Greek Chanukah Program 2008
In each grade level, the Agnon faculty has developed a multi-disciplinary, age-appropriate integrated unit. For example, in the fourth grade, students learn about Chanukkah while also studying the Greek city-state and the rise of democracy. They learn about Jewish history in the second century Before the Common Era (BCE); about the science and architecture of the period, and the role of mythology in Greek culture. At the end of the unit, students have developed a multi-layered appreciation of a time and a place, not merely a mass of names, dates, facts and figures.
Many of these units culminate in an evening in which students present, through classic non-formal educational methodologies, what they’ve learned to their parents and other guests (grandparents are always welcome). As every teacher can attest, learning a subject in anticipation of presenting it to others is one of the best ways of developing a higher level of understanding about that particular subject. Here are some examples.
Rosh Chodesh
Fifth-graders start the year learning about Rosh Chodesh ― the beginning of a Jewish month — with a curriculum that integrates science with Jewish traditions, language arts and visual art. Students study the scientific explanation for the rotation of the moon while they discuss the role of the moon in the Jewish calendar and learn about traditions and rituals used to celebrate the beginning of a Jewish month in both ancient and modern times.
The Rosh Chodesh unit concludes with an evening performance in which students and their families gather outside in search of the new moon. Once it appears in the sky, the students sing, dance and chant the ancient prayers welcoming the new moon. The participants then move indoors, where a variety of artwork, writing and visual displays demonstrate what students have learned about the moon through the disciplines of science, Judaic studies, language arts and art.
Fifth Cup
The fifth cup in Judaism represents Elijah’s cup, the cup of redemption. Sixth grade takes the theme of redemption as the core idea of an integrated program which combines learning from Tanach, Hebrew, language arts, social studies, music, and art.
- In Tanach, students grapple with the concepts of creation, revelation and redemption using biblical text, guided imagery, and visual art.
- In Hebrew and language arts, students learn about slavery and freedom and create poems expressive of and sensitive to the many forms of slavery.
- In social studies, students draw from their study of Ancient Egypt to place our slavery in context.
- In music, students learn songs of hope and redemption
- In art, students design and create a clay cup, their personal fifth cup.
Throughout the unit, the faculty helps students respond to the questions, “What is my hope? With what does my cup overflow?” The Fifth Cup project culminates in an evening program scheduled just before Pesach, the festival in which we celebrate our passage from slavery to freedom and the redemption of all people from all forms of bondage.
