The Kohelet Prize Database
Pedagogy: Experiential Education
Explore the Kohelet Prize Database
Prize Categories
- Interdisciplinary Integration (79)
- Real-World Learning (105)
- Learning Environment (30)
- Differentiated Instruction (45)
- Development of Critical and / or Creative Thinking (56)
- Risk Taking and Failure (12)
Pedagogy
- Blended Learning (112)
- Constructivist (195)
- Design Thinking (41)
- Experiential Education (65)
- Flipped Learning (13)
- Gamification (6)
- Hevruta (31)
- IBL - Inquiry Based Learning (135)
- Language Immersion (13)
- Montessori (21)
- PBL - Project Based Learning (238)
- Social Emotional Learning (54)
- Socratic Method (10)
- Soulful Education (17)
- Whole Brain Teaching (27)
- UBD - Understanding By Design (105)
- 21st Century Skills (273)
Subjects
- Art (149)
- Computer Science (73)
- Economics (8)
- Engineering (28)
- English/ Writing/ Language Arts (181)
- Gemara (65)
- Halacha (104)
- History (173)
- Ivrit (118)
- Literature (159)
- Math (102)
- Mishnah (73)
- Music (56)
- Philosophy (46)
- Physical Education/ Health (11)
- Science (151)
- Social Emotional Learning (53)
- Social Studies (44)
- Tanach (177)
- Technology (40)
- Tefila (19)
Grades
- Elementary School (156)
- Middle School (213)
- High School (213)
- Kindergarten (79)
- 1st Grade (89)
- 2nd Grade (101)
- 3rd Grade (117)
- 4th Grade (129)
- 5th Grade (155)
- 6th Grade (151)
- 7th Grade (142)
- 8th Grade (138)
- 9th Grade (104)
- 10th Grade (110)
- 11th Grade (110)
- 12th Grade (109)
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.
JLab- the Jewish Learning and Skill Building Center
At Derech HaTorah we have taken the next step to provide extra support for children struggling in Judaic studies by creating a program called JLab- the Jewish Learning and Skill Building Center. JLab is an official Judaic Title I-like support service. The goal of this program is to assist students in building core skills, such as קריאה and כתיבה.
The three C’s of Education: Community, Chessed and Cholent
Students from Middle and high school were organized to help Tomchei shabbos of Queens, NY package and deliver food parcels to indigent families. Significant sums of money were raised for this project through the preparation, cooking and sale of Cholent in the community by these students.
Creators of Content: How Students Can Co-Design Their Understanding of Their World
Students at Pressman Academy from grades K-5th participate in STEAM twice a week for 45 minutes. During this time they are presented with a variety of options to explore a given content area. Ultimately they create prototypes to solve complex problems and models to represent how they understand the world using tools from cardboard to CNC machines.
JSTEAM – Melacha Makerspace
JSTEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Makerspace. STEAM through a Jewish lens in sync with Maimonides School's mission creating a beautiful blend of Torah and Worldly experience with hands-on creativity.
Baby Moshe’s Basket 2.0 and Domino Designs: Shemot 2:3 and 2:5 Reinvisioned through the Lens of STEAM and Design Thinking
Harnessing the power of STEAM and Design Thinking, students built and attempted to float a tevah to garner insight into Moshe’s birth mother’s attempt to save him from death, and designed and executed a domino formation based on the significance of the actions of Bat Paroah and other characters central to the early experiences of the Jews in Egypt.
TTN – Torah Times News
Live coverage of the breaking news stories of the Torah as it unfolds minute by minute. Narrate the weekly Torah portion as a news script and film the students acting as news anchors, reporters, meteorologist, etc. then edit into a short video to share with other schools and public viewers.
A Trial of Error: A Project Based Learning (PBL) Approach to Student Self Reflection through the Lens of Repentance
In an effort to develop their critical thinking skills, the students staged a mock trial, demonstrating the process of reflection and repentance outlined in Jewish law. The process included analyzing the laws, reflecting on their actions, implementing the steps of repentance, evaluating how to prove each step and creating admissible evidence.
Carpe Diem – How do you Seize your Day?
In my AP Language and Composition class, which combines grades 11-12 at our girl's campus, there is a pervasive theme in each of our texts this year. It is carpe diem, seize the day, or a lack of carpe diem. In order to truly understand this theme my class worked on a project to describe, create, and share their thoughts about this concept.
