By Seymour Rossel
Introduction
The New Siddur Program for Hebrew & Heritage is the first genuine solution to teaching practical Hebrew for American youngsters. The Hebrew used in rituals in the synagogue and in the home--liturgical Hebrew--is the primary link that unites all Jews throughout the world. It is as relevant and useful to Jews living in the Diaspora as it is to the Jews of Israel. And The New Siddur Program is the first "step-by-step approach" to teaching this elemental Hebrew in the classroom.
There is a natural flow to The New Siddur Program. It progresses from Reading Readiness in which letter recognition is the aim, to a primer which teaches phonetic decoding, to a first level text which stresses reading comprehension, to a second level text which stresses grammar and concepts, to the third level text which completes the task of transmitting prayer literacy. At the end of the third level text, the students are prepared to read any passage from the prayerbook, comprehend the key words in most passages, and identify the main prayers and sections of the prayer service. They are ready to walk into any synagogue in the world and participate in a Jewish T-B-S or holiday service.
All the basic tools for teaching the students are in the books, the teacher support materials, and the enrichment materials. The teacher guides include "Scope and Sequence" charts, classroom motivational exercises, vocabulary presentation guidance, games, chalkboard exercises, suggestions for songs and chanting, opportunities for group work, flash card exercises, listening activities, work with root words, suggestions for dramatic reading, and topics for discussion. The workbooks contain more exercises and motivational activities. And the enrichment materials include classroom board games, flash cards, holiday masters for photocopying, posters, and charts.
With all this material in one program, you might ask, Why produce another booklet? The answer is two-fold. First, many of the classroom management techniques are scattered throughout the teacher guides-in places we believe that you will need them most. But we can't always tell in advance where a particular technique is best suited to your classroom needs. Second, there are certain techniques which are basic to the teaching of any subject to students between the ages of six and thirteen. These techniques--always useful and always necessary--are reviewed here, in one place, for your convenience.
If you are new to teaching Hebrew in the American classroom, I think you will find this booklet handy and helpful in dozens of ways. If you have been teaching for a long time, this booklet will provide you with a simple review of many things you already know. I probably don't have to tell you that this review is important. You will be among the first to want to read this booklet from start to finish. Either way, this booklet is just the beginning. The master teacher is constantly learning new tricks and new techniques.
The name of the game in classroom management is "options." The more options you have, the easier your teaching becomes. The more options you have, the more skill you have. Work your way through this book, then look at it again from time to time to expand your options. If something here works for you, use it again. If it doesn't, forget it. Not all teachers can utilize all techniques. Each of us has a unique "style." Not everything here will fit your style. But you may be surprised at how much of it does.
Enough introduction. Except to say that teaching is a kind of blessing in itself You are blessed with the abilities to transmit an important segment of Jewish learning to the most important segment of the Jewish population-our young folk, the next generation. It is an awesome responsibility, and a sacred task. But it is a task which carries with it its own reward. Enjoy your students. Enjoy your teaching. Smile. Everything else will follow naturally.
Tips 1-7
Classroom Tip #1--The Big Three
All master teachers share a few basic secrets--the one which makes the greatest difference is how they motivate students to learn. Students will respond positively to any activity you plan provided that you include three basic elements, "the Big Three," in your planning. The first is action. Students are like teachers, sitting still makes them nervous or drowsy, or both. A good motivating activity is always active. The second is interaction. Good motivating activities are always social. Group work is always more motivating than individual work. If your activity includes something that students must do alone--it should culminate with something that students do together. Last, but most important of all, a good motivating activity always provides students with a feeling of success. You can always succeed in motivating students, if you plan for student success.
Classroom Tip #2--Failure Breeds Failure
Children begin their schooling eager and curious, but in time many of them become withdrawn, unhappy, and disruptive. When work is too difficult, students have to find a way to cope with the fact that they are unsuccessful. Their strategies for "coping" may include cheating, misbehaving in class, "turning off" the class entirely, or even acting in ways that undermine the teacher. The cumulative effect of past failure even forms a stumbling block to motivation. Students who have been exposed to much failure, may not attempt even simple tasks for fear of failing again. These students never give in to threats, warnings, or force. Usually their strategies for "coping" are stronger and more rewarding than any threat you can enforce. Students like this must gain a feeling of self-esteem in Hebrew bit by bit, lesson by lesson. Sometimes this takes many class sessions to achieve; always it means the teacher must have patience. To start the ball rolling, spend a little individual time with a failing student, coaching him or her in something the class is about to do. Then, at the appropriate moment, allow the student to sense success. Very few things in the life of the classroom are more rewarding--for student or teacher.
