Chances are that you won’t have to look far to arrive at a set of goals for each lesson.
- The Teacher’s Guide for your textbook may list goals for every chapter or lesson segment.
- Your religious school curriculum may include yearly goals for each grade level.
- The assessment tools used by your school are also a consideration in defining lesson goals. If students are to be tested and graded periodically, include the development of the skills to be tested in your lesson plans. While this suggestion sounds like that distasteful practice, “teaching to the test,” it’s meant to encourage awareness of skills on which students will be evaluated, and not to imply a narrow approach.
- If students receive report cards, lesson plans should reflect the skills that are to be graded. This simply means that if “Hebrew Translation” appears in the list of report card skills, students need opportunities to develop and practice this skill. If “Works well independently” is a “Classroom Skill” which appears on the report card, be sure to include some independent study activities in your lesson plans.
Of course, not every goal from the textbook, school curriculum, and evaluation tools will appear in every lesson plan. Rather, over time, include the spectrum of goals – some in one lesson, some in another.
You may have your own learning goals for your students, as well. Goals such as conducting class routines in Hebrew, discussing the weekly Torah Portion in an age-appropriate way, or keeping a Holiday journal – certainly include in your lesson plans, personal goals that enrich your students’ Jewish learning experiences.
Ronni has been a Jewish educator since Moses was in preschool (almost!). She has had the pleasure of teaching all age groups in a variety of formal and informal settings, as well as directing a Jewish Teacher Resource Center. While teaching in a Jewish Day School, Ronni coached an award-winning Odyssey of the Mind creative problem solving team.Ronni was an active participant in the former Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education (CAJE), where she held leadership positions including Network Chair and Conference Co-Chair of CAJE 29 at Hofstra University. She currently teaches Hebrew at the Congregation Albert Religious School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Talmud teaches: “The Torah cannot be learned unless it is learned among friends.” Ronni views blogging on JCast as such a learning opportunity.
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