The Story of Our People: From One Generation to the Next
A keynote project in which students create professional documentaries based on the "Survivor Circles" experience & showcased in a beautiful community-wide Film Festival as the hallmark of a newly written literacy-based, student-centered curriculum for Modern Jewish History that integrates academic skills with primary sources.
The Privilege of Giving
"The Privilege of Giving" program is a unique reward system with educational value. When students deserve a reward for their effort, they are rewarded by being given the privilege of helping others in the school building. By using "active learning", we are hoping to instill in our students a love for helping others.
Building Halacha through Physical Science Lab
For centuries, Jews have used the best scientific principles of the day to form the Jewish Law that they practice and keep. This series of interdisciplinary units uses the physical science skills and content that the students are learning in science, in service of deepening their understanding of the Jewish Law they study in Talmud classes.
Poetry Unbound: Finding Poetry Across the Curriculum
Inspired by the “Poetry in Motion” campaign on New York City subway cars, three teachers looked for ways to help students discover poetry outside of English literature textbooks: art, Hebrew, Judaics, and our school’s mission trip to Israel.
Elementary students run a multi-media newspaper
Upper elementary students run their own multi-media news outlet. Students report on issues of importance to their community, and learn journalistic and technology skills to create multi-media materials, such as a monthly print newspaper, podcasts, and video news reports.
The Shlenker BackYard: A Gateway to Experiential Learning
The Shlenker School’s nature reserve “The BackYard” is situated on a 1.5 acre wooded area directly behind the school. This outdoor classroom is utilized for core academic and Judaic learning experiences. Students learn about environmental ethics and are taught the Jewish value of Ba’al tashchit—not destroying or wasting resources in nature.
The Young Acharonim Initiative
Students use centuries old traditional Talmudic methods to build critical thinking skills. This is done by giving the students the ability to become the teachers by planning and researching their own lessons, presenting them to the class, and allowing others to critique, and perfect their logic.
This is The Young Acharonim Initiative.
Integrated/Environmentally Conscious Tashlich Unit
This interdisciplinary unit on water and tashlich integrates Judaic studies, physical science, ecology, and Language Arts through text analysis and critical thinking exercises. Fourth grade students connect Judaism and general studies through Torah, mitzvot, scientific method, creative thinking, and problem solving.
Earth Science
Working backwards from the physical and topographical design of Israel, the connection between Israel, Earth Science and Halacha, and the consideration of our (Fuchs Mizrachi Lower School’s) physical location in the world; this unit was designed to ask and answer six essential questions that take the students on a journey across many disciplines.
Simulation of the Election of 1800
Acting out key figures from American history, 3rd/4th graders simulated the election of 1800. As Adams’ Federalists debated Jefferson’s Republicans, students leveraged primary sources, honed communication skills, learned phases of the election process and came to appreciate the challenges of responsible engaged citizenship amidst the 2016 election.
Virtual Jerusalem Mayoral Elections
The Virtual Jerusalem Mayoral Elections allowed 12th-grade students to explore the diverse, real-world needs facing Jerusalem residents and the multicultural nature of the city, through researching different candidates and issues, creating campaigns and taking a leadership role in their own learning, running mock elections for a different grade.
Wornick 7th Grade Tzedakah Project
Wornick’s 7th Grade Tzedakah Project is a challenging year-long learning, student-led experience, facilitated by the team of Middle School teachers. Students learn real-world skills, identifying a world problem, researching an organization and volunteering there, fundraising, presenting to their class, allocating funds, and presenting an award.
Schechter Westchester’s TOM (Tikkun Olam Makers) Makeathon
SW's TOM Makeathon, a fully student-run initiative, is the embodiment of our school's dual goals: the application of real-world skills to revolutionize student thinking and improve the world in tangible ways. Teams of students work with individuals with disabilities to design and fabricate products that will make daily life more manageable.
Art as a Lens to the Holocaust and Genocide: The Legacy Project
Middle schoolers become researchers, artists, historians, and storytellers, exploring memorials and monuments through an integrated year-long study in Judaism, Fine Arts, and Humanities. This project-focused learning fosters deep understanding and engagement about the Holocaust on a personal level as well as within a deeper global context.
