Today I set out to go over the basics of Rosh Hashanah. I asked students what they already knew, and with a little struggle, they reluctantly admitted to knowing quite a bit. After pooling our information, we focused a little more on the shofar. We watched two short youtube videos about the shofar, one showing a shofar being made, and one that's a little more....silly. But we used it as a springboard to talk about the reasons we blow the shofar and how powerful it can be. After recess and read-aloud, we talked about the concept of the book of life. I asked students to reflect on the past year and jot down something they were proud of and something they regretted. This activity was successful for approximately two students, and didn't quite work for the rest. I've asked them to all bring home the products of their labor, in the hopes of discouraging any more super-silliness from some of our super-silly friends in kitah-gimel. (Or at least they should save the sillies for joke-time.)
I hope to see you all on Sunday.
Morah Amy
1 comment:
I am glad to be able to read about what is covered in class, as I get very sketchy information at home. Thanks for sharing it.
I would suspect the book of life activity would work better if it was a private assignment, and not seen by the teacher or class.
Even adults might feel uncomfortable sharing personal regrets/pride publicly.
3rd graders do love silliness, which can be a strength, although a little annoying at times in structured situations. In my experience humor works well to handle it and redirect.
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