Lesson

Genetics and Race

Race, this article explains, is an illusion created by humans rather than a biological fact. All of us are created in the image of God, and so we share similar genetics no matter what superficial differences might suggest. In this lesson, students will conduct a simple experiment that demonstrates that skin color is determined by relatively few genetic ingredients. $0.00$0.00 A SHARED BIOLOGY Despite our physical differences, every human being is constructed of the same elements: We each have approximately 60,000,000,000,000 (60 trillion) cells in our bodies. We each have approximately 593 miles of blood vessels in our bodies through which 5.5 liters of blood flows. We each have 206 bones in our bodies and 48 square feet of skin. HUMAN DIVERSITY Human beings are more diverse than any species on the planet. "Who says that your blood is redder than his?" Sanhedrin 74a Lesson Summary:  Students will perform an experiment about shades of skin color. Students will learn about the concept of tzelem Elokim and explore the privileges and responsibilities of being created in God's image. Printable Lesson:  5707lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  Learn more about how scientists are exploring our genes and DNA at the Human Genome Project website: http://www.genome.gov/10001772

Dress Codes: Pro or Con?

Students and teachers share their views on dress codes. Invite  your students join in with their opinions and share some Jewish values on the matter with them.   $0.00$0.00Thirteen-year-old Dana Goldstein knows her school dress code well. As an eighth grader in the Sharon Middle School in Massachusetts, she is aware that girls are forbidden from wearing flip-flops, open-toed or backless shoes, spaghetti straps, short shorts, or skirts higher than an inch above the knee. And Dana doesn't like it one bit. "Rabbi Yohanan said that clothes honor a person." Shabbat 113a Lesson Summary:  In this lesson students will voice their own opinions about dress codes. Students will also identify appropriate attire for different venues. Printable Lesson:  5705lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  The NBA's dress code policy: http://www.nba.com/news/player_dress_code_051017.html

Ethics of Donating Human Organs

Read this article to find out the Jewish view of the ethics of donating human organs.  In this lesson, students will study Jewish texts and create kinetic art to depict what Jewish values need to be balanced and weighed in the discussion of organ donation. $0.00$0.00from BabagaNewz Magazine, Shevat 5767 / February 2006 Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will study Jewish texts that highlight the importance of pikuah nefesh, saving a life. Students will also create a graphic representation to show the relative weight of the mitzvah to save a life compared to other mitzvot. Printable Lesson:  5701lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  Halachic Organ Donor Society

Elie Schramm Adopts a New Attitude

This article profiles Elie Schramm whose family adopted a baby girl from China. Despite his initial concerns, Elie learned to accept and appreciate the change in his family, and realized how lucky he was to have a new baby sister.  Through a building  activity, students will explore the changes in the life of a family and consider how to keep the foundations of family strong when change occurs. $0.00$0.00Elie Schramm didn't want anyone to discover his family's big news. He was getting a new sister-all the way from China. The 11-year-old vividly recalls the dread he felt a year-and-a-half ago when he learned his parents were adopting a Chinese baby. Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will build structures and then find ways to adapt the structures once new building materials have been added to them. Through this activity, students will explore the changes in the life of a family and consider how to keep the foundations of family strong when change occurs. Printable Lesson:  4702lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Oasis in the Desert

This article describes all the Negev Desert has to offer. In the lesson, students will explore what it is like to live in the Negev, and why people live there. Students will identify ways in which we can live in harmony with our surroundings, and will consider the advantages and disadvantages of living on a kibbutz. $0.00$0.00  "How can you live here?" ask most visitors to Sde Boker, a 55-year-old kibbutz in Israel's parched Negev desert. The question is understandable: Temperatures easily reach 120ºF in the summer, and the area receives less than four inches of rain per year. Lesson Summary:  Students will explore what it is like to live in the Negev, and why people choose to settle in such a challenging location. Students will identify ways in which we can "live in harmony" with our surroundings, and will consider the advantages and disadvantages of living on a kibbutz. Printable Lesson:  4809lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Kids Club Website Coalition on the Environment in Jewish Life Information about David Ben-Gurion More about David Ben-Gurion Midreshet Sde Boker's website is full of fantastic photos to show your class. You can save them on your computer by "right clicking" on the image, clicking on "Save Picture As" and save to desktop. Then you can either show the pictures on a computer screen or print them out.

