The Lesson Plan G.A.M.E. - A=Amount of time

Back in the days before multi-tasking, networking, and texting, general studies report cards included a skill known as, "uses time wisely." Since the amount of time for your class is predetermined by the school schedule, using class time "wisely" is a challenge when creating a lesson plan.
The following suggestions are easy ways to use classroom time more effectively.
_ Divide up the time that you have among the various parts of the lesson. Allow time for
a review of the previous lesson and time to summarize new material taught that day. Write the time that you've allotted right in your lesson plan, so that you can keep track and make adjustments, if necessary, in future plans.

- In the interest of efficient classroom organization, prepare a folder for each student. The folder might contain a spiral notebook, a Jewish calendar, a textbook, a workbook, and any activity sheets needed for the day. On the inside cover of the folder, paste a copy of the blessing for Torah study. If you teach Hebrew, you might also want to paste in a copy of the Hebrew alphabet. Put a pencil at each student's place. If students are seated at tables, place an eraser at each table, or make erasers available. It's amazing how fast those little erasers attached to the pencils get used up.
While the folders take some preparation time at the beginning of the year, they save time in distributing and gathering materials and provide an organizational framework throughout the year. The folders may be cleaned out periodically, but the remain in the classroom.

On the first day of class, the folders with the students' names on the covers can be used to indicate to students their assigned seats. After welcoming the students to class, go over the contents of the folder, with special emphasis on the blessing for Torah Study. Students can recite the blessing together (along with a Shechechianu for the new school year) and class is underway. No time has been taken up in finding seats, or giving out books, activity sheets, etc.
Providing a folder and an assigned seat sends students the message that they have a place in the class, that the teacher is in charge, and that there is a comfortable structure that they can rely on.

- This may sound simplistic, but it can be very helpful to write the student's names on every item that they receive. That way, students can keep their materials together. Items that spill out of folders and homework assignments left behind can be returned to their owners.
No time is taken up asking students to write their names on everything (and some inevitably don't!).
When students are absent, their assignments can be kept in a separate folder so that you can quickly see who needs individual assistance in catching up. (Helping students to catch up is a great task for a classroom assistant or madrich.)

- After the first few classes, have a student quietly take attendance by checking off the names of those present and absent on an attendance sheet.
If you are teaching Hebrew, the attendance process can double as an opportunity to practice phrases such as "Mi po hayom?," "Ani po," etc.

- Take a few minutes before class to write the day's assignments or study topics on the board. This makes it unnecessary to repeat instructions for those who arrive late.
If students are completing an activity while you are working with individuals, those who finish quickly need only be reminded to "Go on to assignment #2 on the list."

No doubt you all have additional timesaving tips. Please share them with us in your comments.

Shabbat Shalom - Words of Wisdom from Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

In the spirit of Shabbat, let's turn aside from the everyday how-to's, what-to's, and when-to's, and consider Words of Wisdom from Rebbe Nachman of Breslov:

"The Architect of the World
never does the same thing twice
Every day is an entirely
new creation. Take as much as
you can from what each new
day has to offer."

Shabbat Shalom - Rest and Renew

The Lesson Plan G.A.M.E. - Goals

Chances are that you won't have to look far to arrive at a set of goals for each lesson.

• The Teacher's Guide for your textbook may list goals for every chapter or lesson segment.

• Your religious school curriculum may include yearly goals for each grade level.

• The assessment tools used by your school are also a consideration in defining lesson goals. If students are to be tested and graded periodically, include the development of the skills to be tested in your lesson plans. While this suggestion sounds like that distasteful practice, "teaching to the test," it's meant to encourage awareness of skills on which students will be evaluated, and not to imply a narrow approach.

• If students receive report cards, lesson plans should reflect the skills that are to be graded. This simply means that if "Hebrew Translation" appears in the list of report card skills, students need opportunities to develop and practice this skill. If "Works well independently" is a "Classroom Skill" which appears on the report card, be sure to include some independent study activities in your lesson plans.

Of course, not every goal from the textbook, school curriculum, and evaluation tools will appear in every lesson plan. Rather, over time, include the spectrum of goals - some in one lesson, some in another.

You may have your own learning goals for your students, as well. Goals such as conducting class routines in Hebrew, discussing the weekly Torah Portion in an age-appropriate way, or keeping a Holiday journal - certainly include in your lesson plans, personal goals that enrich your students' Jewish learning experiences.

Lesson Planning - Get in the G.A.M.E.

When you receive your packet of back-to-school information, schedules, class lists, and administrative paperwork, you will probably also find a lesson plan form. Whether the process of lesson planning is brand new or just review, let's look at four key elements of the lesson planning G.A.M.E.

G=GOALS - You might also say "objectives" or "outcomes." Goals provide answers to such questions as, "What is this lesson designed to accomplish?" "What content are students expected to know?" "What skills are students expected to develop?"

