused on leaning about Chanukah, the sources of its traditions and historical basis for this beloved holiday. During the course of this discussion, we also discussed the concept of “kosher” and that it does not only pertain to food, nor does it mean “blessed by a Rabbi.” In Judaism, there is such a thing as a kosher Torah, kosher sukkah, or a kosher shofar. The children were intrigued to learn that kosher merely means “permissible” or “good to use.” We discussed that part of the miracle of Chanukah had to do with this concept. Although the Jews had plenty of oil to light the menorah in the Holy Temple, they did not have enough that was sealed and “kosher.” The miracle was that the small drop of “kosher” oil which was only enough to last for one day, actually lasted for 8 days-enough time to prepare new “kosher” oil to keep the menorah lit.
When discussing the prophets this past month, we learned about Moses and the challenges and hardships that he faced as the leader of an enslaved people that were seeking freedom from a mighty and stubborn Pharaoh. We learned about Moses’ encounter at the Burning Bush and his personal dilemma as to whether to accept God’s invitation to be the leader of the Jewish people despite his self-doubts. Furthermore, we discussed Pharoah’s decree that all Jewish males be killed at birth. The children learned of Moses’ survival in a basket floating in the Nile River, his sister Miriam watching out for his safety and well being, and Pharaoh’s daughter finding him and adopting him in to the royal family.
Our discussion included a midrash (explanation/story) that compares and contrasts Moses’ basket with Noah’s ark. Both were used to save “righteous” people so that they can do great things. Moses’ basket was waterproofed with tar on the outside; so as to not subject the baby to the harsh smell of tar. Conversely, Noah was in close quarters with animals that possessed an unsavory aroma, so he did not mind the tar painted on the inside.
In Hebrew, we have moved from blessings for food, to blessings from the liturgy. Whenever we read a blessing, the translation, deeper meaning and source for that blessing are discussed in depth. I have emphasized to the students that there is a need to understand what they are reading. The capability of translating anything in Hebrew is an art and skill that with practice becomes second nature and surprisingly easy and insightful.
We have talked about the fact that almost every Hebrew word has a three letter root. Once you have uncovered the root, by peeling away the prefixes and suffixes, any Hebrew word is comprehendible. All it takes is a little “detective work” and you are able to understand what you are reading and saying.
Lastly, we have become familiar with the concept of a “double duty dot” while reading Hebrew. This dot functions as both a vowel and part of a separate letter. These dots tend to be confusing, but the children are becoming true masters at deciphering them. We continue to enjoy weekly Tefillah with Rabbi Vogel, where we learn and discuss the prayers as well as the meaning behind them.
It has been an eventful and exciting month. We continue to work together to meet our goals over the course of the year. As I promised at our meeting, every parent should feel comfortable contacting me with any question or concerns that they may have. I am happy to meet on an individual basis if need be. My email is avnerfink@gmail.com. It was very nice meeting you and I wish each and every family a very happy New Year.
From Jessica…
Recently our class has focused on two different prayers; namely, Mi Chamocha and Yotzer Or. Each class studied their assigned prayer and then discussed the meaning. One theme was the idea of creation. Who is responsible for human creation? Many of the students believe that because God created humans and our brains, God also shares in the responsibility of our creations. However, the conversation became more difficult when thinking about violence. The issue of free will arose, and it was decided that humans alone created violence, due to the exercise of their free will. Once we discussed the finer points of Mi Chamocha and Yotzer Or, the students came together over two classes to write their own interpretation of each prayer. These interpretations were presented during a Shabbat morning service for the whole community to hear. At once serious and humorous, the students showed their capability to think far beyond their years. It is always a pleasure to teach and listen to them. This month we will continue our study of the Ancient Prophets and how they made a difference in the world. We also look forward to the next Grade Five family program, during which we will study Torah together with Rabbi Vogel.
