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04 Jan 2019
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January 4 — a shehecheyanu to 2019

Welcome back, everyone!

What a week of change! First with the start of a new year.Then, more importantly, with the mixing of half groups. Third Graders rose to the occasion, and have smoothly transitioned into their new half groups. While we enjoyed our week from school, we definitely missed each and every one of the members in our third grade community!

As community builders, each half group participated in two separate activities to strengthen our bonds — one by showing how each individual comes together to create a whole, and the other is how communication can help us to achieve our goals.

 

 

 

 

 

In our first activity, each student received a puzzle piece. They were asked to design it any way (with the Orange Group using warm colors, and the Purple Group using cool colors), and include their name big and bold. After they finished, the half group needed to work as a whole to put the puzzle together.

 

In our second activity, students worked in table groups. Only using 45 [kosher] marshmallows and an unlimited number of toothpicks, they needed to communicate with their partner on how to create the tallest structure without it falling over. Below are some pictures of those two activities.

 

 

In Social Studies, we started our study of Civil Rights. For Third Grade, our focus is on Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott, with the goal of building upon students’ prior knowledge of the movement from previous years. As a way to build context, we started by exploring voting laws through the centuries. In it, we noticed discrimination dating back to the beginning of our federal laws (in 1783). Issues that are STILL occurring in America in 2019! Students then studied DBQ pictures that represent the Jim Crow Laws and Segregation. We talked about how the Jim Crows Laws existed primarily in the South, and how they affected the daily lives of people of color — specifically African Americans. Students made observations, asked questions, and reacted. Their overall reactions were of confusion, sadness and anger over the unfair treatment. “It doesn’t matter the color of our skin — underneath, we’re all people!” Our main topics of conversation revolved around pictures of boycotts, soda shoppe sit-ins, a clip from Hidden Figures, water fountains, movie theaters and hotels. We also discussed leaders of change during the Civil Rights movement, who were Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr, and Rosa Parks.

Conversation Starters:

  • Why were these laws in place, preventing people from being able to vote? Who are the different people unable to vote?
  • Some of these voting issues are still happening today. What is at least one thing that YOU can do to try to change voting for the better?
  • Practice your multiplication tables during various times together, be it while getting ready for bed, commuting to/from school, at the dinner table, during bath/shower time, etc! We are now working on our: 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s and 10s

Dates to Remember:

  • Friday, January 18 — MLK Jr Tekes @ 9:00am
  • Monday, January 21 — NO SCHOOL
  • Friday, February 8 — Shabbat Across Senesh
  • Tuesday, February 12 — 3rd grade trip to the Wyckoff House

Shabbat shalom!
Hilary

Judaic Studies with Phyllis

Happy New Year! Before break the third graders worked hard to finish up a challenging section of text about God’s promise of land and children to Abram. On our last day of class the students participated in a riveting Shoresh game. Their mastership of the verbs as well as their sportsmanship was all around impressive!
We are now well into our unit about Edot, or different communities of Israel. Before break we collected data on our class and both mapped and charted the birth countries of our parents, grandparents and, in some cases, great-grandparents. We discovered that our class has roots all over the globe! Some of the countries we are from include Morocco, Argentina, Sri Lanka, England, Ukraine, Moldova, Israel and Canada.  This week we focused in on the first Aliya to Israel in the 1880’s. Ask your child who Eliezer Ben Yehuda was?!? Per Sam’s fantastic idea- The students will be writing mock interviews about the Aliya experiences of these early Halutzim (or immigrants).  We look forward to inviting parents in over the next few weeks to learn more about the diverse cultures of our class.

Hebrew with Ilana Swisa

This short week the third grade finished to work on their written project about their favorite animal. They practiced reading it, learned the vocabulary and presented it in class. In the extra class we had an activity about breathing and yoga and how we can benefit from being aware of our breathing.
Shabbat Shalom

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