OJCS Jewish Studies

It’s Important To Be Knowledgeable About A Topic Prior To Speaking

mwasherstein / January 17, 2019 / Grade 7 - Mr. Washerstein, Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein

Yesterday the Shinshinim came to our classes to teach students in Grade 7 and 8 about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict narrative. Liam and Inbar emphasized the importance of understanding and learning all that you can about a topic before you try to explain it someone else. In the activity shown below, students were given a topic and then asked to speak about that topic for two minutes straight without stopping.

Upon completion of this activity students were shown a Crash Course History video about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

Crash Course History Link

Liam and Inbar did a fantastic job explaining a common misconception that the conflict revolves around religion. In reality, the conflict stems from a land dispute. The land in which Israel sits upon was promised to multiple parties by the British. The Shinshinim used various maps and graphics to show how the borders of Israel have changed depending on the year/moment in history. We look forward to our next session!

Pictures and links to video below

Let’s Get Ready For Purim!

mwasherstein / January 16, 2019 / Grade 6 - Mr. Washerstein, Grade 7 - Mr. Washerstein, Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein

Dear Parents and Students ,

Purim is coming up soon and Middle School is preparing a carnival and we are looking for small prizes to provide students. If you have any gently used toys, small gifts, “chachkas” or anything that you think a child would enjoy to choose as a prize, please send in your items to your child’s homeroom teacher. We thank you for your support and help in making this year’s Purim festival the best ever!

Grade 8: Current Event Relating to Israel Due Tuesday 1/22

mwasherstein / January 16, 2019 / Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein

Students are being asked to prepare a current event write up regarding Israel. Students will read an article (online or print) and complete the attached document for Tuesday. When students arrive to class, we will discuss the news!

Remember that your article must have been written within the last two weeks.

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We Value What Everyone Has To Say!

mwasherstein / January 14, 2019 / Grade 6 - Mr. Washerstein

Today the Shinshinim visited the Grade 6 class during Jewish Studies! Liam and Inbar taught our class about the value of appreciating multiple perspectives. Students were asked to tell the story of Little Red Riding Hood from two different perspectives (Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf). This role playing exercise gave students the opportunity to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Students watched a TED Talk that explained the importance of listening to all accounts of story before making an informed decision. The Shinshinim used this activity as an introduction to a larger study of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. They will be working with our Grade 6 class to teach them about the conflict, incorporating a variety of perspectives.

Grade 8: Holocaust WebQuest Extension (Due Monday 1/14)

mwasherstein / January 9, 2019 / Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein

Students have been hard at work this past week in an attempt to finish their Holocaust WebQuest. As many students have chosen to dive deep and provide extensive details for each question, I have decided to extend the due date for this assignment.

The Holocaust WebQuest will be due when students arrive to class on Monday 1/14. Keep up the hard work!

Grade 7: Jewish Studies Update

mwasherstein / December 19, 2018 / Grade 7 - Mr. Washerstein

We have spent the last two week working on interpersonal mitzvot. The Grade 7 class had the opportunity to complete the first stage in the mitzvah project with TIPES. They brainstormed, created, and executed a scavenger hunt throughout OJCS. Both sets of students had a lot of fun. The Grade 7 class described this experience as “a meaningful opportunity to bridge two communities.”

This week we introduced two new concepts: Lo Tachmod (revolving around not coveting) and Lo Tikom (not taking revenge).

Students will work in groups to create a skit highlighting the various the mitzvot discussed in class. The skits will be recorded and the videos will be presented in class.

Your skit should should BOTH show and explain the concept of the mitzvah

Requirements:

Each person in your group speaks at least once

Connect the mitzvah to a real life situation

Minimum of two minutes-maximum of ten minutes

Grade 6: Jewish Studies Update

mwasherstein / December 19, 2018 / Grade 6 - Mr. Washerstein

This week we will be concluding our discussion of the Tefillin and Tallit. We learned the blessings, discussed various practices, and reviewed the purpose behind each mitzvah. Our class continues to improve upon our text analysis skills. We also spent time reviewing the concept of courage and lessons that can be learned for Chanukah. After the break, we will be continuing our trek through the Jewish Life Cycle.

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Grade 8: Holocaust WebQuest Assignment (Due: Friday When We Return From Break)

mwasherstein / December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 / Grade 8 - Mr. Washerstein

We continue our study of the Holocaust this week. Students will be participating in an online web quest relating to the Holocaust. The document below contains both the questions and the corresponding links. Students will record their answers in a Google Doc and submit the document by Friday 1/11.

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Grade 6 Ivrit class

rlebovich / December 14, 2018 / Grade 6 Hebrew Language (Hebrew II)

Grade 6 Ivrit class is brainstorming and planning an “escape room” activity for the grade 7 class.

New Project for grade 7

rlebovich / December 14, 2018 / Grade 7 Hebrew Language (Hebrew II)

I am happy to announce the launch of the new project in my Grade 7 Hebrew class. The project is called “Haifa’s pollution – is there a solution?.

Haifa’s crude oil refineries have led to increases in reported cancer cases each year in the city. Students have been asked to research the history of the refinery towers and the reasons why they were built. Through a “project-based learning” approach, students will conduct research about the air pollution in the Haifa Bay. They will investigate the source of the high air pollution and the high morbidity rate. They will interview people who live in that area, speak with environmentalists and will try to come up with solutions to solve the problem!

As parents in Grade 7 know, this project was launched last Saturday night in my house, while sitting around the dinner table and discussing the situation. The children watched a PowerPoint presentation showing the consequences of the air pollution for Haifa’s Bay residents. On Thursday, our class visited the library for a mini-workshop on research skills from Brigitte Ruel, our school’s librarian. It is great to see the class so involved and enthusiastic about the new project!

Ms. Ruel provided a list of “safe sites” for the students to begin their research. I am happy to provide it below for anyone who may be interested:

Haifa Links

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/.premium-an-inconvenient-truth-about-air-pollution-in-haifa-1.5439115

http://www.sviva.gov.il/English/env_topics/IndustryAndBusinessLicensing/Haifa-Bay-Industrial-Zone/Action-Plan-to-Reduce-Pollution/Pages/Plan-to-Reduce-Air-Pollution-and-Environmental-Risks-in-Haifa-Bay-2015-2020.aspx

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2018/02/20180215-lewz.html

https://www.health.gov.il/PublicationsFiles/BSV_sviva2017_EN.pdf

http://www.adamteva.org.il/?CategoryID=1113&ArticleID=2102

Canadian Pollution and Cancer Rates

https://www.chatelaine.com/health/canadas-toxic-town/

https://globalnews.ca/news/872283/how-healthy-is-your-city-7-findings-about-canadas-best-and-worst-cancer-fighting-cities/

https://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/health/the-worst-canadian-cities-for-air-pollution/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131022132147.htm