Connecting the Unconnected
“Connecting the Unconnected” is a collaborative learning experience that brings together sixth through eighth grade students at six Jewish day schools in small Jewish communities to connect Jewish history and values with social justice, civil rights, and American and Israeli heritage through classroom learning and real-world experiences.
“Kids around the world do the same things in different ways.” Kindergarten students create The Museum of the Universal Languages of Childhood
The Kindergarten theme of community was woven into all aspects of our curriculum and was explored through the lens of global competency. Our multidisciplinary curricular approach to learning culminated in the creation of The Museum of the Universal Languages of Childhood that represented the languages of celebrations, games, and fine arts.
Things that Go Bump in the Night
Students contrast Mystical Judaism with Rational Judaism. Topics include: Sorcery, Witches, Amulets, Evil Eye, Chamsa, Lilith, Star of David, Mezuzah, Golem, Demon, Incubus, and Dybbuk. Students integrate Jewish Studies with Art, by creating art projects that are message-driven by the associated Jewish Studies topics.
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.
From The Ground Up: A Comprehensive Entrepreneurship Curriculum
If I had to encapsulate the purpose of running an entrepreneurship program with students into one sentence, it would be to give them a chance to find their place in a changing world. Running a business with students gives them the soft skills to successfully navigate the real world while keeping one foot safely in the classroom.
Book Day
Book Day is an authentic learning experience that starts with a book. Students connect to literature through a full day of extended interdisciplinary activities including literacy, Hebrew, Israel and/or Judaic studies, social studies, math, science, art and music, technology, physical activity, sound, and taste.
Witness Theater: An Innovative Approach to Holocaust Education
Witness Theater brings together Holocaust survivors and students for a year of telling and listening, creativity, collaboration and self growth. Survivors share real-life experiences and real-world lessons within a therapeutic theater process focused on intense learning about history and humanity, and the development of critical life skills.
From one jungle to another: Putting into practice Judaic studies lessons in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
How do we put Jewish values into practice in a meaningful way? while pondering this I fostered a relationship with the international human rights organization Me to We. We conceived an experience tailored to Jewish students, with Jewish experiences and values looking for a powerful practical experience to make them better Jews and better people.
Living Vocabulary
I created the idea of Living Vocabulary when I noticed my students were having difficulty remembering and incorporating vocabulary we learned together in school. Living vocabulary is a sort of treasure hunt that can be played in and out of school . Children look for their vocabulary words at home, in the super market, on billboards, and everywhere!
Medical Ethics Hospital Simulation
Teaching hands on, real life medical ethics utilizating a major medical centers simualtion center, we bring students into the hospital, where they have the opportunity to learn how to participate in various cutting edge and routine medical procedures, as they encounter potential ethical issues in them and then study and discuss relevant Torah.
A Personal Journey through Parshat Hashavua
Parshat Hashavua – The Weekly Torah Portion:
The weekly Parsha becomes relevant and personal in our First Grade class and prepares students for life in the 21st century. With the advent of the internet, information is at our fingertips. The challenge is what do we do with that information? In addition, devices are becoming more accessible and usag
Yad B’Yad: Mixed Media Art
Through observation, students explore the beauty of Jewish ritual objects. Through creation, students can make these objects their own, a true reflection of the beauty and power within themselves. In this lesson, students create mixed-media Yad sculptures for ritual use.
Cosmic Ray Research During The 2017 Solar Eclipse
Students developed a research question and carried out an investigation studying cosmic rays during the solar eclipse. This process involved designing, testing and building a muon telescope. Students carried out the investigation, will be presenting academic papers, and created data that is being used in physics classes at our school.
IHOP Brachot: The Halacha Revolution
IHOP presents a unique an innovative way to teach the practical Halachot of Brachot/Blessings to teens. The curriculum is taught in the classroom along with hands on demonstrations and challenges of how to apply the correct laws. The lessons and follow up demonstrations are designed to be fun and engaging to teens.
The Prepared Environment
Our innovative, Montessori inspired environment allows our children to work in a warm, exciting and stress-free atmosphere that promotes high motivation and a love for learning. This model creates the ability for each child to receive a customized curriculum according to what s/he needs which encourages emotional, social, and academic success.
Bayit Rishon Museum
The Bayit Rishom Museum is a project that was developed to allow students to view Tanach as a historical vehicle and for Mesopotamian artifacts to be used to appreciate Jewish History. Using important historical artifacts, students created virtually museums to teach about the Bayit Rishon Era.