A=Amount of time scheduled for your class. Religious school, including Hebrew class, may only be scheduled for 4 hours divided between a weekday and Sunday. In some cases, there may only be a Sunday session. Planning lessons that accomplish your goals in a limited amount of time can be a challenge.

M=Methodology - This is the "how" part. What techniques, strategies, structures will you use to accomplish your goals in the time allotted?

E=Extensions (also enrichment and experiental activities) These are the extras that help to engage students with diverse skill levels and different learning needs. Hands-on activities, independent study opportunities, small group assignments are examples of extensions.

In future posts, we'll examine each G.A.M.E. element in greater detail.

Shabbat Shalom - Words of Wisdom

Shabbat Shalom. Beginning with this post, Friday posts will not tell how-to, when-to, and what-to do in the classroom. Rather, in the spirit of Shabbat, Friday posts will offer "words of wisdom" from Judaic sources and others. Take these words into your life, as you wish. View them as informative, inspirational, or even irrelevant -it's your choice. The Friday words which I post are my way of sharing Shabbat with you.

Words of Wisdom:

"There are days when we seek things
for ourselves and measure failure
by what we do not gain.

On Shabbat, we seek not to acquire
but to share.

There are days when we exploit nature
as if it were a horn of plenty
that can never be exhausted.

On Shabbat, we stand in wonder
before the mystery of creation.

There are days when we act as if we
cared nothing for the rights of others.

On Shabbat, we remember that justice is
our duty and a better world our goal.

So we embrace Shabbat:
day of rest, day of wonder, day of peace."

From Mishkan T'Filah - Shabbbat service

Shabbat Shalom - Rest and Renew

Food for All Seasons

A previous post (8/18/10" On-Time Oreos") featured a weekly treat. In addition, throughout the year, the Jewish Holiday cycle offers a delicious array of foods that nourish mind, body, and spirit. Apples and honey for Rosh Hashana; donuts and latkes for Hanukkah; dates, raisins, pomegranates, carob chips, and Fig Newtons for Tu B'Shvat; macaroons, charoset, and hard boiled eggs for Pesach; Purim Hamentaschen; s'more mix for Lag B'Omer.

Not only are Holiday foods tasty, but their symbolic meanings provide insights into the nature of the Holidays. The sweet taste of the New year; the oily aroma of frying latkes; a desktop full of dried fruits on a wintry day - special foods add a sensory dimension to reading, writing, and talking about the Holidays. The impact is greatest if students share in the preparation of the foods. But as this isn't always possible, especially in weekday Hebrew School, enjoying the foods together is the next best thing.

Like starving artists and Pavlov's dogs, students will work for food. In non-Holiday weeks, wrapped hard candies and chocolate "kisses" make fun rewards for learning games.

Pretzels can form Hebrew letters on a paper plate. Include samples of the actual foods in a lesson on Blessings for food. Learning to count in Hebrew? - count chocolate chips. Learning colors? - sort M&M's.

Food in the classroom - great idea...with a few precautions.
Check with your Religious School Office regarding school policies related to food (guidelines for Kashrut, for example).
Be mindful of food allergies. Before offering any food in the classroom, review students' medical information, which should be available to you.
Provide gluten free or sugar free choices for students who require them.

As nut allergies are fairly common, I avoid foods that contain peanuts or tree nuts.

Provide hand sanitizer gel, so that students can handle foods with clean hands.

To keep your classroom pest free, remove leftover food at the end of the class.

B'tayavon!

Hungry for more? There's always food for thought in the village - Jewish Educators' Village!

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arichardsims41@gmail.com

On-Time Oreos

Sometimes, it's the smaller elements that contribute in a significant way to the overall classroom environment. For the past few years, my students have enjoyed "on-time oreos." This snack began as an incentive for students to arrive at Hebrew class on time. With only 60 minutes of class time, a student who is 10 minutes late has already missed a substantial part of the lesson. Hence, the oreos - sweet, familiar treats, with a purpose. Students knew that once we had said the blessing for Torah study and the "cookie" blessing, class was officially underway and the oreos were returned to the cabinet.
Did students arrive on time? YES! At times, a student would scurry in the door just as we were saying "Boreh Mineh M'zonot," then settle quietly into the routine, happy to find that the oreos were still out on the table. Late arrivals became so infrequent, that in the last weeks of school, one class renamed the cookies "welcome oreos," and decided that each student could have one no matter what time he or she arrived.

In another class, it became customary for the first student to arrive to receive 2 oreos. Each new class of students added its own twist to the "on-time oreos."
And that's the point - comfort, familiarity, a sense of ownership of the time and space that is "Hebrew School."

A new school year is about to begin. I'm clipping coupons and watching for sales on oreos - the kind with double the amount of creamy stuff in the middle.

