Dec 16
This week in 5th/6th grade Alonim (“Oak Trees”), we took time to appreciate our accomplishments. We shared our projects with each other, noticing details and making connections with our own projects. We took time to read other children’s work. We listened carefully, asked questions, and out things we hadn’t known about each other. Then we took a few …
Dec 09
Last week before we close out theme! It’s a whirlwind…(and we love the energy and drive)! We’re finishing projects, laying them out, finalizing artist statements to share what our projects mean, and what we’ve learned from doing them, catching a quick moment with a younger brother to show him the book she made about their …
Dec 08
This week in Beit Shorashim/Shteelim (Nursery and Kindergarten) we completed our final text for this theme. The children sequenced the whole text (Bamidbar 13) starting with Adonai telling Moshe to send out scouts to explore the land. Moshe sent out the scouts, but added some questions for them to think about when scouting the land. …
Dec 07
We divided into four groups and read our texts out loud to each other. Then we got to work building scenes from three of the texts we’ve explored during our Bamidbar theme. Each group built a different scene. These children are scattering quails around the Israelite camp. The “flaky stuff” is in the middle of …
Dec 01
This week, Alonim read our final text in our במדבר (Bamidbar) theme: the story of 12 scouts who were sent to scout out the land of Canaan. We had so many wondering questions in Alonim this week about our text! Our text includes many discrepancies. Children offered interpretations of these discrepancies. They asked, “What’s the point …
Dec 01
“Quick, quick! They’ll see us!” “This way, behind the pillar!” Later: “There were tiny people, and it was us, and there they were, huge…they started chasing us…” (Context: In ענפים (Anafim, “Branches,” our 3rd-4th grade group), the children have been exploring the last text from our במדבר (Bamidbar, “in the wilderness”) theme, and adding their characters’ versions …
Nov 30
We’re in final project mode! I spent the day meeting one-on-one with children to help them synthesize and deepen their ideas about our Bamidbar theme. While I looked on from a nearby table, children moved through the steps of our day somewhat independently. Children read the message, which told them to answer a question on …
Nov 29
This week in Beit Shorashim/Shteelim (Nursery and Kindergarten) we introduced our new and final text for this theme. This text talks about how Adonai told Moshe to send out scouts to explore the land. Moshe sent out the scouts, but added some questions for them to think about when scouting the land. To read the …
Nov 28
To read previous texts from our Bamidbar theme, click here. בְּמִדְבַּר י״ג Numbers 13 כה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ, מִתּוּר הָאָרֶץ, מִקֵּץ, אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם. כו וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל-אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶל-מִדְבַּר פָּארָן–קָדֵשָׁה; וַיָּשִׁיבוּ אֹתָם דָּבָר וְאֶת-כָּל-הָעֵדָה, וַיַּרְאוּם אֶת-פְּרִי הָאָרֶץ. כז וַיְסַפְּרוּ-לוֹ, וַיֹּאמְרוּ, בָּאנוּ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר שְׁלַחְתָּנוּ; וְגַם זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ, הִוא–וְזֶה-פִּרְיָהּ. כח אֶפֶס כִּי-עַז הָעָם, …
Nov 28
To read previous texts from our Bamidbar theme, click here. בְּמִדְבַּר י״ג Numbers 13 כה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ, מִתּוּר הָאָרֶץ, מִקֵּץ, אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם. כו וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל-אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶל-מִדְבַּר פָּארָן–קָדֵשָׁה; וַיָּשִׁיבוּ אֹתָם דָּבָר וְאֶת-כָּל-הָעֵדָה, וַיַּרְאוּם אֶת-פְּרִי הָאָרֶץ. כז וַיְסַפְּרוּ-לוֹ, וַיֹּאמְרוּ, בָּאנוּ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר שְׁלַחְתָּנוּ; וְגַם זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ, הִוא–וְזֶה-פִּרְיָהּ. כח אֶפֶס כִּי-עַז הָעָם, …
