Jewish History Class

In our Thursday Jewish History class (which is shared with both fifth and sixth grades together), we've been reviewing some of the major events in the early history of our people. For now, we are focusing on sequencing key events from Avraham, the first Jew, until the destruction of the Second Beis HaMikdosh (Temple). From learning about the weekly Parsha and yearly holidays, the students already have a lot of prior knowledge about these time periods, but don't always know how to place them in historical context. This is something that we will continue to review and work on over the coming weeks.

Here are a few interesting questions that we have discussed. Ask them of your child and see how many they can answer, but first give them a try on your own. Do you know...
- How many millenia of Jewish History are there? (following the Jewish calendar)
- Who first led the Jews in conquering and settling the land of Israel after they left Egypt?
- Who ruled over the Jews before they had kings?
- Who was the first Jewish king?
- Which Jewish king made Jerusalem the capital of Israel?
- Which Jewish king built the first Beis HaMikdosh (Temple)?
- What happened to the 10 "lost" tribes?
- Which Jewish holiday story took place first Purim or Chanukah (this one is tricky!)?
- What were some of the names used throughout of history to refer to the land of Israel?

We will be continuously reviewing and adding these types of Jewish History trivia to our students "database" of knowledge - revisiting and discussing again and again, so that they truly retain the information.

For our next lesson, the students will be discussing the fascinating life stories of: Devorah the Prophetess and Shimshon (Samson). For your reference you can read more about these individuals online.
Devorah the Prophetess
Samson the Mighty

MY GOALS FOR THE CLASS:

Learning about Jewish History helps us understand the Jewish people, because it is the story of how we got to where we are today. Learning about Jewish History helps us understand not only what happened in the past, but also what it means to be a Jewish person now. Learning Jewish History helps us understand how the story of our people is all part of our unique mission: to help make the world a better place.

Over the course of this year, we will go on a journey “traveling” through different time periods of Jewish History – “meeting” people who played an important role in Jewish history, and “experiencing” major events that impacted the nature of our story. Our goal will be to begin the journey in biblical times and then “travel” to the modern-day.

In our class, we will be studying from the books “SAND AND STARS” by Yaffa Ganz. This set is an excellent beginner’s textbook on Jewish History for Young Adults. I highly recommend that you consider purchasing a set of these books for your own home, so that you and your child can learn more about Jewish History together. They can be purchased online (here's a link to the first volume on Amazon) or at most Judaica book shops.

Projects in English and Social Studies

    The year has been moving so quickly and we are learning so many new things in 6th grade!
  This week (October 15th-18th), we are doing roundtable work by having every student bring his/her Research Report Draft for the entire class to read and then comment on.
    This is an activity we believe will foster mature converation and teach students the advantages of working as a unit. Students will be taught to compliment as well as criticize constructively the work of their classmates. We'll keep you updated on the results of this new endeavor.

    In social studies class, Election season is very much in the air. All of our energies are focused on learning about Presidents, their history and the system of voting as it stands today in the United States. The class is encouraged to question and discover, and open debates often take place in the framework of the sessions. We also view clips to help understand concepts we discuss.
     Students have related me how much they look forward to social studies every day because it gives them the much-needed opportunity to express themselves. More exciting projects are on the way, such as each student giving a classroom presentation on an influential President (scheduled currently for late October.)

 I welcome all comments and questions,
Mr. Berlin

Dear Parents and Students,
I am very excited to start a new school year in Mazel!

New Year

Very excited to begin the new school year in Mazal Day School! Looking forward to a lot of enjoyable learning!
Sincerely,
Mr. Berlin