In the next few months, Behrman House will release two new series of multimedia content and lesson plans for the Online Learning Center. These will add to a robust catalog of over 2000 resources, a full online curriculum for Hebrew education, and interactive Jewish Studies software—all fully integrated and easy to use in the Behrman House Online Learning Center.
Sign up here to receive more info about Jewish studies content in the OLC.
About the Israel21c Series
Selected content from Israel21c, an online information service focused on 21st century Israel, will be adapted as a series of “instant” lesson plans with articles and multimedia content from Israel21c. Each lesson will feature goals, guiding questions, instructions for projects and experiential Israel encounters, as well as reflection opportunities and thought questions necessary for helping students process new information into lifelong ties to Israel.
Israel21C, celebrating its tenth anniversary as an educational foundation, is a uniquely apolitical nonprofit organization offering the single most diverse and reliable source of news and information about 21st century Israel. The organization’s articles and videos—all originally researched, written, and produced—show how Israeli efforts have contributed incalculably to the advancement of health-care, environment, technology, culture, and global democratic values worldwide. Israel21C redefines the conversation about Israel and focuses media and public attention on Israel’s vibrant diversity, humanity, creativity, innovative spirit, and responsiveness.
Israel21C’s YouTube channel is the all-time number one most subscribed nonprofit channel from Israel, and the all-time number one most viewed nonprofit channel in Israel.
About The Jewish Lens Series
The Jewish Lens (TJL) engages youth and young adults in the exploration of Jewish values, identity and tradition while discovering the diversity and unity of the Jewish People. TJL’s innovative pedagogical approach couples photography with more traditional text-based learning and empowers participants to strengthen their connection to Judaism and to express it through their own photographs and commentary.
The new series available for the Behrman House Online Learning Center will be comprised of three lessons, six photographs from world-renowned photographer and TJL founder Zion Ozeri, worksheets, and information about each photograph. Two of the lessons also come with suggestions for lesson extenders, giving educators potentially 5-6 sessions total. The lessons are recommended for students in 5th–8th grades.
The Jewish Lens is based on the understanding that meaningful education must be experiential, have emotional impact, and empower students to develop their own ideas and follow their own passions. By engaging students in the art of photography, TJL enables students to find personal relevance in Jewish values while expressing their own views, opinions, and creativity.
To date, TJL has been implemented in over 225 Hebrew schools, day schools, camps and youth groups in grades 5-12 throughout North America and Israel.
Learn more about Jewish studies in the OLC
Are you interested in learning more about creating online classes with content from Israel21c, The Jewish Lens, and other titles from Behrman House? We would love to talk to you and help you get started. Sign up here and a Behrman House representative will contact you soon.
About the Behrman House Online Learning Center
Behrman House—now in its 92nd year—recently introduced the Online Learning Center (OLC), an innovative new platform that allows educators to create Jewish learning communities that are unconstrained by geography or time and provides direct access to multimedia materials in Hebrew and Jewish studies to support them. View the full catalog of OLC materials here.
Behrman House’s digital materials are helping tens of thousands of students explore Hebrew and Judaism in the same way they are exploring their secular world—by engaging both online and face-to-face in adventurous learning experiences that let them use the technology they have grown up with to become self-motivated learners.
In addition to Israel21c and The Jewish Lens, Behrman House has already partnered with various other organizations to develop multimedia lessons and activities that are available for use in the OLC right now:
JLand Unlimited
Keep students connected to their Jewish identity during the holiday break with JLand, a virtual world for kids aged 4-8 featuring a variety of games that incorporate math, reading, and thinking skills together with activities that highlight Jewish identity through holidays, heritage, Israel, and Hebrew. Children learn through virtual adventures in a safe, closed, personalized Internet environment.
JLand Unlimited is currently free for use in the Behrman House Online Learning Center. Learn more about JLand here.
Zim Zoom Magazine
Bring engaging coverage of today’s Israel right into your classroom and give your students access from home as well with a combined print and digital subscription to Zim Zoom Magazine. Created in Israel, Zim Zoom Magazine features topical articles in English on people, places, and events plus fun facts that will give students a taste of life in Israel today. Short pieces in Hebrew, along with Hebrew vocabulary and activities, support your language efforts by letting students see Hebrew in action.
Your students will receive a print magazine direct from Israel to your classroom eight times during the school year. In addition, each student will also have access to an expanded online version of the magazine that includes four pages of additional articles and materials from Babaganewz—all right inside the Behrman House Online Learning Center. Learn more about Zim Zoom Magazine here.
Digital Companions for Jewish studies textbooks
Create classes in Jewish values and Jewish identity with new digital companions for the most popular Jewish studies textbooks from Behrman House. The pages of the books come alive with adventure games, drawing activities, videos, music, personality quizzes, interactive maps, and even a virtual shofar! The newest digital companions are Welcome to Israel, Kid’s Mensch Handbook, and Book of Jewish Holidays.
Already bought the books? If you purchased these books during 2012, you can upgrade to the digital companion for just $2.00 per book. Contact us today to go digital!
View the full digital companion catalog here.
Coming soon: Hebrew Reading Assessment for the OLC
Beginning next semester, teachers will be able to hear and assess students’ accuracy and fluency in decoding from anywhere at any time using the new integrated recording feature of the Hebrew Reading Assessment. Plan lessons, place students in reading groups, write progress reports, and keep a multiyear student reading record…all with this handy online tool!
Are you an Education Director interested in using the Online Learning Center for your school? Get started here.
Be the first to know when the lesson series from Israel21c and The Jewish Lens are available! Subscribe to Behrman House newsletters here.