The Space We Create
The presentation that follows is based on years of perseverance and experimentation as to what makes for a meaningful and happy learning space for children. “The Space We Create" shows how this is cultivated by using everyday materials to create innovative and flexible classroom spaces. With dedication and care, children will thrive.
Student Centered Chumash Class
Differentiated instruction is crucial in education, because every student should be given the opportunity to maximize his/her potential. Shifting my Chumash class into a more student-centered one has helped me reach this goal. In this model, students play an active role in their learning, and they produce work that demonstrates authentic learning.
School’s Cancelled: A Day of Non-Traditional Learning
How do you promote real world skills in a traditional school atmosphere? During Expo Days at YDLV, classes are cancelled and students embark on a themed journey of learning and inspiration, giving them the opportunity to practice non-traditional skills with a variety of exercises and challenges built for real world learning.
Environment + Energy = Engaged, Motivated and Successful Students
A Montessori inspired environment for an elementary school child that is conducive to problem solving, independent learning, respect, positive time on task, with modeled expectations will create a caring and safe place for children to be successful, excited and engaged in learning.
Integration of Vygotzky’s Zone of Proximal Development Theorem in the Singapore Math Program
The implementation of the combination of Vygotzky's theorem of the zone of proximal development with the Singapore math program presents significant benefits in creating the critical thinking skills and developing the required cognitive functions for understanding complex mathematical concepts.
A Musician for Life: Improvisation, buckets, and multimedia reviving instrumental music for the centennial generation.
I’m reinventing the idea of middle school band – by orienting my lessons around creative improvisation and multimedia. improvisation in music curriculum is the key to countering the distractions facing increasingly wired youth. By using lessons like bucket band and film scoring, I’ve been stimulating their creative potential.
Building a Mathematical Menorah
The Menorah is one of the most prominent symbols of Hanukkah. Students collaborated to design and build a Menorah based on Mathematical principles. Students then incorporated the “Keshet of Kavod” (Rainbow of Respect) into the design, emphasizing Jewish values. The built Menorah was then used in the Maccabia games and was showcased at the JCC.
True Tefila
In the aftermath of hurricane Irma, our school building sustained significant damage, forcing the relocation of the entire middle school. The students responded to the chaos of the new learning environment with an unrelenting determination of meaningful prayer. This response, was an outgrowth of the foundation for Tefila established in our class.
The Super You Project
To give my students the opportunity to creatively document their lives as 5th graders, I assigned them the “Super You” project. It didn’t turn out to be the productive tool for differentiating instruction I’d hoped. In the end, though, my students were happy with their products and I felt committed to improve the project for the future.
מה רבו מעשיך—Science with a Jewish Soul: an Integrated Science Program for Young Children
Yearlong program integrates Jewish life of young children with their developing scientific minds; connects Jewish learning relevant to the child at that time: holidays, Parshah, blessings, Mitzvot; inspires in children love of science & spiritual awe of the world around them; fosters creative, critical thinking, teamwork & empathic problem solving.
Prison Reform and Arei Miklat: A PBL Approach to High School Talmud Study
A PBL approach to Talmud study can help students connect values from the text to their own lives in an authentic way, irrespective of how practical (or impractical) the cases in the Gemara. In this unit, students used their knowledge of Masekhet Makkot and Arei Miklat to research solutions for problems with the American prison system.
Scheduling Circus
Creating a school schedule is difficult. Furthermore, creating a schedule that works for 14 multi-age, multi-level, individual students with very different academic and social-emotional needs, seems nearly impossible. It was through a journey of taking great risks and reflecting on failures that brought our classroom the schedule(s) we all needed.
Living Israeli History: Underground Bullet Factory
Putting themselves in the shoes of teenagers building a new life in the land (and budding State) of Israel, students become historians. Partnership and perseverance are needed as students work together to overcome challenges of immigrants and pioneers in the most perilous of predicaments - living and working in an underground bullet factory!
Community Partnership All School Read Program
Two schools, 12 miles apart, but on different planets socially and culturally. Have all students read the same two books, write penpal letters, and visit each other’s schools. What happens?
You go from complete segregation to an explosion of creative and interpersonal energy radiating from the students, connecting their common sense of community.
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.
