Kallah Follow-Up “Na’aseh V’Nishma” [Let’s Do as we Heard] Learning Plans for Tu B’shvat & Beyond
Incorporating the SHEMA schema into new learning plans
Neuro Science teaches us how the brain learns best. During Kallah, we took these findings and incorporated them into a Jewish schema to help educators plan lessons that are “sticky.” As education leaders we are now concerned with BOTH what is taught and what is learned, and brain researchers point us to critical ingredients that help students learn. These ingredients, arranged by the mnemonic SHEMA, are reminders to:
o Stimulate multiple Senses
o Half your brain is devoted to vision; vision trumps all senses
o Exploration is our natural learning mode
o Memory is stimulated through repetition, and
o Attention; people don’t pay attention to boring things; attention is maintained through movement, review, interaction, etc.
Who knows thirteen?
One way to embed the SHEMA schema into lessons is to think of each mnemonic as an opportunity for slipping in a “shtick” to make the lesson “stick.” So, for instance, when planning a lesson and its timing, you should schedule in a “speed bump” to refocus the students’ Attention (within a 45 minute block of time at least three times). The speed bump can take the form of a
1. Story
2. Anecdote
3. Joke
4. Movement activity
Whatever the topic, reframe and reinforce the material in at least three different ways. You can plant the content in your student’s Memory through repetition—and the most stimulating way to repeat is through Stimulating multiple senses, especially the Half of your brain that processes Visual stimuli This can be accomplished using a
5. Picture visual
6. Music
7. Singing
8. Poetry
9. Tactile activity
10. Activity with smell or taste such as a food tasting
And we know that a great way of creating engaging learning is through hands-on activities that involve spirited interchange, competition and collaboration, and a shared challenge. Choose one of the following activities to have your learners get involved in Exploration, a most natural and effective way to own one’s learning:
11. Experiment- a puzzle to solve a “hands-on science” activity to prove a hypothesis
12. Cooking- producing something from component parts
13. Game (with competition and/or collaboration)
Tu B’shvat is a great opportunity and accessible example of how to model the SHEMA schema to your faculty. These lessons are appropriate all spring long, since they reinforce many Jewish themes.
The following list of activities show how the SHEMA schema and grade appropriate activities can work together to create engaging lessons, with content that sticks and can be retrieved beyond the particular lesson and season. The learning plan form and the three lessons that follow could provide a structure towards supervising your educators in the use of activity planning using the SHEMA schema..
The following suggested activities that can replace or supplement the Tu B’shvat Seder. You may model one or more at a staff meeting, or challenge groups of educators (formal, informal, youth group, and family educators) to incorporate and apply the ideas to their learning situations and report back to the whole faculty.
The appropriate grade level is listed, as well as the letter indicating what part of the Shema Schema they fall into: (S-Senses; H- Half Brain/Vision; E-Exploration; M-Memory; A-Attention
A fruit tasting (Pre K-2)- (S)(H)
Taste the 7 species and/or additional fruits and nuts that grow in
Tell the students where the fruits and nuts grow and when they ripen for example—almond trees in
- make it more fun and let your students dip fruits in chocolate, marshmallow fluff, whip cream… does it change how they feel about them
- Show pictures of the foods and where they grow (H)
http://www.babaganewz.com/sites/default/files/lessons/pdf/5002pictures.pdf
Do a water activity (K-3) (E) (A)
Simulate the national water carrier in
showing the importance of water to
Alternate- students take straws and simulate the water carrier
- communicate the importance of rain, clean water etc.
Bake 7 Species Bars (Grades3-5) (S)(A)
Talk about the 7 species and what they stand for and when they grow—Use pictures to show what each food looks like
http://www.babaganewz.com/activities/seven-species-dessert-bars
http://www.babaganewz.com/sites/default/files/lessons/pdf/5002lesson.pdf
http://www.babaganewz.com/sites/default/files/lessons/pdf/5002pictures.pdf
Make Paper with your students (E)(A)
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/makingpaper.html -step by step instructions
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Paper - step by step instructions with pictures
http://hubpages.com/hub /How-to-Make-Paper---An-Illustrated-Step-by-Step-Guide
Recycled crafts (A)
Do one or several craft project with your students that requires materials that you can recycle such as using toilet paper rolls, paper towel tubes, egg cartons, fruit juice cans etc.
