fbpx

Class of 2017 (5th Grade)

Human Hanukkiyah and Dreidls

by
menorah

As a way of combining Hanukkah fun and the social curriculum, the 4th graders were asked to sculpt themselves into a human Hanukkiyah (the special 9 branched menorah used for Hanukkah)and then, in two groups, into dreidls (spinning tops used to play a Hanukkah game).  However, the challenge was to do this without any verbal or written language.  They needed to work cooperatively without talking and only using hand signals.  When they first sculpted themselves into the Hanukkiyah, one student was the definite leader who used his vision to make it work.  While it was accomplished within the time limit, the other students did not feel that they truly contributed in ways that worked for them.  When they were broken up into two groups to make the dreidl, each group took the time to work more cooperatively, and there was not the same sense of one person taking the authority upon him or herself. At the same time, it was a ‘messier’ process that required more time.

Besides being a fun activity, the students were able to learn a number of different skills and lessons:  efficiency vs. inclusivity of ideas, communicating ideas through non-verbal means, and different ways of working in a group.  Below are the pictures of them being a Hanukkiyah and the two dreidls.image

 

image image

What’s the connection between hospitality and foot-washing?

by

image

This week, the fourth graders began their exploration of Parshat Vayera (Genesis 18) as part of their Humash (Torah) curriculum.  We spent time learning how to work in hevruta (partnership pairs), within which one reads the verse, the other translates it and both write down the translation.  In the picture above, two students are working cooperatively as a hevruta.  At the end of each small section, the students then write down questions that they have about what they just read.  As part of this unit, we spent time talking about and exploring the different ways that one shows hospitality.  While it might seem strange that Abraham showed hospitality and welcomed guests by washing their feet, we connected it to how hot and tired the guests’ feet would be after walking in the desert.  Viewed from this perspective, his washing their feet was the ultimate act of welcome and of providing for his guests!

 

My Class is the Four Species of Sukkot

by

I mean this as an expression of how meaningful and beautiful they are to me.

Before every lesson I think to myself: what will I find today? As every teacher, I hope that they will: be well behaved all the time, give 100% participation all day from everyone, understand the curriculum the first time, and of course always be focused on the lesson’s theme only, with zero distractions during 45 minutes. Wake Up! NOT gonna happen!! The reason is because each one of my students is unique, like the four plants of Sukkot, and together they make our classroom interesting and lively. That’s the beauty in diversity. So every day I aim for the best, but I also try not to forget to enjoy the journey with them.      – Sivan Amon

Sending our Love over the Sea

by

In the spirit of Rosh Hashanah, the time to wish our beloveds a good and a better year than the last one, I have asked my kids (in my class) to make wishing cards . Only this year we will add something new: this time not only are we going to write wishing cards for our families and friends, but also to kids in Israel. The moment I mentioned Israel and the fact that those cards will be read by Israeli kids, my class couldn’t stop asking me questions – they were super excited about it, but also very interested in the whole process. It has really warmed my heart to see such a great love and strong sense of bonding toward Israel – kids have endless love to give and we can all learn from them.     – Sivan Amon

“Turn it and turn it for all is within it”

by

imageThe fourth graders loved learning that there is a rabbi whose name is Rabbi ben Bag Bag!  He is known for a famous quote that relates to studying Torah, which begins with the phrase: “Turn it and turn for everything is in it.  Study it, delve into it…”  The students talked about this statement and we learned that Torah can mean a number of different things:  the actual scroll of Torah, the 5 books of Moses, or all of Jewish learning and text can also be considered as ‘Torah.’  We then visited the chapel and looked at the actual Torah scroll, and it was gratifying to watch the students as they picked out words and read them.

We also studied a midrash this week that connects the four species of the lulav to different parts of a person’s body.  Each student or pair of students then developed their own ideas.

Grace:  “Arava (the willow) is a smile because it is always important to look on the bright side and have a good attitude.”

Griffin and Tessa: “Hadas (the myrtle) are blood cells because they keep you alive and connect to all parts of the body.”

Kelila and Sophia: “Arava (the willow) is like arms because we need arms to hug people.”

Ezra and Aviv: “Etrog is like the life cycle because it is round and can sometimes look like a baby’s head.”

Aviva: “Etrog is like a brain so that you can think of good deeds to do.”

Eitan and Ram: “Hadas (the myrtle) is like feet so you can move around the beautiful world.”

What parts of the body do the four species represent to you?

Shabbat shalom & Moadi l’simcha (joyous holiday),

Rabbi Gouze

Design Lab: Constraints Drive Creativity

by

In Design Lab, we know what it’s like to be creative. We also know that constraints drive creativity. This means that when we have a limited amount of resources and time, we have to be extra creative in utilizing what we have. Additionally, the mantra “fail fast, forward” drives us to learn from what may not have been so successful, and to move onto bigger and better things.