"Shalom - welcome - Have an oreo."
The real message - "You've come to the right place at the right time."











In another class

Israel Display: Small Country-Big News

I went to my classroom today to prepare a classroom scavenger hunt sheet (Post 8/3/10 "Classroom Scavenger Hunt") for the First Day of school. There are a number of different types of maps of Israel on the walls. Seeing these maps reminded me of a display and lesson that a friend, a very creative Jewish educator, designed. My friend asked her 6th grade students to bring in news articles about Israel. As the articles came in, she tacked them on a map of Israel. In a very short time, the articles completely covered the map! Lesson learned: Small country - Big News.
Students also discussed the various articles, points of view of the reporters and commentators, and Israel's role in international politics.

A map of the world may be used instead - another way to contrast Israel's size with the news that the country generates. Israel - tiny on the world map, but looming large in current events.

More to come...oreos and other treats

FYI - "Lost in Mis-Translation"

Regardless of the textbook series we use, teaching prayers includes developing students' basic translation skills. We expect students not only to decode (pronounce words accurately and fluently), but to demonstrate a level of understanding of the prayer text. To achieve that outcome, we teach word roots, prefixes, suffixes. The text books usually provide the English translation of the prayer, vocabulary lists, and numerous vocabulary exercises. But, what if, gasp! some of the commonly accepted English translations are wrong?

Intriguing mis-translations of prayer and Torah texts are the subjects of an article in the fall issue of "Reform Judaism" magazine. The article, entitled "Lost in Mis-Translation" by Joel M. Hoffman, analyzes, in a very readable way, how the meaning of words and texts can be distorted when translated from Biblical Hebrew to English.
Dr. Hoffman points out "Translation Traps" that lead to mis-translation. He chooses his examples of mis-translation from well-known texts including the V'Ahavta prayer and The Ten Commandments.

This article would be an excellent stimulus for discussion in a post B'nai Mitzvah class. Hoffman's article might be combined with an examination of Prayerbooks which your congregation has used over the years. While the Hebrew prayer texts have generally remained the same, the translations probably show an evolution in English language usage and social/philosophical thinking.

To pursue this subject further, Dr Hoffman moderates a blog on Bible translation.
www.GodDidntSayThat.com

Project Display Boards - a P.L.U.S.

Shavuah Tov! Many of my recent posts have described display models which can make you classroom walls an asset to every lesson. There is another type of display which is quite versatile - the project display board or tri-fold board. When opened up, these corrugated boards can stand alone on a table top or on the floor. (They're a staple of student science fairs.) Project display boards (let's call them "pdb's") can be purchased at office supply stores and teacher's stores.

How are pdb's a P.L.U.S. in the classroom? Read on...

PORTABLE - Pdb's are sturdy, easy to carry, and easy to store. A pdb can even be carried by a student from class to class, so that one pdb can serve as a focus for lessons in several classes on the same day.
Stand the pdb on any flat surface and it's ready to go.

LONG LASTING - Pdb's last for years as long as they're kept dry. Once you've created one, you have a display that you can use over and over. I have some pdb's that I've used for ten years and they've held up very well.
Label and date the outside of each pdb,so that you can easily flip through a stack of them to find the one you want.

UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES - Practically any Judaic Studies or Hebrew topic can be presented on a pdb. Some pdb's that I've used present topics that include Mitzvot, Torah Study Basics, Illuminated Hebrew Manuscripts (a class project), Religious School Lesson Planning, Hebrew Language Elements, and Modern Israel (a pdb made by a group of teachers at a workshop I coordinated).

STIMULATING - Pdb's provide a creative means of introducing a new unit of study, reviewing topics previously studied, and summarizing information at the conclusion of a unit.
A pdb can serve as a backdrop for a learning center. Books, activity sheets, and artifacts can be arranged on a table in front of the pdb.
Student groups can gather around a pdb to discuss images and information displayed on the board.
It's possible to glue or tape all kinds of materials to the board. Even three-dimensional objects can be attached by tying a string around the object, threading the string through a hole near the edge of the board and knotting the string around the edge. Items may also be attached with velcro.

In short - wall displays + project display boards = plenty to see and plenty to learn

Friday the 13th: Our lucky day

Shabbat Shalom! Cue the theme from Twilight Zone. Grab a four-leaf clover. Watch out for black cats. It's Friday the 13th!
Wait! Stop cowering in the corner. Put away that rabbit's foot. You're Jewish! Can Friday, Yom Hashishi, ever be unlucky? On Friday, we prepare to welcome Shabbat. We polish the wine cup, bake a challah, and buy flowers for the table - OR we light candles, order a pizza, and sit the whole family down at the table for the first time all week.
However we observe Shabbat, we're acting in God's image (B'Tselem Elohim), as we wind down six days of work and prepare for a day of rest.

