Gimel – Third Year – Wednesday (Weiner)

11/11: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had an all-school t’fillah led by Rabbi Prass, and hey students Brady M & Jonah M.  Rabbi Prass reminded us that it was Rosh Chodesh (new month) of Kislev.  He asked us what something we wanted to do over this new month, and something we did well that we wanted to repeat this coming new month. We also practiced the milat hashavua (word of the week) “chodesh” and kid-friendly announcements.
  2. Went over last week’s homework
  3. Warmed up with a review of 5 Hebrew letters and vowels
  4. Reviewed the reading rule when a word ends with “akh”
  5. Continued learning about Shabbat blessings, going more in depth about the blessings for the wine and challah
  6. Practiced reading and translating the blessings
  7. Learned about different mitzvot, including welcoming guests
  8. Played Shabbat Bingo with all the vocabulary we learned
  9. At the end of the session, aka our normal Hebrew thru movement time, the whole school gathered for a tzedakah project led by one of our Hey students, Brady M.  For his Bar Mitzvah tzedakah project, he is asking for letters to be written to American Veterans in honor of his grandfather and other veterans who are chosen for an honor flight. He explained the project to the whole group, and he gave us time to write letters.  All put in a lot of lovely effort because of Brady’s project.
  10. Students worked really hard today!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. To reinforce what we did in class, students should complete the activities listed below on pages 50 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  2. Reading Rule (Page 50): Students should fill in the missing letter at the end of each word and then practice reading the words.

11/4: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today started with an all-school T’fillah led by Rabbi Prass, with help from Grace in Hey & Avery in Daled. Rabbi Prass gave an update on Israel’s elections/coalition making last week, and America’s elections this week, and that casting a vote is using your voice, just like praying is an expression of voice.  After t’fillah Rabbi Prass shared announcements and the word of the week, b-cheera, or elections. The students then made Heb-lish sentences with it.
  2. Went over last week’s homework and letter/vowel assessment
  3. Warmed up with a review of 5 Hebrew letters and vowels
  4. Started our next unit on Shabbat blessings
  5. Learned the blessings for candles, wine, and bread
  6. Discussed why we light at least two candles on Shabbat and learned the order of lighting candles and saying the blessing
  7. Learned about all the different candles we light and practiced reading the blessings for each of them
  8. Aleph – Hey students finished their day with all-school Hebrew Through Movement and Trivia led by Rabbi Prass.
  9. Students did a terrific job today!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. To reinforce what we did in class, students should complete the activities listed below on page 40 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  2. Welcoming Shabbat (Page 40): Fill in the missing words for each blessing and then say each blessing.

10/28: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today started with an all-school T’fillah led by Rabbi Prass, with help from Everett and Nathan in Kitah Daled. Rabbi Prass shared that Israel’s elections took place today, and that casting a vote is using your voice, just like praying is an expression of voice.  After t’fillah Rabbi Prass shared announcements and the word of the week, b-cheera, or elections. The students then made Heb-lish sentences with it.
  2. Took a letter/vowel assessment to check progress
  3. Went over last week’s homework
  4. Reviewed the difference between a thank you blessing and a commandment blessing and practiced reciting the beginning of each
  5. Reviewed the roots we’ve learned so far
  6. Learned two new roots: the root meaning holy and the root meaning command
  7. Practiced reading words containing these roots
  8. Connected these roots to the blessings we’ve learned
  9. Learned the reading rules for the letter vav and used these rules to practice reading many words with different vav combinations
  10. Aleph – Daled students finished their day with all-school Hebrew Through Movement and Trivia led by Rabbi Prass.
  11. Students did a terrific job today!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. To reinforce what we did in class, students should complete the activities listed below on pages 37&38 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  2. Reading Rule (Page 37): Read each word and decide if the vav makes an “oh” sound or a “voh” sound. Circle the word if it makes an “oh” sound.
  3. Recognizing the Root (Page 38): Circle the root in each word and then write the root.

