Before diving into prayer work with your students, where the Hebrew can be challenging, try some warm-ups. Not necessarily jumping jacks, but exercises for their simple Hebrew muscles.
At Rye Community Synagogue in New York, Rick Abrams, director of Jewish family life, is a big fan of using the Ten-Minute Hebrew Reader with older students to refresh their reading skills.
"It’s not a book about learning to read, and I don’t use it as a Hebrew book, but it's terrific as a warm up after not having spoken Hebrew all week,"Abrams says.
Students exercise their reading muscles and leave their desks for movement activities like singing the words, clapping the number of syllables, and stretching to demonstrate vowel sounds through dozens of 10-minute "reading workouts" in two volumes. A revised edition of the first volume is scheduled to be published April 5.
Abrams cites the "great list of words" that make good review before students read a prayer book. For example, Workout 16 reinforces the Ach sound made by the letter chet with the vowel when it appears at the end of a word, including the Maoz Tzur, a familiar song that includes the sound multiple times.
He uses it with students in 1-1 situations, having them read a few lines in an exercise. He also suggests using it in group settings by dividing students into smaller groups or pairs to read to each other.
Another factor in Abrams' enthusiasm for the Ten-Minute Hebrew Reader is its light weight, making it easy to carry and use on the go. It's also highly affordable. "It's really well priced. It’s like going to whole foods and buying the quality brand but not at Whole Foods prices."
A newly revised edition of Ten-Minute Hebrew Reader, with new games and updated illustrations, will be released in early April. Golem Members will get it first! Not on the Golme plan? Find out more and sign up here.
