Jewish Studies Toolkit
Implement these resources, tools, and strategies with your students for increased student-centered learning.
General Resources
Differentiation
All Grades
Explore some strategies for differentiated instruction to meet the diverse needs of all students.
JDS Lesson Planning
All Grades
This lesson plan template provides a format for cleared and structured lesson planning for all grades and lessons. BetterLesson strategies are matched to each segment of the lesson.
I Do, You Do
All Grades
How do you divide your lesson into interactive elements? Match each section of class into moments of ‘I DO/WE DO/YOU DO,’ reviewing BL strategies that support the design and implementation of each part of the lesson.
Sefaria
Grades 7-12
Use this toolkit for ideas on how to use Sefaria and BetterLesson strategies to increase engagement and expand learning through higher-order questions and activities.
Flexible Instructional Models Resources
Explore the Text
Grades 1-4
Design differentiated lessons and activities that offer choices to students to learn and master Tanach skills, content, and values.
A Road Map for Teaching High School Tanach
Grades 7-12
Promote project-based learning Tanach lessons with this step-by-step guide that answer three key three questions.
Tanach Menu (English)
Grades 2-8
Offer students options for learning and employ higher-order thinking skills to evaluate stories and values while creating products to demonstrate learning.
Tanach Menu (Hebrew)
Grades 7-12
Explore a Hebrew version of the Tanach Menu to use a mild, medium, and spicy strategy to design differentiated Tanach lessons.
Tanach Teaching Tips
Grades 3-12
Build effective lessons in Tanach using strategies and tips from master educator Professor Nechama Leibowitz. This Toolkit includes ideas to increase active student learning, foster a love for Torah in students, and develop higher-order thinking skills.
Math and Literacy Resources
Literacy Toolkit
Grades 4-7
Implement this toolkit to provide students with activities that employ higher-order thinking skills to evaluate stories and morals and create products to demonstrate learning.
Math Toolkit
Grades 4-12
Support students to share ideas, clarify understandings, and learn to see things from other perspectives.
Hebrew Resources
Israeli Identity
Grades 9-12
Design choice boards for students to learn about different groups in Israel by using authentic sources, analyzing information, and designing a presentation.
All About Me
Grades 1-5
Use a choice board that presents tiered activities to provide personalized learning. Students will practice using Hebrew vocabulary to introduce themselves, their family, and their city.
World Tour for World Language
Use this toolkit as a culminating activity for students to demonstrate their ability to read and understand texts, share information, and speak and write in a target language about a city they choose. Students have opportunities for choice and autonomy using the tiered and differentiated choice board.
Jewish Holidays and Tefilla Resources
Scavenger Bingo Board
Grades 2-6
Adopt this Jewish Holiday Scavenger Hunt Bingo Board to engage students to learn topics, review skills, and create artifacts to strengthen Jewish identity, build capacity for collaboration, and have fun.
Tefillah Toolkit
Grades 3-12
Explore the structure of tefillot to see how the pieces fit together and make the experience of davening more meaningful.
Social-Emotional Learning Resources
SELf Help
Grades K-8
Increase social-emotional skills in your students and self, specifically in the areas of self-awareness and self-management, with recommended strategies. The toolkit matches SEL concepts to Torah values.
Young Mentch Games
Pre-school to 2nd Grade
Play various games with students to help them internalize Jewish values. Some options are Fish-A-Mentch (download cards), Mentch Charades, Mentch Murals, and Memory Mentch with matching Mentch Moment cards.
Mentch Moments
Grades 6-12
Match SEL skills to Jewish values with these Mentch Moment game cards. After choosing a Jewish value card (download cards), students answer questions about the card and share personal Mentch Moments. Then, match them to an SEL domain and connect it to the Jewish value.
De-Escalation
Grades 1-12
De-escalate by understanding students’ emotional responses, navigating interpersonal relationships, and developing the decision-making skills and resilience needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
SEL Care Package
All Grades
Use this toolkit for SEL strategies and trauma-informed practices, and draw from Jewish texts to support classroom resiliency.
Leadership Resources
Instructional Leadership
Leaders are tasked with determining skills, content, and value objectives for different grade levels. The toolkit lists numerous I Can statements to choose from. The toolkit supports Leaders in responding to the guided probing questions, which help prioritize the next steps when working with school stakeholders.
My School's Mission Planner
Use an interactive planner to identify your school's mission, your vision, and the steps and stakeholders that you can engage to reach those goals.
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Leading Change in Jewish Day Schools
Explore this autoethnographic study on school change in Jewish day schools. The study delves into two case studies focusing on broadening the school's target population by promoting diversity and strengthening the school community, its identity, and its self-image.
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