Escape the Room! Halacha Mini Course
I created a series of week long escape rooms to teach different topics in Halacha. I used Google Classroom and other apps and websites to transform my class into an exciting Escape the Room for the week.
Entrepreneurship in Practice: Teaching Future Jewish Business Leaders
Golda Och Academy’s 12th grade Entrepreneurship Course has enriched the lives of fifty students in the last 7 years who have gone on to become business leaders. The course assesses and analyzes leadership, walks through the steps of starting a business and has a practicum where students turn an idea into a realized business operating in school.
Beth Tfiloh’s Lower School Israel Fair: A Student-led Interdisciplinary Experience
Beth Tfiloh Lower School students participated in a multi-week and school-wide interdisciplinary learning experience about various landmarks in Israel. Students (K-4th grade) conceived of, developed, and created fifteen hands-on exhibits to share their learning with the broader student and family community.
An Interdisciplinary Study of the Lenape People
SW’s aim is for students to cultivate their identity as global citizens who recognize and respect cultural similarities and differences among kol yoshvei tevel (all who dwell on Earth). Our third-grade study of the Lenape tribe showcases that effort through an integrated curriculum incorporating hands-on, project-based learning and exploration.
Olam Chesed Yibaneh – Building a World of Kindness
Our school embarked on a year-long, cross-grade chesed project that encouraged students to think critically about problems in our community, city, and country, and to begin to solve those problems. This project stems from the psalm that states: "The world was built on loving kindness."
Israeli Master Chef Carmel Style: Making Hebrew Learning Real and Personal
Students brought their Hebrew learning to life by fusing it with their interests in context of daily lives. They recorded a video guiding the audience in making their favorite dish by applying their Hebrew skills, higher critical thinking and tech skills, research, and writing skills. Students’ videos were assessed and voted on by their peers.
New Directions in Jewish Community: The Jewish Emergent Network (JEN)
This unit explored the innovative and exciting new spiritual communities of the Jewish Emergent Network. It expanded their sense of what is happening in today's Jewish world; allowed them to engage directly with the communities they were studying; and pushed them to think seriously about what they want for their own ongoing communal involvement.
Making a Talmudic Sugya Occupy Space
Students composed their own talmudic sugyas using argument forms mastered during their year of study, based on key themes in biblical and talmudic texts they had learned. They then transferred the concepts of their sugyas into three-dimensional sculptures that reflect the thesis and arguments of the sugyas they had written.
Bar Mitzvah Prep Program: Raising the BAR
As part of our mission to promote real world learning and student ownership, in line with our 3R’s initiative, we teamed up to create an engaging program to educate our students on the “how to’s” of participating at an adult oriented event in the public sphere via experiential learning.
The Architecture of Real-World Learning — A Treehouse Builds Community
Students combined their study of math and science with learning about architecture. This year-long, integrated project resulted in a real treehouse as their graduation gift to the school. They did everything from surveying stakeholders, calling for donations, supply shopping, meeting with the city permit department and designing the final product.
Forming Connections
In 2nd grade at Yeshivat Noam our students begin learning Chumash. In addition to building foundation skills and content knowledge, we have found it very important to integrate the learning and form connections with the text. In this presentation, I demonstrate how we have integrated our Chumash learning into Tefillah, science, math and art.
Creating a Positive Environment for All Children
The South Florida Jewish Academy engages in a holistic approach to education. All teachers, in every subject and at every level work seamlessly as a team to put together a comprehensive plan for each student. This manifests itself in numerous creative and innovative programs and curricula.
The Innovation Lab – The Space where Maker Ed and Jewish Ed Inspire
We’ve built a culture designed around an open space where students actualize content learned in their Jewish day school & apply it in ways that are most meaningful to them. Students collaborate & think creatively, using 3D printers, woodworking, coding, graphic design, and a host of other tools to create tangible outcomes of their education.
“Change the world. It just takes cents”TM
"Change the world. It just takes cents"TM is a student-led, teacher-mentored, PBL, service-learning, experiential education, Tikkun Olam, multidisciplinary process, where lessons evolve organically, and students are the creators of their learning blueprint, rather than being enslaved to textbooks. Students emerge empowered advocates and leaders.
Unique classroom methodology implemented in HS Coding class
An overview of the unique and productive technical learning approach - essentially an integration of personal and formal educational theories together with the teaching framework defined by codeHS.com - I implemented in the Coding and STEM robotics class I currently teach at Rae Kushner High School.
