V'ahavta Review Day

During our last class before winter break and Tarboot v’Omanut, we reviewed lines 1-5 of our V'ahavta practice sheet by playing games. We used this bulls-eye game board and a set of V'ahavta flash cards.  It was a fun way to practice sounding out words, and to remind students that they know more than they think.  Next we played team tic-tac-toe (our favorite game) which involved listening to a word from the first 5 lines of the V'ahavta, and then finding it on our practice sheet.  We will play more review games when we resume class after break.  

If you'd like to play at home to review what we've been learning, you can use this game board to practice the Alef-Bet, or this game board to practice the V'ahavta.  You can use this set of cards, or this set that I made, with the second game board (or use a board game that you have at home.)  

Happy (end of) Hanukkah!

Learning V'ahavta

In small groups, students practiced with Alef-Bet flash cards, and worked on reviewing the first four lines of our V'ahavta practice sheet.  We took a break midway through class to stretch and rest our brains.  Then we worked as a class to sound out the four words in line 5 on our V'ahavta practice sheet.  We used the repeat-after-me method to learn the melody, and then practiced singing all five lines a few times.  We ended class by playing a brief review game, with a piece of candy as a prize.  

Learning V'ahavta

As students arrived, everyone made a Hanukkah card that will be delivered along with Hanukkah boxes to people in need.  Next, the class divided into teams and we played a game that involved putting the words in the V'ahavta in the correct order.  Then we went over the words in line 4 of our V'ahavta practice sheet, and practiced singing lines 1-4 together.  We ended class by playing team tic-tac-toe to work on letter recognition.  

Learning V'ahavta

We began our class by reviewing letter and vowel sound combinations that are found in line 3 on our V'ahavta practice sheet.  Then students separated into two groups and worked together to sound out all of the words in line 3.  I can't believe how much their reading skills have improved since the school year began.  I am also impressed at how willing these students are to help each other learn.  We took a break to play a game and rest our brains.  Then we practiced chanting the first three lines of the v'ahavta with trope (or melody) and we are really getting the hang of it.  We will continue with line 4 during out next class.

Resources are available to practice at home, especially for students who have missed class. Here is a practice sheet with the words of the V'ahavta in Hebrew, here is a SoundCloud playlist for this prayer (using the worksheet provided), and here is a link to Kendra's recording on the Temple Sholom website.  Practicing at home, even just for 5 or 10 minutes, will significantly help students gain confidence in their Hebrew skills and feel successful during class.  

Learning V'ahavta

We began class with a review of letter and vowel sound combinations that are found in the V'ahavta.  We spent the majority of class using our Prayer Companion worksheet to learn the first two lines of the V'ahavta.  We took a break in the middle of class to play a game and rest our brains.   I am very impressed at the progress that these students are making with this difficult prayer.  We ended class with a small group activity that helped us learn what the words of the V'ahavta mean in English.

If students would like to practice at home, here is a practice sheet with the words of the V'ahavta in Hebrew.  I have recorded a SoundCloud playlist for this prayer (using the worksheet provided), and Kendra has also posted a recording on the Temple Sholom website.

Letter Recognition and Learning V'ahavta

We are continuing to practice letter recognition because being able to recognize letters is essential for being able to read Hebrew words.  Students used worksheets that were designed to help them differentiate between letters that have similar shapes.  Next we began talking about the וְאָהַבְתָ (v'ahavta) which is the first prayer we will learn this year.  The v'ahavta is an incredibly difficult prayer to learn, but I am confident that we will be able to do it!  We focused on the first four words, first sounding them out, and then learning the trope - or melody. 

Chapter 5 Continued

As students arrived, they worked on a vowel sound coloring sheet.  Then we played a game using the letters Bet, Vet, Kaf, and Chaf, which helped us remember how to tell the difference between them when we see them in Hebrew words.  We reviewed the story that we read last week, together as a class.  Then students worked with a partner to practice reading the next story in the chapter.  We ended class with a review game, during which everyone won a piece of candy as a prize.

Shalom Ivrit Chapter 5: Vocabulary & Reading

As students arrived, we worked together to match cards with block and script letters written on them.  After we had completed all of the matches, we put the letters in the correct order.

Then we had a mini lesson to review how to read Hebrew words.  We chose a vocabulary word from our textbook and used a series of steps to sound it out.  Next each student worked with a partner to sound out some of the vocabulary words from the book chapter, and to find their meanings in the chapter dictionary.  All of the groups shared their work with the class.  Then we read through the story in our textbook, which included the vocabulary words we had just learned.  

For our closing activity, students listened as I read through the story again.  The students were able to translate the Hebrew words into English and understand what the story was about.  The last line was true about the class in the story and about our class, too.  The final line said: "!הַמוֹרָה טוֹבָה כִּי הַיְלָדִים טוֹבִים"

Alef-Bet Review

We began class with a game of team tic-tac-toe.  We used the game to practice block and script letter recognition and vowel sounds.  Then we reviewed the Alef-Bet from Alef to Tav.  We used the Debbie Friedman version of the Alef-Bet song to remember the order of the letters, and each student made his or her own script writing guide.  Our wrap up activity was a quick letter recognition game (and everyone won a prize, of course!)

First Day Recap

During our first class we talked about our learning goals and classroom expectations. Then we played and exciting game of get-to-know-you baseball.  Our baseball game helped us learn each other's names and discover things we had in common.  At the end of class students participated in a brief Alef-Bet activity, which served as an introduction for some students and a review for others.