We received this letter last week and we’re excited to share it with you. Mrs. Goldman, a teacher at Bnos Yisroel in Baltimore, shares her creative activities and lesson plans built around Torah Live videos. These modules are ideal in both a classroom setting and a homeschooling environment.
Dear Rabbi Roth,
I use Torah Live in a small classroom of four students who have learning differences. The girls are very much benefiting from visually seeing the different halachos and hashkafos come alive!
I show the videos, discuss them and focus on getting the girls accustomed to note-taking afterwards. In addition, I supplement the videos with different games and assignments.
For example, for the melacha of borer, the girls created different scenarios of real life borer possibilities and determined if each scenario was borer, and if it was, how would they would deal with it.
To learn about maaser, the girls created their own "fake income" and had to figure out how much of it they would have to give to tzedakah. We read an article about the Burts Bees company and how after they discovered the mitzvah of giving maaser, their company finally started to succeed financially.
We also wrote a journal about how it would feel to collect door to door for something. The girls created a budget and a cause they had to collect for and wrote about how they imagined the experience would be.
For kashrus, we used real scenarios in a Jeopardy game and played Taboo to describe kosher and non-kosher animals and fish.
After watching the Torah Live toiveling film, I plan on taking them to the toiveling mikva and having them practice what we learned.
These are just a few examples of how we are using the Torah Live curriculum.
Thanks so much!
Loni Goldman Teacher, Bnos Yisroel Baltimore, Maryland