New Israel studies options use multimedia learning tools to bring students closer to Israel today, fostering connections to the people and culture of Israel.
Israel travel is one of the best ways for students to develop authentic relationships with Israel today. Yet how many of our students will actually be able to visit Israel this year? Chances are, very few.
With a few educational technology tools, however, you can help students too young for NIFTY trips or Birthright to explore Israel right now. Multimedia Israel studies materials and virtual tours of Israel can help you expand Israel education in your school and increase the connection your students feel to Israel today.
These new Israel education materials are brought to you by Behrman House together with content partners including ISRAEL21c, and The Jewish Lens. They can help you bring the feeling of Israel travel right into your school.
1) Expand your Israel studies classes for 4th-5th grade online with blended learning materials for the OLC using Welcome to Israel.
Add videos, games, music, and activities to Israel studies for grades 4-6 with the Welcome to Israel Online Digital Companion. Available for use in the Behrman House Online Learning Center (OLC) as a supplement to the print book, it even includes an interactive map that lets your student compare the size of Israel to any state in the US or country on the globe.
Introduce students to Israelis their own age: their favorite sports and foods, what they do for fun, and what their schools are like, while helping them discover the Jewish state with a sense of humor, wonder, and pizazz. Find out more.
2) Enrich any Israel studies course with individual lessons for grades 4-7 featuring stories from ISRAEL21c
ISRAEL21c has, over the past 11 years, established itself as the “go-to” website for news and information on 21st century Israel. A uniquely apolitical and non-profit educational foundation, ISRAEL21c works to uncover and distribute the most interesting and relevant stories of Israel today.
To make ISRAEL21c more accessible and relevant to educators of all kinds, ISRAEL21c has partnered with Behrman House to deliver a customized series of lesson plans, all derived from content developed by ISRAEL21c expert writers and researchers and then customized by Behrman House's staff of professional educators and curriculum developers.
These lesson plans have been created with the synagogue and day school educator in mind. But if you are an educator in any formal or informal setting or a parent interested in family learning or a college student or youth group participant interested in a customized curriculum that will enhance your programming, the ISRAEL21c Teacher's Edition can meet your needs.
The lessons from the ISRAEL21c Teacher's Edition are perfect for in-class use and are suitable for grades 4-7. The video or article that forms the basis of each lesson can also be posted directly into any class in the OLC, giving your students direct access from anywhere they have an internet connection. The matching downloadable lesson plan can be saved directly to your OLC “Saved Resources” folders for quick access, and printed as needed.
Seven new lesson plans will be released every two weeks during the school year. Lessons can be purchased individually through the Behrman House Resource Libraries or in seven-lesson volumes at a 30% discount. Set up a prepaid Resource Library subscription account for your school and you and your teachers will get an additional 20% off each lesson plan. Find out more.
3) Use photography from The Jewish Lens to create powerful Israel studies experiences.
A photograph is a universal medium, with great potential to elicit emotional response and advance visual learning and analytical skills. Three 50-minute lessons for 5th -7th grades featuring the photography of renowned Israel photographer Zion Ozeri have been adapted for use in the Online Learning Center to help you provide a unique entry point to Jewish learning and skills development, creating what one educator has called ‘a new dimension of Jewish education.”
Your students will not only discover compelling images from Israel, they will be able to create their own images, then post them right into your private OLC class to share with classmates. Step by step lesson plans show you how to help students create projects that unlock the power of photography to explore themes and messages in a new context. Find out more.
4) Let your 5th-7th grade students plan their own trip to Israel with the customized Google Earth environment included in Experience Modern Israel plus Modern Israel Online
Students can explore all aspects of the culture and people of Israel, and even plan a trip to their favorite Israeli destinations with this easy-to-use Israel resource book and digital companion.
Used together these materials enrich your israel studies class with video clips, music, photos, art, games, primary source documents and let your students experience a direct encounter with everyday Israeli life. Students can be their own travel agents, using the customized Google Earth environment to plan a complete tour of Israel. They can save their trips and let the whole class to ‘fly’ to each location and explore further using the included multimedia links. How far is your classroom from Tel Aviv or Masada? Now your students can measure it! Find out more.
Other Israel materials for your classroom:
Modern Israel in Focus: 24 8 ½ x 11 mini posters featuring photos from Israel, appropriate for any grade.
Great Israel Scavenger Hunt: let younger students explore Israel with this adventure that comes complete with stickers. Great for grades 2-3.
Alef Bet Quest: add Israel studies to your Hebrew program with this blended learning primer that uses a quest through Israel to help students learn Hebrew decoding. (Available in both OLC edition and on CD)
For High school and adult Israel studies classes:
Israel Matters: "In contrast to the error-filled and often-biased books about the region issued by trade book publishers, Israel Matters is factually accurate and explains the Israeli position fairly. (Mitchell) Bard is a defender of the Jewish state, but those who might expect an unabashed polemic for Israel should know that he passed up many opportunities to include facts that would cast Israel’s enemies in a negative light." —Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews Nov./Dec. 2012 (page 9) See the reviews
