Photo Caption: Students listen to When Lightning Comes in a Jar, by Patricia Polacco and discuss family rituals.
Dalet 1 and 2 (4th-grade) Families,
Happy New Year 5781! It was lovely seeing many of you at our Drive-Thru Pick-Up at Talmud Torah and then meeting our students in class via Zoom. We shared our Hopes and Dreams, Tikvah V'halom, and began writing in our Journals. Some questions we discussed: How do you ask and give forgiveness? What are ways to ask God for forgiveness?
Etgar Yesodi Curriculum - (Challenge)
As we began our unit about Zichronot (Remembrance), we discussed family rituals regarding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We will be learning about why it is important to pass down family stories and connect this learning to our own family stories, traditions, and Torah study.
When Lightning Comes in a Jar, by Patricia Polacco, is a story we listened to and discussed to open our eyes to family rituals. A screenshot from this lesson (with Tricia’s family at each of their reunions) is shown in this blog: they wear the same colors, they eat the same foods, they play the same games, the children are measured, they take a family photo, and they always tell stories.
We discussed the word “ritual” as it can also describe many mitzvot, including actions we do in synagogue every Shabbat, and/or actions we do repeatedly to celebrate holidays, such as lighting Hanukkah candles, saying kiddush, participating in a Pesach seder, etc. What are your family traditions/rituals? How have they changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Hebrew
We started the year off on good note by doing introductions in Hebrew -- sharing our names and sharing how our day has been going. We then jumped into revisiting Hebrew letter decoding to make sure we have a solid base as we move forward to expand our vocabulary and dig deeper into the curriculum.
We spent time learning about the chagim (holidays) and traditions surrounding the High Holidays. For Rosh Hashana we discussed the foods we eat during the holiday, listened to some holiday songs as well as the sound of the Shofar. For Yom Kippur, we focused on the word slicha (I’m sorry). Within the context of reading a meaningful story about Yom Kippur, we discussed why it is important to ask for forgiveness during this time of year.
We look forward to the year ahead, and thank you for your partnership with us!
Noa Rosenzweig
Niza Schear
DALET 3/HEY 3 (Tues/Thurs)
Dear Dalet 3/Hey 3 (4th/5th-grade) Parents,
I hope you had an easy fast.
My combined Dalet/Hey (4th/5th-grade) class has gotten off to a good start this year. We have spent much of our time these first few weeks both getting to know each other and getting comfortable with each other. It is important to me to create an atmosphere of trust and openness.
Many of our activities tied in to the themes of the High Holidays. I have used breakout rooms to have students engage with each other in smaller groups, we have watched some engaging videos, played games and even gotten in some art. I have also introduced a bit of daily classroom Hebrew! We have recently begun dividing into three Hebrew groups. Our first task is to assess and refresh the students' Hebrew reading.
It is truly a joy working with your children. I thank you for partnering with us.
L'htraot,
Mary