On Shabbat, we recall the Midrash* that tells of Adam and Eve's fear as they watched the sky darken on their first Erev Shabbat before leaving the Garden of Eden for the world of humankind. The Yotzer Or prayer tells of their joy as the sun rose on the very first Shabbat morning. Adam and Eve felt lucky.

On Shabbat, we express our gratitude for this wondrous world which God has created - a world created, but not completed. We re-dedicate ourselves to Tikun Olam, our sacred obligation as God's partners to continue the work of building and repairing the world. And even though there is much to be built and repaired, we're lucky to be fulfilling Mitzvot.

In fact, on the Jewish calendar, today is not the scary date of Friday the 13th. It is the third day of the contemplative month of Elul, a time when we assess our actions of the past year, and look to the future as the High Holidays approach. We recognize that we've nearly completed the cycle of another year. How lucky is that?

From the Jewish perspective, on this Friday the 13th, we're lucky.
Shabbat Shalom. Rest and re-new.

*Source: Journeys Through the Siddur: Shabbat Morning - published by Torah Aura Publications

Story: Laminate this!

At one of the stops on my journey as a Jewish educator, I directed a community Jewish Teacher Resource Center housed in the basement of a Day School. We had a basic collection of resources, and coordinated a number of worthy events and programs. However, our main attraction, by far, was a laminating machine. The laminator was an immense, weighty, metal lump of unknown age and origin. There were vague references to a mysterious "grant" and "Soprano" style suggestions that I not delve into the machine's murky past. Hey! Whatever. With that unsightly device, my resource center could grant eternal life to tattered, but treasured posters, and make modest student art projects look like masterpieces. Best of all, the opaque tangle of organizations and committees that funded the resource center had decreed that laminating services could be offered to religious schools and synagogues free of charge.

Religious school principals from synagogues that had not spoken to each other since Sinai, attended meetings together at the resource center with armloads of stuff to be laminated. Teachers from competing schools eagerly gathered at resource center events with projects for lamination.

No matter what philosophical or theological differences the various Jewish institutions had (and they had many), everyone loved to laminate for free at the resource center. Shalom bayit in the form of a hulking, smoky laminator - who would have guessed!?

Labels and Laminating: Make your door a "delet"

As part of your classroom displays, include Hebrew labels for classroom objects - shulchan, sefer, aron, kiseh,ritzpa, luach, keer, tikra, chalon, delet, etc. Providing labels encourages students to learn a whole set of vocabulary informally, as they repeatedly see the label and hear objects called by their Hebrew names.
Even during Judaic Studies, students may be asked to;
Take a sefer from the aron.
Line up at the delet.
Put completed assignments on the shulchan.

If you are able to laminate the labels, so much the better. Laminating labels and other display materials makes the materials last practically forever. Laminated display items give a polished, professional look and easily survive being trampled or torn off the walls as your classroom is used for multiple purposes during the year. Plus, students think laminated stuff is cool, especially if it's their own creations that are laminated.

If your school or synagogue has a laminating machine that you're allowed to use - Lucky you! (As I've learned from experience, not all school or synagogue high-tech goodies may be available to teachers.)

Community Jewish Teacher Resource Centers, Bureaus of Jewish Education, and public school teacher centers might be sources for laminating services.

Copy/shipping stores, office supply stores, teacher's stores may also sell lamination.

If you can squeeze funds from your school's budget or put "laminating services" on a wish list - it's well worth it!

Turn to the Text for Display Materials

In organizing a Teacher Resource Center for our synagogue, I came across religious school texts that dated back to the 1950's. They were printed in black and white and the contents were rather bland and a bit stuffy by today's standards.
An important development in Jewish education over the past few decades has been the design of textbooks, workbooks, teacher's guides, CD's, and on-line support that is creative, colorful, kid-friendly, and expansive in its approach to Judaic Studies and Hebrew language.

In keeping with the theme of classroom displays, which we've been exploring, check the website for the textbook publisher you're using to see what support or enrichment materials are available. Some textbook series have flash cards, mini-posters which have pictures or icons related to vocabulary, and posters with grammar rules. If your school owns or can order any of these visuals, use them as the basis for displays.

Grammar posters can be displayed above the chalkboard or high on walls, as they can remain up all year for reference.

A display based on flash cards or mini-posters is best set up in an accessible area, as you'll want to change them to reflect different lessons in the text. Once vocabulary flash cards or mini-posters for completed lessons have been removed from the display, they can be stored in manila envelopes in a file holder or plastic crate near the display. Students can use these cards and posters for individual or partner review.
As the year goes on, and more envelopes accumulate, groups of students can each be given an envelope for use in playing word games such as the following:
State a Jeopardy style "answer" and have student groups use the words from their envelopes to provide the "questions."
Answer: A word built from the root bet-resh-chaf.
Question: What is baruch (or bracha or barchu)?
The first group to respond correctly gets a point.

