The Kohelet Prize Database

Database Entries Tagged with: Tanakh

Mishnah Sukkah: Design Challenge

Heather Kantrowitz has developed a project based unit on Mishnah Sukkah that has become an integral part of Austin Jewish Academy’s seventh grade program. Students learn Mishnah Sukkah and then build model-size sukkot based on the descriptions in the Mishna, and it has evolved to include a design challenge and writing component.

By: Heather Kantrowitz from Austin Jewish Academy

Grade(s): 5, Elementary school, Middle school

Subject(s) of entry: Engineering

Pedagogy: Constructivist

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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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LaHaV Learning

LaHaV Learning provides content, technology, and training to transform Jewish learning and teaching in schools and communities throughout the world. LaHaV was founded to transform students from spectators to participants and to enable worldwide educational collaboration across disciplines, because Jewish ideas and values matter now more than ever.

By: Dr. Noam Weissman, Rabbi David Stein from Shalhevet High School

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

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Halacha, History, Ivrit, Mishnah, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa, Tanach, Technology

Pedagogy: Hevruta Learning, Socratic Method, Soulful Education, UBD - understanding by design

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Differentiated Reading of Literary Works

A learner based model for reading whole literary works, that affords unlimited possibilities for differentiation, using Google Classroom.

By: Rabbi Harry Sinoff from Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy

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

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

Pedagogy: Constructivist, Experiential Education, Flipped Learning, PBL - project based learning, 21st Century Skills

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בכל דור ודור – B’chol Dor Va’dor

“B’chol Dor Va’dor” is an independent anchor activity for accelerated Tanakh students that encourages meaningful inter-textual exploration of Tanakh requiring creativity and reflection. Students identified underlying themes of Pessach by analyzing eighteen events in Tanakh that took place on the dates of Pessach. Their work culminated in the creation of their own Seder Symbols which were then used at their family sedarim to help enhance the experience of these themes on Pessach.

By: Mrs. Shira Greenspan from Ramaz Upper School

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

Subject(s) of entry: Art, Tanach

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, IBL - inquiry based learning, Montessorri, PBL - project based learning, UBD - understanding by design, 21st Century Skills

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Olivia’s Creative Compilations – Jewish Texts Come to Life!

Whether it is marrying off two characters from "Once Upon a Time" in an Orthodox Jewish ceremony, designing ad campaigns around Nezirut or creating Ten Plagues theme parks using Minecraft, my students have done it all. My mandate as a teacher is to enable students to access content in a rich, creative way that showcases their unique, creative thinking and knowledge on the topics.

By: Mrs. Olivia Friedman from Ida Crown Jewish Academy

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

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

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

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Fascism in Megillat Esther

This was a lesson where my history teacher colleague, Barry Kirzner, taught the basic ideas of fascism, and we compared Haman in Megillat Esther to that model. We spoke about the relevance of fascism and of the megillah in modern times and what they mean to us today.

By: Rabbi Dani Bauer from Kohelet Yeshiva High School

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

Subject(s) of entry: Tanach

Pedagogy: IBL - inquiry based learning, UBD - understanding by design, 21st Century Skills

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Bamidbar Values Letter

In what may have been the most rewarding experience of my career, students chose three values learned from Sefer Bamidbar and wrote letters of gratitude to their parents for already helping them learn these values throughout their lives. Simultaneously, parents wrote value letters to their daughters. Parents and daughters exchanged letters on the same day in what ended up being a meaningful and emotional expression of what we hold dearest.

By: Mrs. Shira Greenspan from Ramaz Upper School

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

Subject(s) of entry: History, Ivrit, Literature, Mishnah, Tanach

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

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Letters of Admiration

Students reflected upon the unique traits of leaders in Tanakh and wrote letters of recognition to modern-day figures who exemplify these traits.

By: Mrs. Shira Greenspan from Ramaz Upper School

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

Subject(s) of entry: History, Ivrit, Literature, Tanach

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

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LaHaV

We're changing how our students relate to their heritage. The LaHaV curriculum has pioneered a text-based approach to Talmud and Tanakh education that communicates the richness and relevance of Jewish tradition by exploring the principles of halakhic legal theory and asking our students to apply their learning to contemporary, real-world issues.

We’re also transforming the Judaic studies experience for teachers around the world - we’ve created a groundbreaking digital curriculum app that serves as the basis of a fully connected network of Jewish educators who share training, resources and methodologies across schools in the US, Israel, and Australia.

By: Rabbi David Stein and Rabbi Noam Weissman from Shalhevet High School

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

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Halacha, Mishnah, Tanach

Pedagogy: IBL - inquiry based learning, UBD - understanding by design

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