Today in Design Lab grades 3-5 worked together in small groups to make towers out of newspaper. While they were able to use a very small amount of tape, newspaper was the primary material that students could use. By working together, students were able to brainstorm and implement their ideas cooperatively. You might be surprised to learn that they were able to make some amazing, creative, and innovative free standing structures out of the otherwise very flimsy material. “All the tape in the world” may have created more successful structures… but look what we made!

IMG_0027

IMG_0029

How to Get Your Kids to Eat Veggies!

by

As a mother and a teacher, I have always tried to get my students and my own son to eat healthful foods. At my own house this summer, I realized my son would eat anything I grew in my garden!  The same thing happened this year at school. Second, third, and fourth graders have been busy harvesting many different vegetables from our school garden. Each grade then made something yummy to eat from the garden. Second grade enjoyed getting their hands dirty, then making and eating kale chips. Fourth grade harvested peppers, wax beans, tomatoes, and kale to make a salad bar. Third grade had the privilege of working on many different garden beds one whole Friday afternoon, helping the youngest students’ gardens which needed a lot of weeding.  Then they were able to enjoy kale chips and kale smoothies! All the grades enjoyed cooking and eating their vegetables. Most remarked how fresh vegetables from the garden were tastier than from a grocery store, and more fun!

4th Grade Rules!

by

We did it! This week, fourth graders finished creating the rules that will help our community work this year! The students took on an intensive process to create rules that would keep them safe and give them the freedom to learn. Before we began our work, we talked about the role of rules and guidelines in our world. Many students shared that rules help keep our bodies and our feelings cared for and safe. We thought about rules we’ve had in the past, rules we’ve liked, and rules we think are important (even if we don’t like them) and brainstormed a long list.

IMG_2756_2

We decided that such a large number of rules isn’t useful. How will we remember what we should do if we can’t remember all of our rules? To narrow down our choices, each student picked one or two “most important” rules, and we charted our ideas again.

IMG_2757_2

This was still too many for us to remember! We also noticed that many started with “No” and “Don’t”. We talked about how telling someone not to do something can make someone want to do that thing even more. We also talked about the importance of a positive attitude and decided we wanted rules that reflected our desire to “look on the bright side of life”. We talked about how we might flip this language to make it more positive. After we changed our wording, students picked their most important rules for the last time and charted again!

IMG_2758_2

We noticed that many people picked the same rules, which told us that our community valued these ideas, like respecting others and staying calm. We also noticed a theme of respect running through many of the suggested rules. After another conversation we synthesized our ideas and crossed out the duplicates. This got us so much closer to our final list! When we had five or six clearly worded ideas, we took a vote.

For a rule to pass the vote it had to be approved by every member of our kehilah (community). The rules you see below were approved by every 4th grader. Each student was asked to read the rules below out loud with the group. Then we all took two minutes to think about the words we were saying and the promise we were about to make. When we were ready to commit ourselves to upholding these rules, we each signed our names as a sign of our promise. I am glad to say that every 4th grader has promised to promote the guidelines they created for the community we are forming together.

IMG_2755_2

This was not an easy or a quick process, but the reflection and conversation that came out of this process is invaluable. We hope that we will find that our rules matter more to us because they were written by us and for us. We hope our rules will feel clear, relevant, and will help us feel safe and loved in our classroom.

 

First Week of Gardening

by

Yes, it is one of the hottest days of the year. Yes, air conditioning is our best friend. But the students are begging to do gardening. Today was our first day in the garden. Due to the weather, we only were able to go out for 10 minutes at the most. Those ten minutes were amazing, though! The students in second and fourth grades went right to work in the early morning, weeding and watering. We identified edible plants, found baby peppers growing, noticed some spiders, and ate some new vegetables. The wax beans were a hit! The fourth graders were eager and excited to try the new vegetable. Everyone who tried it enjoyed it and wanted to eat more. The fourth graders brainstormed ideas for the garden this year, like utilizing every space in the garden for more plants. It has inspired me to research hanging gardens for the fence. Lastly, first grade learned about gardens from a picture book featuring the famous Winnie the Pooh and his friend Rabbit. They learned that gardening takes patience and hard work. Gardening is obviously a special activity that the students love, and I am proud and excited to lead them in their gardening adventures this year.

My First Day

by

The 2015-2016 school year has started! After we met most of the people from last year, said goodbye and went up the stairs right in to the new class, we encountered new smells:  the smell of the fresh paint from the walls, the new carpets, markers in all colors, the floor cleaner and  polish – everything is clean and new, even more then Passover clean! Suddenly I heard someone call my name, again and again… and I realized that all eyes were on me, just waiting, listening. So I told myself, ”Come on, Sivan, you have to start to talk –  everyone is waiting for you – after all you’re the teacher!!!”

Yes, even I was so excited about the first day of school! But you know what? It was the most AMAZING experience, because I have the best class ever!!! 4th grade rocks!!!  – Sivan Amon