3rd - 5th Grade
Teacher: Haviva Dror
March 21, 2010
Dear Families,
Today we all shared the dreams we had last week. They all were very interesting. Some of the students asked if they can keep track of other dreams they have, and I said of course, as long as you want. That is a great exercise, to see if we dream the same dream more than once.
We also discussed the story of Moses. We learned how he became the leader of the Israelites, and how they trusted him. This led us to the question, what skills do you need to have in order to be a leader. Even though Moses' speech was not clear and he needed his brother's help to talk for him, he became a very important person in Judaism.
I asked the students what do they want to be when they grow up, and how they will help the world? Their answers were very interesting. Sammie said there are many things she wants to do, she wants to be the president of USA, but she also wants to be an actress, and a scientist. She said that in her jobs she will let students go to college with no tuition, and she will provide free health insurance for anybody who can't afford it. I vote for you, Sammie!
Other children said they want to be doctors, food scientist, teacher, pilot and soccer coach. We talked how each one of us is already contributing for making this world a better place, by giving tzedaka, and being good friends.
We also talked about first memories; some of us could remember things form very early childhood. Ask your children about my memory.
Another interesting thing we discussed and shared was, what is the thing we did to someone that was very significant and memorable? Some of the answers were:helping with dinner when the mom was sick, helping a friend and helping a neighbor in need.
We also practiced our songs for the Passover Seder.
Thank you and have a great week.
Haviva
March 14, 2010
Dear Families,
Today we had a wonderful time learning about Joseph and the dreamers. We learned how he interprets the dreams of others with God's help. The students drew their dreams, they also shared their dreams with everybody. We found that some of the dreams we had made us happy, excited, sad, and scared. We also discussed how dreams can lead us to make the right choice and decision.
In the second part of class we discussed our talents and skills. Like Joseph, who had a special skill to interprets dreams, we all have different skills. Some of us are good in math, art, memorizing scripts or telephone numbers, and some of us are good in physical activities.
We are also getting ready for Passover. We practiced Dayeynu with Penny and the Four Questions.
The students have homework. They have to record for 5 days the dreams they had. Next Sunday each student will make his dream journal.
The drawings from today are on the bulletin board outside the classroom. Check them out!
Have a great week,
Haviva
March 7, 2010
Dear Families,
Today's topic was jealousy. We started with an exercise where the students had to draw or write about a time he/she felt jealous. Some of the examples were about friends having things they don't, or getting better grades. We discussed the ways we could get over this feeling. The students had a few good suggestions how to deal with jealousy. Please ask them about the different scenarios we discussed and their ideas to deal with it. One thing we all agreed on was "You can't always get what you want"! you just have to deal with it in a positive way.
From there we continued learning the story of Josef and his special coat. We studied the way that his father Jacob showed his other sons that Josef is his favorite son. That made them so upset and jealous that they sold him to the Egyptians. The students had an opportunity to design their own coat. We have a few future fashion designers in our class.
We also discovered that 7 out of 11 students in our class are having their birthday during the month of May. So, we all agreed that on the last class of Sunday school we are going to have a big party for the end of the year and for all the students and teachers in the class. More details to come.
I also wanted to let you know how much I enjoy my time with your children. They are so talented, and each one of them bring charm, uniqueness and share their thoughtful ideas. This makes our time together so much fun and it feels as if we are one big family. I love each one of them.
Thank you for your support,
Haviva
February 21, 2010
Dear Families,
Today we had a great, productive session. We finished our skit for Purim, and we had a good practice too! It is going to be awesome!
We discussed the story of Purim, and we learned about the main characters.
In art we made Hamantaschen made with a paper plate and red paper. We also learned a song for Purim, the kids loved to dance to it!
I hope we will see you all next week. You do not want to miss it!!!
Have a great week.
Haviva
February 14, 2010
Dear Families,
We had another great session! We learned about how Jacob returned to land of Canaan and on his way, he knew he that he will ask for forgiveness from his brother Esau.
We also discussed how it is important to say sorry and to ask for forgiveness from someone whose feelings we might have hurt. We don't have to wait for Yom Kipur to do that.
The kids had to write a sorry card to someone they had hurt. Most of them shared their cards with us. We also discussed how it is important to keep peace at home. The students shared one thing they like and one thing they dislike about their siblings/family members. Most of them said, they dislike when their older brothers/sisters get privileges ,
and for what they like they said that they like when they know that their siblings really care about them.
The second part was working on our presentation for Purim. I do not want to say a lot about it, except that it is going to be a lot of fun!!! You do not want to miss it!!!
Your kids are funny, silly and so creative! They make my day every Sunday.
Love and peace to you all,
Haviva
January 24, 2010
Dear Families,
Today the students were busy learning about Tu B'shevat. We discussed the relationship between trees and people. What trees need from us and what they give us in return.
I also asked each one of the students to think about the different parts of the tree and how each part relates to their own family. For example, one of the students said that the roots are his grandparents, the trunk is his parents, the branches are his uncles and aunts and the leaves are his siblings and himself. We heard many interesting ideas.
We also had word search, riddles, songs and stories. The students worked hard on their presentation for our Tu B'shevat seder.It is going to be fun!
To conclude our session I wrote down 3 subjects: food, shelter and fun. The kids had to come up with concepts for each category as it relates to the overall subject of trees. for instance, under food they wrote chocolate, fruit, etc, under shelter they put bird nests and animal habitats, and under fun they put books, baseball bats and pencils. But the highlight of the day was when Jordan read to us a portion of a book that she is writing. We all liked it, and we can't wait to read the rest of the book.
Thank you for bringing Tzedakah and thank you for sharing your amazing children with me!
See you next week at the Tu B'Shevat seder. Have a great week!
Haviva
January 17, 2010
Dear Families,
First of all we would like to welcome Jordan Scheffer to our class. We are so happy to have you with us!
Today, in honor of MLK Birthday, we discussed discrimination and racism. The class started with an "I have a dream" question. The students shared with each other their dreams, and visions. And it wasn't about having a bigger house, more money, or more toys. It was about stopping the wars in the world, having a green world, less hurting and fighting, and more peace and having a better place where everybody is equal. I was amazed to hear this from such young children!
The highlight of the day was watching the movie "a class divided". In this movie we learned how a third grade teacher in Riceville Iowa found a very creative way to teach her students about racism and discrimination. I am sure the children already shared with you how she did it, and just in case you want to see it, I am attaching the link to the movie. I will tell you one thing though. This movie was so strong that it left a great impression on the students. At the conclusion we discussed the question, "is it fair to judge someone because of his/her hair color, skin color, religion,etc... They all agreed that it is not fair, and that we should judge people by their acts.
I had a great, and moving session today, because of the incredible students I have. They are awesome!
Thank you for sharing your amazing children with me.
Looking forward to next week!
Love and peace,
Haviva
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/view.html
January 10, 2010
Dear Families,
First of all, I would like to welcome our new friend, Abby Mendelson. We are happy to have you with us.
Today we continued learning about Shalom Bayit, and also about Jacob's dream.
We started by drawing, writing and sharing with everybody a dream that we dreamed; was it happy, sad, scary, a nightmare? Then we read the story about how Jacob leaves his house and goes to his mom's land to look for a wife. We learned that he chose a rock to put his head on. We wanted to experience it, so we selected a few hard and not so comfortable items and some of the kids tried it as a pillow. They said it wasn't comfortable, of course. Then we read that Jacob named the place he slept over night Beth El, and we all went outside to collect some rocks,that the kids painted and wrote Beth El on it. They are still in the classroom drying.
We also discussed how Jacob wanted Rachel as a wife and worked for seven years to get married with her, but how Laban and Leah tricked him, as he tricked his dad and his brother.
After discussing Jacob's dream the students used their imagination and drew angels.
Thank you for your support.
Shavua Tov,
Haviva
January 3, 2010
Dear Families,
It was good to see you this morning. Today we learned the meaning of Shlom Bayit and the story of Esau and Jacob.
We discussed Birthright and how it was important for the first born to have the blessing, and what Jacob did to have the blessing. Was it right, wrong? What does it mean that Isaac could not see clearly? Does it mean that he really couldn't see with his eyes or is it about his cognitive/thinking skills? The students also shared what items they would never sell or give up. The common things were: family, computer, house and games. We also discussed things that are passing from generation to generation such as: stories, recipes coins, and jewelry.
We also learned how things that we are doing today are going to have an impact on our future. Some of these important things are: going to school, taking care of yourself, eating healthy food and exercising, saving money and more.
Lastly, I asked the students how are they going to handle a situation when they have an argument with a friend or a sibling? They all had great ideas; ask them about it!
Thank you and I will see you soon,
Haviva
November 16 2009
Dear Families,
On Sunday our class was busy decorating paper bags for the Beth Israel Hanukkah fund raiser. They used Hanukkah symbols, beautiful colors, and even wrote words in Hebrew. They also signed their names, just in case you will want to purchase the bag your child decorated and reuse it.
Then In preparation for Mitzvah day we talked about Tikun Olam. We discussed the different ways we can make our world a better place. The students shared their own ways, such as recycling, composting, taking care of our pets, helping in the house, etc...
I also told them the story of a 13 year old girl who helped during Hurricane Katrina, and how her whole community got inspired by her and helped even more.This is actually going to be our focus next week. And with the help from you parents we will create a play that will be meaningful to all of us and will stay with us for a long time.
Please join us for Shabbat Kodesh on Friday, and Mitzvah Day on Sunday.
As always, it is a pleasure working with you and your children.
Thank you,
Haviva
11/08/2009
Dear Families,
Today the students learned about God, Torah and Mitzvot. During assembly we sang B'tzelem Elohim and God is In, and we all agreed that God is everywhere.
In the classroom, we discussed Torah. Why do we need it? What is in it? How do take care of the Torah? We walked to the sanctuary; we opened the ark, and looked at the Torah and the different objects on it, such as: rimonim (the pommegranate-like decorations on the crowns), keter (the crown), yad (the pointer, or "hand"), and breastplate. The students learned that it is an honor to dress the Torah before it is taken back to the ark.
