What
is an exploratory program and why should we have one?
An exploratory program can take on different
forms in different schools. It is
sometimes called clubs, specials, electives, encore classes etc. The philosophical idea behind an exploratory
program is to give Middle School students an opportunity to explore new
subjects and interests and give them a wider range of experience within an area
of interest.
What
does the exploratory program look like at Yeshivat Noam?
The exploratory program at Yeshivat Noam takes place once a week on Wednesday during an extended lunch period. The
goal is for a child to spend the year in an area building up a level of
mastery, accomplishment, and deeper knowledge.
Below are the different options for exploratory this year.
The 8th grade girls are eagerly preparing for their play, "Annie," which will debut in May. The girls have been practicing at home in addition to their weekly rehearsals at school. This is the second year that the 8th Grade Girls at Yeshivat Noam will perform in a play. The girls are working hard on rehearsing lines, practicing songs, and choreographing scenes and dances.
Technology - Mr. Josh Bierman
The tech group has been doing an unstructured romp through the world of scratch and regex.
They have explored building their own video games using the scratch programming language, and learned how to do specific searches using regular expression to narrow results based on a wide variety of criteria.
Next month we will be starting new code academy lessons.
Black Box Drama - Mr. Matt Okin
The Drama Exploratory group of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders has embarked on the production of a one-act comedic play for kids by the famous contemporary American Jewish playwright David Mamet, all the while learning and practicing improvisation and collaborative theater techniques. While the show - in it's entirety - will have it's Yeshivat Noam premiere in late Spring, a special short preview from The Poet & The Rent is expected to debut in the coming few weeks!
Art- Mrs. Nikki Sausen
We are currently working on portrait art. The girls each chose a picture of a face from a magazine. They folded the picture in half and are working on completing the 'hidden side.' The results have been fabulous. The girls are learning about symmetry, measuring, shading and are becoming aware of both positive and negative space. We are looking forward to seeing completed works soon!
Art- Mrs. Judi Dimbert
With so many girls/students interested in Exploratory Art, a second group was added. In this group, we've explored abstract art, color values, water color painting, and beading. This new semester started a new topic- landscape painting. These finished pieces will be making their way home soon.
Choir - Morah Shira Greenspan
Twice weekly, the Yeshivat Noam Middle School girl's choir meets to sing together and, most often, practice for upcoming performances. This talented group of girls works hard to increase their vocal ranges, sing appropriately, and be the bosses of any stage-fright that dare come their way. The choir's near monthly performances bring ruach and vivacity to the Yeshivat Noam atmosphere.
Debate - Rabbi Jeremy Hellman
The first half of debate has been a great success. The students worked on key debate skills including proper research, speech writing, and speech delivery. Topics so far have included the United States involvement in foreign conflicts, outsourcing to other countries, and wiretapping by the NSA. At the debate meets, we have been very successful at winning many individual rounds and our students have won awards as excellent speakers.