AND - you get points for maximizing your textbook's display potential!

More to come...from door to delet.

Schnorring: a win-win practice for Jewish Educators

In our determined search for free items to use in our classroom displays, we may have to resort to a bit of what my Bubbe might have called "schnorring." Schnorring is asking for something in such an earnest and endearing way that the giver actually feels good about agreeing to your request.

Schnorring goes somethng like this:
You know a family who is planning a trip to Israel. You approach them and share your genuine enthusiasm about teaching Israel Studies and Modern Hebrew. You ask for their help in inspiring your students to connect with Eretz Yisrael. Now comes the Big Schnor! If the travelers could just tuck a few postcards, Hebrew language children's magazines, front pages of Hebrew newspapers, menues, coins, and other small free or low cost Israeli mementos in a corner of their suitcase, you and your students would be so grateful. Score one for the schnorer! But, to make this a win-win, invite the family to visit your classroom, when they return, to present the itms they've collected (perhaps,even schnorred), and to talk about their Israeli adventures. And always send a thank-you note.

Schnorring can also be done close to home, like when you ask the supermarket for a bunch of paper bags to make your tree display; or when you request a few pizza boxes
(unused) from your neighborhood pizza place. Pizza boxes? Yes, pizza boxes make great storage containers for themed items from a seasonal display. Take down all the Hanukka things, for example, and lay them in the pizza box. Close the box. Label it clearly with a description of the contents, and set it on a shelf for next year. For materials such as large posters, that may not fit in the pizza box, make a note on the box that there are additional materials that go with the display.

Schnorring - a time-honored part of the Jewish Educator's toolkit.

More to come...your textbook - What's in it for you, display- wise?

Free to be...display materials...for you and me

E-h-h-h, what's up, Doc? With a nod to Bugs Bunny for that opener, what is up, on your classroom walls? In recent posts, I've suggested ways to create wall displays and to encourage students to gather information from these displays. How about the raw materials that go into the displays? Where do we find items to cover those blank walls and bulletin boards?

First - the magic word - FREE! Free, as in display materials available at no cost to you or your school.

Some examples:
- Every year, in September, my synagogue receives Jewish calendars from a local funeal home. (There are probably businesses that give out Jewish calendars in your community, too.)The calendars have colorful pictures of Holiday scenes and sites in Israel - a different set of pictures each year. I've saved several years worth of these calendars and use the pictures for my Israel and Holidays displays. They can also be used to illustrate Hebrew vocabulary including Holiday words, colors, verbs, and foods. In addition , I give each of my students a calendar which we use throughout the year to discuss Holidays, Hebrew months, Rosh Chodesh, Shabbat.

- Rosh HaShanah, Hanukkah, and Pesach bring greeting cards. Save the covers and add them to your displays.

- Certainly you or someone you know receives "Hadassah Magazine, which not only has interesting articles, but also pictures of cities and sights in Israel; synagogues and other Jewish sites in the U.S. and abroad; and Judaic art.
Plus, there is always a one-page article called "About Hebrew" which describes a Hebrew word root and the varieties of words and meanings derived from that root. "About Hebrew" is made to order as the centerpiece of a Hebrew display, especially for the upper grades.
Check any Jewish magazines you receive for display items.

- Solicitations that arrive in the mail from Jewish organizations, mailings from Jewish publishers, catalogs from purveyors of Judaica are all sources of display material. I built a Yom Haatzmaut display around the graphics and text that I cut out and re-mixed from a JCC flyer announcing their Yom Haatzmaut celebration.

From the mortuary to the mailbox - collect free display materials for your classroom.

More to come...the search for display materials continues.

Where the Buffalo Roam - a brief explanation

What's a nice buffalo like this doing in a Jewish education blog? In the process of learning how to add photos to my blog, the very knowledgeable, patient college student who was helping me, needed a photo to use as an example. The buffalo happened to be in my photo file and was uploaded into my blog as a very large addition.

According to the blog how-to book that I've been reading, blogs should have unique features. Well, how many Jewish education blogs have an in-house buffalo? So, for now, the buffalo stays. For the record, it's not just any old buffalo. It's part of a protected herd that lives a few miles from my house.
Say shalom to my shaggy friend!

Teacher Appreciation??

How is an office supply store like a religious school classroom? Well, both have pencils, chalk, notebooks, and loads of copy paper. But that's not the answer. You knew that, right? So, in the spirit of Midrashim and shtetl folktales, let me tell you a (true) story.

Recently, I attended "Teacher Appreciation Day" at a nationally known, big-box office supply store. For several weeks, there had been a sign in the store announcing the date and time of "Teacher Appreciation Day," including those words which are music to any teacher's ears, "Free Gift." Of course , I went.