http://www.resourcefulschools.org/activities/recycled-crafts
Experiment with water (E) (A)
Demonstrate to students the importance of water, especially in the Mid East. The tie to earth science adds credibility and anchors the idea in the real world. “Creating Water in the Desert” is such a neat little experiment, its fun and informative for all ages. Based on the process of condensation, it appears to create water from nothing (which is, of course, not the case). [see learning plan below for details]
Other water experiments:
http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/water-experiments.html (K-4) (E-A)
http://groundwateradventurers.org/h20experiments.html (K-8) (E-A)
Plan a Birthday Party for the Trees. (K-3) (M-A)
What goes into planning a birthday party?
How would you celebrate a tree’s birthday? Who would you invite? What activities would you do?
Do a Tzedakah project (All grades) (S-H-M-A)
Collect money for reforestation in the
-Do background study on both these places as an introduction to your project.
http://www.jnf.org/work-we-do/blueprint-negev/kibbutz-ketura.html -Aravah Institute
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=198311 –
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3997170,00.html – YNET on
Do an On-line Tu B’shvat Scavenger Hunt (Grades 3-6) (H) (M)
http://www.lookstein.org/lessonplans/tu_bshvat.pdf
Do a lesson on Social Action and Responsibility-Taking Care of our Planet (Grades 7-12) (S)(H)(M)
Plan a series of conservation and recycling activities for your class for the rest of the year (All Grades)
http://www.coejl.org/~coejlor/tubshvat/15actions - Examples from COEJL
Learning Plan Form
Stuff That Sticks
When writing a lesson for your students, make sure to include elements that take the following into consideration:
Senses
Half of all Brain Activity=Vision Processing
Exploration of Interests [Curiosity]
Memory
Attention
When planning your lessons- keep the Shema in mind!
What I Intend to Do Today List
Lesson: Date:
HOOK= (Why are you teaching this information to these students at this time?)
Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Activities:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Questions: (Remember to use different levels of questions)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
“Ticket Out the Door” Question or Activity:
Texts/Songs/Pictures:
Equipment Needed:
Reflection: (What worked/What didn’t work in this lesson?):
Next Steps:
Learning Plan Form
Stuff That Sticks
When writing a lesson for your students, make sure to include elements that take the following into consideration:
Senses
Half of all Brain Activity=Vision Processing
Exploration of Interests [Curiosity]
Memory
Attention
When planning your lessons- keep the Shema in mind!
What I Intend to Do Today List
(Why are you teaching this information to these students at this time?)
Lesson: Tu B’shvat Lesson – Making Recycled Paper Date:
HOOK= interest in the environment; tactile activity; tie-in mitzvot
Objectives:
1. To show students how the environment connects to Tu B’shvat
2. To give students first hand experience in making recycled paper
3. To show that recycled products really can be used in the future
4. To show how trees relate to our everyday life (paper comes from trees)
5. To encourage your students to continue recycling and add new recycling to their everyday life; and that one mitzvah leads to another= using the paper in acts of hospitality and honoring parents
Activities:
1. Make recycled paper using one of the websites below
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/makingpaper.html -step by step instructions
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Paper - step by step instructions with pictures
http://hubpages.com/hub /How-to-Make-Paper---An-Illustrated-Step-by-Step-Guide
2. Use the recycled paper that you make to make a placemat for each student to use for their Pesach seder- mitzvah tie-in “hachnasat orchim= hospitality”
3. Use the recycled paper to make mothers/fathers day cards- mitzvah tie-in “kibud av va’em= honoring parents”
4. Bring in papyrus, pottery, and mezuzah “klaf=parchment” and compare writing surfaces. Why would the tradition want us to use parchment for Torah/megillah/mezuzah?
Questions: (Remember to use different levels of questions)
1. Where does paper come from? What is the process to get from wood to paper? Compare/contrast your usual paper with the one you made- in what ways are they the same and in what ways are they different….and why?