Classroom Tip #3--Let Students See Their Success
Wall charts with Jewish stars are one way to help students recognize their own success. But there are many others, too. If there is a computer in the classroom, you can keep a running chart of the students' grades, allowing them to look at their computer record from time to time. Some teachers keep a file folder for each student in an open vertical file on the desk, or pinned to the bulletin board, allowing students to check their progress on individual assignments or see where they stand in the overall course. All of these indicators of success are helpful to you as a teacher, too. You can quickly learn which students need the most help and which students are most likely to be helpful to others.
Classroom Tip #4--Listen to Your Students
There's a difference between listening and what master teachers call "Active Listening." Active Listening is connected to feedback. First you listen and try to completely understand what the student is saying to you. Then you repeat what the student said in your own words, checking with the student to be sure that you have correctly translated the message. In Active Listening, you try not to add your own opinions or ideas to what has been said and not to judge or remark on the validity of the student's statement. If you practice Active Listening, the students will soon understand that you care about them (which, of course, we know you do).
Classroom Tip #5--Merit Cards
Report cards can be a negative factor in motivation. Students like to show their parents that they are succeeding. But report cards more naturally point out where a student is not succeeding. A little technique which I have used for many years will be helpful to you, too. When a student does exceptionally well on an in-class exercise or a workbook assignment, make a mental note. After class is over, spend a minute writing a note or a postcard to that student's parents. Be sure to be specific. "Today in class, David showed that he has been making real progress in vocabulary. He was able to read and translate all seven of the vocabulary words. It was great to see his enthusiasm." Sign the note and mail it to the student's parents. You can be sure that it win end up on prominent display--probably on the refrigerator. You can also be sure that David will come back with a great big smile. After all, you provided him with the best reward--his own parents' approval. No doubt, he was even the subject of a dinner conversation. And so was your class. What a fine teacher you are to notice when a student makes progress! (Important: mail the note home, don't give it to David who may misplace it in his school books, or forget about it entirely. Also important: Try to do this with every student in the class at least once each semester.)
Classroom Tip 6--Phone Home
A call from the teacher should not happen only when a student has acted badly in class. From time to time, set aside a few minutes in the evening to make "public relations" calls. Choose at random from your class roster and speak to two or three of the parents. Tell them how proud you are of their child. "Sarah is really making headway with her handwriting in Hebrew. It's a pleasure to see how she forms her letters." Tell them briefly what you are doing in class. "This month we are working on the basic 
things like the blessing over bread, wine, fruit, and so on. So we're doing a lot of eating and drinking in class. (Grape juice, not wine, of course.)" Tell them how the class is doing in general. "I am really having fun teaching this group of kids." Lie a little, if you have to. It's in the best of causes. Try to reach every parent at least once during each semester.
Classroom Tip #7--Phone Home, Again
While you are at it, place a few calls directly to the students. Ten them how proud you are to be teaching them. Tell them that you feel they are making progress. Ask them about the class and how they feel about it. Don't be afraid of their answers. Do a little Active Listening. Sometimes, a student knows best what is working and what is not working.
Tips 8-14
Classroom Tip #8--Student Control
Sometimes allow students to choose what they wish to do next. Sometimes allow students to write their own examinations. Sometimes allow students to negotiate what will happen next in the classroom. Allowing students to "take charge" is not as dangerous as it sounds. The only real choice you are offering is what to do next in the learning process--no matter what they choose it is already a part of your lesson plan. But allowing students to feel in control, gives them a sense of being invested in the learning process. Even very young students can gain this sense of investment by being allowed to choose what to do first.
Classroom Tip #9--Use Praise Sparingly
Praise is not always reinforcing. For some students, praise does not work well at all. For other students, praise may become a hook to external rewards. When you forget to praise them, they may grow quickly discouraged and cease working for you. The best praise is always very specific. It may be a note at the top of a paper (or a rubber stamp that says, 
or an animal picture or happy face for younger children), or a private word with the student at the end of class. This is often the praise which works best. It is intimately "glued." to the accomplishment.
Classroom Tip #10--How Can You Tell If Motivation Is Working?
Some of the outstanding researchers in classroom management--Walter Doyle, Donald Cruickshank, and others--have cited the following as signs that your classroom is responding to positive motivation. See how many of these you think are true of your class: (1) Students are not afraid to try something new. (2) Students listen to one another without undue interruptions. (3) Students are comfortable working in small groups with other class members. (4) Students are willing to share information and teach one another. (5) Students know that they are important.
Classroom Tip #11--What Rewards Tend to Work?
Be clever. Rewards come in all styles, sizes, shapes, and attitudes. The best reinforcement is one that relates directly to an actual need of the student. For example, if a child is lonely, just a frequent smile or side comment may be more effective than any candy or token. Classroom board games tend to work as rewards, since students typically enjoy interacting with other students in the class. The New Siddur Program includes classroom board games that reinforce many of the learnings. These can easily be used as rewards. Rewards never work when they are given in advance. The smallest possible reward is the most effective--be careful not to give large rewards for simple tasks--if you do, you will not have any large rewards for large tasks. And, last, but not least, do everything in your power to avoid punishments. There is no such thing as a negative reward. But, contrary to what you would think is common sense, punishment tends to reinforce bad behaviors.