At first, I thought I'd come on the wrong day. There was no indication of any special event at the store. No "Welcome Teachers!" sign. No section with "Teachers' Specials." No handouts detailing how the store's products could make our classrooms and our students shine like polished apples. No one giving out free gifts. Nothing! I wandered up and down all the aisles, picked up a few things I needed anyway, and went to check out.
"Did you find everything ok?" chirped the cashier.
"Well, not really," I said. "I didn't see anything going on for "Teacher Appreciation Day" and (sad voice, eyes downcast) I guess there are no more free gifts left."
"Oh, no. I think they're doing something. Did you check the end of Aisle 15 (ie. far,far corner of this very large store)?" she asked.
"No," I answered. "Hold this stuff for me, please, while I go look."

I left the checkout and trekked to the end of aisle 15 to find a wall of loose leaf binders and an open door leading to a stockroom that's usually off limits to customers. I could see some tables among the ceiling-high shelves, stacks of cartons, and cleaning supplies. This was it! I went to the first table where a store worker gave me my free gift, a loose leaf binder with paper and a plastic pouch of pens, pencils, and such. At the second table, I could select a handful of tchotchkes - colored paper clips, metal clips, clips shaped like hands and feet - cute. On the third table were boxes of muffins from a local bakery and some bottles of juice. The tables were bare, rough, stained worktables. I grabbed a muffin and left.

That was that! Teacher Appreciation Day. Did I feel appreciated? Did I feel like the store really valued me as a customer and wanted my business year 'round? No, no, and no. Before I had even returned to the checkout, I had thought of a dozen ways the store (this billion dollar, publicly traded enterprise) could have had a real Teacher Appreciation event - and for little more than they'd invested in the binders, clips, and muffins. What a missed opportunity to inform and encourage potential long-term customers!

Nu, what does all this have to do with us, as Jewish Educators? We have a golden opportunity to show our students and their families (our "customers") that we appreciate their presence in our school; that we consistently celebrate Jewish wisdom, observance, traditions, heritage, and language through our lessons; that we provide the means for our students and families to be informed, active participants in life long Jewish learning (our proud "product").

How can we make every class, every project, every event an "Appreciation Day?" Unlike the hapless office supply store, how can we do it right and do it well? That's what this blog is really all about.
Shavuah Tov.

Much, much more to come...

Treasure Hunt Variations

Shabbat Shalom. To complete the description of the Treasure Hunt game, here are 2 variations.

This is a good Holiday activity that can be part of a class celebration.In advance of the actual celebration, give each student small (2"x1.5") post-it notes and ask the students to draw symbols of the Holiday you're celebrating (apple, lulav, menorah, dreidel, almond tree, etc) on the post-it notes. Collect the post-it notes, but don't tell the students what you plan to do with them. Before your class celebration, stick the notes around the classroom, on wall displays and also on objects. All notes should be visible, so that students don't have to move anything or climb on anything...visible, but not obvious, as this is a searching game. On "Go!" the students search and gather as many notes as they can find in a few minutes - set a timer. The student who gathers the most notes wins. The class can follow the game with a discussion of the meaning of the symbols on the notes.

This version of Treasure Hunt requires the students to tell where they find the treasures - in Hebrew. The goal is to give students a chance to practice Hebrew vocabulary including prepositions. Flashcards with Hebrew nouns that the students are studying are the treasures. There should be one flashcard for each student. Place the flash cards on the walls and on objects in the class. Each student finds a flashcard and tells where he/she found it. For example, a student finds the flashcard with the word "yeled" taped to the chalkboard. The student says, "Yeled al ha luach." Another student finds a flashcard with the word "sefer" tacked next to an Israeli flag on the wall. The student says, "Sefer al yad ha degel." This game works best when many of the objects in the classroom (luach, degel, kiseh, shulchan, chalon, etc) have been labeled since the first day of class.

You can probably suggest other types of classroom search games. Please share them in your comments.

More to come...Back-to-School preparations continued

Treasure Hunt Re-visited

I've been thinking about my post of 8/4/10 where I describe the Treasure Hunt game. The description sounds a bit complicated, but really Treasure Hunt is simply an interactive form of a matching or fill-in-the-blanks exercise. Instead of completing a pencil and paper matching or fill-in exercise, students get to walk around and hunt for the matches or fill-in words which are taped, tacked, or stapled to classroom displays. Students have a chance to move around and perhaps work with a partner. As a bonus, while discovering a picture or word card camouflaged in a display, the student will also notice the display, itself.