Kangaroos

In this article, students will read about how kangaroo mothers are known for taking extremely good care of their newborn babies. Through discussion and text study, students will explore the human parent-child relationship through a Jewish lens. $0.00$0.00 ROOS DOWN UNDER The western grey kangaroo is nicknamed the "stinker" because of the males' awful odor. Red kangaroos can run 40 miles per hour and leap 42 feet with each jump. Kangaroos can only jump if their tails are touching the ground. POUCH POTATOES Marsupials (animals with pouches), especially kangaroos, are some of Australia's famed attractions. There are at least 60 known species of kangaroo in Australia. "Everything that happens to the parent is a sign to the children. Ramban on Bereishit 12:6 Lesson Summary:  Through discussion and text study, students will explore the human parent-child relationship through a Jewish lens. They will then create a contract befitting the relationship. Printable Lesson:  4707lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Daryl and Evan Sabara: Brotherly Love

When it came to their b'nai mitzvah, actors Daryl and Evan Sabara talked about how to make the celebration something special and memorable. Share their story with your students. $0.00$0.00The Spy Kids donned jet-packs and submerged in submarines to rescue their parents from villains and save the world, but that didn't prepare them for the ultimate challenge: trying to learn Hebrew in three months. Yet Daryl Sabara, who played Juni Cortez in all three movies, and his twin brother Evan, who also appeared in Spy Kids, were determined to celebrate their b'nai mitzvah together in a significant way. "When the way is long, company is pleasant." Sukkah 52a Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will practice harmonizing as a means of exploring how harmony works and how it can be translated into a home evironment. Printable Lesson:  4704lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

It Takes a Village

A country like Israel, whose founding fathers were immigrants themselves, continues to welcome immigrants into the land.  Read about Yemin Orde,  one such organization that strives to make Israel feel like home to thousands of immigrant children. After learning about seeking peace in the many types ofhomes that exist in the world and reading the article about Yemin Orde, students will write an acrostic poem showing their understanding of the concepts taught in the lesson. $0.00$0.00Yemin Orde Youth Village sits high atop Mount Carmel, surrounded on three sides by lush banana plantations. Clean, white bungalows house 500 residents, who live, study, and play together on the 77-acre campus. Students gather in bright, spacious meeting rooms, they stroll along gently winding pathways, and they swim in the aqua-blue Mediterranean Sea below. But don't let the serenity fool you. Personal turmoil and group conflicts seethe just beneath the surface. Lesson Summary:  After learning about seeking peace in the many types of homes that exist in the world and reading the article about Yemin Orde, students will write an acrostic poem showing their understanding of the concepts taught in the lesson. Printable Lesson:  4708lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  Instructions for an acrostic poem http://babaganewz.com/wp-content/uploads/teachers/pdfs/6607acrostic.pdf Friends of Yemin Orde web site http://www.yeminorde.org/index.html Click on the right side of the page to see an excerpt from a PBS show in which Yemin Orde was featured: http://www.yeminorde.org/village/index.html

Implanted Devices Stir Debate

This article highlights the debate that  erupted around the implantation of RFID tags in human beings. Advocates point to the many health and safety benefits of using the tags while opponents fear the invasion of privacy and potential for malicious misuse that may arise. This lesson invites students to enter the debate by analyzing various situations in which RFID tags could be used and discussing how Jewish values relate to the situations. $0.00$0.00from BabagaNewz Magazine, Tevet 5767 / January 2006 Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, will determine how Jewish values relate to cases about RFID implantation in humans. They will discuss various scenarios about RFID implantation. Printable Lesson:  4701lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Scenarios

All in the Family

Learn how ordinary families face and conquer challenges when parents remarry, have more children, and move to a new home or abroad . $0.00$0.00You've seen Cheaper by the Dozen and Yours, Mine and Ours. Now meet some real families who don't get starring roles in movies, but nevertheless demonstrate that all types of families can overcome all types of challenges. Lesson Summary:  Students will expand upon the traditional template of a family tree to create a diagram to represent the complex structure of Yaakov’s family. They will then consider how to depict their own family and its unique challenges. Printable Lesson:  4709lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet with Discussion Questions Additional Resources:  Rethinking Schools Online http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/19_03/fram193.shtml PBS Kids: Sibling Rivalry http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/family/sibrivalry/index.html