2. How is making paper connected to Tu B’shva themes/values?
3. Why is it important to recycle? Why would it be a mitzvah(partners with God discussion)?
4. How do you currently recycle?
5. Choose at least two new ways you will recycle in the future. What will you add to your recycling?
“Ticket Out the Door” Question or Activity:
Name one thing different you will do in the future.
“WOW! Making paper is hard…mostly for the tree! I will go home and hug my favorite book in appreciation.”
Recycled paper can be used for…
Texts/Songs/Pictures:
Use the pictures from one of the websites above to show the process of making paper
Learn the poem “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer, and write your own addition in appreciation of how trees provide paper.
Create a berakha/meditation in appreciation for trees “giving us permission” to use their resource in making paper.
Equipment Needed: see the web sites; papyrus or pictures of the process of making papyrus from reeds.
Reflection: (What worked/What didn’t work in this lesson?):
Next Steps: Make recycling and discussions about recycling an ongoing topic in your classroom
Learning Plan Form
Stuff That Sticks
When writing a lesson for your students, make sure to include elements that take the following into consideration:
Senses
Half of all Brain Activity=Vision Processing
Exploration of Interests [Curiosity]
Memory
Attention
When planning your lessons- keep the Shema in mind!
What I Intend to Do Today List
(Why are you teaching this information to these students at this time?)
Lesson: Tu B’shvat- The Importance of Water Date:
Hook= Environmentalism; “mayim/chayim” water resources=life throughout history, especially in
Objectives:
1. To show how important water is to our daily lives
2. To make students aware of the lack of water in
3. To show the importance of rain and its collection during the rainy season in
4. To show how water connects to Tu B’shvat [and reminder from Shemini Atzeret, foreshadow Pesach]
5. To teach students about water conservation
Activities:
1. Use the big Israeli map to show how water is transported throughout Israel- simulate the national water carrier – Give the students some background from the JNF website (see list of web sites below)
2. Do an experiment to create water in the desert
Creating Water in the Desert
Overview: This is such a neat little experiment, its fun and informative for all ages. Based on the process of condensation, it appears to create water from nothing (which is, of course, not the case).
Teacher Preparation: Aquarium, sand, clear plastic, small container like a jar lid, plant, water.
Procedure Ideas:
1. Put 5-10 cm of sand in aquarium.
2. Hollow out a 10-15 cm depression in the sand.
3. Place jar lid in the center of the hole, and plant material (small whole plants or broken up larger ones) around the container on the sand.
4. Lay 20×20 cm clear plastic over the hole, and hold in place with sand or pebbles around the edges.
5. Put just enough sand or a pebble in the very center of the plastic to make it sag slightly. Too much weight will pull the plastic loose around the edges.
6. To speed up the process, place a light bulb over the aquarium to warm the sand and plastic, as the sun might.
7. Water from the plants will form on the underside of the plastic by evaporation (from the plants and residual moisture in the sand) and condensation. If the plastic sags enough, the moisture will run to the center of the plastic and drip into the container in the bottom of the hole.
3. Do other water experiments suggested in the following websites
http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/water-experiments.html (K-4) (E-A)
http://groundwateradventurers.org/h20experiments.html (K-8) (E-A)
4. Teach the Israeli dance Mayim / water
http://www.israelidances.com/Mayim1of2-dancesteps.pdf
5. Sing Hebrew songs such as mayim, Miriam’s Song… about water
http://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/mayimmayim.htm and look at the prayers for geshem (rain) on Shemini Atzeret, and tal (dew) on Pesach. Why are these holidays good times to pray for water?
6. Create a hands-on-science experiment about soil conservation and water run-off. Make two mounds of potting soil in two separate large flower pot under dishes. On one, create terraces out of small stones and bark from landscaping/mulch. Using a watering can with a spray head that simulates rain, pour equal amounts of water over the two mounds. Immediately measure the water run-off in both. Take hypotheses as to why they may have been different. Show pictures of old and new forms of terracing in
Questions: (Remember to use different levels of questions)
1. Name three reasons why water is so important to our lives.
2. What is the water situation in
3. List three ways you will try to conserve water in the future.
4. Do a web search for articles on
“Ticket Out the Door” Question or Activity:
Tell me one thing new that you learned today about water
What future activities will you do to conserve water?
