CHUMASH the Golden Calf, Moshe Rabbeinu ,חטא העגל When told by Hashem that Bnei Yisrael had performed the sin of the descended Har Sinai. When he saw Bnei Yisrael, Moshe smashed the luchot, the tablets. Why did Moshe wait to descend the explained זצ”ל mountain? Didn’t he trust Hashem’s report? Why didn’t he smash them immediately? Henoch Leibowitz that Moshe Rabbeinu, arguably the best Chumash teacher in history, was teaching us an important lesson in education and in life. One may know that something is true beyond a doubt. But one’s reaction will be entirely different when one sees something up close and in person. Only upon seeing the sin of the Golden Calf did Moshe fully appreciate what needed to be done. In this edition of Connections you will learn how our talented, passionate, and dedicated Chumash teachers see and understand the needs of our students wherever they are. Whether by using CVL, small group instruction, cutting edge technology, or critical thinking, our Chumash teachers recognize where students need to be challenged and what tools and methodologies can be used so that the potential of each individual student is maximized.

— Yaacov Feit, Connections Editor

IN THIS ISSUE Thinking Critically in the Chumash Classroom-By Rabbi Yaacov Feit Thumbs Up for Thumbprint-By Rabbi Yosef Sharbat CHUMASH CVL: Bigger and Better Than Ever- By Rabbi Dovid Sukenik Small Groups; Big Results- By Ms. Rebecca Feldman THINKING CRITICALLY IN THE CHUMASH CLASSROOM By Rabbi Yaacov Feit, Director of Judaic Studies

The importance of critical thinking has been drawing much attention in the world of education in recent years. Proponents of teaching 21st century skills in school argue that critical thinking is necessary for success in so many areas of life. What is critical thinking? Barry Beyer, who has written much on critical thinking and education, sees critical thinking as “using criteria to judge the quality of something, from cooking to a conclusion of a research paper. In essence, critical thinking is a disciplined manner of thought that a person uses to assess the validity of something (statements, news stories, arguments, research, etc.).” 1

Fortunately, students of Chumash have been thinking critically for hundreds of years and in JKHA Middle School classrooms students are encouraged to develop this important skill. Whether by looking carefully at a passuk and noticing something that does not make sense, learning how to ask good questions, giving answers that can be supported with proof, and an- alyzing the validity of those answers, developing critical thinking skills is something that fits naturally into the Chumash classroom. The story of Moshe Rabbeinu’s sin at the rock is a case in Week” to encourage students to not just give good answers “Small Groups; Big Results” point. Students studying this story in Sefer Bamidbar this but to look for thoughtful questions. The “Question of the who זצ”ל year almost always come to the pesukim with a pre-con- Week” form quotes the great Rav Moshe Shapiro ceived notion that Moshe sinned by hitting the rock instead said, “Tell me a kashya (question); not a terutz (answer). A of speaking to the rock. But when asked to read the pesukim, kashya opens the mind and promotes thinking. A terutz clos- students immediately realize that the sin under question is es the door and stifles the possibility of a novel idea.” In an- simply not self-evident. When a teacher points out that the other class, students may be involved in a court case where Ohr Hachaim lists ten opinions about what the sin was, it Korach and his followers or Bilaam are being held on trial. becomes clear that nothing is clear. Students are asked to Students need to present arguments about who was guilty, come up with their own answers but are asked to back it up what they were guilty of, and what their motives may have with proofs from the passuk. Any answer they give must fit been. Down the hall students may be involved in a “ de- into the words. After students offer their solutions, they are bate” where students will be asked to solve the mystery of asked to question the answers of others which then need whether Yitro ends up leaving the Jewish people or whether to be defended. The debate that ensues often becomes the he remains. In both cases they will certainly be asked to de- same debate that had with Ramban and the Rambam fend their positions with proofs which forces them to learn had with Eben Ezra. As the students learn and analyze the the material, analyze the pesukim carefully, and make their pesukim they are thinking critically like the Rishonim did. case. The critical thinking in our Chumash classrooms is not only When it comes to learning our analysis of the words preparing students for the outside world; it is engaging stu- of the meforshim is not merely an intellectual exercise. If dents in the study of Torah in a way that will foster a love of Rashi was as great as he was then he must have thought of learning and a depth of learning for many years to come. the Ramban’s question and the Ramban must have thought of Rashi’s. This recognition of the greatness of the Rishonim 1.https://www.utc.edu/walker-center-teaching-learning/teaching-resources/ct-ps.php means that I can’t simply give my answer and reject the oth- er. I need to understand the rationale of both and recognize the value and truth that lies in each.

