Introduction to Sentence Writing
There are few things more exciting than watching kids starting to write in Yiddish. The key to independent writing is confidence. Without this, children can be very hesitant to write. As such, I introduce independent writing using achievable sentence structures which can be built upon over time. This starts with the phrase "ikh bin". This can start small and build all the way to past tense! It's fantastic! I also use this sentence structure to introduce adjectives. In the activity below, I present students with an image and ask them to complete a sentence using that adjective. Imagine being a kid and seeing a full page of your handwriting in Yiddish for the first time... Now THAT'S confidence boosting!
i_am..._sentences.pdf |
Alef Beys Pre-Writing Practice
It's important to consider how students are forming their letters. This may seem like it's not a big deal, but if students are not able to form their letters properly, handwriting will not be as legible and the speed with which they write will slow down. It is possible to make letter formation easier for children, even before they start writing. These simple loop tracing tasks will assist the ease with which students write letters such as mem, ayin, shin and daled. I recommend slipping these sheets into a plastic pocket and giving students a whiteboard marker to trace with. This means you can use these over and over without having to re-print each time.
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Family
Teaching students about family is a really important part of Yiddish learning. This is because family is central to Yiddish culture. As such, it’s a good idea to introduce this topic early on. Below are some activities I have used with my younger students who are just learning to write in Yiddish.
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Der zeyer hungeriker opfreser
If you don’t already own a copy of the Yiddish translation of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, I strongly encourage you to get your copy. It’s brilliant for teaching a variety of topics in Yiddish, including the life cycle of the butterfly, the days of the week and food. You will find below a variety of activities I have made to use when reading “der zeyer hungeriker opfreser” with my class.
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Teaching Feelings
All this time in self-isolation has given me plenty of time to prepare some brand new and exciting activities that I can use to teach my students during remote learning. They have just started learning about feelings, which is perfect timing, given all of the feelings they have been going through over the past few months.
I have made a vocabulary sheet, a daily diary sheet on which to record their emotions, a feelings 'dice', and a read and draw activity. This, combined with plenty of speaking practice is keeping my students engaged and learning, developing their emotional literacy all the while.
I have made a vocabulary sheet, a daily diary sheet on which to record their emotions, a feelings 'dice', and a read and draw activity. This, combined with plenty of speaking practice is keeping my students engaged and learning, developing their emotional literacy all the while.
Print and Script Words and Sentences Writing Activities
Teaching students to match print and script can’t solely be focused on individual letters. It’s important introduce words and sentences in print and script form to encourage students to practise matching print and script in context as well. These activities offer a great way of introducing students to matching print and script words (specifically using the pink, red and light blue sight words), then progressing to sentences.
Handwriting Keychains
If you’re like me, you’re constantly looking for different ways to get your students writing. Paper only goes so far! I’ve made these laminated sight word keychains, but you could easily change it to include letters formation or sentences. The benefit is that these can be used over and over again with a whiteboard marker and are very easy for parents to take around with them. I have included the file of the words I used in black and white. I recommend including green and red dots for beginners to remind them to write from right to left.
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Practising Past Tense
Two new worksheets to practise converting present tense sentences to past tense.
Yiddish Homework Bingo
Homework bingo is a really clever invention. I tip my hat to the genius teacher who came up with it. The idea is that the students need to complete a certain number of homework tasks in a row in the grid in order to get a reward. The trick is to make the middle activity more challenging so that children are given a challenge through the promise of a reward. I’ve created one for my Yiddish class that caters to multiple different levels and different learning styles. I’ve written the tasks in English so that all parents are able to help their children in understanding the tasks. Give it a try!
Print and Script Matching Cards
I have been working with some younger students who are working on understanding the difference between print and script of the alef beys. I decided to make a set of cards with both print and script of the alef beys on it to help them practise matching them together. Using these cards help students to regularly practise recognising that although they may look different, print and script letters actually match. These cards can be used for a memory game or a sorting activity. I challenged my students to match the letters and put them in the order of the alef beys.
I have to apologise for the daled being on a separate page - I seemed to have skipped it initially. However given they are going to be cut out, it doesn’t matter too much :)
I have to apologise for the daled being on a separate page - I seemed to have skipped it initially. However given they are going to be cut out, it doesn’t matter too much :)
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Colour Cards
Are you teaching colours? Why not try using these posters to help teach some of the more common colours.
Story Prompt Cards
I have been working on descriptions with my students. I like to start by focusing on oral work and then move into written descriptions. As such, I’ve prepared story prompt cards. These are great for using as a visual prompt either to describe the image or as inspiration for a story. The colours, animals and actions in the images also lend themselves to a broad range of abilities and vocabulary.
