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On our way through November in the 8th grade!

Humanities

In ELA class, students have been working so hard on writing and revising their first literary analysis essays of the year. They have been so impressive to read, and I am truly impressed with how deeply students are willing to dive into interpretation. Additionally, have begun reading Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Please make sure that your child is reading at home every night!

In Social Studies, the students have exploring life in Colonial North America, especially examining primary source documents from the Plymouth Plantation, including the foundational American speech “City Upon a Hill.”

Science

Science continues to explore molecules and chemical reactions. Students are discovering that in chemical reactions we cannot create or destroy atoms but rearrange them to form new molecules. Students have been practicing their lab skills in order to perform our chemistry experiments. In the coming weeks we will continue our exploration of molecules and think about the differences between chemical and physical changes. 

Math

The 8th grade is in the process of exploring systems of linear equations and inequalities in depth. They are learning about the different methods they can use to solve these systems as well as their applications in everyday life. Fun Fact: Systems of Equations, also known as Simultaneous Equations, are heavily utilized in the business sector to calculate when supply is equivalent to demand.

Hebrew

Dear parents,
These past two weeks students in Hebrew K discussed their dream school, wrote an essay in this topic and gave short speeches. Next, they practiced describing places in the past and today.
In Hebrew J, students have been busy describing the role pets have in their lives. They practiced making up rules and presenting them to each other.

Next week the students will take the Avant Hebrew assessment. It is an online proficiency based assessment which looks into all 4 skills: reading writing listening and speaking.
The assessment allows us to track students ability to function in Hebrew. Therefore students do not need to prepare for it. The test does not effect students grades rather helps us better plan our teaching.

I wish everyone a relaxing weekend!
Andreea

להורים יקרים,
שמחתי מאד להיפגש איתכם ביום הורים.
השבוע סיימנו את עבודתנו הדנה במרכז הייחודי “נא לגעת” הנמצא בתל-אביב – יפו בו עובדים אנשים עיוורים וחרשים כמלצרים ואנשי תיאטרון. במסגרת זו דנו בשאלות על תפקודם של אנשים עם מוגבלויות  בחיי היום יום וכיצד החברה בוחנת אותם. התרגשתי לשמוע שחלקכם  ביקרתם במרכז וחוויתם חוויה מיוחדת. במסגרת הנושא הזה התחלנו לקרוא סיפור קצר בשם החייכן של יצחק נוי הדן ביחס השיפוטי שלנו כלפי אנשים רק לפי המראה שלהם.
סוף שבוע מהנה,
אילנה
Judaic Studies
8th graders completed our study of the book of Devarim/Deuteronomy! We focused on how to handle the worries that come up when you transition from a familiar place (like Senesh or the wilderness) to a new place where more will be expected of you (like high school or the Land of Israel). Students made “worry boxes” and composed amazing 6 word memoirs to celebrate our completion of the Torah. Awesome examples include:
Moshe: born Pharoah’s slave, died God’s.
For Sale: Moshe’s staff, partially used.
Israelites: finally in Israel! What now?
We are now beginning a very challenging and exciting new unit on the question of who wrote the Torah. We began by looking at traditional answers to this question: how do commentators like Rashi and Ibn Ezra deal with moments in the Torah text that seem to suggest authorship by someone other than God/Moshe? We then moved into exploring academic biblical scholarship, engaging in a crash course in the history of ancient Israel along the way. The goal is for students to be able to answer the question of biblical authorship for themselves, and to reflect on whether who wrote the Torah matters to them or not.

awesome tefilla photo!

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