Thinking critically in the Chumash classroom can come in many forms in addition to what was described above. In my class, students are awarded the honor of “Question of the

“I love learning Chumash at JKHA because my teacher shows me how to learn Torah on my own.” - Amit Bitansky “Small Groups; Big Results” By Ms. Rebecca Feldman

“Yesterday, Michal offered to read one of the long pesukim. I stopped her and reminded her of when she almost refused to read with me. I told her I was so proud her confidence!” “Sara kept looking for shorashim or familiar phrases that she knew, while singing many of the words or ideas. She was trying to figure out what the pesukim were saying on her own.” “Aviva was so excited that we were pre-viewing the pesukim. She was looking forward to learning what they meant.” The anecdotes above are real live descriptions (with names changed) written by teachers about the success of small group in- struction taking place in Middle School Chumash classrooms. Why? In an article cited in the The Journal of Experimental Education (Volume 48, 1979 - Issue 2) entitled: Academic Achievement of Elementary School Children in Small-Group versus Whole-Class In- struction, researchers found a correlation between small group instruction and the retention of higher level thinking and original contributions. This was based on the results from a standardized test examining retention of materials in large compared to small group instruction.

How can classes with larger class sizes and students who need individualized attention still benefit from the ideas expressed in this study? For the third year running Middle School Chumash classes have been utilizing a model of rotating small group instruction to maximize student learning. Small group instruction is just as it sounds. Chumash classes, with the support of Morah Feldman are divided into three smaller groups. Each group rotates through three separate learning modules. This model of study enables teachers to work with a smaller group of students at a time on specific concepts and objectives. The reduced student-teacher ratio allows our teachers to connect with individual students, reinforce concepts, and assess comprehension in a more meaningful way.

It also affords students the opportunity to learn in a different way. Students who may struggle to ask questions and participate in a whole group setting may thrive in a small group where they feel more comfortable and less overwhelmed. Furthermore, small group instruction tends to proceed at a faster pace, which typically helps students maintain focus.

Other benefits of small group instruction include: 1. Increased understanding of materials. 2. Targeted teacher attention generating greater student involvement. 3. The ability to get up and move locations throughout the lesson, providing quick breaks in learning.

These classes benefit from using the Middle School Technology Center. The setup of the room lends itself well to creating small modules of learning. Typically, the class is divided into three sections. One group will either learn new material or review course content with the head teacher of the class. A second group will review skills on Chromebooks. The last group will work with Morah Feldman to practice reading skills from the text of the Chumash or Rashi.

Students have benefitted tremendously from the individualized attention provided by these groups. We have noted improved reading and comprehension skills among all of our students as a result of this practice. This success translates into a new confi- dence and enjoyment of learning that we are confident will have a lasting impact.

“I love Chumash at JKHA because teachers help students extrapolate lessons that they can apply to their lives from the pesukim.”- Sam Colchamiro THUMBS UP FOR THUMBPRINT By Rabbi Yosef Sharbat

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. Even though we hope students will remember what they learned, ultimately, the goal is for them to know how to learn and gain the skills of self-study. While our Chumash curriculum is full of knowledge and important facts, it also emphasizes skills and independent learning. Chavruta work, group projects, and classroom review games help the students learn new material in engaging and fun ways. Students are also encouraged to practice their reading of the Chumash, and demonstrate their comprehension.

