Navi Presentations and Chumash Games

Here are some pictures from some of our Chumash games and Navi Presentations
Enjoy
Have an enjoyable Winter Break
Rabbi Greenblatt

Mazel Tov Mazel Tov!!

Today we finished Parashat Shemot. Tomorrow we will review the last Perek in class and we will have some time to play the games the students made.

In Navi the students are working Creative projects in class to review the Stories and Eglon and Ehud, as well as the story of Sisra and Yael. Some groups are making plays, while others are working on a Newscast and a comic strip.

Have a Great Day!!
Rabbi Greenblatt

A Daily Summary

After our very exciting day on Friday we got right back into the learning today. Today we discussed the "Pyramid of Power" which existed in Egypt, and we learned who was actually in charge of the slaves. It may surprise you. Ask your child for the answer.
In the past few days we have finished the stories of Ehud and Eglon, as well as Yael and Sisra in Navi. As a review the students will be working on creative projects about these stories in class.
Reminder: The” make up a game” project is due tomorrow

Students Become Teachers

Today the entire class had the opportunity to Skype with a fifth grade class in Stony Plain Alberta about Chanukah. I am connected to the Principal of the school in Stony Plain through my association with Connected Principals, an online community of administrators, and he arranged for this Skype session with one of his teachers. The teacher sent me questions in advance which I went over with the class and we divided up the class so that each student would answer at least one question.
Both classes had fun and learned a lot from the experience and my hope is that we could do it again with other areas of the curriculum.

What was really special to me was the way our students answered the questions and became the teachers. Mrs. Wittlin commented to me afterwards, "How often do our kids get a chance to be the experts1" I believe she hit the nail on the head. We are told one of the highest forms of learning is to be able to teach others and for many that doesn't happen until they are older but our fifth grade students today had the opportunity to take what they have learned about Chanukah and were able teach others.

They did a great Job.
Kol Hakavod Kitah Hay

Wishing everyone a good shabbos
Rabbi Greenblatt

Respecting a King even an Evil King

Today in Chumash we learned that according to Rashi Moshe used a word that meant that the Jews would get punished, but he really meant to say that Pharaoh would be punished. Why would did Moshe do that? Rashi explains that even to Pharaoh one had to show respect since he was the king
For H.W. I asked the students to come up with 5 other examples of hoe we show respect to Kings ( or Parents and Teachers)

Rabbi Greenblatt

Create Your Own Game

Today as a culminating project/ assessment for Perek Daled in Chumash, each student will need to make up their own game. Below you will find a copy of the letter that I gave out today in class.



Instructions: You need to create a game for Perek Daled in Chumash . The game can be a board game, matching, Jeopardy, I Have Who Has, or one you make up.

Each game must include: 7-10 shorashim and translations
7-10 basic questions
7-10 questions on Rashi

Grading: Each section is worth 30 points = 90 points
There will be 10 points given for neatness

Project is Due Tuesday December 21

There will be very little if any class time given to work on this project

Please return a signed copy by Friday December 17

_____________ ____________________
Parent Signature Student Signature

Class Update

It has been a long time since I have written a class update.
I am truly sorry about that and it something that I will try to do on a more regular basis. On the flip side it means that we have been very busy.

Here are some of the highlights of the exciting things that we have been doing in class:
• We now have a blog where each student can write a post and comment on posts written by other students
• Some students have joined me when I have Skyped with other schools
• We made videos about Chanukah at our class Chanukah party and watched them the next day in school
• We learned about the Fires in Israel by watching news clips
• The Bat Ami girls did a program about Hero’s related to Chanukah
• We made Chanukah brochures
• We are almost finished with Parashat Shemot

There are a lot of fun and exciting things going on in the Fifth grade. The common denominator with all of them is that the students are engaged and are active participants in the learning process which is one of my major goals.

Have a good Shabbos
Rabbi Greenblatt

I Just Had to Share

Each week I usually give out a Dvar Torah for the students to to read at the Shabbat table. Today I decided to have them come up with something on their own.I gave them the topic of Avraham's Ten Tests to write about. I told them it was for them, written by them, and I made it clear it would not be graded. Everyone in the class was working and writing some amazing ideas. I walked around the room watching and helping as needed. One student was writing about how the tests got harder, another one wrote why Hashem tested Avraham, and so on. The entire class was motivated and engaged. This was something new and just having them motivated would have been amazing, but that wasn't even the most amazing part. After giving them the allotted time I announced it was time for recess. About half the class sat in their seats and asked me if they could stay and finish their (ungraded) Dvar Torah's .
I couldn't believe it.

