Education – 4th grade (Blatt)

9/29: Today in class we worked on:

1. We had a very spirited class this week!
2. Our morning started listening to a recording by the German folk music band Zupganganhansel on the sadness immigrants from that country felt when they left for a new life in America.  This helped lead into our discussion of how the failed revolutions of 1848 across Europe, particularly Germany, brought many Jews to American shores.
3. We saw how many of these Jewish immigrants first worked as itinerant peddlers before settling down in towns, opening up their own stores, and creating synagogues in these new communities.  Additionally, we learned how the Sephardic Jewish explorer, South Carolina born Solomon Carvalho helped Colonel John C. Fremont map new US territories in the Rocky Mountain West.
4. 4^th – 6^th Grade gathered for Shira. Morah Alexa taught us new songs for the High Holiday season that will be sung at services here at Beth Am.
5. Upon our return to class, we saw how 19^th century American Jews raised their voices when Jews overseas were threatened during the Damascus Affair in modern day Syria and the kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara in Bologna by Papal authorities.  Then our awesome Madriacha Adrienne Ewing led us in a great ice breaker where we learned everyone’s names and their favorite music.
6. Rabbi Prass and Morah Alexa led 4^th – 6^th grade inTefilla. Rabbi Prass got us all in the spirit of the upcoming High Holiday season and the new year of 5785 by blowing the Shofar; additionally. we expressed our hopes for things to be better in 5785!

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/22: Today in class we worked on:

1. We had an awesome class this week with perfect attendance!
2. First, we saw how Jewish leaders such as Gershom Seixas and Haym Salomon helped the patriot cause in the American Revolution and discussed whether the Jewish tradition of “Dina Malchut V’Dina” suggested that American Jews should have remained loyal to King George during the Revolutionary War.
3. Then we saw a short video on how Jews like Jonas Philips lobbied to have equal rights and religious freedom entrenched in the US Constitution.
4. At Shira, Morah Alexa taught 4^th – 6^th grade new songs for the High Holiday season.
5. Back in class, we made floats to represent the Jewish community in New York City’s famous Constitution Ratification Parade of 1789!  We had floats featuring Menorahs, Jewish Stars, and Pirates!  Finally, we closed with a play on how tzedaka was important to Jews in the Early American Republic.  Wealthy Jews, like Judah Touro, even helped their brethren in Jerusalem.
6. At Tefilla, 4^th – 6^th grade joined together with Morah Alexa and Rabbi Prass. Rabbi Prass got us all in the spirit of Chodesh Elul by blowing the Shofar. 
7. All in all, it was a great morning for the 4^th Grade!

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/15: Today in class we worked on:

1. Today in class we focused on Jewish Life in Colonial America:
2. To get the conversation started, we watched the first few minutes of the following video:Jews in the Thirteen Colonies (1654-1789) (youtube.com) (about the 23 first Jews in America).  We also got to know two very important people: Peter Stuyvesant and Asher Levy
3. We also read and discussed a short play about The Story of the Shadarim.  They were special Jewish messengers who came from the land of Israel to the American colonies in the 1700’s.
4. As a class, we did a scavenger hunt to get to know our physical Sunday learning spaces, our wonderful Sunday staff, and how their work makes us feel.  We will be sharing the answers out next week once all the classes have completed it.
5. 4^th – 6^th grade joined together in Shira led by Morah Alexa
6. Gan – 6^th grade joined in our first Sunday t’fillah of the school year led by Morah Alexa and Rabbi Prass.  We talked about where we “find inspiration for our own words” and how silence helps us find other inspiration.  Rabbi Prass shared two rabbinic stories, and a Ringo Starr story about this.  

Homework to be completed by next class:

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9/8: Today in class we worked on:

1. It was nice to welcome a great 4^th grade class
2. We began the day with an amazing all-school opening assembly outside.  We enjoyed an Opening Ceremony, with all the grades together, Morim & Madrichim, Rabbi Bellows, and Rabbi Prass. We reenacted Mt Sinai by each kitah (class) sitting in the large circle to pretend we were encircling Mt Sinai.  Then we chose 2 people from each class to go closer to the middle of Mt Sinai to do some running for a scavenger hunt.  Morah Alexa led us as we sang blessings and we ended with a streamer/confetti burst to kick off our Torah learning party of a year!  It was great to have so many parents join us.  Pictures of the kickoff can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=BethAmBuffaloGrove&set=a.906074391552343
3. After the assembly, we found out about what we would learn this year.
4. Then we saw how the expulsion of Jews from Spain, helped bring about a new future for Jews in America.  One of the issues we explored was whether it was really possible to practice Judaism in secret if you opted to remain in Spain and convert to Christianity.
5. We talked about what was life for Jews in different countries, right before the first Jews arrived in America.  The talmidim saw that it varied and that Jews were generally happy just to be able to be free enough to practice their religion and support their families. 
6. Finally, we discussed how hard life would have to have been for the first Jewish settlers in what became the United States in the 1600’s as there was no modern conveniences or real medicine.
7. And 4^th – 6^th grade enjoyed Shira with Mora Alexa.
8. On the way out, each of us were offered a popsicle both to hold onto summer weather, and to begin our Torah learning with some sweetness.

Homework to be completed by next class:

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