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.