Grade 7/GESHER UPDATE
Posted on February 5, 2017
Gesher students have been grappling with texts from Sefer Shemot (the Book of Exodus) in an attempt to learn more about Moses and to identify his leadership qualities. The group was challenged to build a tower with plastic cups using a device resembling an octopus made from a rubber band with 24” strings attached. Students were instructed that only the string could touch the cups. Following this stressful and frustrating activity, we discussed successful and not-successful leadership strategies. Students noted maintaining calm, clear communication, kindness and encouragement, listening to each other and a willingness to understand and implement other people’s ideas. Our study of Moses’ leadership traits touched on noticing and asking questions which detoured to Robert F. Kennedy’s famous expression, “There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?
We continue to have fun with parasha plays during most Tuesday-sessions.
Students are having a wonderful time creating their ipad movie trailers on one Jewish value to which they could commit themselves: celebrating Jewish holidays, reciting the bedtime Shema, making the world a better place, and connecting with other Jews. Our exploration of Jewish values also included selecting one word to represent their chosen value and illustrating that word using Micro-graphy, an art form in which images are crafted using tiny writing.
