Mark Baker

Yesterday's opening talk given by Mark Baker, head of Gann Academy in the Boston area, left me thinking about how I can and should be using the constructivist model even more in the classroom:
Interested in learning more?  Here's a link to Mark's PowerPoint:
http://sites.google.com/a/pardes.org.il/pardes-educators-alumni-support-project-fall-retreat/retreat-schedule/plenary-session

As this conference, there are alumni from DeLeT and the Pardes educator program, of which Eliana is an alum.  Well, every Pardes alum I've met here has told me that I'm the luckiest teacher in the world to have Eliana as a co-teacher.
Indeed, it is true!

A Week of Firsts

What an exciting week it has been in 5th grade JS! We have had many firsts this week: our first official Mishnah lesson, our first official Chumash lesson, our first time using our Lashon book and a first time Torah reader- WOW!
In Mishnah we starting discovering what a Mishnah actually is. Students looked through copies of the Mishanh and discovered that it is written all in Hebrew, that there is a lot of commentary written about it, and that it covers many different topics, including agriculture, women's issues (like marriage and divorce), and damages (personal injury law). They still have many questions about Mishnah: when was it written, how is it organzied, and when can we start learning it?? The answers will come next Wednesday- stay tuned!
In Chumash, we started discussing why God tells Avraham that many years from now, his descendants will be slaves in Egypt. Many of us (including me!) were troubled by this statement- why would God tell Avraham such terrible news? And why do the Jews have to be slaves at all? We had many different and thoughtful answers: maybe God wanted the Jewish people to feel empathy for other oppressed peoples, so we had to go through it ourselves; maybe we are being punished for something we did; maybe it is the only way to truly appreciate freedom. I look forward to hearing how these theories develop as we continue to learn the story of Shmot.
In Lashon this week, we have started to learn about Eliezer ben Yehuda, the father of modern Hebrew. We have learned that it wasn't so easy to get people to start speaking Hebrew again in the 1880's, and Ben Yehuda had to work very hard to convince people that Hebrew should be the language of the Jews. To understand his plight, we are working on a debate between Eliezer ben Yehuda, who believed that Hebrew should become the national language for the Jewish people, and the Haredim, who believed that Hebrew was a sacred language and should not be profaned by every day use. The arguments will commence next week- I look forward to finding out who will win!
Finally, kol hakavod to Inbal for reading Torah for the very first time this week- she practied for a long time, put in a lot of effort, and the result was amazing: she sang her part so beautifully! We are happy to welcome Inbal in to our community of Torah readers, and can't wait to hear her read again.
Shabbat Shalom,
Eliana

Singapore Math

In fifth grade we're "trying out" Singapore Math.  I'm really excited about it, and the students are too!  I will be keeping you posted.  We'll follow Singapore Math for a unit on multiplication.  It has a strong emphasis on conceptual understanding.

"Trust your brain more than the calculator," said Kevin

"Calculators aren't always faster."

"Calculators are faster for subtraction problems."

The above "big idea statements" were said after partners had math races, with one using pencil and paper, and the other, a calculator.

This was the first lesson on our new unit in Singapore Math, on multiplication.

Mrs. Woods will be out on Thursday and Friday

I'm flying to MD for a joint DeLeT/Pardes alumni conference Thursday morning.  In addition to teaching fifth grade, I am also one of three DeLeT alumni on the leadership cabinet for the DeLeT Alumni Network, so I'll be leading a couple of workshops and even giving a speech!  I'll also be giving a presentation on parent-teacher partnerships.  And I'll have the opportunity to learn from other day school teachers.
Here's a link:
http://www.deletalumni.org/2010-alumni-conference/schedule/
Miss Weiss will be lead teaching in general studies on Thursday and Friday.  I feel confident in her strengths as a beginning teacher, and I'm sure the students' minds will be stimulated by the dynamic lessons she has planned.  I'll be back at JCDSRI on Monday.
B'Shalom,
Mrs. Woods

Readers' Letters and Future Due Dates

The first readers' letters were returned on Friday.  They were excellent!  Fifth graders have five readers' letters left.  Readers' letters will be collected on the following six dates. This means that fifth graders can choose which five dates they will hand in their letters.
November 18th
December 17th
January 20th
February 15th
March 28th
May 2nd

Something Upstairs Field Trip

Returning to school on the RIPTA, a woman on the bus commented on how well behaved the class was.  She was so impressed.  Fifth grade rocks!  There will be more field trips in our future, especially given how well they behaved and how engaged they were with the work.
We are attempting to write a quest for others to follow.  Our quest will give directional clues and information about the text and historical architecture.  Our hope is that our quest will be published, in the form of a link, so that those visiting Providence can have a unique interaction with colonial history.
Tonight I created a class wiki for students to post the clues they wrote on our walking tour.  We'll be able to use our wiki for many more things going forward.
Stay tuned for developments!

Another amazing day at Teva

It was a full and fabulous day.  I just returned from making all-natural lip balms with the girls.  I only have time to jot down a few inspirational quotes I overheard today before meeting them at the campfire.