After we came back to the classroom, the students made their own Torah, and they even dressed it. They took it home after class, and I hope you liked it!
We also discussed that different mitzvot teach us how to treat ourselves, how to treat other people, how to treat the world around us, the land and the animals. We learned that commandments are mitzvot. And that a mitzvah is something we do that we have been commanded to do by God. In other words, a mitzvah is not only a good deed, but something that we are supposed to do. Some of the mitzvot we mentioned were: visiting the sick, listening to the shofar, doing righteous acts (tzedakah), honoring your mother and father, and studying Torah.
Penny read us the book "Old Turtle". We all enjoyed it very much! Please ask your children about it. Thank you, Penny for sharing this wonderful book with us.
This was a great session preparing the students for our Mitzva day to be held during our Thanksgiving program.
Thank you for sharing your talented children with me!
Haviva
11/1/2009
Dear Families,
Today we continued to discuss the B'tzelem Elohim concept. The children all agreed that we all look different; color of skin, color of hair and eyes, short, tall, and we all have different personalities, each one of us is unique, and this is actually what God wants us to be. What matters is the qualities we have, and how together we build a strong community, a nation that follows God's commandments. In order to understand how we are all different but somehow alike, I asked the children what their hobbies are. We found that some of the children like the same things; art, drama, reading, sport. Then the children became scientists when we took their fingerprints and under a magnifying glass we saw how unique each fingerprint is. We also traced our hands and tried to find similarities and differences.
Thank you for bringing pennies! The kids looked at them and found that even though they all have Abraham Lincoln, In God we trust, liberty, and one cent on, some of them had different years on, some were shinier and some were old; that was another activity to show differences and similarities.
In addition to that we learned about the tower of Babel. After discussing this story I paired the children and asked them to come up with their own language for the words: hello, goodbye, peace, friendship and my name is... the children showed creativity and imagination in this activity. Please ask them about it!
At the end we all went to the gym to dance. That was a fun learning day for all of us!
Thank you for your support!
Haviva
October 25, 2009
Dear Families,
Today we experienced two big emotional moments. The first one was when the whole school gathered, our right hand was placed on our hearts and our left hand was placed on our friend's back, and we all closed our eyes as Penny sang Mi Sheberach for all of our friends, relatives and people who we know need this blessing for healing. This was a big moment for everybody. The second one was when we talked about B'tzelem Elohim. After singing the song B'tzelem Elohim with Penny, we discussed what it means to "just open up your heart and let it out". We also connected it to the song "Lean on Me". Penny and I shared with the students our own personal stories, and how it is so important to find somebody who you are comfortable with; a friend, mom, dad, uncle, rabbi to share what is on your heart. Once you did that you are feeling already better. Right after that the students shared with us of their experiences and we were ready to move on.
Today our main subject was Noah.We discussed who Noah was , why god trusted him and what does the rainbow symbolise. The students then created "Responsibility Rainbows". I hope you saw them, they turned out beautiful.
I also asked the students to draw God. They stared at me (I knew this will happen, this was part of my plan). So I asked them why you are not drawing? They said we never saw him, we don't know how he looks. This activity actually led us to the meaning of the words B'tzelem Elohim. It is about the characteristics of him/her. The students then shared with everybody what God would like us to do for ourselves, for other people, for animals and for the world.
We concluded our full 2 hours with a Responsibility Chart. Ask your child about it, and ask him/her to show it to you.
I had so much fun teaching this subject to you children! Thank you for sharing your children with me, they are awesome!
Have a great week, and stay healthy.
Haviva
October 11, 2009
Dear Families,
Today we spent almost the whole time learning about the Five Books of the Torah. We started with the seven Hakafot, we took turns carrying the Torah, dancing and singing with it. Then we went on a Torah journey, exploring, studying and asking questions. We even had an opportunity to show our beautiful drawings. We also had an Aliya, we all stood on the bima reading the blessings before and after reading the Torah. The kids did wonderfully.
This was an unusual class, but the kids had an amazing experience! We are looking forward to many more celebrations with our great Rabbi, teachers and congregation!
Yashar Koach Everybody!
Shavua Tov,
Haviva
Dear Families,
What a fun and creative day we had. After Halel in the Sukkah, we went to our room and without pencils, crayons and other writing materials, but armed with good spirit , imagination and play doh we created beautiful sukkot, magen David, and even "a shelter of peace". All the creations are displayed on the table in our room, come and check them out. We also played a game called "I am going to the Sukkah and I pack...." some of the items we packed were: Lulav and Etrog, A Hebrew book, Jewish star, bamboo, cats and dogs and, of course no Jewish holiday would go without food.
Chag Sameach,
Haviva
Dear Families,
What a great day we had. In preparation for Simchat Torah, our class worked hard on learning the stories in the book Shemot (Exodus). After studying the different stories the kids had to choose 2 stories to draw. These pictures will be added to the other classes' drawings and we will create our own Torah scroll.
The students used their imagination and creativity and I am so proud of the results.
G'mar chatima tova,
Haviva
