September 25 – 28

Judaic Studies

This week the 7th graders explored the holiday of Yom Kippur. We began by looking at what is said about Yom Kippur in the Torah, and were surprised to discover that the Torah mentions nothing about fasting or about asking for forgiveness. Where did those ideas come from? We turned to the Mishna to find out. Students translated and discussed their ideas in chevruta (pairs) and then shared questions about the Mishna with the whole group. If you chew on your fingernails, does that count as eating? If you put something in your mouth and then spit it out without swallowing, does that count as eating? What if someone forces you to eat? It was great seeing such enthusiastic (and creative) thinking about the Mishna!

Next up: the haftorah read in synagogue on Yom Kippur is from Isaiah, and it is a harsh critique of the hypocrisy of fasting and praying to God while continuing to behave immorally. Isaiah seems to suggest that fasting is a distraction from the essence of Yom Kippur. If so, why does the Mishna begin by focusing on laws about fasting?

Gmar chatima tova! Wishing everyone an easy and meaningful fast and/or a wonderful weekend…

Jessica

Hebrew
This week the 7th graders worked on listening comprehension activities through songs. They listened to the songs and later on analyzed the lyrics. While listening and later analyzing the lyrics students tried to find how the song connects to out unit ” Summer break”.  In addition, we reviewed a list of vocabulary words that will be on their quiz next Tuesday 10/3. Please encourage your child to use the quizlet set I have created for them to study from (they can access it through google classroom).

Gmar chatima tova,

Yehuda 

Humanities 

In Humanities, we continued studying ancient Rome, as well as reading Julius Caesar. I loved reading students’ writing in response to a pivotal scene in the play. I also loved hearing students use their new vocabulary words throughout their day. Please ask your child to show you the vocabulary videos at the end of the power point!

Math 

Seventh graders finished the first unit, factors and multiples, and had their first test. This week, we started the second unit, real numbers, where we will develop skills of solving various operations using positive and negative numbers.

Hebrew Heritage

,הורים יקרים

השבוע המשכנו לעסוק ביחידת טיולים באמצעות קריאת בלוגים של משפחות ישראליות שטיילו בהולנד, תוך היכרות עם אוצר מילים חדש ושימוש 

במילות קישור להשוואת בין הטקסטים. בנוסף זו הפעם הראשונה שהגיענו אלינו השינשינים, הם ערכו .פעילות של משחקים ושירים הקשורה לחג סוכות

,גמר חתימה טובה

אילנה     

Science 

While Mike was at TEVA this week, the 7th graders worked with Sammi, the STEAM Educator, during their science classes. The 7th graders continued their exploration of Rube Goldberg Machines through videos, marble runs, dominoes, and online games. Most importantly, they have begun working on the designs for their own machines in their art class! The 7th grade is very much ready to go through the entire cycle of the design process!