Photos and Fun

"Being Jewish is important to me."

"I'm excited to become bar/bat mitzvah."

"I know at least a little about Israel."

"Chocolate is the best ice cream flavor."

These are just a few statements 7th graders in my new Israel & Art class had to agree or disagree with this week in a game I like call... "Agree or Disagree!" (I can only be so creative...) The game helped us get to know each other a little more and got us thinking a little about how Israel relates to our Jewish identities.

Then we examined a few photos from different places in Israel- from the beach to the desert to the city and everything in between! The 7th graders chose the photos that they liked the most and the photos that seemed to represent Israel the most. Hearing their reasoning was so interesting!

Birkat Kohanim

In our Tuesday Gesher L'Noar class, we started the book of Numbers! We started the book by looking at a prayer we have all probably heard at one point or another: the Priestly Benediction. This prayer is often said at a bris, baby naming, bar/bat mitzvah, or wedding, just to name a few occasions. We looked at the prayer line by line, dissected it a little bit, and then did a study on the symbolism of the prayer. We finished our class by making modge podge creations of the Priestly Benedition, by placing tissue paper through hand cutouts of the symbol. We will hang the creations on the window, so the sunlight shines through them, to remind us that God is watching over us!

-Alison

Rosh Hodesh & Tu B'shevat

Yesterday, our 6th grade Rosh Hodesh group celebrated a very special holiday- Tu B'shevat!

We enjoyed a tasty treat of fruits and nuts from 3 categories- edible insides and inedible outsides, edible outsides and inedible insides, and totally edible.










We also baked our own oatmeal cookies with mix-ins that represented traditional Tu B'shevat fruits and nuts (raisins and walnuts). We threw in some chocolate chips too... because who doesn't love chocolate?!

Sacrificing

This week as a start to our study of Leviticus, my class tackled the idea of sacrifice. We talked about who did it, when it was done, who helped, what had to be done, and why we don't do it anymore.

We got into some pretty deep discussions about why it isn't done anymore, and Parker thinks that the idea of speaking to God is an evolving thing based on our senses. He believes that we started with sacrifices and the smells, and now we are on to the hearing of prayer with God. He doesn't know what will come next, but thinks that it will be along those lines.

Kaylee shared with us her childhood idea about why God doesn't need food as sacrifice. She thought that God had a black hole in his/her stomach and swallowed up all of the dead people.

This idea of sacrifice seemed very foreign and strange to a lot of my class, but we came to a consensus that if we lived in a world where all of the Jews of the world still lived in the same place and the Temple was still standing, sacrifice may still be a part of our lives. Just some ideas to ponder...

-Alison

Yet Another Siyyum!!

Last week, my sixth grade class finished up its study of Exodus! Similar to the ending of Genesis, we did a review of the stories that we had talked about, and decided to make our own visual Torah. Each student or pair of students received a different portion, and had to draw what it meant to them. They also needed to include the title of the parasha and a quote from the Tanakh! Mazal Tov to our class, Chazak, Chazak, V'Nitzchazek, and on to Leviticus!!

-Alison

Sixth Grade Experiential Learning!

On Thursday, the Tuesday/Thursday sixth grade classes got to do things a little differently than usual. We started class with a great retelling and performance of the story Judith, who some claim is the real hero(ine) in the story of Chanukah. The next task was to go on a scavenger hunt. Using Hebrew letters and parts of prayers as code, they made their way around the building until they found the ultimate Chanukah prize, gelt! But when they found the gelt in what looked like an old jar, they also found some parchment. The parchment bridged a conversation to the Dead Sea Scrolls; what they are where they were found, and why they are important. After this conversation, they headed outside to make their own Dead Sea Scrolls! These scrolls were found in pretty poor condition, so they had to make their papers look that way too. They used candles and the close supervision of teachers to help create their own versions of the Dead Sea Scrolls!! Thank you Yardena for making such cool lessons!