Differentiated Reading of Literary Works
A learner based model for reading whole literary works, that affords unlimited possibilities for differentiation, using Google Classroom.
Pupkis: Travelling Yiddish Puppet Theater
Our students adapted a recently translated Yiddish short story for performance as a puppet show. They wrote the script, built the puppets and stage and performed the puppets. The show was performed for local Jewish elementary schools as well as for the rest of the student body at the Weber School
STEM Education and Crosscutting Concepts
The Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School has developed a model of STEM integration with general and Judaic studies using the Next Generation Science Standard's Crosscutting Concepts (CCC). This model of integration is the only one in the nation and is the subject of research and collaboration with The George Washington University.
Interdisciplinary Integration Through Service Learning for Middle School Students
Classroom instruction focuses on the sources and then the development of Jewish law. It is then taken out of the classroom weekly so that students have the opportunity to put the lessons into practice. Lessons and projects incorporate language arts and math skills, torah, art, technology, science, and health.
Teva Tuesday
Each week our students in our 4-5th grades spend an afternoon outdoors to learn, become aware of and appreciate the vital role the earth plays in our existence. Students are encouraged to gain a deep, profound respect for the environment, to become Shomer Adamah (Guardians of the Land) through study of Jewish texts that promote these ideas.
The Modern Jewish Woman
Students study texts as they learn about the shifts in the cultural and religious roles of women. This is taught concurrently in both Judaic studies (Rabbinic Literature) and Modern Jewish History classes. Course culminates with students choosing elderly women of the community to interview and then represent in a community-wide celebratory exhibit.
Fundamentals of Economics & Business and Jewish Business Ethics
This entry describes a year-long course at Maimonides, enabling Juniors to study the Fundamentals of Economics, both as a rigorously taught social science class, and as a deep consideration of the ethical and moral teachings of Judaism on the topic. The entry focuses on the many opportunities for Real World Learing for students through this course
Art & Tefillah Minyan
In this minyan, students use art as a medium for exploring and more deeply engaging with tefillah. Students study the themes of traditional Jewish prayers and create original works of art through which students can express their own feelings and ideas on these themes, using their art as an extension of their tefillah.
Canada 150 School-Wide Inquiry Project
The Hamilton Hebrew Academy set out to provide our students with an outstanding learning experience in celebration of Canada 150. Every student conducted an inquiry project, which facilitated the development of their critical and creative thinking skills. The event culminated in a community wide learning showcase at a Canadian historical site.
Wearing Our Values: The importance of working on ourselves
Our tradition tells us that as Jews, we can enjoy the pleasures of the world, but in an appropriate manner. By connecting our love of Torah and its values with love of fashion, we aim to do just that, and to show that clothing doesn’t define the man-or woman -but we define our clothing, using it to make a statement about how to live a life of mitzvot.
Flags of the Tribes of Israel: A Media Arts and Chumash “Integrated Creative Judaics” Production
In this three week "Integrated Creative Judaics" unit,11th grade students delved into the roots of Midrash Rabbah Bemidbar 2.7 in an exploration of the tribal flags of the Israelites and identity. They then drew upon their wisdom to create "fruits of the soul" by designing and animating flags based upon their learning.
Integrated English 11/Media Arts: A Failed Attempt to Institute a Progressive Educational Program into a College Preparatory High School
There is hubris in imagining that just because we developed a program that would lead to enhanced student learning that it should happen. But we did do our best to identify a problem, recruit faculty and students, present funding opportunities, and further the school mission in the areas of Judaic integration, integrity, and personalized learning.
Rainforest and Tu Be’shvat
Why are trees important in our world and what is our role in taking care of trees? Our kindergarten students learned about the importance of trees in our world while studying about the the rain forest and the holiday of Tu Beshvat. Our learning concluding with performance of the Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry.
Are You ‘Board’ with Traditional Lesson Plans? GAME ON!
GameOn! provides students with innovative skills they use to create board games based on their mastery of a particular topic. Students transform their knowledge of any subject into a tool used by other students. Creating a website, we connected classrooms across the globe through educational game play and development.
