The Kohelet Prize Database

Database Entries Tagged with: interdisciplinary

Mishkeh Mechanic / Success Strategist 2.0

Middle school students completed a project in their STEAM cross-curricular class and followed the Teshuva process to "realize," and thus capitalize upon, their mistakes and successes; this highly replicable, easily transferable project took on a far-reaching mind of its own, with students at the helm of the real-life skills ship.

By: Sri Sundaram, Ariella Landy from Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy

Grade(s): K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Elementary school, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Art, Computer Science, Economics/ Business, Engineering, English/ Writing/ Language Arts, Foreign Language, Gemara, Halacha, History, Ivrit, Literature, Math, Mishnah, Music, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa, Physical Education/Health, Science, Social and Emotional Learning, Social Studies, Tanach, Technology, Tefila

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, Constructivist, Design-Thinking Model, Experiential Education, Flipped Learning, Hevruta Learning, IBL - inquiry based learning, PBL - project based learning, Social and Emotional Learning, Wholebrain Teaching, UBD - understanding by design, 21st Century Skills

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From History to memory

An innovative program in our middle school: a multi-disciplinary. multi-grade curriculum that will help our students understand the meaning of Holocaust. We currently are implement a new curriculum for each grade of middle school includes projects, meaningful first-person accounts and personal student reflections.

By: Stephenie Samuels , Jack Fidler, Megan Hemliton , Roberta Writh , Barak Cerf, Benji Hain , Hal Borkow, Dana Bar-or , from Maimonides

Grade(s): 6, Middle school

Subject(s) of entry: English/ Writing/ Language Arts

Pedagogy: PBL - project based learning

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A Meaningful Megillah

In our school, kindergarteners traditionally create Megillot Esther featuring each child retelling the Purim story. However, this approach ignores the individual learning styles and needs of our students. We rethought this method in order to tap into the interests, skills and talents of the students in the class and focus on process over product.

By: Erica Edelman, Hen Lerrer from SAR Academy

Grade(s): K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Elementary school

Subject(s) of entry: Art, English/ Writing/ Language Arts, Ivrit, Social and Emotional Learning

Pedagogy: Language Immersion, PBL - project based learning, Social and Emotional Learning

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The Shefa Revolution: Strategizing Judaic Studies

To access Torah’s rich narratives, students require solidified language skills and strategies. At Shefa, reading comprehension and writing strategies explicitly taught in ELA classes provide a springboard to dive into Torah. This Judaic Studies curriculum created for Shefa is a replicable model for cross-curricular integration and differentiation.

By: Shulamit Roth from Shefa School

Grade(s): K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Elementary school, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: English/ Writing/ Language Arts, Literature, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa, Tanach

Pedagogy: Language Immersion, 21st Century Skills

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The Magic of the Hebrew Alpha Beit

How do words have the power to create? Through writing in both Hebrew and English, drawing, practicing calligraphy, making ink and writing implements, singing, choreographing, and dancing, the children explored in great depth the meaning of Hebrew letters, including their relationship to creation.

By: Atara Moalem, Rose Nolen from Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School

Grade(s): 3, Elementary school

Subject(s) of entry: Art

Pedagogy: Blended Learning

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From Landfill To Life Filled – Applying Israeli innovation to an interdisciplinary project-based learning experience

Hebrew Academy Miami RASG middle school students participated in a interdisciplinary project based learning experience with a global component. They integrated math and entrepreneurial skills, environmental science, tech tools and Hebrew language in order to design a solution for a global environmental issue and do Tikun Olam.

By: Meirav Kravetz, Marie Angie Lopez, Javier Gonzalez from Miami Hebrew Academy RASG

Grade(s): 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Art, Economics/ Business, English/ Writing/ Language Arts, Ivrit, Math, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa, Science, Technology

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, Design-Thinking Model, Experiential Education, IBL - inquiry based learning, Language Immersion, PBL - project based learning, UBD - understanding by design

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Debating the Issues – in Hebrew!

At Oakland Hebrew Day School, the middle school Hebrew and Humanities teachers co-planned and co-taught a unit that combined constructing evidence-based arguments using current events, and crafting arguments, counterarguments, and rebuttals in Hebrew in preparation for a debate.