-Alison

Knowing G-d

Today during class, we did an activity based on things that we find sacred. The students drew pictures of places they believe are sacred. They enthusiastically shared them with their classmates. Also, the students discussed "knowing G-d" and how we feel about G-d, as well as described G-d in their own words. Here are some of the questions and responses;

How do you feel when you think about G-d?
Ian: "Safe, Happy, Grateful"
Adam: "Important, Look up to someone"
Jordan: "Safe, not alone, even if I am physically by myself."
Lizzy: "Protected, like nothing can hurt me."
Jack:"Unstoppable, like I have a connection with Him."
Ashley: "I feel I always have someone to talk to."
Nate: "Strong because He is there for me."
Carly: "I know he will always be there for me."
Danny: "When I talk to him, everything zones out, I feel as if it's just me and G-d in the room."
Sammy:"When you ask people about G-d, they will answer with their own perspective, so there is no right or wrong answer/feeling/opinion."

How would you describe G-d?
Talia: "Ruler of the world."
Carly: "Creator.
Lily: "King."
Nate: "Everything and Everywhere."
Spencer: "Sacred, he is the One who created all of us."

Social Justice in Israel mini-course class assignment

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Hi Families!

Here is the information I gave the students in my Israel mini-course regarding their projects.  Feel free to contact me with any questions!

It has been a pleasure working with this new group of students, in addition to my other classes!

Samantha

Social Justice and Israel Mini-Course

Samantha’s Class

Final Project Guidelines

1.     With your group, choose an “issue” that is facing Israel today, from the list you created.  It should be a social justice issue.  Some examples are:

a.     Poverty

b.     Racism

c.      Anti-Semitism

d.     Israel and Palestinian issues

e.     Lone soldiers (Israeli army soldiers from other countries who have no family in Israel)

f.      Israel’s security

g.     Education

h.     Choose your own

2.     Research your subject on the Good People Fund website (and other websites approved by Samantha).  I will provide laptops for each group to use.

3.     Create a list of project ideas that your group can complete by the end of the mini-session.  Think about the things your group is good at (art, technology, video, music), and think about your audience (the rest of the 6^th and 7^th grade Gesher l’Noar students, TBS Temple community.)

a.     Tell Samantha what your project will be.  Here are some examples:

                                               i.     Posters

                                              ii.     Powerpoint presentations

                                            iii.     Recording music, a song or a rap

                                            iv.     Skit

                                              v.     Making a video

                                            vi.     Cartoon/comic strip

                                           vii.     Create your own project

4.     Design and make the project.  Check in with Samantha for help with planning, materials you might need (computer, recorder, posterboard, markers, etc.)

Project due date is in class Tuesday, January 29!

Important Note!

I would like to share your projects with Lauren, and the rest of the 6^th/7^th grade Gesher l’Noar students, and the TBS Temple community!  Please take your time with them and make them great!  Your work is important and it would be GREAT to be able to share all of the groups’ projects with the rest of our TBS community!  I will also be emailing this sheet to Lauren and your families, so they know what we are working on.

Huggie Bear/10 Commandments

Today in class we discussed the 10 commandments and reviewed specific aspects of each commandment. The students became familiar with the order of the commandments and what each of them meant and how they could abide by them in different ways.
The students played a game called "huggie bear" where they broke up into groups and discussed a few related topics. A couple of the topics were; What does it mean "in order to lengthen your days in the earth" regarding the commandment "Honor your mother and father." Also, do "you shall not take the Lord's name in vain" and "you shall not swear falsely by the name of The Lord" mean the same thing? How are they different?
The students have very thoughtful answers.
Sammy K: "If you respect and honor your parents, they will respect you back and act nicely to you, which makes life easier for everyone.
Ian: "Appreciate what your parent have to offer, so you don't have to suffer consequences later in life for when you didn't listen or honor them."
Spencer: "You get more from life if you listen to your parents. They have had a lot of experience and want the best for you. If you don't honor them, life will be harder."
Carly: "Swear falsely by and Lord's name in vain are the same because both of those acts are being unkind or speaking not nicely about G-d"
Sammy P: "Swearing is different than using the lords name in vain. but I think one should have the same consequence for either action."

