Grade 3 – Gimel Class Update
Posted on September 19, 2016
Shalom Gimel Families,
Welcome to the Gimel Class! I am looking forward to working with your children this year and am excited that Marc Guttman will be working with us as an assistant teacher.
After spending a few minutes introducing ourselves in Hebrew and sharing the story The Very Best Place for a Penny, we kicked off our year with the annual Apple and Honey Olympics! Students gave their appletes a uniform and participated in fun events such as archery, volleyball and sailing, just to name a few. Of course they also got to visit the “Apple Hospital” to get “treatment” for their bruised and injured appletes. Students won pennies for participation in activities and were offered a Tzedakah opportunity by being invited to put their pennies in a Tzedakah box (optional because giving Tzedakah is a choice).
Students arrived at Hebrew School this morning ready for their first class! After a Getting to Know you activity, an all school Tefillah, and snack, we came together as a classroom community for morning meeting. Through morning meeting students will work on some Hebrew vocabulary skills, reading skills, and turn taking. Students did a great job and even learned to request restroom and water breaks in Hebrew!
Our Jewish value this week was Derech Eretz (good manners). Students created a word web of the different communities they belong to and shared one rule they have to follow in these communities. Some examples included tucking your shirt in for a baseball game and keeping hands to oneself at school. Students were then given statements containing actions and in groups decided which ones were acts of kindness. We used these ideas of community and kindness to set rules for our own classroom community – our Derech Eretz rules! Students and teachers signed the poster!
The holiday of Rosh Hashanah was introduced with a game – in pairs students played a 4 in a row game where they were given clue cards and had to find a word relating to the clue on a game board. We wrapped up this lesson with a class brainstorm of things they learned or remembered about Rosh Hashanah from the game.
Over the next few weeks students will review their Hebrew letters and vowels and letter/sound correspondence. They will also practice their reading, and will start learning to read and sing prayers. More details about this to follow.
Wishing everyone a great week!
Elana and Marc