There is a point that some of you may raise. Doesn't a game like Treasure Hunt require a substantial amount of preparation time on the part of the teacher? The teacher has to make word cards or cut out pictures, and devise a set of fill-in statements or items to match up. Then, the teacher has to go to the classroom early to hide the pictures or cards in the displays.
Yes, it's true. Teacher time is necessary to prepare the Treasure Hunt game. It's alot quicker to say, "Complete page 12 in your workbook," - and students can certainly learn from workbook activities.
Think of games such as Scavenger Hunt and Treasure Hunt as experiences, rather than tasks. These games are meant to be sprinkled occasionally into the mix of activities featured in a lesson plan. The pictures and cards can be re-used in future years when similar topics are taught. I actually lay the pictures on a sheet of copy paper and make a color copy, in case some are damaged or lost. This way, I won't have to find them and cut them out again. The cards can also be copied.

Students enjoy these games. They have a positive Jewish Educational experience, work off some energy, and socialize a bit. Providing active games distinguishes their Jewish classroom from many of their secular classrooms. We're shaping an environment different in tone from the secular classes they've attended all day before arriving at religious school.

On a more sobering note, there is the issue of compensation for preparation time, such as that required for setting up the Scavenger Hunt and Treasure Hunt games. Many Jewish educators, especially those working in synagogue (supplementary) schools, are compensated only for the time they're actually teaching. There is no compensation for prep time. This is a complex topic worthy of more in-depth consideration. It deserves its own post and I will return to it in the future.

More to come...variations on Treasure Hunt.

Treasure Hunt

Ahoy Mateys! Time for a treasure hunt!

In the Treasure Hunt game, students examine classroom displays very carefully as they race to find hidden "treasures." The treasures are small pictures or little cards representing material the students have studied.The pictures or cards are tacked or taped to various displays. The pictures might depict foods whose Hebrew names students have learned. The cards might contain names of figures in Jewish History or names of the Holidays. In each case, students are given a list of words (in Hebrew or English), definitions, or descriptions that match the information conveyed by the hidden pictures or cards. Students hunt for the treasures that match the items on their list.

Some examples will make the process clearer.

Among the wall displays, you might hide small pictures of a chair, a book, an eraser, and other common classroom items whose Hebrew names the students have learned. (Use pictures from store flyers advertising Back-to-School sales.) Students receive a list of the names of these items in Hebrew. Students search for the pictures of the items which illustrate the Hebrew words. In doing this, they are demonstrating that they know that "kiseh" means chair, "sefer" means book, "machak" means eraser, and so on. When they find a picture, they either remove it from the display and tape it next to the word on their list or write the name of the item (in English) next to the Hebrew word on the list and note where they found the picture.
As an added challenge, pictures may be hidden which don't have a matching Hebrew word on the list.

An additional example -
The students are given a list of statements describing aspects of Holiday celebrations, such as "We build and decorate a temporary structure." The students examine the wall displays and one student finds, taped to a corner of a satellite map of Israel, a card with the word "Sukkot" in Hebrew or in English. The student either detaches the card, which is lightly taped to the map or records the word "Sukkot" next to the appropriate statement on the list and notes where the word card was found.

You might hide 10 items and give the students a brief time, say, 4 minutes, to find as many hidden treasures (ie. pictures or cards) as possible. The student who finds the most, wins.

Treasure Hunt is a versatile game format which can be used with a variety of topics in Hebrew or English. It's a lively review exercise to begin or end a class. Be sure to allow students time to share the treasures they've found, so that all students hear the correct matches for the items on their lists.

More to come...Treasure Hunt variations

Classroom Scavenger Hunt

It's the first day of religious school and you've put alot of effort into classroom displays. Do the students ooh and aah over your creativity? Do they eagerly examine every sign, flash card, and poster you've so carefully placed? No way! They're busy meeting and greeting their classmates and comparing ipods or smart phones or whatever neat gadgets they have crammed into their backpacks.

Try this! Once you've welcomed your students, taken attendance, and, perhaps, recited the Bracha for Torah study, it's time for a classroom scavenger hunt based on your terrific (and informative) displays. Students can participate individually or, as a team-builder, they can work in groups of 2 or 3. I let them "hunt" in table groups, so that they get acquainted with classmates they've been assigned to sit with. Each student receives a sheet with statements to be completed. The statements refer to some element of the displays. In order to complete the statements, students must look closely at wall, door, bulletin board, and project display board displays. The first group to correctly complete all the statements wins a prize (lollypops, for example). While each student has a sheet, the group as a whole need only produce one correctly completed sheet to win.
To make the scavenger hunt even more challenging, you might require students to hunt silently - using only gestures to lead members of the group to answers in the displays.

Here are some examples of statements that I've used in classroom scavenger hunts:
-Penguins live way down south in (Hebrew)_________________ (The correct fill-in is found on a Hebrew language map of the world and I've noted in the statement that the missing item is to be written in Hebrew.)

