Seekers Updates 2/3-2/4

Kita Alef with Stephanie

This week, we started with our Shalom MaShlomchem jumping game. Afterward, each student took turns leading the Aleph-Bet song. We did some calm deep breathing, and worked on our Hebrew books. After Hebrew and snack the teacher Stephanie went behind the whiteboard to get the Story Fairy, who looks exactly like her with pencils in her ears...but that's just because they're cousins....NOT the same person just in a costume, okay?? The students INSISTED that Stephanie and the Story Fairy are the same. Then all shared what they wanted the story to be about. The usual animals and mythical creatures were requested, and a story unfolded about a a unicorn who learned that prayer is Wow, Thanks, or Please. Then Everyone made their own prayer books with Wow, Thx and Please. 

Kita Bet with Batya

This week in Seekers, Kita Bet learned some new Hebrew letters after doing so well in our review game! We leaned letter Nun and Nun Sofit as well add a new vowel - Hirik! The children are loving the Hebrew alphabet as well as learning the Hebrew language with Hebrew through movement!

In Judaics, we continued to learn about the power of prayer and how we can create our own special personal prayers! The children children each created a personal Siddur (prayerbook) with their personal prayers! Some of the children expressed how they feel when they are in prayer: "I, wake up at 7am and just close my eyes and breathe a lot, and it feels calm." "I sing a song and say thank you add I feel happy."

Kita Gimmel with Yardena

Yesterday in the first hour we worked on our Hebrew books and played a review game that reminded us of the things we learned last week. In the second hour, we read different prayers and identified if they were a thanks, wow or please prayer. Then the kids wrote a personal prayer for themselves. We ended by reading the prayer for peace and rewriting it in our own words as a group. 

Kita Daled with Heather
We began by checking in on our classroom environment and how we feel we are doing with our classroom brit (covenant). We began by seeing the values of our brit on the walls around the room: kavod (respect), Kehilah kedosha (holy community), limud (learning), gimilut chasidim (acts of loving kindness), and under each value were several statements that allowed students to evaluate the ways we were living out those values. Examples included "I feel listened to when I speak in class", "I feel we listen to others in class", "I feel we learn ways to help others in the world," etc. Each student received a stack of red, green, and yellow sticky notes and had the chance to agree, disagree, or stay neutral on each statement. Once each student had placed their sticky notes on these statements, we were able to visually take stock of the places where we were succeeding as a class community and the places we need to work on. We used this to create a new class brit, updated with a new awareness of our  strengths and weaknesses as a classroom community.

We concluded by continuing our exploration of prayer, learning about the difference between keva (fixed prayer) and kavanah (intention), as well as the categorization of most prayers into help, thanks and/or wow. Students had the opportunity to write their own prayers for each category. Many students prayed for help with the health and wellbeing of their family members, gratitude for their support systems and resources, and awe of the world around them.

Kita Hey with Yonatan
This week, we focused on Shema prayer, learning its importance and its sequence. We learned that the Shema consisted of three sounds: Shhh (get quiet, go within); MMMM (look, think, consider, feel); AAAAA (awareness, Eureka!). Students broke into small groups and considered, what do I hear when I listen within? What would I want Israel/my community to hear? What values do I want to teach? We also focused on Barchu: calling the community to prayer. We learned a tune to the prayer, and asked ourselves, how do we listen to our communities, and how are we acting upon our listening?

Kita Vav with Yonatan

This week in Hebrew, we spent time in individual learning in our binders. The students have been progressing well and many moved onto the next book! In Judaics, we learned about the roots of tefillah/blessing, and how the word is connected to "knee": ברוך-ברך. We learned about how when we pray, we bend at the knee and bow to acknowledge that there is something greater than us. We also learned about the different parts of a prayer such as birkot hashachar, barchu and what they symbolize. We divided prayer into four categories: Wow, Thanks, Sorry, and Please. Each learner thought, articulated, and creatively shared their own connection to one type of prayer.

Kita Zayn with Heather

We began by listening to songs of prayers interpreted by a variety of American & Israeli artists, an activity we've done in the past as well. This helped remind us that even when we share the same words, prayers mean something different to everyone and are often customized to individuals based on their customs, geographic location, time period, and needs. We discussed how this puts us in conversation with Jews across space and time. From there we learned about the concepts of keva (fixed prayer), and kavanah (intention), and how nearly all prayers fall under the categories of "help, thanks, and wow". After discussing what each of these categories meant, students came up with their own prayers for each category and shared with each other. Students noticed that for many of them, in this period of post-midterms/mid year exams, they feel both grateful for academic success and in need of support for times when academic pressure mounts. The students really succeeded in being able to see or imagine prayerful moments in their own lives even if they do not consider themselves "pray-ers."