How can we learn from
Texts/Songs/Pictures:
Use the song and dance mayim to show student’s Israeli folk music and dance
Equipment Needed:
Equipment listed above
Reflection: (What worked/What didn’t work in this lesson?):
Next Steps:
Share news stories and activities about water in
Learning Plan Form
Stuff That Sticks
When writing a lesson for your students, make sure to include elements that take the following into consideration:
Senses
Half of all Brain Activity=Vision Processing
Exploration of Interests [Curiosity]
Memory
Attention
When planning your lessons- keep the Shema in mind!
What I Intend to Do Today List
(Why are you teaching this information to these students at this time?)
Lesson: Composting – Tu B’shvat Date:
Hook= puzzle to solve=> too much trash-too little space to bury it, too much time for it to decompose
Objectives:
1. To teach students about recycling, what does and does not decompose
2. To encourage the home, class and the synagogue to compost
3. To learn a practical behavior in fulfillment of the mitzvah of “bal tashchit,” not wasting resources.
Activities:
1. Eat a lunch/snack that only uses materials that decompose
Ask students to bring a lunch in a paper bag with each item in the lunch wrapped in a napkin. They should not use any plastic or foil. During lunch, look at the text in Deuteronomy 20:19-20. Commentaries like the one in the Etz Hayim chumash make the connection to the verse as the source of the mitzvah of not wasting natural resources.
2. Collect trash
Take class outside and have students collect what has been used before- candy wrapper, plastic bag, cup, apple core, “garbage”
Also, have them collect soil, leaves or grass clippings
Discuss as a class what these items were used for by people, plants or animals in the past before they became “garbage”
3. Study “cycles”
-Read the following from Ecclesiastes 1:7- “All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place from which the water flows, there it returns.”
-Ask the class what it means for water or organic material to return to where it came from. Discuss how that happens.
-Show the class the recycling symbol- what does it show?
-Define and discuss “biodegradable” and “compost”
v Biodegradable- human-made material that can break down into small organic parts with the aid of bacteria and the natural weathering process
v Compost (n)-the rich organic material created when materials such as leaves, food, grasses etc. are broken down by bacteria (can be used as fertilizer)
v Compost (v)- to prepare material so that it will become compost
4. Do a class composting activity using the leftovers materials from the lunch above and the biodegradable material from the garbage
5. Make a plan for students’ to compost at home; have families make a digital album of the compost pile as a journal that you can post and share with the class and others.
Questions: (Remember to use different levels of questions)
1. What is garbage? Is it good for anything? NOTE- the popular word in Hebrew for trash is zevel; but the classic use of the word from ancient times meant the leftover food and the animal excrement that were combined to plow into the ground as fertilizer= ancient recycling.
2. Define and discuss “biodegradable” and “compost”.
3. What parts of our garbage are naturally recycled (composted)?
4. What parts need to be sorted and recycled in other ways?
5. What happens to garbage that doesn’t decompose?
“Ticket Out the Door” Question or Activity:
What new ideas that you learned today will you share with your parents so that you can begin composting at home?
Now that you see what goes into your food, will you think more about what goes into your mouth?
There is a saying that “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” Do you think it is true? In what way can this reflect recycling other things (old books and toys, clothing, etc).
Texts/Songs/Pictures:
The recycling symbol, in English and in Hebrew (michzur is the Hebrew word for recycle). Compare http://www.alyssazukas.com/tag/recycling-logo/ and http://www.clean-energy-deas.com/recycle/recycle_logo_symbol.html and http://www.cafepress.co.uk/+Tikkun+Olam+Recycle+Tote+Bag%2C72020399?cmp=pfc--ca--uk--017--72020399&utm_term=72020399&utm_campaign=Tote+Bag&sourcecode=affiliate&utm_source=ChannelAdvisor_UK_shopping&utm_medium=productfeed&pid=5185601 The root of michzur is chet-zayin-resh, the same root for the cyclical prayer book for holidays, machzor, and the word to return, lachazor. Why did they choose “tikun olam” as the text that goes with the logo?