Classroom Tip #12--When Is Praise Effective?
The best praise is spontaneous. A simple "" after a good answer, a quick "
" after an outstanding answer is always appreciated and taken well. (Of course, you must always be sincere in praise--that goes without saying.) Don't spin over with praise of a small thing. Students react badly to being coddled, and think you are "babying" them when you overact. Remember who in your class responds well to public praise and who needs to hear the praise privately. It will do you no good to embarrass the class clown with public praise, but a private word might be enough to bring him or her over to your side. And the most effective praise is always specific. Students need to know exactly what you are praising them for. Never be condescending in praise, and never be sarcastic. Sarcasm, in particular, is very negative and tends to make an enemy of a student.
Classroom Tip #13--The Principle of Progressive Alteration
Somewhere in my past, one of my ancestors must have been a tailor, because I think that the rule that I call "The Principle of Progressive Alteration" is very important, and we learn it best by buying clothing for children. When you buy a new suit or dress for your child, you always try to make sure that it is large enough to allow for room for the child to "grow into" the garment. You can take it in a little here or there for now, and let it out a little here or there as the child grows. Curriculum should work in much the same way. The teacher who begins the year with a fourth grade class, ends the year with a fifth grade class. The students are constantly growing-in size, but also in skills. You have to make room for this growth in your curriculum. Try to be sure that some exercises are easy and some force the student, to reach for new skills. This balancing of exercises allows for growth without excessive strain. Fortunately, The New Siddur Program already knows that this is true, and the exercises vary in difficulty for this reason. Try to make sure that you assign simpler tasks to the class at the beginning of the year than you are assigning at the end of the year. Remember to constantly challenge the students without making them insecure.
Classroom Tip #14--Ask What Motivates Your Students
The people who know most about what they want are the students themselves. It never hurts to ask them what "turns them on." At the beginning of the year, or in the middle of it if you have not done so already, pass out an index card with a series of questions that ask about the students' lives. Like this:
Student Information
Name:__________________________
Class:__________________
Date:__________________
1. The best movie I've seen recently is_____________________________
2. My favorite magazine is______________________________________
3. My favorite book is_________________________________________
4. My favorite TV program is___________________________________
5. My favorite school subject is__________________________________
6. When I have free time, I like to________________________________
7. What seems mysterious to me is________________________________
8. A good thing my teacher could do for me is_______________________
9. I like it when my parents give me_______________________________
10. I enjoy___________________________
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When you collect these cards, take the time to see a few of the favorite TV programs and movies of the students in your class. Read a few of their favorite books. Think how you can work some of these things into your conversation in the classroom. Pay attention to what hobbies the students report they have. Can any of those hobbies be used in the classroom? What do the students like from their parents? Are there ways that you can incorporate some of the parents' techniques in your classroom? Are there ways of working some of the best school subjects into your curriculum? And so on. (With younger students, you may have to ask the questions and fill out the cards for them.) You may wish to update these cards in the middle of the year, since the students tend to change from day to day. And, in some years, their needs change rapidly, too.
Tips 15-20
Classroom Tip #15--Know Where You Are Going and Be Sure the Students Know, Too
One of my favorite teachers always wrote the lesson plan for the day in a comer of the chalkboard. As she completed each section of the plan, she walked over and checked it off to show that we were moving ahead to the next piece of the work. Students love to know that they are "getting somewhere." Master teachers always tell the students what's coming. At the beginning of the lesson, they may say" First, we are going to review briefly what we did last time. Then, we are going to do some vocabulary games. Then, we are going to do some exercises in our workbooks. Then, we are going to study the new lesson. And, finally, we will talk about where we are in the school year." This kind of introduction sets the stage for a real, "working" classroom. Moreover, the true master teachers always have a long-range goal. I like to express this in the following way: "I always know the first day of class, the very last thing that I want to say on the last day of class." We may go far afield from time to time, but if I keep my eye on that single target all year long, chances are I will be able to react it. Your goal can be a simple one, such as "I will complete the course of study in The New Siddur Program, level one." Or, it can be more interpersonal, such as "I will shape the students into a cooperative class that loves to work on Hebrew liturgy." In either case, you want to be able to know where you are headed, you want the students to know, and you want to make it happen.
Classroom Tip #16--Different Strokes
Up to now, we have talked about rewards and reinforcements in general. But here are a few specific rewards that you should keep handy for constant use:
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Teacher excitement--nothing radiates enthusiasm like your enthusiasm.
