Seventh Grade Update

Dear Seventh Grade Parents and students,

To start off, this week during the third hour we discussed Jonah and started work on creating fables using the Jonah story as our base. One of the reasons for bringing up Jonah is that coming up this Wednesday is Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur we pray, contemplate the year behind us and think about how we can work towards an even better year than the one before. We also read the story of Jonah. 

The Story of Jonah brings up many different questions, about the main character, why God chooses this character to act in a way which seems contrary to what he typically does, and does Jonah truly regret or give a true answer to himself. With this in mind, I wanted the students to see if they could come up with a story which caused people to ask questions about the main character. The other reason I wanted to have them think about it was to see if any of them made the connection between the story of Jonah and Yom Kippur.

In the Great Debates in Judaism this week, we debated the current justice system in the United States. The week before we spoke about Abraham's courage in speaking to God about sparring Sodom if there were even Ten innocent people living there. In the same vein, the class continued the discussion. The question posed the week before was if collective punishment was ever a useful proposition. This week the question was if Judgement and Compassion could be balanced in the United State penal system. 

Before the debate about punishment versus restorative practices we learned what those two terms meant. After all it's important that the students understand what they were debating. In the text book we read about how advocates for restorative practices speak about how this creates more opportunities for the victim and the criminal. We also read about how those who are punished for what they do, tend to fall in the problems as before when they leave the penal system. 

Once the kids were assigned a side we debated to see who could come up with a better argument. Ultimately the debate came down to a draw, although in one class, the restorative practices side won on a technicality. The reason for the draw was that the sides ended up agreeing that if both penalties and restorative practices were used, the United States justice system might better serve the populace. Balance was the key word. 

Coming up next week, we start talking about Moses and Korach.

As always, please check out the blog, and feel free to leave your comments.

seventhgradecbe.blogspot.com

Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12-16 servings

Ingredients:

·         2 Tbsp. instant coffee dissolved into 3/4 cup hot water

·         3 Tbsp. oil

·         3 eggs

·         1 cup apple sauce

·         3/4 cup brown sugar

·         3/4 cup honey

·         2 1/4 cups flour

·         3/4 tsp. baking powder

·         1/2 tsp. baking soda

·         2 tsp. cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius).
2 Dissolve coffee into water. Set aside to cool.
3. Using an electric mixer, mix oil, eggs, applesauce, brown sugar and honey.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
5. Alternating, add flour mixture and coffee to the egg mixture in the bowl. Mix lightly until just smooth.
6. Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Dear Parents,

It has been a pleasure getting to know some of your children over the past few weeks.  For the most part, I have found them to be attentive and more than willing to engage in the subject matter of our curriculum - the Holocaust.  As I believe it is important to lay a sound foundation, and set the material in its proper context, we have started at a slower pace.

During the first week of class, we began by discussing catastrophic events in general, with the Holocaust as an example of such an event.  We established a working definition of the term, while distinguishing between natural and human caused catastrophes. We will be referring back to this definition as the year goes on.  Additionally, we began a discussion of the Holocaust by each sharing what we know about it, and the source of our knowledge.  I was very impressed by the students' knowledge, and their willingness and ability to articulate the source or sources through which they obtained such knowledge.

During the the second week of class, we built on the list of sources of our knowledge that we compiled during week 1.  Additionally, we analyzed these sources, and classified them on a variety of grounds, including primary vs. secondary.  Most importantly, we discussed the importance of scrutinizing source material.  In order to display to the students how information can be changed or distorted over the course of time, we played a game of telephone, which the students seemed to enjoy.  I made sure to explain to the students that, just as the information was distorted during our game of telephone, there are numerous factors that may impact the accuracy of source materials. 

Finally, as you can read about in the letter from my co-teacher, during the third hour of week 2, we baked a delicious honey cake.  Fortunately, the girls, who were unable to participate in this Jewish-themed baking experience, were able to take a break from Rosh Chodesh group to assist us in devouring the cake in its entirety.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to post them on the blog at seventhgradecbe.blogspot.com, where this letter will be posted, or contact me directly.

Very truly yours,

Aviv Shamash

Seventh Grade Update

Dear Seventh Grade Parents and Students,

Shanah Tova and I hope everyone had a wonderful Rosh Hashannah. It certainly feels like the beginning of a new year, and to celebrate this last Sunday, Aviv, myself and the boys in our class all got together and made honey cake. The reason behind the making has much to do with making sure we start the new year off right. That includes eating honey, and other types of sweet foods to bring goodness and sweetness into the year.

The honey cake making was a success, as the boys could attest, and it was a lot of fun making it as well. They all pitched in on the making of it. It's always good to see them working together to create something both edible and fun. 

Speaking of, in our Judaism's Great Debates class, we got to tackle the question of whether or not Collective Punishment was fair. To start us off, we thought about a theoretical class. Several of the kids in the class weren't paying attention, causing other kids to get distracted from what the teacher was teaching. The next day, the teacher gave this class a pop-quiz on the material she had taught the day before. Since much of the class had been distracted, they didn't do so well in the test. 

In class we discussed whether or not this was a fair deal. Should the kids who had been trying to pay attention have been punished along with the ones who had been goofing off? The students in our class decided that ultimately it depended on if the teacher used the test for the permanent grades. If the teacher just used the test as an example, then it was okay. 

The example led the way for the next part of the discussion. We talked about Abraham's courage in bargaining with God when it came to the lives of everyone in Sodom. As it turns out there aren't even ten worth saving in that city. However, we did contemplate why God felt the need to speak to Abraham first, and why Abraham got God to admit that if ten people were innocent in Sodom then God wouldn't destroy the city.

When we got down to it, the kids decided that collective punishment wasn't useful as a whole. There might be exceptions, but they couldn't think of any at the time. 

