Author: mwasherstein

Grade 8: Current Event (Due: Thursday 3/24)

mwasherstein / / Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein, Uncategorised

This year students will be responsible for researching, analyzing, and presenting a current event in our Jewish Studies course.

Directions: Find an article either in the newspaper or online from a newspaper source. Examples include: CBC News, USA Today,  CTV News, Associated Press, The New York Times, Ynetnews Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Times of Israel,  etc., or any other reputable national or local source. Read the article and fill out the statements or answer the questions below.

Please find and read about important issues that relate/connect to antisemitism.

Because this is a current events assignment, you are to choose an article that is no more than two weeks old from when the assignment is given.

Be prepared to discuss your article in class on the due date!

 

Please click the link below to access the current event template: 

Current Events Write Up Assignment Instructions

Grade 7: Pirkei Avot Ch. 1 Personal Analysis

mwasherstein / / Grade 7 - Mr. Washerstein

We have begun discussing and analyzing Ch.1 of Pirkei Avot. We will continue to break down this text as our cohort works on developing coherent interpretations and supporting their ideas. Students are being asked to review the 18 verses and select the two verses that they feel are most important. This activity requires students to synthesize information and create personal connections with historic Jewish texts.

Task Breakdown:

Step 1: Each student will read Pirkei Avot Chapter 1 individually

Step 2: Decide which two verses (lessons) you believe are most important

Step 3: Write two paragraphs (one per verse) explaining their importance and the lesson that you learned from contemplating these texts

  • What does the text say?
  • Why is this text important?
  • What lesson can we learn from this text?

Step 4: Share your Google Doc with Mr. Wash

Grade 6: Shalom Bayit

mwasherstein / / Grade 6 - Mr. Washerstein

This week in Jewish Studies our class is beginning to discuss dating, marriage, and the concept of Shalom Bayit. We have watched videos and discussed the importance of recognizing, understanding, and appreciating the values of peers and potential life partners. Over the next few days, we will be focusing on the importance of “peace within the home”. Students will read and analyze the following text in an attempt to draw their own conclusions and connections.

Shalom Bayit Guided Reading

Grade 7: Introduction to Pirkei Avot

mwasherstein / / Grade 7 - Mr. Washerstein

This week the students will be diving into the first chapter of Pirkei Avot. We reviewed the benefits of annotating the text as we read. Additionally, students were encouraged to read and analyze both the Hebrew and English text. As we came across unfamiliar terms, students looked up words in an attempt to uncover their meaning and better understand each lesson. We discussed the value of developing our own interpretations of each text. Students are being asked to create connections between these texts and their own lives. Each student has received a source packet that contains the verses in both Hebrew and English. We have also been using The Illustrated Pirkei Avot as an additional resource. Our sessions thus far have led to fantastic questions and interpretations.

Assignment 1: Ch.1 Illustrated Pirkei Avot Analysis

Click here to access our classroom notes:

Pirkei Avot Google Slides

Pirkei Avot Ch. 1 (Hebrew and English)

The Illustrated Pirkei Avot Cartoons

Sefaria Pirkei Avot Explanations

Grade 8: “None is Too Many” Policy (Due: Wednesday 3/16)

mwasherstein / / Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein

This week we will be discussing the horrific narrative of the MS St. Louis. We watched an incredible documentary that provided our class with testimonies from historians and survivors who experienced this infamous event firsthand. Students will read and analyze a document that discusses specific policies in Canada that were enacted to keep the Jewish people out.

Click the link below to access the assignment:

Canada’s Role in the M.S. St. Louis

Grade 6: Responsibilities of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah Review

mwasherstein / / Grade 6 - Mr. Washerstein

Our next Jewish Studies assessment will take place on Thursday, March 10th, 2022. The review sheet below provides students with key terms to define along with short-answer practice questions. Students should review their notes in order to prepare for the quiz.

Grade 6 Jewish Studies Notes

Slides 24-26: Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Slides 27, 29, 30: Tefillin

Slides 34-39: Tallit/Tzitzit

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Quiz Review Sheet

Grade 7: Interpersonal Mitzvot Video Project

mwasherstein / / Grade 7 - Mr. Washerstein

Students are being tasked with diving deeper into one of the mitzvot we have studied in class. This is a fantastic opportunity to head down to the Makerspace and use the green room for video recording.

Interpersonal Mitzvot Project (instructions, organizer, rubric)

Peer and Self Evaluation Form

 Each group will create a video presentation that explains:

  1. Where is the mitzvah and the connection to Judaism explained? (Torah? Mishnah?)
  2. The meaning/significance of the mitzvah 
    • What does the mitzvah mean?
    • Why is it important to Jewish life?
    • Can this mitzvah be interpreted/performed in more than one way?
  1. What have Jewish commentators said about your mitzvah? 
    • Utilize Sefaria to find various commentaries on your mitzvah
  1.   How does this mitzvah connect to your life and modern everyday situations? 
  2.   Why do you believe this mitzvah is important?

 

Requirements:

  • Research your mitzvah to uncover various interpretations and applications
  • Answer all of the questions above
  • Each person in your group must speak at least once in the video
  • This video will also include a skit/visual representation of the lesson learned
  • Minimum of three minutes long (maximum of eight minutes)

 

Due Dates:

Monday (2/7)-Group check-in #1

Wednesday (2/9)-Group graphic organizer complete

Monday (2/14)- Script complete

Wednesday (2/16)-Group check-in #2

Friday (3/4)- Final project submitted to Mr. Washerstein

Grades 6-8: International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Thursday, January 27th)

mwasherstein / / Grade 6 - Mr. Washerstein, Grade 7 - Mr. Washerstein, Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein

This week the middle school students will be focusing on the Holocaust. Although we typically commemorate the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah, we will also be participating in a variety of Holocaust-related discussions and learning opportunities this week. International Holocaust Remembrance Day was is commemorated on January 27th, as this the date that Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet Forces.

On Thursday, students will be taking a virtual tour of the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum. We will learn about the Holocaust and have the opportunity to view some of the exhibits via Zoom. 

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Additionally, students will be participating in the #WeRemember campaign in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

I have put together a small slideshow with a variety of resources and videos that correspond with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is a live document that will be continually updated with resources, videos, and activities.

What Do We Remember on Holocaust Remembrance Day?

Grade 8: WWI/Treaty of Versailles Graphic Organizer + Various Perspective Assignment (Due: Monday 1/31)

mwasherstein / / Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein

Our class has been studying and analyzing the effects of WWI and The Treaty of Versailles in order to build a stronger historical knowledge base. The purpose of this activity is to synthesize their comprehension and analyze various perspectives regarding the Treaty of Versailles. Throughout these discussions and activities, the students will begin to understand the desperation that was felt in Germany following WWI. Next week, students will begin to learn about the rise of dictators and how Adolf Hitler came to power.

 

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This link will help you describe the feelings of the various countries in greater detail:

Grade 8: Virtual Discussion with Tibor Egervari

mwasherstein / / Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein

On Monday the Grade 8 class had the opportunity to engage in a discussion with a Holocaust survivor on Zoom. Our guest speaker, Tibor Egervari, shared his story and explained how he ended up in Canada. Tibor answered a variety of questions and provided the students with his unique insight. Tibor shared his own life lessons and encouraged our students to take a stand when they witness injustice occurring in our world. We are incredibly grateful that Tibor was able to share his perspective with us.