Visualization - Mrs. Malka Shapiro

12th Night, or What You Will- The Comic!

Visualization is one of the most basic strategies of comprehension, and it is one of the first reading strategies we teach children.  Picture books are a useful tool to teach this strategy early on.  As children grow, they begin reading chapter books that have less pictures and more words.  Finally, students begin reading books that do not have any pictures.  By the time they grow to middle school age, they do not have pictures in books.  Students instinctively visualize as they read.  At times however, text and characters may become very complex.  I found that some students were having difficulty following the play 12th Night, or What You Will, by William Shakespeare, due to the play’s language, various characters and intricate plot-line.  I assisted  students, in my SLS class, in understanding the plot of the play by having them draw comics/stick figures representing what they were reading.  We then discussed the comics the students created, allowing them to restate, internalize and comprehend what they had just read.  This is a helpful tool to offer students as an alternative to merely reading text without pictures.

E2K Mathematics - Mrs. Sari Sheinfeld

Often, during an E2K session, the students are confronted with a task for which they have not been taught a solution technique. In a recent 6th grade math E2K activity, "The Burning Board" the activity began by the students being assigned a number which dictated how far across a game of catch they would throw the ball. The ultimate goal was to make sure each got the ball once, but only once and identify who the "opening player" should be. Such as during this activity, the students, during many of the E2K activities, the students are working in an an environment of some degree of uncertainty, and often begin through the use of trial and error, using logic, teamwork, collaboration, and each other as a guide. Often exploring many paths, both correct and erroneous, they explore until they unfold a path (or multiple!) for reaching a solution. This hand on approach allows the students to reach important insight that they are then able to adapt to numerical and mathematical concepts. From the game of catch, we moved on to a numerical version of the game on paper- without having formally discussed the conclusions they came to from the game of catch. Watching the students develop their reasoning from the kinesthetic to the concrete numerical version was very similar to watching them observe the trees initially, step back and become aware of the forest as these adapt their own strategies into a mathematical method.  

Embed in Blog - ecards

PRISM GRANT - Mrs. Sheinfeld and Ms. Bloom Attend Ongoing PD for Teachers of Mathematics

60 Cantaloupes????

 “When are we ever going to use this”? Why do we need to know this”? “Is this right?” Those are just some of the inevitable questions teachers (especially math teachers!) hear almost daily. (We know what you are thinking....”Never! Not my kid!”) Of course, as teachers one of our tasks is helping students learn to be critical thinkers and to ask questions that helps deepen understanding. But how can students understand the concepts of compound and simple interest when savings accounts are antiquated? (“What???”, “The bank gives you money??”, “Wait, I have no idea what you are talking about”- Yes, those are direct quotes from some of our 7th graders).

On Tuesday, Ms. Bloom and Mrs. Sheinfeld attended a day long conference on making math relevant and contextual to students. Relevance and real life context provides a motivational push for students to think critically, solve problems and develop perseverance. Math experiences where children have to “stop and think” create opportunities to undo common misconceptions about numbers, connect math with real life situations, seek “reasonable” answers, and to transfer and apply the information learned to varied situations.

Bnei Mitzvah Evening and Chessed Fair! - Daniel Rothner

Embed in Blog - ecards

Areyvut was pleased to organize a Chesed Fair for Yeshivat Noam’s 5th grade girls and 6th grade boys the evening of March 25th. There was much excitement in the air as fifteen agencies- ranging from Amit to the Jewish Communal Fund, Chai Lifeline, and beyond- came to present their volunteer opportunities to the Noam community. Noam students were interested in the wide variety of volunteer positions offered, and enthusiastic about adding a chesed component to their big day. The entire event reflected the strong connection the school has to chesed and tzedakah, and their dedication to actively providing their students with the opportunity to put these values into action. Areyvut, a non-profit based in Bergenfield, aims to infuse the lives of Jewish youth and teens with the core Jewish values of chesed, tzedakah, and tikkun olam. They work with day schools, synagogues, community centers, and individual families to bring innovative programs and chesed opportunities to our children. For more information about the Chesed Fair, or to meet with Areyvut regarding volunteer opportunities, please call (201)-244-6702 or email info@areyvut.org.
Following the chessed fair students met with Rabbi Koslowe and Mrs. Troodler to do an activity focused on Bar/Bat Mitzvah etiquette and debrief about their chessed interests while the parents met with Rabbi Hagler to review the school guidelines for Bnei Mitzvah smachot.