What do you think? Is collective punishment ever a good idea?

As always if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at bchalmer@gmail.com. 

Also, please check out the blog at seventhgradecbe.blogspot.com

Bryna

Dear Seventh Grade parents and students,

The past Sunday was a great success! We started off the day with our getting to know you session. This included many different icebreakers, and gave the kids a chance to reacquaint themselves with both the teachers and each other. After we got to know each other once again, we got down to work. 

In their class with me, the kids started to learn about one of the basic tenants of Judaism, that of debate. Throughout Jewish culture, life, and religion many of the ways we learn is through debate. In the Talmud is is taught that finding a good adversary is like finding a good friend, they'll make you think about certain ideas in ways which you never might have considered otherwise. 

To start this off, we read about the story of Rabbi Eliezer and the Sages arguing over the oven of Acknai. Rabbi Eliezer says, before the sages, that he is right, and to prove it he calls up four miracles. The fourth miracle being that of Heaven itself saying that he is right. The sages refute him, claiming that even if Heaven believes he is right, it is not up to Heaven to claim it. 

At the end of the story, God concedes that even though Rabbi Eliezer is right, God's "children" have defeated God, due to the fact that they have chosen to use their own ideas than simply taking the ones God puts forward as rote. (Keep in mind that this particular story was told long after all the events in the Tanach and therefore was part of the Rabbi's way of saying that it was time to move forward with Jewish observance.)

What we'll be emphasizing in class is that other people's opinions matter, and even if you don't agree with them, that doesn't mean you can't listen. I will be posting this update on our blog. In addition I'll be adding links to give you a chance to look at the different debates and topics we'll be covering in class.

Until next Sunday, here's a topic for you to debate about at home:

It is the job of the person who made dinner to clean up after as well.

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me ab bchalmer@gmail.com, or you can just leave a comment on the blog. Here's the link for your reference.  http://seventhgradecbe.blogspot.com/

Bryna

P.S. If any of you want to help out with participation in Jr. Congregation, I'd be happy to have you. That means looking at the Torah portion of the week to talk about, reading from the Torah, or leading one of the different prayers we say on Shabbat.

Dear Parents,
 
By way of introduction, my name is Aviv Shamash, and I will be teaching the seventh grade this year at Temple Beth Elohim. I grew up in the Boston area, attended high school at Gann Academy, college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and recently graduated from Suffolk University Law School.  The director of Temple Beth Elohim’s Religious School, Leann Shamash, is my mother.  


As we set out on a new and very important year at CBE, I want to express my excitement at meeting and working with your children.  I am sure it will be a pleasure to spend time teaching and getting to know each of them.


As many of you may know already, the part of the seventh grade curriculum that I will lead this year deals with the Holocaust.  Be aware that I realize that this is powerful and difficult subject matter, and that I will make every effort to approach it sensitively.


Our curriculum begins by providing a framework and terminology for studying the Holocaust, and then progresses through a variety of concepts – anti-Semitism in Europe, the rise of the Nazi party, life in the ghettos, the Nazi party’s “final solution,” Jewish resistance to the Nazis, and rescuers and non-Jewish resistance to the Nazi party.  The way in which I intend to approach this subject matter is through a combination of sources, including letters, images, and first person narrative accounts.  Although the lessons will be grounded in the history of the Holocaust and the events preceding and following it, the primary method by which we will engage in these materials is through discussion. Other methods will be employed as well, including group work, writing, and examination of primary source materials.  One of my primary concerns will be framing the materials to the students in a manner relatable to a seventh grader, particularly when discussing the events and social climate in Europe in the years preceding the Holocaust.


Each week, the morning will be broken down into three hour long segments.  During each of the first two hours, half of the class will be with me, and half with Bryna Chalmers.  The students will switch for the second hour.  After the second hour, we have a 10-15 minute break for snack. Snack is an important part of class each week.  On August 13, each of you should have received an email from Leann Shamash assigning each student with the responsibility of bringing snack for the whole class one week.  If you do not bring snack on these weeks, there is usually no food for the class to eat during the snack period.  So please, check the email you received on August 13, and make a note of when your child is responsible for snack.


During the third hour of some weeks this year, I will be leading an elective on Jewish cuisine.  One part of this elective will be to prepare traditional Jewish foods.  Often, the dishes prepared will be designed to coincide with the Jewish calendar.  Sometimes, however, we will prepare foods that are not necessarily linked to a specific Jewish holiday, such as Challah, which relates to Jewish cuisine more generally.  We will also discuss the history and cultural significance of each of the foods we prepare.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or comments.  You may either comment below or contact me at aviv.shamash@gmail.com.  


Wishing each of you a sweet new year,


Aviv Shamash

Welcome to Seventh Grade!

Dear Seventh Grade parents,

Hard to believe the summer is gone and the school year is starting up once more. In anticipation of this seventh grade year, we've put our heads together to get this year off to a great start. 

What I'm going to be teaching this year is the Great Debates throughout Jewish History. We'll get a chance to look back at the different thinkers and ideas which have helped form our thoughts about Jewish life and culture to this day. I'm very much looking forward to this opportunity to work with all the students and hearing their ideas and opinions on the different debates. 

Throughout the year we will also be doing different electives, and if the kids  put forward any ideas of what they'd like to learn during that time that would be great!

In addition to working in the classroom, Aviv and I have started a blog for the whole seventh grade class. This will be a place where you can check out what we've learned during a Sunday, get updates on what we'll be doing in the coming weeks and, starting a conversation online.

The address for the blog is http://seventhgradecbe.blogspot.com/. The first thing you'll see is this letter. 

Feel free to email me if you have any questions at all, and of course you can definitely use the comment section of the blog to do that as well.

My email is bchalmer@gmail.com.

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday!