JCast Network

What’s a nice buffalo like this doing in a Jewish education blog? In the process of learning how to add photos to my blog, the very knowledgeable, patient college student who was helping me, needed a photo to use as an example. The buffalo happened to be in my photo file and was uploaded into […]

How is an office supply store like a religious school classroom? Well, both have pencils, chalk, notebooks, and loads of copy paper. But that’s not the answer. You knew that, right? So, in the spirit of Midrashim and shtetl folktales, let me tell you a (true) story. Recently, I attended “Teacher Appreciation Day” at a […]

Shabbat Shalom. To complete the description of the Treasure Hunt game, here are 2 variations. This is a good Holiday activity that can be part of a class celebration.In advance of the actual celebration, give each student small (2″x1.5″) post-it notes and ask the students to draw symbols of the Holiday you’re celebrating (apple, lulav, […]

I’ve been thinking about my post of 8/4/10 where I describe the Treasure Hunt game. The description sounds a bit complicated, but really Treasure Hunt is simply an interactive form of a matching or fill-in-the-blanks exercise. Instead of completing a pencil and paper matching or fill-in exercise, students get to walk around and hunt for […]

Ahoy Mateys! Time for a treasure hunt! In the Treasure Hunt game, students examine classroom displays very carefully as they race to find hidden “treasures.” The treasures are small pictures or little cards representing material the students have studied.The pictures or cards are tacked or taped to various displays. The pictures might depict foods whose […]

It’s the first day of religious school and you’ve put alot of effort into classroom displays. Do the students ooh and aah over your creativity? Do they eagerly examine every sign, flash card, and poster you’ve so carefully placed? No way! They’re busy meeting and greeting their classmates and comparing ipods or smart phones or […]

Like a snowball rolling down a mountain, certain topics in Judaic Studies gather more and more information as the weeks go by. Students recognize and decode more and more Hebrew letters, vowels, and whole words. They study the Holiday cycle from ever more mature points of view. Torah Study centers around gleaning additional insights each […]

Shavuah Tov. In this post, I had intended to describe a cumulative wall display. Then, I brought in the Sunday paper. WOW! Loads of ads with totally cheap school supplies! Your Question: “So what? My school supplies chalk, pencils, paper. What more do I need?” My answer: How about a protractor – only $.05 at […]

In the interest of transparency, Please note: In my blog posts, I mention by name stores, products, websites, and educational services. I do so for your convenience in examining and/or acquiring the various resources which I discuss. I have no personal connection with any of these resources, nor do I receive any form of compensation […]

The Brown Bag bulletin board engages students immediately because they’re in charge. Tack a brown paper grocery bag to the bulletin board. In the bag, place assorted “raw materials” related to a specific topic. Raw materials may include pictures; excerpts of texts from the Chumash or Siddur; maps; posters; information copied from textbooks; information downloaded […]