Throughout the year, students regularly use an online app called Thumbprint, which helps students preview and review pesukim and also hone in on their Rashi reading and comprehension. Students use the website once or twice a week and advance on their own pace. The students learn the pasuk by trying to match the translations to the corresponding Hebrew words. A student will click the Hebrew words, and then click the corresponding English translation. If correct, the English words will light up green and if incorrect it will light up red with the opportunity to try again. There is also an option to do a section called “aneh b’lashon ha’psuk”, where the students have to answer the questions based on the words of the pasuk. They are asked a question and told how many Hebrew words to look for and they need to find the answer in the pasuk. All the data and scores can be accessed by the teacher and allow the teacher to have a clear picture of how the students are pro- gressing independently and what needs to be reviewed in class or on a one on one basis. Over the year, many more features and sections will be introduced to the students.

The students love the website because they can visualize the pasuk and see the translations. The task for them is to match words, an exercise that is fun and challenging. This visual aid breaks down the pasuk, and makes the learning less intimi- dating. They also use their CVL words to help translate the pasuk. Another benefit for students is that they can translate and attempt to answer the questions multiple times in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. It is clear that Thumbprint is a tool that is engaging students and building students’ confidence to learn on their own.

“I love learning Chumash at JKHA because the teachers bring the text to life with pictures and charts. This enables us to understand what the Chumash is talking about.”- Judah Marcus “I love all the interesting stories and I love learning with my chavruta.”- Adira Moesch CVL: Bigger and Better Than Ever By Rabbi Dovid Sukenik, Mashgiach Ruchani, CVL Commissioner

You could feel the intensity in the room. The crowd watches in amazement. The score is tied. The clock is winding down. At the buzzer, he scores! The crowd cheers! The team celebrates. One 8th grader screams, “It doesn’t get any better than this!” No, this was not the JKHA Hockey Championship. It was a scene from the CVL playoffs!

According to Torah education experts Yaakov Aichenbaum and Dovid Freeman, 544 words comprise 80% of all words that appear in Chumash. Mastering these foundational words is a necessity to becoming proficient in Chumash study. But how can students be encouraged to master that which can be considered rote and tedious? CVL is our answer.

For the past seven years, middle school students have participated in an exciting competition called the CVL (Chumash Vocabulary League). Each class divides students into 4-5 teams. As part of the fun, each class has their own theme from which teams choose their names. For example, one class has a theme of a toothpaste brand and a plant. Among the team names are the Oral B Orchids and Colgate Coral.

Students are then given a weekly list of shorashim that come from the Chumash that they are learning. Every week, stu- dents take quizzes which are averaged together as a team. The words are cumulative, so over the course of the year, stu- dents will know between 130 and 250 words. The schedule pits teams against each other and the highest average wins. Throughout the year the teams vie for first place. Before winter break the teams compete in a buzzer competition to crown a winner. After winter break we start season two and the cycle repeats itself. The winner from season one will then face off against the season two winner to come out with a class champion. The class champions from each of the boys and girls classes compete against each other on stage in the auditorium as their middle school peers cheer them on. The winning teams are treated to pizza, but in reality we all won.

The students have many more tools in their Chumash skills box which they will draw upon for many years to come. Over the years of CVL we have received strong feedback from HS students and teachers appreciating how CVL has made their high school Tanach classes more meaningful. The expression of one recent alumnus sums it up. “I just wanted to thank you for CVL because it helps me translate so much in high school. I’m doing really well in my Chumash class because of your teaching.”

As CVL has become part of our school culture, the concept has spread to other grades and other classes as well. In the past few years CVL was expanded to include 5th and 6th grades. Now, if you go into a Torah Shebaal Peh class you might find them playing GVL (Gemara Vocabulary League) or MVL (Mishna Vocabulary League)!

While memorizing shorashim can generally be quite tedious, at JKHA it has become a highlight of our learning, is fun, changes the way we analyze pesukim, and sets our students up for success as life-long learners.

“I love learning Chumash because it brings me closer to Hashem.”- Koby Eisenberg