Shalom in the Home

Families that appear on the show Shalom in the Home learn the meaning of family values and mutual respect. Although they are not on TV, students will offer solutions to scenarios of family troubles.  They will have Jewish texts to guide them and can consider whether such advice can help in their own families. $0.00$0.00Hannah Lubner glares at her parents, and they instantly recognize that a temper tantrum is simmering, only moments away from boiling over. The tantrum's ingredients are predictable-first the kicking, then the screaming, and finally the hitting. Her mother flees from the confrontation, exhausted by Hannah's behavior. But her father matches his daughter's rage, decibel for decibel, lashing out at his wife and his 9-year-old child. Before the Lubners can stop the eruption, another cycle of pain has begun. "Those who make peace in their own homes are as if they made peace in all Israel." Avot D'Rabbi Natan Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will write their own advice for scenarios in which families struggle to maintain shlom bayit. They will then consider how to apply the same type of advice to their own family situations. Printable Lesson:  4705lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Advice Column Letters Additional Resources:  TLC: Shalom in the Home http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/shalom/shalom.html

Jeff Swartz: In Step With Torah

In this interview, Jeff Swartz, former CEO of Timberland, explains the importance of daily Torah study. The accompanying lesson aims to have students explore their own identities as learners and the importance of committing to a life of Jewish learning. $0.00$0.00  If every person who bought a new pair of Timberland shoes or boots during 2005 were to walk only 3,000 steps a day in them, then Timberland footwear would carry their owners about 45 million miles-the equivalent of walking to Mars. Moreover, in one year, satisfied Timberland customers would comfortably walk 16 billion miles, the distance from Earth to the edge of our solar system-and back. "Some of Israel's wisest people were woodchoppers, others drainers of water, and others blind. Despite this, they studied Torah day and night." Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Torah Study 1:9 Lesson Summary:  The lesson aims to have students explore their own identities as learners and the importance of committing to a life of Jewish learning by analyzing texts about the rewards for learning Torah and creating ads to “sell” lifelong Torah study. Printable Lesson:  3704lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  The Timberland web site has a whole section on community service: http://www.timberland.com/timberlandserve/timberlandserve_index.jsp?clickid=bottom_timserve_img

Laser Light

Light is one of the metaphors used in Judaism for the Torah. By reading about lasers and light, students will then think about the role of windows and light in the Temple in Jerusalem. After coming up with their own designs for the windows, they will then read a midrash that gives an explanation for the shapes of the windows in the Temple. $0.00$0.00 LET THERE BE LIGHT! Surgeons use lasers to make painless incisions and to repair damaged eyes and other organs. It takes a laser pulse merely 5 billionths of a second to remove 0.2 microns of eye tissue. CDs and DVDs use lasers to read music and video signals stored as digital codes. "A mitzvah is a lamp, and the Torah is light." Proverbs 6:23 Lesson Summary:  By reading about lasers and light, students will then think about the role of windows and light in the Temple in Jerusalem. After coming up with their own designs for the windows, they will then read a midrash that gives an explanation for the shapes of the windows in the Temple. Printable Lesson:  3707lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  The Jerusalem Archaelogical Park - Virtual Model Panorama http://www.archpark.org.il/panorama2.asp Reuven Weiser's Virtual Mikdash http://yucs.org/~rweiser/virtual_mikdash.shtml Jerusalem Temple - Women's Court http://www.bible-history.com/court-of-women/temple-sketch-womens-court_shg.jpg Moshiach Online's Tour of the Holy Temple http://moshiach.com/temple/classic

Ben Krebs: A Call to Torah

Inspire your bar/bat mitzvah students with this article about Ben, the only Jewish boy inhis town, who studied for his bar mitzvah via telephone. The accompanying  lessonallows pairs of students to analyze thebenefits of learning Torah with a havruta, study partner.  $0.00$0.00  At 8 p.m. on a Thursday, 14-year-old Ben Krebs awaits the phone call in his home in Avon, Indiana, as he has nearly every week for the past two and a half years. Nearly 750 miles away, 46-year-old Ira Berkowitz finds a quiet spot away from his five kids and places the call. As the phone rings, Ben grabs his humash; his Torah lesson is about to begin. "Find for yourself a teacher; acquire for yourself a friend." Pirkei Avot 1:6 Lesson Summary:  This lesson allows students to study with a partner to analyze the benefits of learning Torah with a havruta, study partner. It also invites them to use art to consider their own connections to Torah learning and the Jewish People as they look forward to their b’nai mitzvah. Printable Lesson:  3702lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Torah Texts Sheet Additional Resources:  Partners in Torah http://www.partnersintorah.org

Senator Allen Discovers Jewish Roots

This article explores Senator George Allen’s discovery of his Jewishheritage. In the accompanying  lesson,students will research other notable figures who areJewish and who draw upon their Judaism to achieve success. They will then stage a forum in which one student,acting as Senator Allen, will interview the other personalities about how they incorporate Judaism into their lives. $0.00$0.00Senator Allen Discovers Jewish Rootsfrom BabagaNewz Magazine, Kislev 5767 / December 2006 Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will research other notable figures who are Jewish and who draw upon their Judaism to achieve success. They will then stage a forum in which one student, acting as Senator Allen, will interview the other personalities about how they incorporate Judaism into their lives. Printable Lesson:  3701lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Seeing is Believing