10/21: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today we started with an all-school tefilah led by Rabbi Prass.  He shared a short teaching about the words metim vs. hakol in the gevurot. Before Hatikvah, he also reminded us that next week is Israel’s elections.  After t’fillah we did word of the week and heard about our many CBA youth/family friendly events coming up.
  2. Went over the homework from last week
  3. Warmed up with a review of 5 Hebrew letters and vowels
  4. Began learning about blessings of mitzvah
  5. Shared different mitzvot we do every day
  6. Practiced reading the 10 words these blessings start with and learned what each word means
  7. Discussed the difference between a blessing of mitzvah and a thank you blessing and practiced identifying each
  8. Practiced reading different blessings and figuring out what they are for
  9. Aleph – Daled kitot ended the day with Hebrew thru Movement with Rabbi Prass in the Sanctuary.  It included our weekly trivia.
  10. Students did a great job today!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. To reinforce what we did in class, students should complete the activities listed below on pages 36 and 37 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  2. Blessings of Mitzvah (Page 36): Write the 10 words that begin a blessing of mitzvah and then read the words.
  3. Siddur Phrases (Page 37): Read each phrase and circle the phrase that is part of the blessing we learned about today.

10/14: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We enjoyed an all-school T’Fillah led by Rabbi Prass.  He asked us to think about how we tell time.  The learners had some great answers.  He then pointed out that our prayers also tell time (insertion in Gevurot tells the season, which prayer for peace tells time of day, etc.).  After t’fillah we had announcements, and the always fun word of the week and our weekly trivia.
  2. Went over the homework from last week
  3. Reviewed the blessings we say over foods we eat
  4. Learned what the Birkat HaMazon is, including what it means, when we say it, and why we say it
  5. Practiced reading it on our own and together with a variety of reading activities
  6. Played an exciting game of Bingo to practice the words
  7. We had an all-school Hebrew thru Movement led by Rabbi Prass. We were able to learn new Hebrew words (and review earlier ones).  We also heard a report one of our 4th grade students did on October 7th for her secular school.
  8. Students worked really hard today!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. To reinforce the practice we did in class today, students should complete the activity listed below on page 36 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  2. Make Believe (Page 36): Read each word and write the sound-alike word next to the Hebrew word.

10/7: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had an all-school t’fillah led by Rabbi Prass.  In addition to our growing number of prayers, Rabbi Prass showed us the now 1+ week-old lulav and his collection of etrogim from the last 21 years as we ended the 4 Tishrei Chagim.  He then reminded us that this is the 3rd yahrzeit of October 7th.  We lit a yahrzeit candle, and then he taught us about 2 Israelis, Hersh and Gabriel who were part of October 7th.   What he read to us was a little about what they did on October 7th, and more about the way they lived. Finally, Rabbi Prass handed us literal footprints and asked us to write ways we can walk in their footsteps of how they lived.
  2. Went over the homework from last week
  3. Reviewed the six words that most blessings start with
  4. Learned the blessings for many different foods we eat
  5. Practiced reciting these blessings and identifying what each blessing is for
  6. Reviewed the roots we’ve learned and learned the root meaning ruler
  7. Practiced reading and translating words built on this root
  8. Had a great discussion about the many different blessings we say and came up with a giant list of things we are grateful for
  9. Kitah Alef & Bet & Gimmel enjoyed Hebrew thru Movement led by Rabbi Prass, where he showed us the open sefer Torah since we just celebrated Simchat Torah. 
  10. On the way out, and since Sukkot is over, Rabbi Prass cut the Etrog into smaller pieces and offered each interested learner a piece to taste.
  11. Students did a great job today!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. To reinforce the practice we did in class today, students should complete the activities listed below on page 35 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  2. Recognizing the Root (Page 35): Circle the root letters and practice reading the words.
  3. Pick a Fruit (Page 35): Fill in the missing word and practice reading the blessings.

