Hanukkah and Pirsumei Nisa

The 5th graders learned a section of Talmud about the mitzvah of "pirsumei nisa": our obligation to publicize the miracle of Hanukkah.
The students thought about this mitzvah, and discussed the following big idea: Hanukkah is a time for us to appreciate our religious freedom and to feel proud of our Jewish identity.
They created Hanukkiyot with reflections on this big idea and they are now hanging on our Freedom Board. Their Hanukkiyot will be sent home before break, and I hope that as a family, you all take some time to reflect on the big idea and the students' answers.

Lashon

We continue to add new vocabulary to our ever-growing list of words in Hebrew, and the students in Eliana's class have been practicing using their new words and their new tense: the PAST tense! Naomi's class continues to work on the building blocks for good speaking and writing, and the students have been progressing in their mastery of the present tense.

We have been reading a story in which aliens have run out of food on their planet and need to travel to Earth to find new food. If only they knew about the 5th graders greenhouse, they might have had more luck! :)

Torah Project

This week's parshah, Vayeshev, had the students singing the old favorites from Beatle Torah: they all remember the Yosef songs! But they also asked great commentary questions about the parshah:

Leah: "If Potiphar's wife liked Yosef, why did she try to get him in trouble?"

Maya: "How did Yaakov's wives feel when they heard the news that Yosef was 'dead'?"

Josh B: "How is throwing Yosef in the pit any better than killing him? Isn't this a case where they didn't really think about the consequences of their actions?"

Josh P: "How could the cupbearer forget about Yosef and not stand up for what he knew was right after he was freed from jail?"

HW Expectations

Spelling homework will ONLY be accepted if it looks presentable.  If it's on loose leaf paper, the holes must be on the left.  The paper it's handed in on must be unwrinkled.  Sentences must begin with capital letters and end with punctuation.

Returned Assignments

Graded work was returned today:
Last week's math test
Last week's Social Studies assignment, "Stuck in the Harbor"

Multiplying Fractions

Fifth graders are working on multiplying fractions.  We've folded paper to understand the concept.  They did math in the garden.  Multiplying fractions is conceptually a big leap for math learners.

Greenhouse!

The fifth graders, under the guidance of Peter, continued their impressive work in the garden by constructing and staking down two mini-greenhouses that will let us continue to grow and tend our garden into the winter months.

Teva Project

After an afternoon dedicated to working on our TEVA project, the students uncovered many pearls of wisdom after reflecting on what their work made them think about that they had not thought of before.  Some of their thoughts:

"I love to draw and I'm good at drawing... if I like what I'm doing, I'm productive." -Leah

"We work a lot better when we're in a group.  When we argue we don't get any work done." -Josh P.

"Art can be hard.  It is hard to stay focused while drawing." -Alec

Lashon Quiz

Next Lashon Quiz: Friday, December 16

Yasher Koach to Andrew and Iris!

Andrew Gabor and Iris Bahar read Torah today at our tefillot, and they both did a beautiful job! A special yasher koach to Andrew, who read Torah for the very first time!!
You made us all proud and honored to be able to share this special moment together!

Parashat Hashavuah- Conflict Resolution

Students this week learned about this week's parashah, Vayishlach. With Mr. Lobovits, they discussed strategies for resolving conflicts, using Jacob and Esau as their model. They play acted different scenarios, and really got to demonstrate their creativity and theatricality.
May this be the week when we, like Jacob and Esau, "kiss and make up" (either literally or figuratively!), and resolve some of our conflicts with people who have been our adversaries.

Lashon

I lived, I sang, I put... our students are becoming proficient at expressing themselves in the past tense! We had a quiz this past week, and the 5th graders in Eliana's class have demonstrated their understanding of this concept. Kol Hakavod!

Biblical Narrative Assignment with JS & GS Rubrics- due 12/21

Biblical Narrative:

Imagine Your Life in Egypt- Part 1

Situation: Imagine yourself as an Israelite living in ancient Egypt.  You’ve been through an exciting series of events: the last generation has passed away, there has been a population explosion and all of a sudden, you find yourself as a slave to Pharoah! 

Assignment: Describe what your life looked like before slavery and what it looks like now. What are your thoughts and your feelings?  What is it like to be in your situation? 

Use Shemot Chapter 1:1-14 to guide you.

Details:  This biblical narrative should be two paragraphs long:

a) one paragraph that details life before slavery and

b) one paragraph that details your life after. 

You may write up to four paragraphs if you wish, but no more.

You must include three text-based details.  Make a footnote for each detail and include the perek, pasuk and phrase from which you are quoting.

This will be a typed assignment. (However, you may write in the Hebrew quotes for your footnotes)

Be sure to include: Your name, your family’s history, a vivid description of your life as a free Egyptian and an enslaved one. You should also include how you feel about these developments.

Due: Wednesday, December 21, 2011.

You will have seven class periods to work on this.  You’ll need to manage your time well.

Enjoy- we can’t wait to read what you create!

