Yom HaAtzmaut was Fantastic
Glanz/Packer Class
May 20, 2018
Yesterday was a real "WoW" day from start to finish. The morning was filled with Israeli dancing, making T-shirts, and playing a game called Kahoot, all focused on Israel. This was followed by an assembly during which each grade in the school sang a famous Israeli.
During an assembly the 4th and 5th graders sang the song called Chai, Chai, Chai! which is about just how alive the people of Israel (all Jews) are as traditions, knowledge, and culture are passed from one generation to the next. In their Hebrew classes, the 5th graders had viewed a video that featured hundreds of Holocaust survivors, their children, and grandchildren singing this song. Your children can find this to show you on youtube.
Design Thinking Challenge
The afternoon was spent going through the Design Thinking Process. Together with the entire middle school, our 5th graders viewed a powerful video about the work of Israaid helping Syrian refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos. You can view the video with this link.
The challenge our students were given was to ask questions about the refugees, come to an understanding of their needs, and then build shelters and other items that would help them feel restore a sense of safety and comfort after the traumas they had experienced in Syria, on their way to Turkey, and the harrowing voyage to Lesbos. We are so proud of the sincerity with which our students took this challenge, the questions they asked, the models they created in a limited amount of time, and the amazing collaboration that was so visible. The prototypes included homes, outdoor play spaces, a hospital for the refugee camp, special beds that could become other furniture, toys, solar panels, water collectors, and much, much more. Below are pictures of the work in progress and the products.
Finally, we wanted to know how our students connected this activity to Israel and celebrating Yom HaAtzmaut. We were incredibly pleased with the answers your children gave in response to question, above. Here are examples answers:
1) "With all of the wars and attacks on Israel, citizens and soldiers have been traumatized and so they understand how to take care of people who have experienced trauma.
2) Survivors of the Holocaust were traumatized and everyone in Israel knows about this. So they want to help others who have been traumatized.
3) Israel is a country with lots of technology and innovations so they are able to use this to solve problems in emergency situations.
All we can say is WOW!