Jewish students see the Torah come to life as they explore biblical sites in Israel for themselves.  Without getting on a plane, your students will be able to bring Torah texts to life with engaging, multi-sensory activities set up in four stations in the classroom. $0.00$0.00  The Negev wind knifed its way through the open flaps of Avraham's tent in Beersheva. Although sand swirled everywhere, its tiny particles stinging his face and hands, Avraham refused to close his tent to travelers who might need hospitality. Always vigilant, he beckoned passing nomads to stop inside for food and drink. In return, he asked only one thing-that his guests say a berakhah and bless God for the food they received. "...Do not forget the things that you saw with your own eyes." Devarim 4:9 Lesson Summary:  In the lesson, students will circulate through four different stations to participate in activities aimed at bringing Jewish texts to life. Printable Lesson:  3708lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Expanded Source Sheet Station Instructions Station Log Berakhah Reminder Signs Lyrics to Ruth's Song (Shadow)

Munching on Mount Sinai

Share a Mount Sinai cake with your students to commemorate the receiving of the Torah. Send this recipe home in preparation for Shavuot.  In the lesson, students will explore several midrashim about the experience at Sinai and will then create cards to thank those people (teachers, youth-group leaders, relatives, etc.) who continue to bring them closer to Torah. . $0.00$0.00Receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai was the greatest event in Jewish history. It's what formed us into a nation and what connects us to God forever. Serve this Mount Sinai cake to your friends and family for a delicious reminder of the awesome event. It's as easy as following these sweet and simple instructions. "Please God, our God, sweeten the words of Your Torah in our mouths and in the mouths of Your people, the family of Israel." Blessings of the Torah Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will explore several midrashim about the experience at Sinai and will then create cards to thank those people (teachers, youth-group leaders, relatives, etc.) who continue to bring them closer to Torah. Printable Lesson:  3705lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Source Study Sheet

Lee Rosenthal: Taking a Stand Against Injustice

Read about Lee Rosenthal, who commited himself at his Bar Mitzvah to standing up in the face of injustice in the world, specifically against the genocide in Darfur. In the accompanying lesson, study Jewish texts with your students about justice to  identify current injustices in the world and develop a personal response plan. $0.00$0.00"Never again! Never again!" shouted 13-year-old Lee Rosenthal. He raised his voice in unison with thousands of other demonstrators-including actor George Clooney-who rallied in front of the U.S. Capitol on April 30, 2006. They had gathered to demand an end to the deliberate genocide and brutal destruction of the Black-African Muslim population in Darfur, Sudan. "It is not up to you to finish the job, but you are not free to give up on it." Pirkei Avot 2:21 Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will study Jewish texts about justice to help them identify current injustices in the world and develop a personal response plan. Printable Lesson:  2702lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

CSI Copycats

In this article, students will read about crime scene investigation and find out how Jewish schools around the country are using forensic science to teach about evidence, truth, and justice. In the lesson, students will try their own skills at solving a crime that turns out to be ancient in origin. $0.00$0.00  Lesson Summary:  In the lesson, students will try their own skills at solving a crime that turns out to be ancient in origin. Printable Lesson:  2705lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Crime Story Additional Resources:  Adventures of Cyberbee - Who Dunnit? http://www.cyberbee.com/whodunnit/crime.html DiscoverySchool.com - Who Did It? http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/whodidit Forensic Science Activities http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/5924/forensicscienceactivites.htm

Balance

In this article and lesson, students will discover the connection between the ears, balance, and justice. Students will then think of ways that many different parts of the body can be used to do acts of justice. $0.00$0.00 Amazing Facts Arulanantham Suresh Joachim of Sri Lanka set the world record for balancing on one foot: 76 hours and 40 minutes, from May 22 to May 25, 1997. The greatest 19th-century tightrope walker, Jean Francois Gravelet-alias Charles Blondin-of France, made the earliest crossing of Niagara Falls on June 30, 1859. Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will discover the connection between the ears, balance, and justice. Using this connection as a model for the rest of the body, students will look for other connections between the Hebrew words for body parts, actions, and concepts in the Hebrew language that those body parts are related to. Students will then think of ways that many different parts of the body can be used to do acts of justice. Printable Lesson:  2707lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Chair Diagram

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