"You know what I love about this place?  It's the only camp with great food," shared Micah, while eating broccoli and tofu stir-fry!
"Maybe the space to fill is our purpose in life," said Natalie, while engaging in a text study about the after the meal blessing for God creating numerous souls with flaws.

"We all rock, like JCDS," said Kevin, as he and the rest of the JCDSRI boys ventured out on a night hike, along with Manhattan Schechter sixth graders.

"I feel good when I'm doing something I love, like being with my friends or family, or spending time outside," said Jessica, before making lip balm.

Sandy talked about when she feels like herself and said about her friends, that "they let me be who I am.  They make me feel really confident.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.  Your children will be ready for an early bedtime, and if they are generally carnivorous, a meat meal would be welcome.

I am so inspired by these fifth graders!

Teva Update

Students slept soundly.  Lights out were at ten, and I woke students up just before 7AM.  Everyone slept through the night and all were impressed by how cozy their sleeping bags are!  This morning's tefillah was creative and special- be sure to ask them about it!  Fifth graders all earned their first Teva bead today, the "awareness" bead.  They were skillful and aware of their surroundings on their all-day hike today with Rachel, their Morah Dereck. 
The weather is spectacular, the ruach is high, and they are all learning a lot! 
At the moment they are in the midst
of a prey-predator game, where they are taking on different animal roles, thus enacting the food chain.
Laila Tov!

Profound Words on Day Two at Teva

Jessica, last night, walking back to the bunk after the campfire: I've never been more excited to go to sleep.

Sandy, upon returning from day-long hike today: All of the things that are beautiful are God's creations.

Inbal, also after the hike: Rachel asked us why we would want to go hiking and I said to see God's artwork.

Ma Gadlu

Last night, all Teva students were gathered around the campfire.  JCDS students led everyone in song, teaching them the tune they learned last year with Eliana and me in tefillah, which they sang at our community Shabbat service.  The Teva educators were awed by this tune.  Our students sounded beautiful!  I was beaming with pride.  It felt very full-circle-ish, as this was a tune I had learned when I was a DeLeT intern, nine years ago.

First Day at Teva

What a full & fabulous first day!
As I type this the class is on a night hike with Rachel, their energetic Morah Dereck (Teacher of the Path).
Highlights from today include: going on their 1st nature hike; receiving their Shomreai Adamah (Guardians of the Earth) nature journals; learning new Hebrew songs connected to environmentalism; ceremoniously weighing psolet (food waste) after each meal; meeting other kids from Jewish Day Schools; and having a bit of downtime at the bunks: we had fun playing Bananagrams, which Micah brought.  Natalie tried to beat me at Shesh Besh (Backgammon).
Everyone has been so well-behaved today and filled with ruach (spirit) for JCDS.  It is such an honor to be with them! 
Thank you to Laura for driving today; everyone was great on the drive, which took about three hours.
And everyone ate very healthy meals today!  They loved the butterbut squash soup, which was made from squash grown here.
Laila Tov!

Judaic Studies and Lashon

What an exciting beginning of the year it has been in Kita Heh (5th grade)! Our 5th graders have already learned so much in Judaic Studies and in Lashon.
In JS, the 5th graders have started learning about our year-long project, the Torah Project. They have designed templates that they will use every week, have learned how to navigate through an all Hebrew Tanakh and even had a quiz on which they all demonstrated how well they have learned to find the perek (chapter) and pasuk (verse) for the beginning of each parashah (portion). We have learned our first 2 parshiyot together: VeZot HaBeracha, the last parashah in the Torah, and Bereshit, the first parashah. What a fitting way to learn the central message of Simchat Torah- that we never stop learning Torah, and that as soon as we finish reading it through, we begin all over again. I look forward to hearing how the 5th graders will make the parshiyot their own, and I encourage you to ask them about the commentaries they are writing- it is a weekly assignment, and each one different!
In Lashon, we have spent the first month feeling comfortable speaking Hebrew, learning about the holidays that come in the month of Tishrei, and learning a few songs in Hebrew. 5th graders are encouraged to speak Hebrew every day, and we are adding new words to their vocabulary lists every week. Please ask your child about the songs we have been learning- they are really catchy- I wouldn't be surprised to hear that they come home singing those songs!
It has been such a positive beginning to the year with such a special group of students- I can't wait to see what next month brings!
B'Shalom, Eliana

One Million

Last Tuesday math learners attempted to count to one million.  The goal was for students to gain an understanding of just how great a number one million is.  Before we began, students shared their thoughts on the value of one million.  They have heard about millions of dollars being spent and millions of people living in cities.  Could we possibly count to one million, using place value blocks?
The class exhibited impressive teamwork skills in how they organized themselves and the blocks.  After about fifteen minutes they had exhausted our school's supply of place value blocks.  They had reached 50,000 and realized what twenty times this would look like.  Suddenly, a million took on new meaning.

"Before we did this, I thought a million wasn't a lot, but now I think one million is bigger than I imagined."
- Gabe

"A million is now like the biggest number in the world." -Natalie

As we we work our way toward the billions place value, students have a deeper understanding of the value of numbers.