From Abraham to the War of Independence

Tuesday's class marked the debut of our new textbook, "Our Land of Israel" by Chaya M. Burstein. Class began by checking last week's homework assignment about Jerusalem. We reviewed the 4 quarters of the old city, The Western Wall, The Dome of the Rock, and other important components of Jerusalem.

We then chanted an original rap song together that summarized the first chapter of our textbook. This chapter spans the beginning of the Jewish people (Abraham) and goes to The War of Independence (1948). Ariana video taped this and we will have that footage soon! Following the rap we did an improvised play covering the same material. Students got a chance to be Moses, Abraham, Joseph, God, Pharoah, King Solomon and many others.

The homework assignment is on pp. 10 and 11 of the textbook (Also attached). PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR STUDENTS BRING THEIR TEXTBOOK AND COMPOSITION BOOK TO CLASS EVERY WEEK.

Have a great weekend!

Micah and Ariana

10/19/10

The first half of our Israel class was sharing the previous week's homework assignment. Students shared what a "Jewish State" meant to them and what they would ask a Palestinian kid if they had the chance. This led to an excellent discussion and showed that the homework assignment had really gotten the students thinking.

We then began a lesson about Jerusalem. Students were challenged to raise their hand and explain why Jerusalem is a focal point in the study of Israel. This led to a game of "Around the World" with Jerusalem trivia. Key terms/concepts/places from the lesson were:
4 Quarters of the old city
The Kotel
The Dome of the Rock
Hebrew University
Yerushalayim
Armenian Quarter
The Western Wall

This week's homework assignment pertains to Jerusalem. I have attached the homework to be viewed. The homework sheet was accompanied by a few pages of reading that will help the students answer the questions.

Have a great week!

Micah and Ariana

10/12/10

This class featured excellent discussion about Zionism and the meaning/purpose of a Jewish State. Students were challenged to think about why Israel exists and if that existence is important.

This week’s class began with presentations of last week homework assignment. Students had picked a date on the Israel timeline and shared the information they compiled about it.

We then looked at a handful of flags from various nations and noticed that Israeli flag was the only flag with a religious symbol on it (Although other countries may have a Nordic Cross on it, the religious component is not it’s primary meaning). We discussed why it is significant that the Jewish Star was the symbol on the Israeli flag, which led to a discussion about the meaning of a Jewish State. Students shared their thoughts on whether it’s important to have a Jewish State and we highlighted the effect a Jewish State has had in the Middle East.
This discussion led to us going over this week’s homework assignment.

The sheet attached to this blog was handed out to the students and the quotes were explained in slightly simpler terms to ensure the students’ understanding. Please see the attached homework assignment for that specific content.

Micah and Ariana

Weekly Newsletter 10/5/10

This week’s class began with our usual “check-in”. Each student had roughly 30 seconds to share something with the class.

Following check-in, we went over the geography homework that was assigned last week (see homework attachment in the top right corner). Once the class agreed on the name of a specific place/region in Israel, students were encouraged to raise there hand and share a fact about that place (i.e. Jerusalem contains the Western Wall).

The focus of this week’s class was a timeline of Israel. We played a game where students had to match up events with dates. The timeline began with the destruction of the 1st temple in 586 B.C.E. and went all the way to the current peace talks between Netanyahu, Abbas, and Obama. Zionism, The Balfour Declaration, The Suez Canal, The Antifada, Hezbollah, Yitzchak Rabin, U.N. Partition Plan, and Yasser Arafat were some of the new terms/people/locations taught this past week.

The homework assignment this week is to pick one of the dates from the timeline game and write a paragraph explaining it’s significance.

Micah and Ariana

9/29 Class

This past Tuesday the students brought in current event articles about Israel. This assignment led to an excellent discussion on the current peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. The students learned some of the important issues at hand and had a chance to share there thoughts on the conflict/potential solution. We also diagrammed some maps to help visually understand some important concepts for this subject.

Important terms and concepts were explained including the two-state solution, settlement freeze, The West Bank, Gaza, the Jewish and Muslim quarters of Jerusalem, ideology, and borders.

This week’s homework assignment is an Israeli geography lesson. Students will fill in the labels of 12 important sites in Israel, including cities, a desert, a mountain region, and bodies of water. I have scanned a copy of the homework assignment for your viewing.

Micah
617-264-2801