They made my day.

You as parents should take pride and have Nachas in the amazing work that everyone is doing. Please ask them to share with you their Dvar Torah's
Have a great weekend and Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Greenblatt

Critical Thinking and Open Ended Projects

In almost all of the educational literature today you read about the concept of 21st Century skills. To boil it down, 21st Century skills are skills that students will need to be successful in life. Some of these skills include but are not limited to; critical thinking, collaboration, questioning, and analyzing. The literature also tells us that these skills need to be taught and they don’t come naturally to our students. With that in mind I have tried to create an environment in my class that pushes the students to think and ask questions about what we are learning. This is not easy but as I told the class on the first day I will help you and give whatever assistance you need but I will not allow the words “I Can’t “ to be said in my class.
One of the ways to help students learn these skills is to give them projects that are open ended and by giving them choices.
Now that we have finished the first Perek in Shemot I have assigned a Tic-Tac-Toe activity that gives the students nine different choices of activities which are open ended (There is no one right way to do it ) as an assessment for Perek Alef.
These projects are due next Friday.

I am confident that as we progress, your children will see the benefit of learning these important skills.
If you have any concerns as always please feel free to speak to me
Have a Great Shabbos
Rabbi Greenblatt

Using technology in the classroom

Recently there have been a number of discussions regarding using technology in the classroom. My personal opinion is that it is a tool, it doesn’t replace good teaching, and the focus must always be learning. Today I tried to incorporate the two in a lesson about Sukkot. I showed the class a video about the Arabah Minim. Then I asked them to each write down questions based on facts that they saw in the video. I showed the video twice. After that I shuffled the papers and gave each student someone else’s questions to answer. Before they answered the questions I showed the video again.

Most of the students came up with at least 10 questions and all the students were engaged in watching the video so that they could come up with their own questions and answer the questions they were given. The four and half minute video incorporated many of the same facts that I would presented in a lecture but I know with 100% certainty that the format in which the same facts were presented was more engaging and therefore I believe in the end the students learned more.

Technology and videos cannot nor should they replace teachers or good teaching but teachers should use these tools to help their students learn.

Wishing you all a Chag Sameach

A Rosh Hashanah Message

Rosh Hashanah is a time of a lot of symbolism. We eat certain foods, we don’t eat other food like nuts, and some have the custom not to take a Yom Tov nap on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Why do we do all of these different things after all we are not a religion that believes in superstitions? I would suggest that the reason can be found in a concept that the Sefer HaChinuch mentions often as to the reason behind certain Mitzvoth. He says that one’s thoughts follow ones actions. So if one is involved in giving of Tzedakah he will begin to not only to do acts of kindness but actual start thinking that way. I believe the same is true with our actions on Rosh Hashanah; we do things so that we will have the proper frame of mind as we enter into Rosh Hashanah, Yom Hadin, the Day of Judgment. Perhaps by not eating nuts we will think about the reason behind this custom ,and focus less on the concept of Chet (sins). Therefore even things that we may not do the entire year we do on Rosh Hashanah with the hope that these actions will lead to thoughts that will indeed change the way we think and act for the entire year. In order to get the year off on a proper note I have sent home four divrei torah so that there can be one dvar torah at each meal.

My hope is that through all of our actions and deeds may we all be inscribed for a happy and healthy new year.

Ketiva V’chatima Tova
Rabbi Greenblatt

The week in Review

Before I begin the formal review of what we did this week I just wanted to thank the parents for attending Back To school Night. One of the my personal goals and theme that we have as a school communication and parent involvement. I hope to work together with you through out the year to make this a successful year of learning for each of your children.

As I look back on this week I am happy to say that not only did we learn a lot but that as a class we were engaged and participated in the learning. Some of the skills that we worked on this week include;Shorashim, Understanding basic facts, knowing Rashi letters, questioning, sequencing,and critical thinking to name a few. Next week I hope to start learning the Rashi's inside the Chumash and working on the skill of reading Rashi.

We worked on and assessed these skills through; matching games, a creative project, exit cards, and the I have Who has game.
All of this was just in Chumash. We also did a Web to see what we already know about the Shofar and Boy! did they know a lot already. We also leaned the meaning of the word Teruah and why we blow the different sounds. We even integrated some math into our lesson about the Shofar.

