November and December were jam packed with interactive lessons, projects and special programs!
This year, the Religious School Hanukkah program consisted of interactive stations where teachers gave students a mini-lesson about one part of the celebration of Hanukkah. They then led small groups in a craft, challenge or game.
With Danielle, the students learned about the miracle of light and worked together to figure out how to measure out oil without the correct tools. They were given dry beans to represent the oil. Nava and Rachel told the students about the history of the Dreidel game before they split into groups to challenge each other in a game of Dreidel. Sharon and Donni led the students in a rousing game of Headbandz – Hanukkah Edition, where the students paired up and used yes and no questions to figure out which Hanukkah Symbol they held. All of the students got to tell their own Hanukkah story, some sillier than others, while Fran challenged them in creating a Rebus. They used stickers, drawings and words to tell their story. Finally, Shelly and Sarah talked about the re-dedication of the temple and then left the students to their own creativity, resourcefulness and teamwork to build the Tallest Temple out of popsicle sticks and craft tape.
At the end of the program each child got to take home a recipe book that our students and faculty put together. I hope everyone has had a chance to try out a new recipe!
Featured Class:
4th Grade Torah taught by Sharon Serbin
Over the past few weeks the fourth grade students were split into pairs and presented with the challenge of teaching their classmates one portion of the Torah. Each group had to prepare a lesson and a game or activity that reinforced and reviewed the details and morals of the story. The challenge was accepted, and expectations were surpassed! The students took great pride in the lessons that they prepared and delivered to their classmates. Each time that I walked into the classroom during the weeks that the students were leading the lessons, I was amazed by how purposeful the “teachers” were in their lesson delivery and how attentive the students were while their classmates taught!
One game was named “Who Fathered Who”, where the players had to remember the order of the Torah’s patriarchs to defeat the game. Another game involved trading animals and goods between teams so that each team could live as prosperous a life as possible.
This unit is sure to be one that the students remember for years to come.