Students

New Haggadah Welcomes All to Passover Table

Children of all abilities and disabilities can participate fully in your seder this year with the new Gateways Haggadah. This easy-to-hold, concise Haggadah is respectful to all participants, whatever their abilities, to ensure that all can take part meaningfully in a complete Passover seder. 

What is Experiential Education and How Does Behrman House Support it?

We keep going back to this article by Carole Gerecht that appeared early this year as part of a series on experiential education, the process of teaching Jewish life, and Jewish values, by building meaningful Jewish experiences - creating learning opportunities through lessons and programs that combine traditional methods of text study, learning, and service, with physical and emotional interaction between learners.&nbsp

Create Family Memories this Hanukkah

Stories offer bonding time with families and create opportunities to share and discuss understanding. What better way to celebrate this Hanukkah with some of our favorite Hanukkah stories and learning materials.

Hebrew Through Play: Days of the Week

You shoot, you score, you learn!  Introduce students to the new Basketball Hebrew Days of the Week game, from the popular Alef Bet Quest. This new game allows students to shoot basketballs in a three-point shooting contest. Students will learn to recognize the days of the week in Hebrew and work towards a high score!

Hot Topics: Whose Kotel is it?

What is the nature of the Kotel, and what laws should govern the use of it for religious and secular purposes? Hot Topics: Whose Kotel is it? helps students understand that although the Kotel is a sacred site for all Jews, the rules governing its use are currently dictated by Orthodox authorities, but make their own decisions about what the rules should be. 

Hot Topics: What Does it Mean to Not be Cruel to Animals and Still Eat Meat?

Humans are omnivores, and historically people around the world have consumed both plants and animals. What does Jewish tradition have to say about our relationship with animals? In order for us to be able to eat our favorite hamburger and chicken dinners, farmers need to raise and care for the animals that we eat. Jewish tradition clearly teaches us that we cannot be cruel to animals, but it is also clear that it is acceptable to eat meat, kill animals, and/or have them to perform farm work. 

Shoot Some Hoops and Tell Us: What's Your High Score?

We've refreshed your favorite primer, Alef Bet Quest, with a few new games for the school year-- how well have you done? After completing each lesson, a matching interactive game will be available to help students learn how to decode Hebrew.  One of the new games allows students to shoot basketballs in a three-point shooting contest. Students will learn to recognize Hebrew letters and vowels as they play through both Jewish cultural words and everyday Hebrew words. 

3 Ways to Engage Students this Giving Tuesday

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, families, students, teachers, and community centers around the world will come together to celebrate generosity and giving. Here's how you can encourage students to get involved. 

Kveller is Right, Hebrew School IS Awesome!

Yes, Malina Saval remembers the days memorizing haftarah portions and growing up listening to others complaining that Hebrew school was a waste of time, but in her latest Kveller blog post Saval begs to differ.  Part-time Hebrew School educator, online magazine editor for Kveller, and mother of two spends every Sunday sharing her Jewish wisdom with 8th grade students.

Hot Topics: What Does Jewish Tradition Say About Gun Control?

Guns kill an average of eight young people under age 20 every day in the United States. Because of the dangers guns can present, proponents of gun control advocate for new laws that will limit gun possession, sales, and use. But while some want more gun control laws, others believe that the right to bear arms - granted to every U.S. citizen by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution - should be protected. 

Effective Stories and Storytelling

Stories offer bonding time with families, foster creativity, and build memories to be cherished for a lifetime. 

Come See Some Creative Sukkahs!

We previously sent invitations to join us on our new Sukkah server and we are impressed! Check out these awesome Sukkah's created in our virtual Minecraft world. Minecraft is a limitless game made from breaking and building blocks. Players can adventure on their own or play with friends on multiplayer servers.

A Young Girl Examines Inclusion

Many people in Harriet's new school will see her as the average, new 11-year-old student. After leaving her old school--and an old friend-- her reflective blog may have everyone thinking otherwise.  At Harriet's old school she had a friend named Eleanor who had a disability. Harriet began to notice that everyone, classmates, teachers, and even the principal treated Eleanor differently from the rest of her peers. But why?

Efficient Ways to Check for Students' Understanding

How can we monitor effective student learning gains? (Hint: it's NOT through standardized testing!) In a recent article from edutopia has the answer; formative assessment. Defined by Bill Younglove as "the frequent, interactive checking of student progress and understanding in order to identify learning needs as adjust teaching appropriately," formative assessment tracks student understanding so educators and students are aware of their learning strengths and weaknesses.

Hot Topics: How Does Jewish Tradition Define Beauty?

In 2006, Abercrombie & Fitch CEO shocked society by revealing their direct market - pretty people. Is this the fashion industry's ideal perception of our bodies?  From an early age our culture is taught that thin is the only body shape that looks good. How can we as educators help students understand that society's definition of beauty is ever-changing?

Hot Topics: Should Marijuana Be Legal?

As Jews we are required to follow the law, yet our tradition tells us not to stand idly by when our neighbor is in trouble. Marijuana has evidence to be beneficial in treating certain diseases, yet is still illegal in many states. If medical marijuana can truly heal, then might its use be permissible?  Teens can juggle the idea of legalizing marijuana and the negative possibilities to develop their own view through the newest lesson plan from the new Hot Topics series.

Build Your Own Sukkah on Our New Minecraft Server

When Minecraft broke into the educational world two years ago, teachers quickly enjoyed the creativity and problem-solving that students learned from such a simple game.  We enjoyed it too and want you to join us on the new Sukkah Server. Minecraft is a limitless game made from breaking and building blocks. Players can adventure on their own or play with friends on multiplayer servers.

Free Apps Offer Fun Hebrew Learning

Spend family time practicing Hebrew with these fun and FREE Hebrew apps.  Help children successfully learn to decode the Alef Bet with Unlimited Alef Bet. Behrman House's interactive mobile app for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices introduces children to Hebrew letters and simple words while enjoying animated Hebrew words that talk. 

Camp Connection: Our Place in the Universe Helps You Connect Students Back to their Summer Camp Experiences in Nature

Students are getting ready to go off to summer camp to experience the outdoors, focus on nature and friendships, and immerse themselves in Jewish settings. 

Creative Ways to Say 'Thank You' to Your Teachers.

It's teacher's appreciation week and we have the perfect ways for you to say 'Thank you!'. With this list of 50 cute sayings and candy treat ideas, you have endless, creative gifts to give your favorite educators. This list has ideas from pairing flowers with the saying "Thanks for making our child bloom!" to "You are tea-riffic!" with a box of tea. 

Teach Israel

 Experience Modern Israel

New from Behrman House. Fly to Israel without a plane ticket.

Discover Israel

 Let's Discover Israel

Offer younger children an exciting and age-appropriate introduction to the Jewish homeland