By: Joanne Davi, Efrat Simhi-Aloni from Oakland Hebrew Day School

Grade(s): 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: History, Ivrit, Social Studies

Pedagogy: Language Immersion, UBD - understanding by design

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STEAM into Service

Environmentalism and sustainability are topics rooted in Jewish values and very relevant in today’s world. Through exploration, collaboration, research, field trips, and learning from guest professionals, students understand the struggles we face, the steps being taken to develop more sustainable practices, and recognize that they too can help.

By: Louise Lindsay from Stanford Eisenberg Knoxville Jewish Day School

Grade(s): K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Elementary school

Subject(s) of entry: Art, Engineering, English/ Writing/ Language Arts, Math, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa, Science, Social and Emotional Learning, Technology

Pedagogy: Experiential Education, Hevruta Learning, PBL - project based learning, Social and Emotional Learning, Wholebrain Teaching, UBD - understanding by design, 21st Century Skills

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Knowing When to Shut Up: Suggestions for Creating Collaborative Learning Environments

This method employs a play, poem, and novel to teach a variety of skills such as close textual reading, literary analysis, persuasion, and listening and evaluation. It incorporates three different formats of writing, research, and expression of knowledge with the ultimate goal being to create a classroom experience where students help each other learn and feel responsible for the establishment of a positive learning environment. The method also allows English literature students to learn from a variety of Judaic and secular sources in and outside of the classroom.

By: Mrs. Marsha Arons from Ida Crown Jewish Academy

Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Halacha, Literature

Pedagogy: PBL - project based learning, IBL - inquiry based learning, Blended Learning

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Alternative Energy Exploration Unit

This integrated writing and science unit focuses on energy, and asks the driving question “How and why should we use energy wisely?” Students investigate what energy is, where it comes from, and how we use it. They conduct research on sustainable fuels, write persuasive essays advocating for the use of a particular source of energy, design billboard advertisements for their chosen energy source, and participate in a debate judged by industry experts on different forms of sustainable energy. Finally, students design and create their own tikkun olam service-learning projects to make a positive difference in our community’s use of energy.

By: Ms. Rebecca Sheinbaum from Denver Jewish Day School

Grade(s): K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Elementary school, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Literature, Mishnah, Science

Pedagogy: PBL - project based learning, UBD - understanding by design, 21st Century Skills

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6-Week Entrepreneurship makerspace

During this 6 week course, students were exposed to open-ended engineering design and multidisciplinary entrepreneurship in this unique makerspace course. Students with minimal background in STEM and electronics came away with a physical 3d prototype with sensors coded on arduino, a blog/website, initial business analysis, and in many cases an app. These were all created by the students with guidance from students a few years older. Students were given short focused PBL lessons to build their skills in key areas such as electronics, arduino coding, patent law, business development, app design etc. followed up by individualized online learning specific for their projects.

By: Mr. Yosef Skolnick from Shulamith High School of Cedarhurst

Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Art, Computer Science, Science, STEM, Technology, Engineering

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, IBL - inquiry based learning, PBL - project based learning, 21st Century Skills

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Philosophical Ethics and the Meeting of Minds

We are delighted to share our entry in the Interdisciplinary Integration category: the “Philosophical Ethics” unit of our junior year Integrated American Literature, Jewish and Western Philosophy course, affectionately referred to as “Tikvah. The unit culminates with the Meeting of Minds project.

By: Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky, Dr. Eileen Watts from Kohelet Yeshiva High School

Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Halacha, History, Literature, Tanach

Pedagogy: Constructivist, IBL - inquiry based learning, 21st Century Skills

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Navi and Business

The course is a combination of business, marketing and leadership classed and concepts of Navi. The students start with learning the topic in Navi in depth. We then take out connected business concepts, while making it relevant and practical.

By: Mrs. Shaindy Kestenbaum from Bnei Akiva Schools of Toronto

Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Tanach, Business, Leadership

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, 21st Century Skills

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EVERlab

The 9th grade EVERlab unit focuses on the integration of the concepts, themes and structures from two different courses: Tanach I and Ancient World Civilizations. The unit begins with students brainstorming the overlapping content from eachcourse and moves through scaffolded design, collaboration, and critical thinking exercises in order for students to refine and deepen integrated topics they have chosen themselves. Students ultimately develop projects that demonstrate this integrated thinking.

By: Ms. Robin Gluck, Evan Wolkenstein from Jewish Community High School of the Bay

Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Art, History, Literature, Science, Tanach, Design Thinking

Pedagogy: Constructivist, IBL - inquiry based learning, PBL - project based learning, 21st Century Skills

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