Freedom School 11/11 Class Recaps
K/1 w/ Laura: This week we continued our unit on creation by learning that every human being is created b’tzelem Elohim - in the image of God. But, as one student asked, how can we all be so different and all be made in the image of God? She concluded: God must be very big. Our diversity is a testament to God’s glory. (Ok that second sentence is mine.) We further explored this theme by reading The Only One Club, and by crafting fingerprint art and identical paper chain people that we then bestowed with glorious differences.
2/3 w/ Anyssa: Last weekend, the 2nd/3rd grade cohort focused on the story of Moses as he led the Israelites out of Egypt. We used the story as an opening to dive deep into our year-long theme of gratitude by focusing on what the Israelites might have been thankful for on their journey; then we discussed what we were thankful for as well (perfect for the holiday next week approaching!) We also painted our gratitude stones and played gratitude charades where we acted out what we were thankful for.
4/5 w/ sub Zoe: We talked more about the creation story and students offered FASCINATING perspectives. Many felt puzzled by the story, with students bringing up Greek mythology and integrating the story with their knowledge of the Big Bang. The students then summarized what happened in the story and we again engaged in what G*d might’ve forgotten, with some saying that G*d forgot to make it impossible to make plastic, others saying G-d forgot to make humans have superpowers, and even others poignantly articulating that G*d forgot to make it impossible for humans to be violent against one another.
6th w/ Jaime: We started this week by getting even more up close and personal with our Torah! Freedom School Hebrew teacher and Gabbai Elizheva showed us how to undress the Torah and explained the importance of checking that the scroll opens to the week's portion for the Torah service. For the remainder of the day we explored the skills of narrative storytelling through games and discussion. Students practiced their improv storytelling skills in a game of evil wizard (a modified version of mafia) and mapped out elements of stories in a multi-colored chalk mural on the sidewalk; these skills will help us critically analyze and read Torah stories throughout the year. We rounded out the day by going to t’fillah (services) and hearing Teddy's wisdom on Chayei Sarah.