Rabbi Dr. Jay Goldmintz Leads 8th Grade Tefilla Group

Over the past few weeks, we have had the unique privilege of having Rabbi Dr. Jay Goldmintz, a distinguished educator, speaker and author of a newly published Siddur Ani Tefilla, facilitate an experiential Tefilla group for our 8th grade students. Initially, Rabbi Goldmintz davened together with a different group of 10 boys and 10 girls from the 8th grade each week and led them in discussions about what parts of Tefilla seem incomprehensible or irrelevant, they unpacked specific Tefillot like Baruch She'amar, and took time to focus on experiential parts of Tefilla like valuing one's eyesight prior to saying the Bracha of Pokeach Ivrim (He who opens the eyes of the blind). More recently, Rabbi Goldmintz has expanded the discussion further with a small group of students to delve further into Tefillot, what they originally meant, where they were said, what they mean today, and how to make more meaning out of them for our own lives.

Taanit Esther - Noah Seidenfeld z"l Memorial Day

Noah was a student in our school who died a number of years ago, each year we commemorate his loss by dedicating the limmud Torah on that day to his memory. This year we had two guest speakers: Rabbi Nati Helfgot who spoke on "Torah Shebal Peh: A Foundation of Our Life" and Rabbi Zev Reichman who spoke about “Emunah: The Feeling of being Held”. Aside from the speakers, teachers also focused their regular class periods on learning and discussing the idea of Emunah.

Bayit Rishon Museum Update- Ms. Aliza Peyser and Rabbi Jeremy Hellman- 6th Grade Social Studies

The sixth grade students' devoted effort as researchers and sculptors was reflected in their beautiful Bayit Rishon artifact exhibit.   The exhibit featured artifacts from the time of the first Beit Hamikdash such as the Lachish Relief, Chizkiyahu's Tunnels, Sennacherib's Annals, the House of Ahiel, and clay bullae.  Next to each artifact stood the students' pamphlets which included an explanatory paragraph, pictures of the original artifact, and relevant pesukim.  The sixth grade welcomed teachers and seventh and eighth grade students as visitors to the museum and knowledgeably described the artifacts to the visitors.  It was wonderful for the students to study Jewish History and Tanach through the lens of Ancient History.  The eighth grade students will study this Bayit Rishon time period through the lens of Tanach in their Navi classes this year.  Thank you to Morah Shira, Mrs. Weinberg and Mrs. Solomon for  preparing their students for the museum visit!

Embed in Blog - ecards

8th Grade Holocaust Study - Rabbi Jeremy Hellman

 A major component of the 8th social studies curriculum is learning about World War II and the Holocaust. Focusing on the 6 million who perished in the Holocaust is often daunting and overwhelming, so our focus has been to connect with the individuals who experienced the traumatic years of the War. Students selected someone that survived the Holocaust or someone who unfortunately was killed and research that person's life before, during, and after the war. Many students chose family members such as grandparents, cousins, or distant relatives to understand their past. 

    The goal of the project is to feel connected to those who lived through that dark period of history, and it is that much more important for this generation as the number of Survivors continued to dwindle. The students have been fortunate to work with Rebecca Lopkin, an expert in educational theater training. The students are working on creating individual dynamic presentations about their research figures to gain that special connection. They are currently writing literature pieces from the perspective of those individuals. Some students are working on journal and diaries while other students are writing letters and postcards. It has been so moving to see the students connect to their past and feel proud of their ancestors. More to come....   

Sarina is a Parshat Shemini Star

 6G's Sarina was the lucky winner of a special prize at the Purim auction. Students raised money for local matanot l'evyonim by purchasing raffle tickets for various teacher-contributed prizes. One of Morah Shira Greenspan's prizes was to be featured alongside her adorable son, Amitai, in his weekly parsha picture. Claiming her prize, in this week's parsha picture, Sarina and Amitai try to rectify the sin of Nadav and Avihu by celebrating around the mizbeach appropriately. Congratulations, Sarina! Shabbat shalom!

Yeshivat Noam Dinner Video! Must See!