Today we discussed the Parsha and how from the mitzvah of Bikurim we learn that we need to be careful about ones feelings and shouldn't embarrass anyone. Every student was also given a Dvar Torah.

I would also encourage you to look at the Judaic Studies blog at mhalowerschooljudaics.blogspot.com to learn about a special activity that I did with the fourth and fifth graders today.

UP COMING EVENTS
Sunday ASBEE BBQ
Monday School Mitzvah Raffle
Pre Rosh Hashanah Oneg Next Shabbos at my home from 5:45-6:30 ( More details to follow )

Have a Great Shabbos

Rabbi Greenblatt

Back to School Night

Using the Smart slate

This year one of the things we are getting use to including myself is using the smart slate here are some pictures of the students using it during class today

Get a Voki now!

First Week

I would like to use the blog as a means of communication and also getting the students familiar with it so at some point in can truly be a fifth grade blog with their input as well. I would also encourage parents to follow and leave comments. I will send out a soin email as well letting you all know that posted something new to the blog.


WHAT A WEEK!

This week was an amazing week in fifth grade it is hard to remember everything. We met our class Avitar. If anyone would like to name him I am taking suggestions.
We tried writing our names using the Smart slate. it is going to take us some time but we are getting better using the slate every day. We also tried playing a sequnece game with the Smart board software and did some fun ice breaker activities, to welcome everyone back but also to welcome Meira finer to our class.
With all of that we still did some Chumash,Dinim, and Parsha. I gave out a Dvar Torah to each child as well as a parsha sheet that highlights some of the key points.
Next week we will continue with Chumash and start the laws of Rosh Hashanah and we will review our class/personal goals.
I hope to see you all monday at the BBQ and then again for Back to School night.
At Back to school night I will discuss more about the curriculum and class rules and expectations
Have a Great Shabbos.
Rabbi Greenblatt

First Day of School

Get a Voki now!

ברוכים הבאים לכתה ה

Welcome to the fifth grade class of 2010-2011 school year.
I hope you all had a great summer. My hope is to use this blog as a way to communicate with everyone (parents and students) and for all us to share ideas of what is going on in class.
The first activity that I hope to post on the blog will be done during the first day of school so you will need to wait a few more days.
Enjoy your last week of vacation
Rabbi Greenblatt

Welcome to all the fifth grades for the 2010-2011 School year. I hope you all had a great summer and I am looking forward to an amazing year.
Enjoy the rest of your summer
Rabbi Greenblatt

Update

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted something, but not to fear we have still been learning a lot. We finished Parshat Bo and are ready to start parshat B'shalach. We have also started a mini unit on Basic Jewish knowledge.
Over the last two weeks the students worked on making up their own tests on perek 12 in shemot. On Monday the students will have a chance to take a test made up by another student. On Tuesday I will be IY'H handing out a Tic-Tac-Toe activity as a review of parshat Bo.

Also I hope to do another Shabbos program in the next few weeks.

Sorry it has been so long since my last post.

Have a good shabbos
Rabbi Greenblatt

Update

Weekly Summary

Even though this was a very short week we began learning the 12th perek in Shemot. We also discussed this week's parsha as well as key mishnayot in Perkei Avot.

Reminder Today April 9th is the 10th day in the Omer.

Shabbat Shalom

Welcome Back

I hope you all had a nice Pesach vacation. Someone emailed me over Pesach that they couldn't leave a comment on the blog. I am not sure what the issue is but if you can comment I would like you to share some thoughts that you all have from Pesach.
How many of you used our Divrei Haggadah?
Reminder today April 8th is the 9th day in the Omer.
Have a great Day!

Chag Kasher V'sameach

I would like to wish you all a Chag Kasher V'sameach.
I hope that everyone brought home their Divrie Haggadah so that you can all share Divrei torah at the Seder.
Have a great Pesach
Rabbi Greenbaltt

Kindergarten Buddies

One of the programs this year on both sides of the curriculum in Fifth grade is our Kindergarten Buddies. Here are some pictures.

Reminders

On Thursday we have a Dinim "Quest" ( something between a quiz and test) on Pesach.
Also if you haven't emailed me your Haggadah article today is the last day to do it.

Welcome

I would like to welcome you to our fifth grade blog.
I was inspired this morning to create a blog for our class after hearing that a number of students in the class have their own blog.