middle SChool - shema and the importance of jewish learning
To learn about the Jewish value of Talmud Torah – Jewish learning – and the Shema prayer, we are...
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Discovering our individual learning styles through a learning style quiz, and discussing what areas of study in Judaism we are individually passionate about.
- Creating “Areas of Interest Learning Goals” boards, to make a plan for what Jewish topics we want to delve more deeply into, and how.
- Playing “teaching” games that emphasize learning styles and teach us about a variety of Jewish topics/facts.
- Exploring the meaning of “Oneness” with unity group movement activities.
- Listening to the Shema, meditating on it, and creating beautiful unity-themed Shema art.
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Ask your student: What is your learning style? What part of Judaism are you passionate to learn about? What is the Shema prayer about? What does unity have to do with the Shema?
5th grade - publicizing the miracle of hanukkah
To learn about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, we are...
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Listening to the Hanukkah story and recreating it with our own Hanukkah Madlibs.
- Discussing how conflict resolution relates to Hanukkah traditions – like the conflict between two rabbis over how to light the Hanukkah candles.
- Making a travel menorah kit so we can publicize the story of the miracle of Hanukkah wherever we go!
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Ask your student: Why is it important to let everyone know about the story of Hanukkah? Where did we get the ritual of how to light the candles?
4th grade – jewish ritual objects
To learn about the Jewish ritual objects, we are...
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Discussing our experiences with objects like menorahs, mezuzahs, Kiddush cups, kippahs, Shabbat candles, challah covers, and Havdalah candles.
- Answering the questions "When do we use it?" and "Why is it significant?" for each ritual object.
- Making an artistic representation of each object using different rules – like drawing a mezuzah without picking our pencils up from the paper.
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Ask your student: What ritual object did you think was the most interesting? Was there one that you have never used but would like to use?
3rd grade – being a mensch
To learn about the Jewish value of being a mensch – being a good person – we are...
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Playing "Red Light Green Light" with good deeds and bad deeds to get ourselves thinking about what it means to do something good.
- Reading "All Kinds of Strong" by Sharon Reiss Baker and discussing what the main character did that made her a mensch.
- Playing kindness-themed games, like Torah Slides and Ladders and Mighty Mensch.
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Ask your student: What does it mean to be a mesnch? How did you act as a mensch today? Why is it important to be a mensch?
2nd grade – the braided challah
To learn about the significance of challah, we are...
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Discussing the meaning of the braided strands, and talking about the unity of the Jewish people that the braid represents.
- Thinking about the people who are important in our lives, who come together to make a support network for each of us.
- Making our own braids out of play-doh and saying the blessing over the challah together.
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Ask your student: How do the strands of challah relate to family and bringing people together? Waht is one activity that you like to do as a family?
1st grade – the meaning of mitzvah
To learn about mitzvahs – good deeds – we are...
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Brainstorming good deeds that we can do in our everyday lives.
- Doing a Kindness Scavenger hunt and trying to complete as many of the good deeds listed as possible.
- Making a mitzvah chain with six mitzvahs that we would like to perform in the next week.
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Ask your student: What is a mitzvah? What were the mitzvahs that you wanted to perform this week?
kindergarten – joseph and the coat of many colors
To learn about the story of Joseph, we are...
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Reading the story of Joseph and making Joseph puppets to retell the story with.
- Playing gratitude tag to remind us not to be jealous of what other people have.
- Making dream catchers to remember the dreams that Joseph had in the story.
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Ask your student: Who was Joseph? Why was he special?
pre-k – joseph and the coat of many colors
To learn about the story of Joseph, we are...
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Reading the story of Joseph and making Joseph puppets to retell the story with.
- Playing gratitude tag to remind us not to be jealous of what other people have.
- Making dream catchers to remember the dreams that Joseph had in the story.
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Ask your student: Who was Joseph? Why was he special?
pre-school – joseph and the coat of many colors
To learn about the story of Joseph, we are...
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Reading the story of Joseph and making Joseph puppets to retell the story with.
- Playing gratitude tag to remind us not to be jealous of what other people have.
- Making dream catchers to remember the dreams that Joseph had in the story.
Ideas to Bring It Home
- Ask your student: Who was Joseph? Why was he special?