Purim in the Middle School - Mrs. Barbra Solomon

This year at Yeshivat Noam, we had an exciting Purim. The 6th Graders created and ran a carnival for grades 1-5 in which students got to travel from booth to booth and win tickets for a raffle. The 7th grade visited the Prospect Heights Nursing Home all decked out in their costumes. They toured the nursing home singing and spreading cheer! Lastly, the 8th graders helped run the Early Childhood carnival. We ended the day with our faculty raffle with the proceeds going to ma'atanot le'evyonim and a chagiga.  All in all, we had a blast!!!

Purim 2014 - Video Maker

Debate - First Place Win! - Rabbi Jeremy Hellman

Yeshivat Noam wins first place team; first place pair; and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place speakers at Middle School Debate Competition at Ezra Academy !

Topic: The United States may continue to permit both governmental entities and United States corporations to outsource work to other nations, regardless of the nation's income, work laws, and environmental standards.

8th Grade Girls Prepare for Annie Production - Mrs. Barbra Solomon

Our 8th grade girls have been working this year, during Exploratory, with Mrs. Barbra Solomon on the preparing their production of Annie.  Below are two pictures taken during a recent rehearsal. 
Save the date: May 22nd!

Middle School Prepares for Earth Expo!

7th Grade- Mr. Aaron Kogut
The 7th grade science class is hard at work for the upcoming Earth Expo. This week, students began their individual research on an ecological issue faced by an ecosystem of their choice. These individual topics were chosen in conference with their group who together chose a specific biome. Individual research will then be pooled together so that students will all be able to gather information about different ecological issues faced by different ecosystems in their biome allowing them to gain a  greater scope of issues faced by their group's biome. Student's research will each be compiled as an essay which the rest of their group will read to further their knowledge of their biome. This coming week each group will begin to design an experiment to test an issue related to their biome. They will be looking for a problem and testing different solutions; using the scientific method, they will gain a greater appreciation for the issues faced by plants and animals in the biome they are learning about. The collected data will then be analyzed and conclusions will be drawn which they will present at the Earth Expo.

8th Grade- Mrs. Barbara Sehgal
 In this unit, Energy  and the Earth Expo,  our 8^th graders are focused in the discussion of real world issues.  They are  grappling with big questions such as “ What is energy? , “Where does energy come from?”   “Is there a best and most efficient energy production method?”  Together as a class we have used the technology and resources available in our school to begin to  build a foundation of knowledge   We have learned about different types of energy  and  energy sources.  The 8^th graders have also learned about energy production methods and have through their research have begun  to discuss and debate the benefits and short comings of these technologies.  In the next step we will start to build, test and model the concepts we are learning about. 

This week students investigated the parts of a circuit and how energy flows. 

 

Poetry Club - Mrs. Sarah Blum

The middle school poetry club has spent the last few weeks talking about the poetry form odes.  Odes are poems "in which a person expresses a strong feeling of love or respect for someone or something."  We read and analyzed Pablo Neruda's poem "Ode to Socks" which discusses something so ordinary as socks.  We talked about how one of the beautiful things about poetry is that it often calls our attention to things in our life we don't often think about or appreciate, like our socks.  In many ways, brachot are similar.  Before we eat something, we pause and say a bracha; we take a moment to appreciate the object and to think about where it came from and to thank Hashem.  We also read "Ode to Family Photographs" by Gary Soto which was filled with humor.  To end our discussion, today we listened to "Ode to Joy" by Beethoven.  It was music that we recognized, and we discussed that artists and people express themselves in so many ways, not just in words.  Music is poetry too.  Beethoven's piece reminded us to appreciate and relish the many moments of joy we have daily.

7th Grade Social Studies - Great Kick Off to Legacy Project - Mrs. Ricki Kurtz

Towards  the end of this week, the seventh graders will be starting their legacy project. This in class project based learning activity is focusing on answering the question -What is a legacy? The students will be divided into groups, research a president, and will then write a resume based on their research. After they have spent time researching their president, they will try to come up with that president's legacy. They will then be creating an award based on his legacy, decide which of their contemporaries they will present it to, and come up with a presentation.

 

Today, the seventh graders had the privilege of listening to Rabbi Ari Zahtz who introduced to the students the concept of creating a legacy. He started out by talking about Aharon Hakohen's legacy and ended off with a beautiful R' Paysach Krohn story of boys letting a special needs boy hit a baseball at the end of an intense game.

I am looking forward to an amazing unit!

Mrs Kurtz