9/30: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. We had an all-school t’fillah led by Rabbi Prass.  He asked us, “What do you notice that is beautiful inside the sanctuary?”  Then Rabbi Prass pointed out that we are in the middle of the Holiday Sukkot, which helps us notice that which is beautiful outside, and how prayer/t’fillah helps us notice that which is beautiful both inside and outside.
  2. Went over the homework from last week
  3. Warmed up with a review of 5 Hebrew letters and vowels
  4. Began our next unit on blessings
  5. Learned the meaning of the six words that most blessings start with
  6. Practiced reading these 6 words individually and together
  7. Reviewed the root meaning bless and learned the root meaning faith
  8. Learned the blessings we say in the Sukkah and practiced reading them
  9. Kitah aleph, bet, gimmel went outside for a special visit to the סוכה (Sukkah) with Rabbi Prass. The children enjoyed learning about the אתרוג (etrog) and לולב (lulav) and practicing the blessings for Sukkot. 🍋🌿They each had the opportunity to shake the lulav and etrog.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. To reinforce the practice we did in class today, students should complete the activities listed below on page 34 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  2. Thank You (Page 34): Write the 6 words that most blessings start with and then read the words.
  3. Count Your Blessings (Page 34): Students should write their own blessing starting with the 6 words we have learned.

9/23: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today started with an all-school T’fillah in the sanctuary led by Rabbi Prass. Rabbi Prass started the t’fillah asking the learners, “Why is it important to fast on Yom Kippur (if you are both healthy and post B’nai Mitzvah age)?”  The children had some really deep, interesting answers.  
  2. Went over the homework from last week
  3. Warmed up with a review of 5 Hebrew letters and vowels
  4. Reviewed what the Barkhu is and practiced reading it
  5. Learned the different ways G-d’s name is written and found examples of the different ways in our books and in the Siddur
  6. Reviewed final letters and practiced reading words with them
  7. Reviewed what roots are and practiced the root for bless/praise
  8. Practiced reading for fluency with a variety of reading activities
  9. Aleph, Bet, and Gimmel went outside for Hebrew through movement led by Rabbi Prass. This is a fun activity where the students learn verbs by doing the action of the verb said in Ivrit.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. To reinforce our practice with final letters, students should complete the activity listed below on page 4 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  2. Final Letters (Page 4): Read each of the words containing final letters. Pick 3 words on each line and write out the way they sound.

9/16: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today started with an all-school t’fillah led by Rabbi Prass.  He introduced what T’fillah will be like for the school year, including that all the students will be wearing kippot during this time together. If your student would like to wear their own personal kippah, they are more than welcome to do so.  We also practiced the word/letter of the week and heard some announcements.
  2. Went over homework
  3. Warmed up with a review of 5 Hebrew letters and vowels
  4. Reviewed what the Barkhu means and why we say it
  5. Practiced reading the Barkhu
  6. Learned the history of the Barkhu
  7. Learned what a Hebrew root is and learned the root meaning bless
  8. Practiced reading words with this root
  9. Kitot Alef, Bet, Gimmel gathered in the sanctuary for Hebrew thru movement led by Rabbi Prass. Rabbi Prass taught them how to blow a shofar. It was fun to listen to. I hope the students had fun and learned that they can do it!
  10. Students did a great job today!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. To reinforce our practice with roots, students should complete the activities listed below on page 5 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  2. Recognizing the Root (Page 5): Students should follow directions as written and circle the root letters in each word.
  3. Siddur Phrases (Page 5): Students should circle all words built on the root and then practice reading the phrases.

9/9: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Attended an all-school welcome assembly. The students were very curious about the sanctuary remodel.
  2. Played icebreaker games to get to know each other
  3. Warmed up with a review of 5 Hebrew letters and vowels
  4. Explored the textbook and workbook we will be using
  5. Began our first unit learning all about the Barkhu
  6. Learned Barkhu prayer vocabulary with a variety of activities
  7. Practiced reading the Barkhu individually and together
  8. Discussed what the Barkhu means and why we say it
  9. Learned what a minyan is
  10. Had a great discussion about the importance of community
  11. The whole school participated in Hebrew through movement with Rabbi Prass
  12.  It was great to meet the parents and explain the curriculum and the year-in-review.
  13. We had a fantastic first day, and I’m looking forward to a great year!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Each session, students will be assigned a workbook page to complete to reinforce what we did in class. This should only take 5-10 minutes to complete. If it ever takes longer, please have your student stop working, and we will complete it together in class.
  2. Students should complete page 2 in their workbook, The New Hebrew Through Prayer.
  3. A Call to Prayer: Students should fill in the missing Hebrew words and then read the prayer they have written.