Students

Resources to Celebrate Yom Ha'atzma'ut

Israelis and Jews around the world are preparing to celebrate Yom Ha'atzma'ut, Israel Independence Day, on May 11-12.  The festivities in Israel usually include ceremonies, barbecues, fireworks, and singing and dancing in the street. These events often focus on Israeli history and culture, everything from classic Israeli foods to Israeli music. As Israel prepares for its 68th birthday, we've rounded up some resources to help you mark the occasion.

Experience Hebrew in Harmony in May

The excitement about Hebrew in Harmony has been spreading, and it may be coming soon to a community near you. In April, we hosted two information sessions in New Jersey about this groundbreaking new prayer curriculum, and we're taking it on the road in May with several events for you to learn more about it.

Food for Thought: Making Mindful Connections to Our Passover Meals

A well-known New York chef recently embarked on a mission to explore why some matzah—at least in his opinion—tastes better than others. He had enjoyed shmura matzah, which means "guarded” or “watched,” and in tracing the matzah back from the bakery to the field where the wheat grew, found a new appreciation for the entire matzah-making process.

Free Hebrew Practice for Summer

Looking for a fun, cheap way to give your students some Hebrew practice as they head into summer? We've got two great options for you.  Shalom Hebrew OLC App Students of all ages can learn to read Hebrew in a fun and effective way on any device!  Designed as a universal app, Shalom Hebrew OLC App can be used on any PC or Mac desktop; laptop; tablet; or smartphone. 

Meet Lisa Levine: A Featured Hebrew in Harmony Musician

Hebrew in Harmony—the new prayer curriculum for 4th-6th graders—features music from today's top Jewish musicians. This is the first in an occasional series profiling some of these talented artists.

Nine Questions (and a Free Card Game) to Help You Get Beyond the Ten Plagues This Passover

Frogs are a safe, useful, and age-appropriate way to introduce very young children to some of the themes and rituals of Passover. As our children grow older, however, we want to move beyond a focus on these elements to help them develop a deeper understanding of not only the story of Passover, but the values we can discover in its themes.

The Kids Books You Want for Passover

Whether you want to create anticipation for Passover among your youngest family members and friends or you're looking for just the right afikomen gift, here are some terrific ideas for you.

No Wireless for Online Hebrew Practice? No Problem.

Want children to practice Hebrew but the wifi in your building is, um, spotty at best?  The Shalom Hebrew OLC App provides a reliable way to learn decoding, Hebrew letters, vowels, and keywords—on any device. Designed as a universal app, it can be used on any PC or Mac desktop; laptops; tablets; or smartphones. Now students can practice Hebrew at home, school or on the go – on any device!

Educator Spotlight: Top 10 Tips for Using the OLC

Cheryl Epstein, assistant director of education at Congregation B'nai Israel in Boca Raton, Florida, introduced the Online Learning Center to her school in 2012. In the years since, her 500 students have made huge strides in Hebrew as a result.

Get to Know Hebrew in Harmony

You’ve heard the buzz about the new prayer-through-music curriculum, Hebrew in Harmony. Want to know more? Join us for the 40-minute introductory webinar, "Introduction to Hebrew in Harmony," Wednesday, April 13, 1 pm EST Topics Covered: Overview of the program and prayers included The benefits of teaching through music The target learners

We've Made the OLC Easier to Use

  More than 525 educators and 3500 students have logged in this year to teach and learn online. The Behrman House Online Learning Center is about to enter its fourth year, and we continue to make improvements to make it the best—and easiest—year ever for students, teachers, and education directors. At the same time, our commitment to children's safety and privacy online is simply unparalleled.  Here are some of the changes we have made to make the OLC work better for you:

Hebrew Learning + Music = Fun

It’s been a long day of secular academics, and yet your arriving students are soon dancing, smiling, and singing in Hebrew.  They’re comparing prayer melodies and moving to the rhythm, engaged and lively.

NJ Educators Preview Hebrew in Harmony

New Jersey educators got a sneak peek of the soon-to-be-released Hebrew in Harmony program on Wednesday morning. We hosted more than 20 educators to introduce them to the prayer program, which will be officially released in early April.

Measuring Student Progress

Standardized tests have been a hot topic for parents, teachers, and policymakers for years. Is there a better way to measure our students' progress? The answer is yes! Here are seven skills that standardized tests should be measuring, according to noted psychologist Susan Engel in a recent Boston Globe piece. 

Help Students Navigate the Challenges of Their Age with Today's Hot Topics

Our teenage students face many issues in their daily lives. Whether those issues are digital, medical, social, or ethical, the new Today's Hot Topics can help encourage students, teachers, and families to explore the issues of the day and develop their own opinions informed by Jewish values.  Each chapter of Today's Hot Topics includes a complete package of resources that will help you lead discussion about a Hot Topic with your students. The chapter packages contains:

Apples & Honey Press Spring Titles Featuring New Characters and Returning Favorites!

It's almost time to add new holiday stories and old favorites from Apples & Honey Press to your shelves!

Shalom Hebrew OLC App Now Available

Practice Hebrew at home, school or on the go – on any device! Developed in conjunction with the Jewish Journey Project, Shalom Hebrew OLC App is a digital primer to learn decoding, Hebrew letters, vowels, and keywords. Packed with engaging features, interactive reading exercises that can be recorded and reviewed by educators, and more than a dozen games, Shalom Hebrew OLC App makes learning to read Hebrew fun AND effective for students of all ages.

Encourage Young Children to Participate in Your Passover Seder

In recent years, we have released three essential titles to help create new ways for families with young children to participate in their Passover seder.  With help from The Gateways Haggadah, Frogs in the Bed, and Kayla and Kugel's Almost-Perfect Passover, your children will be interested and engaged during the seder. 

Why Jingles Work

You know how those silly jingles you hear on the radio or TV stay in your head for hours? There's a reason some work so well - and it has to do with memory and emotion. Companies use jingles to help customers remember their business name and products. Songs in commercials can help put listeners in a good mood, which they then associate with the company.  For example, when FreeCreditReport.com released its commercials with those catchy songs, it saw a 20%  increase in website memberships. 

The Fast Track to Hebrew and Prayers

The Hineni series has been a long time favorite resource for teaching Hebrew and prayers. The new Hineni Express, by Ellen Rank, offers the same proven approach as Hineni 1, 2, and 3, combined into one easy-to-use volume. It's especially useful for studnets who have joined your program in 5th grade or later.

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