Equipment Needed:
A container for composting
Containers to use to collect trash
Reflection: (What worked/What didn’t work in this lesson?):
Next Steps:
As a class, compost on an ongoing basis and spread the compost on the congregational plants.
The following lesson is taken from the COEJL guide “To Till and to Tend.”
We include it here because its essence is about involving the senses as a Jewish value. It can be used for Tu B’Shvat, or for prayer, the creation story, spirituality, and thanksgiving.
Additional Resources for Planning Tu B’shvat Lessons:
Websites:
http://www.coejl.org/~coejlor/tubshvat/activities/ - Creative Tu B’shvat Activities from COEJL (Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life) (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.coejl.org/~coejlor/tubshvat/15actions/ - Everyday Conservation activities from COEJL (S-H-E-M-A)
http://canfeinesharim.org/community/shevat.php - A multitude of Tu B’shvat Ideas from Canfei Nesharim (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.lookstein.org/resources/tubshvat.htm - Activities and websites for Tu B’shvat for all age groups (excellent resource) (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.resourcefulschools.org/activities - website includes go green activities and recycling activities perfect for Tu B’shvat –( S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.babaganewz.com/holidays/tu-bshevat - Tu B’shvat Activities and Lesson Plans from Babaganewz (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.babaganewz.com/sites/default/files/lessons/pdf/5410tbs_0.pdf - Ideas for Teaching about Tu B’shvat (S-H-E-M-A)
http://support.jnf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=treesource – Tu B’shvat Ideas, Activities, Sermons, and Haggadot from JNF (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.ourjewishcommunity.org/holidays/tu-bshevat/#Activities – website includes Tu B’shvat activities from the Jewish National Fund – (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.jnf.org/work-we-do/our-projects/forestry-ecology - includes background information on forestry (H – A)
http://www.jnf.org/work-we-do/our-projects/water -includes background information on water conservation (H-A)
http://www.jnf.org/work-we-do - includes overall background information on JNF projects (H-A)
http://www.jnf.org/work-we-do/blueprint-negev/kibbutz-ketura.html (H)
http://www.lookstein.org/resources/seder_babaganewz.pdf - Babaganewz Tu B’shvat Seder (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.hillel.org/NR/rdonlyres/35163E1D-0415-43C0-873D-C633B6C87185/0/tu_bshevat_leaders_guide.pdf - for older kids- Hillel Tu B’shvat Seder Leaders Guide (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.hillel.org/NR/rdonlyres/A5339C76-6B07-4EC1-A970-D8FAFBA5E1CC/0/tu_bshevat_seder.pdf -Hillel Tu B’shvat Seder (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.lookstein.org/resources/ice_cream_seder.pdf -Ice Cream Seder written by Chava Gal Or (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.lookstein.org/lessonplans_output.php?id=-3874272&existing= Tu B’shvat Seder for Young Children (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.lookstein.org/resources/areyvut_environment.pdf - Areyvut Make A Difference Day on the Environment- (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.babaganewz.com/activities/tree-collage-sculpture- Create a tree sculpture from items the come from trees (S) (E) (A)
http://www.babaganewz.com/sites/default/files/lessons/pdf/5002lesson.pdf - Shivat Minim (7 Species Lesson Plan) (S-H-E-M-A)
http://www.babaganewz.com/activities/seven-species-dessert-bars - Bake 7 Species Dessert Bars (S) (A)
http://www.babaganewz.com/sites/default/files/lessons/pdf/5002pictures.pdf - 7 Species Pictures
http://www.suite101.com/content/celebrate-jewish-new-year-for-trees-tu-bshevat-a184696 - Additional Tu B’shvat for families with young children (Pre K-2) (S-H-E-M-A)
http://urj.org//holidays/tubishvat/index.cfm - Tu B’shvat Ideas from URJ (S-H-E-M-A)
http://judaism.about.com/od/tubshvat/Tu_BShvat.htm - Sites for Additional Tu –B’shvat Activities and background material from about.com
Two sites that point to
http://israel21c.org/201010248441/environment/the-top-10-environmentalists-helping-green-israel# (6-12, adult) (A)
http://israel21c.org/201012218627/environment/green-is-the-new-tourism#
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