Grade Six with Matt, Jill & Liora
From Jill…
I enjoyed meeting and speaking with you at our recent Parent Visiting Day, and appreciated your feedback. In class we recently completed reading and discussing the book A Prisoner in Time. This novel gave us an opportunity to continue our discussions about the Holocaust. We have discussed what happened when the Nazis first invaded countries, and why so many Jews did not know what was going to happen. Our next book will be The Endless Steppe, which details the author’s exile to Siberia during World War II. These excellent books will enable us to further enhance our discussion of the Jewish experience, both in Europe and in America.
In addition, as part of our B’nai TELEM (Social Action) curriculum, we have learned about the mitzvah of visiting the elderly. We talked about what we can learn from speaking to those with so much life experience. Last month we took a class field trip to Chestnut Park Assistant Living Facility. As part of our literacy unit, we read to children in afterschool programs, both in Allston and in Roxbury. We discussed what life would be like without knowing how to read, and how difficult everyday life would be. One Sunday morning we even read to younger children at Temple Sinai. Finally, we have been working to learn and master the meaning of various Tefillot. We have covered the meaning of prayer and why we pray, and specific prayers in Shabbat services. The students have enjoyed listening to, learning and singing along to different upbeat tunes for each prayer. This year for the first time, we are enjoying weekly Tefillah sessions with Rabbi Vogel. I really appreciate all of your feedback and support.
From Matt and Liora…
This past November and December we’ve embarked on a great and worthy endeavor; translating the Israeli Declaration of Independence of May the 14th, 1948 (5th of Iyar 5708) into our own words. The 19-paragraph document covers many important times in Jewish history and concepts dear to the Jewish people. By reading the document aloud, one paragraph at a time, and discussing what some of the fancy words mean, we’ve been able to write each paragraph in our own words on slips of paper with the official version on the top and our version on the bottom. Look forward to seeing your child’s signature added to their copy of the declaration when we’re all finished! On Sundays and Tuesdays we continue our study of Modern Hebrew, using the book, “Let’s Talk – Modern Hebrew for Teens.” This book is an engaging modern Hebrew text written especially for 6th and 7th graders. In just 96 pages, four trendy kids party in Tel Aviv, shop in a shuk, ride a camel, swim in the Dead Sea, and celebrate a Bat Mitzvah in Jerusalem – all in Hebrew! Each of the fifteen chapters opens with a simple Hebrew dialogue which covers vocabulary words and basic grammar – including the present tense, and masculine and feminine nouns in the singular and plural. Look for more Hebrew updates soon.
Grade Seven with Jessica & Matt
From Jessica…
These last few months have been very exciting for the Grade 7 class. We introduced a special art elective, as well as celebrated the first night of Chanukah together with potato latkes and a home cooked meal. In American Jewish Immigration, we learned about current immigration in the United States. We looked at the Dream Act and listened to stories of young people who came to this country as small children. We are reminded of our own links to immigration and the success of many of our grandparents in America. In our God elective, we looked at popular song lyrics, and discussed how the deep meaning we hear in these songs relates to our understanding of a higher power. Whether or not one believes in a specific God, most of the students feel that there is a higher connection between humanity, and often that connection is expressed through song. By understanding what moves us, we understand ourselves and our beliefs a little bit better.
From Matt…
In our current events class, we’ve discussed the rockets that have been launched at Southern Israeli cities, and the revolutions in the Arab world. One of the more interesting things we did was to watch a simulation of Iron Dome, the Israeli ground-to-air missile that destroys rockets mid-air before they can hurt people on the ground. We’ve had thoughtful conversations about whether this is the best method of dealing with rockets, or whether something less or more severe is needed to deal with the situation. It’s been especially heartening to see the respectful ways with which the students have been discussing how to deal with what is a very tough situation. Recently, we watched and discussed President Obama’s recent address at the Biennial Convention. In our Hebrew class, we have been learning how to conjugate Hebrew verbs in the past tense. Knowing only how to speak in the “present” in a language restricts you to one third of that language! In order to learn the past tense, we created verbs and conjugated them. For instance, we took our last names, “Hoffman,” turned them into the infinitive: “L’hit’pa’hoffman,” and then said “Ani hofmanti,” “atah hofmanta,” etc. We’ve also watched some funny videos of celebrities speaking Hebrew. Overall, we’ve been having a great time!