-The Hebrew letter dalet looked like this____________ in classical Greek script. (The fill-in comes from a chart showing how several alphabets evolved.)

-The second Parsha in the First Book of the Torah is___________________ (The fill-in comes from a poster showing the Parshot in each Book of the Torah.)

The amount of time you plan for the scavenger hunt will determine the number of statements to include. I plan to include 15 statements which should take 10-15 minutes to complete. I tell the students that they have a ten minute time limit.

If no group has completed the sheet in the time allotted, the group with the highest number of correctly filled-in statements wins. Ta Da! Now the stage is set for learning from displays.

Once a group has won, we all have a snack and turn our attention to the lesson, where references will be made to the displays that students have just examined.

There is a variation on the scavenger hunt game which involves searching for "treasures" hidden among the displays. More about this in future posts.

Cumulative Displays - review and reinforce

Like a snowball rolling down a mountain, certain topics in Judaic Studies gather more and more information as the weeks go by. Students recognize and decode more and more Hebrew letters, vowels, and whole words. They study the Holiday cycle from ever more mature points of view. Torah Study centers around gleaning additional insights each time a Parsha is examined.

Making review a part of each lesson enables students to re-learn (if necessary) and to reinforce key concepts. In this way, knowledge gained from Religious School becomes firmly established and can be readily applied to future life long Jewish learning.

And that brings us to the Cumulative Display, a means of keeping major categories of information visible and more easily incorporated into review activities.
A Cumulative Display can be organized around a form such as the tree shape described in my post, "No Dinos Here! Interactive Classroom Displays" 7/29/10.
A Cumulative Display might be a growing collection of Hebrew letter, vowel, and vocabulary flashcards tacked to a defined wall space.
Other possibilities include a series of Holiday pictures surrounding a Jewish calendar.
My students were particularly intrigued when we tacked mini-posters representing each Parsha around the wall. By the end of the school year, they were surrounded by Torah!

What goes around comes...to mind. However you organize your Cumulative Display, make it a frequent focus for learning activities:
-Which words in our prayer text have this final letter (letter from the display)?
- Point to words in the display that have the root mem, lamed, chaf.
-Find the Parsha (on the wall) where Jacob gets a new name.
-Name the colors (in Hebrew) that are found in this Holiday picture.
-Azeh Chag B'chodesh Kislev? (Students choose a picture from the display.)

Cumulative Displays - at your service.

Coming up...Scavenger hunts and hidden treasures

Back-to School Bargains

Shavuah Tov. In this post, I had intended to describe a cumulative wall display. Then, I brought in the Sunday paper. WOW! Loads of ads with totally cheap school supplies!
Your Question: "So what? My school supplies chalk, pencils, paper. What more do I need?"
My answer: How about a protractor - only $.05 at Office Depot. A protractor?! For religious school? If you're good at drawing free-hand, skip this section or read it and scoff. For teachers, like me, whose drawing genes never jumped in the pool, a protractor is a pattern for tracing - leaves! C'mon, chevre, use your imaginations. A protractor is sort of leaf-shaped. Cut the protractor shape with zig-zag edged scissors and the result looks positively tropical. Remember the All Purpose Tree display (post "No Dinos Here! Interactive Classroom Displays 7/29/10)? Rely on the protractor for leaf shapes.
A series of larger and smaller shapes traced and cut from inside and outside the protractor make flower petals. "Brachot in Bloom?" anyone?

Crayons (4 boxes for a dollar at Toys R Us); pencils (24 for a dollar at Walmart); erasers (3 for a dollar at Staples); construction paper ($1.49 for 96 sheets at Walgreens)...
Your Question: "Can't I get all those things from the religious school art room or supply cabinet?"
My Answer: Maybe. But, within a few weeks, some of the pencils will be lost, broken in half,chewed like trees around a beaver dam, or have erasers worn to a nub. It's easier to replace those supplies on the spot and worry about asking your religious school director for additional supplies later. And, by the way, cut the erasers in half for an added bargain.
Crayons and construction paper are often the province of the art teacher. The art teacher may not be around on the Wednesday that your Hebrew class masters the Yotzer Or prayer so quickly that the students have time to draw an illustration expressing their interpretation of the prayer. You need a few art supplies on hand to instantly take advantage of such creative opportunities.

Invest a very modest amount and stock up on back-to-school bargains for your class. It will really pay off in time and effort saved during the school year.

Note: Please see my post "Transparency" 8/1/10 which addresses my inclusion of store names in my posts.

More to come...Cumulative Displays - a real teacher's aide!

Transparency

In the interest of transparency, Please note: In my blog posts, I mention by name stores, products, websites, and educational services. I do so for your convenience in examining and/or acquiring the various resources which I discuss. I have no personal connection with any of these resources, nor do I receive any form of compensation from any of these resources.