Exodus Lesson 1: Heroes/ Standing up for what is right

Today, we began the first lesson from the book of Exodus.
Each child got to share their feelings on what they believe defines a "hero." There were many thoughtful answers; A few are listed below:
Lizzy: "Someone who others look up to.

Adam: "Someone who changes people's lives in positive ways."

Ian: "Someone who stands up for themselves."

Garrett: "Someone who puts others needs before their own."

Danny K: "Anyone can be a hero if others benefit from their good deeds."

The students then skimmed a few books of Jewish heroes and chose one which stood out to them. They shared with the class the different people they chose, any why they are considered historical hero's in Jewish society. Some of the students chose the following:

Sammy: Jonas Salk-Developed first affective polio vaccine

Maxine: Golda Meir-Fought for peace in Israel.

Spencer: Leonard Kaplan- Made executive decision to build community centers in Boston. in 1976 became leader of CJP. Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston.

The students had very thoughtful responses regarding heroism. We learned how important to be a hero in any way possible.

What Makes A Hero?

Our sixth grade class has just started the book of Exodus, and we started off with a new activity! We read the short excerpt that describes how the midwives in Egypt were defying the Pharaoh's orders and let the Israelite babies live, and then talked about what makes someone a hero. Do they have to save a life to be a hero? Can it be someone we admire? Are we all heroes??

We then broke up into pairs and researched some modern day Jews to determine if we saw them as heroes as well. Some range from Aly Raisman to Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Jon Stewart to Steven Spielberg. We ended the class with a discussion about if these people were heroes like the heroic midwives in the Torah.

-Alison

Samantha's Holocaust and Human Behavior Learns through Games

Learning through games and seeing how things feel

Dear Families,

We had a wonderful lesson in my Holocaust and Human Behavior class yesterday.  We started off with a discussion about inclusion and exclusion, to frame the games we were about to play to demonstrate these ideas.  The students have obviously learned a lot in other classes in school and at TBS about bullying, exclusion, and inclusion, yet in our H and HB class we wanted to show them what it actually felt like to be in these different situations.

We played 3 games, all of which some people were excluded and left out of the circle.  They didn't know the secret, or who was in charge, or who the leaders were who were running the games.

We then had two small group discussions about how it felt in each game to be a part of the circle, or to be the one who was excluded.

Ask your students these questions:
1.  What did it feel like to be a part of the circle?
2.  What did it feel like to be excluded during the games?
3.  Is being a part of the circle the same thing as being "in" the circle?  What are the similarities and differences.
4.  What does it feel like to be included or excluded in real life, in school or with friends?

I was very impressed by this group's answers, and look forward to more classes!  

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, and see you all when we return to Gesher L'Noar!

Samantha

Hello Families!

Our "Social Justice in Israel" 7th grade mini-course has been working on our group projects.  During the past few weeks, we have defined social justice, what it means and looks like, and how it is uniquely tied to Israel.  

Last week, our groups picked their subjects and the type of projects they will do.  The subjects range from poverty to Israel's image in the world, as a Jewish state.  Students' projects will include powerpoints and Prezis, skits, and posters.  I can't wait to see what the students will create with their creative minds and energy!

We will invite families and friends of the class, in addition to the 6th and 7th grade Gesher l'Noar students to see the projects when they are finished!  Be sure to ask your 7th grader what their idea was, and what they are looking forward to.  Dates to view the project will be posted soon!

See you on Tuesday,

Samantha

Working together/Charades

Today in class, we focused on the covenant between G-d and Abraham. The three components of the "Brit" (I'm sure all the children can tell you, as well) are Wealth, Land and Children. This can be found in the book of Genisis.
The class played charades, acting out those three major pieces of the brit. All guessed and watched attentively as their classmates motioned clues to solve the charade.
After, the children worked in pairs "Chevruta" in Hebrew (study pairs) as they looked through their TaNaK to find the exact words or references to "wealth" "land" and "children". They shared them with their peers. Many verses were found supporting these aspects of the covenant.
Lastly, they wrote and discussed what they want people to remember them by this year, and once they are no longer on the land. Many became aware of "wealth" as also being defined not only by money or possessions, but by happiness and fulfillment by doing good deeds, practicing and passing on good values generation to generation.