Language	45-50 Your writing is varied and is highly descriptive and imaginative.  You included at least three similes, at least two metaphors, and two instances of personification and alliteration.	40-45 Your writing is quite descriptive.  You included at least two similes and at least two metaphors	35-40 Your writing is somewhat descriptive.  You included only two similes and/or metaphors.	30-35 Your writing is repetitive and bland.  You included only one simile and one metaphor.
Grammar, Mechanics, Spelling, and Usage	45-50 This is a shining example of grammatically correct writing, with hardly any misspelled words! (less than two)	40-45 Very few grammatical and/or spelling mistakes were made, which did not interfere with the meaning. (less than four)	35-40 Work on proofreading your written work more carefully!  There are several spelling and/or grammatical errors. (five to ten)	30-35 There are many spelling and grammatical errors.  Please revise and hand-in again to be re-assessed. (more than ten)

Content	45-50 You included at least 3 details from the Torah. You discussed your emotions in a rich and meaningful way.	40-45 You included 2 details from the Torah. You discussed your emotions in a plain way.	35-40 You included 1 detail from the Torah. You discussed some of your emotions.	30-35 You included no details from the Torah. You did not discuss your emotions.
Accuracy	45-50 All of the information you provided was accurate, thorough and descriptive. You explained everything your reader needed to know.	40-45 All of the information you provided was accurate, but you left your reader wanting to know more. You explained most of what your reader needed to know.	35-40 You had some inaccuracies  (1-2 mistakes), and left your reader confused about the storyline. You explained some of what your reader wanted to know.	30-35 You had many inaccuracies (3 or more mistakes), and left your reader without very much information to understand this story. You explained very little of what your reader wanted to know.

Our Midah (Value) of the Month

On Tuesday, we took a moment to stop and reflect on a time or place where the fifth graders felt content and wrote short descriptive paragraphs capturing the feeling, this was one exploration of our value of the month "Contentment with your lot," which means to be happy with what you have.
-Mr. Lobovits

Ecosystems Unit

Students made several observations of their crickets and fish today.  We worked on making sure our observations were in fact observable facts. 
Then students tested pH levels on water and vinegar, in preparation for an experiment. 
Students then began demonstrating curiosity about the pH level of various things.  Their questions reiterated my belief that "teaching is listening."  I knew it was time to scrap the lesson plan.  And our young scientists tested pH on all that they could.  Yoni even asked if he could go outside to collect rainwater to test its pH level!
Afterwards I asked students to reflect on something new they were thinking about as a result of this.
Maya wrote: What else could I test for pH?  What would have low amounts and high?
Emma wrote: I never thought spit would make the pH paper so green... I never thought that vinegar had so much acid.

Multiplying a Fraction by a Whole Number

Today, the fifth graders mastered the basics of multiplying fractions and whole numbers.  They tackled the topic from different angles, employing visual models (even including pizza pies) and mathematical equations. 
-Mr. Lobovits

Colonial America

On Tuesday, students tried to determine who the mysterious man with long hair and old fashioned clothes in the painting was.  It turned out to be William Penn!  They then proceded to uncover William Penn's guiding principals when he founded Pennsylvania and even what the name of the colony meant.
-Mr. Lobovits

Spelling and Reading

Today, we picked new spelling words like "drizzly" and even "contagious" and continued to dig deeper into our two novels: Bridge to Terabithia and Tiger Rising!  This week's spelling words are from the novels.
-Mr. Lobovits and Mrs. Woods

Due Dates

The class decided to have their math test on Tuesday (instead of Monday).
They agreed to not complain about having it on the same day as their Lashon Quiz (Tuesday), since this was their choice. 
Stuck in the Harbor- 12/6
Biblical Narrative (our latest writing project: a joint JS/GS assignment)- 12/21
Reader's Letter #3- 12/16 OR 12/21 (each student chooses)

Southern Plantations

On Thursday we discussed the paradox of colonists who fought for freedom and who also kept slaves.  The topic arose while the class was reading and thinking about the differences between life in the northern colonies and the southern colonies.  They read about plantations and noted that they were similar to little towns. 

Maya wrote: The class made me think about how sad it was to be a slave.  What was it really like?

Live Organisms

Students added live organisms to their terrariums and to their aquariums on Thursday.   In the aquariums there are now snails and mosquito fish.  They read and talked about the plant life these aquatic organisms will eat.  In the terrariums are crickets and isopods.  It was a bit of a fiasco getting the crickets into the terrariums; students were quite amazed by how high they jump. 
Lab partners/groups will be making daily observations.

New Novel

Today Josh B., Josh P., Leah, and Yoni explored what it means to "feel free to be yourself" in preparation for their next novel.  The students will be looking to see how the main character in the as yet unnamed book (Bridge To Terabithia) expresses his own individuality. 

-Ethan

Math

On Wednesday, the entire class grappled with real world problem solving as they applied their knowledge of division and multiplication of mixed and improper fractions to word problems describing everyday situations.
-Mr. Lobovits

The Wood

On Wednesday students used watercolors to paint the wood from Tuck Everlasting.  After a careful rereading of the text they were sure to depict what the words convey.  Their paintings fill the page, as the light and trees fill the wood in this wonderful novel.