Connecting to Prayers Using Visual Representation and STEAM

Visual interpretations of prayers created by 5th grade Teachers teach their students to be life long learners and thrive themselves to be that too. I have been teaching for 21 years and like to think that every year I learn something new and improve my teaching. This past year, I feel […]

Interpreting a Prayer using Text to Symbol

Introduction to Text to Symbol using Birkat HaMazon The students at my school learn to chant the short version of Birkat Hamazon in first grade. All students chant the blessing after each lunch period. The students master chanting the blessing correctly and know that they are saying thank you to God for the food that […]

Learning from other teachers @ FCIS Convention

Since the FCIS (Florida Council of Independent schools) conventions was in Jacksonville this year, the entire faculty at my school was able to attend. This was a wonderful day of learning for all of us. The day began with key note speaker Max Ventilla, Founder & CEO of AltSchool. He talked about transforming […]

STEAM Activity for Noah’s Ark

Every Friday a different student in my class is assigned to teach the week’s Parasha (Torah portion) to the 4th & 5th grade students. The student prepares a Hebrew summary of the portion and a D’var Torah in English. The D’var Torah is a mini lesson that the student chooses to highlight from the Torah […]

Eight Steps to Creative Problem Solving – Best Summer PD

This summer Art/STEAM teacher, Shana and I spent a week at Camp Ramah B’California in Ojai at a TIArts (Teacher Institute for the Arts). I thought that at best, I will learn how to better integrate Jewish Studies, art and technology. Instead I was transformed as an educator and person. The care, passion and planning […]

What did I learn at the 2 day Teacher Institute reunion?

I learned to annotate a video to use in a flipped classroom or blended classroom. My 5th grade students read Megillat Ruth in Hebrew in class using the TaLAM Ruth book. I took the Megilat Ruth video from BimBam and added questions about the content as it relates to what they learned in class. Within […]

Torah in 3D printing

What does the Torah portion have to do with 3D printing? In the 3rd grade Parashat HaShavua (weekly Torah portion) curriculum, each Parasha (Torah portion) features a symbol presented as a riddle; through the study of the Parasha the students discover the link between this symbol (which is the central message of the portion) and the […]

3D Mishkan (Tabernacle) lesson

My Fifth grade class learned about the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and then each student created a 3 dimensional vessel from the Mishkan. Please click on the video to learn more.

A visit to Gan Gani Hebrew immersion preschool in Chicago

Gan Gani is a Hebrew immersion preschool program in which children engage in constructiveness curriculum promoting development of gross and fine motor skills through manipulative play. Their experiential, hands-on programming allows the students to be partners in their own learning process. Through pretend play, singing songs, integrating with one another, and creating art projects, as well as through […]

Project based learning – Art, Hebrew and Jewish Studies

Sukkot – In my Jewish Studies classroom we learned about the seven special biblical guests (Ushpizin in Aramaic) who are said to visit our Sukkah during the holiday of Sukkot. For our Ushpizin project, each student picked a biblical or modern Jewish hero and wrote a short summary about the hero. The summary was […]