3rd Grade Torah Blog

Dear Families- 

So far this school year we have used a variety of activities, including dramatics, arts and crafts, and games to study the lessons of several stories/texts in Genesis. We’ve completed the first three chapters in our class text, Jewish Values in Genesis, which encompasses the stories of Creation, The Garden of Eden, Noah, The Tower of Babel, as well as Abraham and Sarah’s journey to Canaan. For each story, we focused on one value or concept that is important in Judaism and in our own lives. For example, we learn from the story of the Creation of the world that all people are created in the image of God. We learned from the story of Noah that it is important to stay true to our beliefs and values, even when that is difficult. Students completed a values clarification exercise, and we determined that our class values creativity, courage, honesty, kindness, and accuracy (Yes, that one was a surprise response for me, too!). We also talked about the many blessings in our lives and the value of feeling grateful for all those blessings. We discussed the strength that Abraham and Sarah must have had to take a risk and make a big change. Weekly activities encourage students to find meaning in the lessons and make their own connections to the material.