Mishkeh Mechanic/Success Strategist
Eighth grade students completed a project in STEM class, documenting throughout using the SeeSaw app's video and picture abilities, and crafted a non-fiction “narrative" in Language Arts class, where they followed the Teshuva process to "realize," and thus capitalize upon, their mistakes.
Nutrition Nibbles
To conclude our nutrition unit, I challenged my 5th graders to each design a tasty, healthy snack for kids which would be a good source of their assigned vitamin/mineral. Each student would present at our student-designed snack conference, to which we invited other classes. The whole creative process could be applied to various other subjects.
Talking Trees in Kitah Alef-Impact of Trees in our Environment -An interdisciplinary Unit
1st graders learned about trees through literacy, science, math, Ivrit, art, movement and by working in cooperative groups. The unit included studying the parts of trees in Hebrew and English, the impact of trees on the environment and its natural resources. We emphasized the mitzvah of tzedakah and of planting trees in Israel for Tu B'Shvat.
DASH Weeks
DASH is a comprehensive school wide study of a topic that is carried out in every classroom, Judaic and secular, as well as in the arts. It is cross grade, cross curricular and integrated. The school has now done two DASH units, one last spring and one in November 2017. This fall's topic, "Water: Source of Life" was engaging and exciting.
21st Century Perspectives on the Holocaust
Through film, poetry, stories, Holocaust writings & Responsa, survivor testimony, dialogues with professors and University students, and presentations from Canadian and European dignitaries, this course engages students in a deep experiential analysis of the Shoah.
My Wonder Woman
Using a combination of collaborative work, research, interview skills, & analysis, students determine what makes a woman a worthy role model. Critical & creative thinking skills are evident throughout the process and culminates in a persuasive essay through which each student nominates her Wonder Woman. All discussions & writings were done in Ivrit
Kindergartners Construct a South Campus Community Theater to Enhance Their School’s Learning Environment
In Kindergarten at MILTON, the theme of community guided our work and was woven into all aspects of our curriculum. Over the course of a semester, we explored the concept of community through the lens of theater. Our multi-disciplinary curricular approach to learning culminated in the creation of the South Campus Community Theater.
Chessed As a Way of Life
Students doing on-hands community service work to feed the indigent in the Jewish community.
Understanding Media Bias
Students will learn how to navigate the news to discern the credibility of a source by investigating what media bias is with their peers, “acting as the journalist” within the classroom, and reflecting on their experiences. Their conclusions will then be applied to their understanding of how to interpret the news in the real-world.
Recreating the Experience at Ma’Amad Har Sinai
מתן תורה is a part of history, as opposed to being a legend. To see a sign is a direct experience. To hear a report of a sign is an indirect experience. For those who do not see the signs themselves due to distance or time, they can still hear a report of these signs through the testimony of the Israelites.
Three Biological Systems – The Fuchs Mizrachi 2016-2017 STE(A)M Learning
Every year, the FMS Lower School embarks on an 8 week intensive learning journey in preparation for our annual STE(A)M fair. This journey encompasses so much, but at its core, this experience lays the foundation for life-long learners and information seekers; involvement in this process remains the most valuable lesson for our students in the LS.
Student Feedback
Students reflected on their past year of study in the Advanced Placement Human Geography course. The Student Feedback assignment was simple enough, but the results surpassed my expectations. The insight & the comprehensive explanation of experiences, successes, and failures that the students shared will prepare incoming freshman for years to come.
STEM Day 2.0
I organized and planned a school wide STEM Day. This event consisted of 5 different STEM-based activities that all students in the school actively participated in. All activities were hands-on and allowed the students to see the connection between school, STEM, and the real world.
Building a Listening Room, Maturing Student Prayer: Creating Intentional Religious Environments and Practices in the Traditional Jewish Day School
In my work on Tefila, I have thought about, proposed, and worked on various ideas and projects related to increasing student engagement in Tefila. In the particular capacity of a facilitator of an alternatively structured tefila, I have built a tefila space that both quiets and focuses students around conventional tefila practice through deliberate practices of mindfulness meditation built into the tefila--before, and during the prayers themselves--while still maintaining the full ritualized practice of Orthodox prayer. My theory, which has played out for the past four years and for over 100 students, is that a stilled body allows for a focused mind, and a quieted, focused mind allows for optimal tefila experiences. Setting students up for success, in other words, has everything to do with setting up tefila properly so that it might be a strengthening, cathartic, and transformative experience.