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Knowledge of Results--tests and papers that get graded immediately, in class, on the same day are the most rewarding. Homework that gets check promptly leads to better results in future homework assignments. Everyone likes to know how they are doing, and everyone likes to know it as soon as possible.
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Tokens--Smiley faces, Happy-grams, stickers, special jobs, stars on a chart, coupons for good work that can later be redeemed for free time or other rewards, certificates, awards. All these fall into the category of tokens, and tokens can have a powerful effect on classroom behavior--provided, of course, that no single system is overused.
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Individual Attention--Nothing is as important to any student, from the best student to the most difficult student, as your attention. Your smile, your nod, your casual thanks, your hug (in the case of smaller children) is the most important reward you can give. Because it's valuable, you should be very conscious that you spread it around. Don't deprive any child of your warmth--it pays dividends like no other reinforcing activity.
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Class Rewards--Even if some things are a part of your normal curriculum, you can couch them as rewards for good class achievement. Things like field trips, inviting rabbis in as guest speakers, art displays in local banks or stores, raffles, family days when parents are invited into the classroom, and so on, can all be effective class rewards.
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Class Projects--Even class projects can be viewed as rewards for accomplishing a unit or a series of units of work. Things like preparing a slide-show, doing a student prayer service for younger grades, preparing a playlet for parents or other classes, and so on, are all effective class projects that can be rewards for learning.
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Food--No discussion of rewards would be complete without at least mentioning food. Cookies for a week of particularly good behavior, an ice cream social, a special snack when learning the blessings for food, treats for contest winners (but be careful that you choose things which are not totally sugar, since some parents object to too much sugar, and some students react quickly to sugar in bad ways), even a break with soda pop or grape juice.
All of these are great ways to reward students. But we have barely scratched the surface. Posting names on the bulletin board.. happy notes to parents, inviting a student to lunch, sending birthday cards, sending students to the office for "good behavior," making T-shirts in class, giving out attendance awards for monthly "perfect attendance," and so much more-the list is endless and limited only by your own imagination. Try to use many of these things in combination. Remember: Nothing succeeds like success. All of us need a reward from time to time.
Classroom Tip #17--Special Events
Your classroom is a part of the everyday life of your students. it should be special from time to time. Though it seems to have nothing to do with instruction, you can create a better classroom atmosphere through special events. Try "Crazy 
Day" when everyone wears a funny hat to class. Or "
Day" when everyone wears red. Try a talent day, when students show off their hobbies for a part of the class period, or set up displays of their hobbies with Hebrew captions that you help them to write. Do a "Backward Day," a "Bible Character Day," or a "Security Blanket Day." You can tie some of these in to your curriculum, but most of them are purely for fun. After all, fun is one of the greatest motivators of all.
Classroom Tip #18--In-Class Motivators
Don't limit your imagination when it comes to what will motivate the students in your classroom. Sometimes, reviewing the material you have covered can itself be a motivating activity. Try a song fest, an art fest, a games day with competing teams, board work, tests given by teams with scores, or any of a score of similar activities that can be done in the class. All of these are great at building class spirit.
Classroom Tip #19--Give the Students a Chance to Meet One Another
Nothing builds class unity like giving the students a lot of opportunities for small group work. Throughout The New Siddur Program, you will find many suggestions for small group exercises, but you can have a few favorites of your own. Sometimes it is good to split the class into threes, sometimes into fours, twos, or fives. Change the groupings frequently. Some groups will work better than others, but all groups will have a chance to interact with one another--and that is important, even if little or no real work gets done. Keep the time short for these small group activities. The first time, do a small group activity for just five or six minutes. Lengthen it as the year goes on until small groups work together for ten or fifteen minutes. But never go far beyond that. Small group activities that you can build include things like making books, making posters advertising vocabulary words, making charts of root words and their derivatives (there are plenty of suggestions for this in the teacher guides), making videotapes or cassette recordings, doing work in clay or plasticene, and so on. Even small "reading groups" can help students to help one another.
Classroom Tip #20--Smile
When things get tough in the classroom, you should not get tough. You should smile. The most important rule that master teachers follow is the rule of loving their work. When you find yourself not loving what you are doing in the classroom, the fault is not usually with the students, it's with the options that you are choosing, and the choices you are making. Change the room. Dress it up for a new unit. Add some fun to the curriculum. Let the students play a little more. Sometimes they just need to let off a little steam. You don't want to be a "spoil sport" when this is all they need. Let the classroom manage itself for a minute or two, but not until it gets totally out of hand, then turn off the lights and ask the students to quiet down for a moment. Usually that's all it takes to regain the class. Turn the lights back on and smile. Then go ahead with the lesson. If you have to yell, get very serious, give a good yell, then scowl at the students for a moment. Then--immediately, and without fail--smile. Let them know you are on their side all the time. Remember, learning requires all they have to give, just like teaching requires all you have to give. So give everything, but always give a smile.