Matching Letters Maze
A challenge that I face time and time again is helping students to recognise and match print and script letters. Let’s be honest, there’s no reason why a giml faces one way in print and another way in script - that’s just mean! So, I decided to make a maze where children follow the letter from one side of the page to the other, in this case, giml. I mixed in multiple different fonts, including both print and script to make it more challenging.
Next step will be to make ones for multiple different letters. I will upload them here as I make them for you all to use. |
Making Word Searches
My young students are starting to experiment with spelling and blending sounds to write words and it’s really exciting to watch. I decided that now that they are becoming more comfortable writing familiar words, it’s time to have some fun with writing the words out. I made a very simple grid on Word and printed off a copy for each student. They had to write in minimum 8 of the sight words they have learned in the grid to create a word search. Well, the kids went straight for this! They all separated themselves because they wanted their words to be absolutely secret! The best part is that the blank parts of the bride gave them the chance to practice writing the letters they are still not confident using. All in all, this activity went over a treat!
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Sensory Letter Learning
Teachers and parents know that there is no one way that children learn. The fact is that all kids learn differently and have different needs. For those tactile students, providing sensory learning experiences in the language classroom is important. When teaching the alef beys, I decided to incorporate tactiles into my class. I bought glitter foam, which has a rough texture, and cut out all of the letters of the alef beys. I stuck the letters to laminated kinder squares, providing extreme contrasts in textures on the cards. Marking the starting point of the letter with a sticker, I then gave these to my younger students to work with. They traced the letters with their fingers, allowing them to get used to the formation of the letter and the directions of the curves. I have found these cards to be really useful for pre-writing and they are really easy to make.
Fun with Family Trees
Teaching family related vocabulary always allows for fun and creative activities. I used the opportunity to teach my students about the concept of family trees. Students were given the template below and asked to cut out and stick on their relevant immediate family members. I created several blank apples so that regardless of the family structure, children can equally represent their family on the tree. You can also use the apples to encourage children to rewrite the printed apples.
Emotions Bingo
Here are some bingo boards I created for when I teach emotions and feelings. You call out a particular feeling in Yiddish and the students need to mark off the matching emoji.
Yiddish Boggle
Spelling and vocabulary assessments are usually assigned to the ‘boring’ basket by teachers and students alike. It’s our responsibility to find ways to make this exciting and engaging for our students to help them succeed. So, with that in mind, I wracked my brain and turned to an old classic for inspiration: Boggle.
For those who don’t know the rules of Boggle, you can read up on it here.
For those who don’t know the rules of Boggle, you can read up on it here.
I took a simple 3X3 grid and wrote in nine letters. I would recommend mixing it up between script and print and try and use letters that are relevant to most of the words that the children have been learning.
Take, for example, the grid below:
Take, for example, the grid below:
Children are able to create words such as מאַמע, באָבע, די, דער, דאָס... Remember that whilst you are testing their range of vocabulary and spelling competencies, you also want to provide them with the tools to succeed and build confidence.
This is an activity I’d suggest doing regularly. The change in the results, from spelling accuracy to a widening range of vocabulary, will be even more visible that way and the children won’t even notice that you’re assessing them. What could be bad?
This is an activity I’d suggest doing regularly. The change in the results, from spelling accuracy to a widening range of vocabulary, will be even more visible that way and the children won’t even notice that you’re assessing them. What could be bad?
Teaching with FruitI love teaching my students about fruits and vegetables because it lends itself to teaching a variety of different words and phrases. I begin using model fruit and vegetables and whilst reviewing the term for each, I compare the fruits and vegetables to one another (דאָס איז אַן עפּל אָדער אַ מאַראַנץ) so that the students practise distinguishing between them. Once the students are confident with the vocabulary, you can put their knowledge to the test by creating a fruit salad. Before cutting up each fruit, ask each student to name the fruit. Once they do so correctly, ask them in Yiddish if they would like the fruit. Once they answer in Yiddish, they can have it to chop up and add to the bowl. Whilst cutting up the fruit, I sing the song אַלע קינדער שנײַדן... so that they get used to the verbs associated with the process. I also sing the song when the students get to mix the fruit in the bowls, using the verb מישן.
The best part is that the students enjoy this activity and come away with a strong knowledge of the vocabulary. They also come away with a yummy and healthy snack! |
Spelling PracticeNo matter what language you’re learning, spelling practice is not the most enjoyable part. However, it’s a vital part of the language learning process. With Yiddish being a phonetic language, it is important to get the fundamentals of spelling down pat from early on. I decided I would make this process a little more interactive. I took the majority of the letters (I didn’t want to overwhelm the kids by introducing too many new ones at once) and coloured coded them on post-it notes - one colour for vowels and another for constanents. Each child was first asked to use the post-it note letters to spell their names in Yiddish. Once they did this and their confidence was boosted, I started challenging them by having the, spell out words they are familiar with. It was so great to see them sounds out the words and analysing their options of letters so carefully. It ended up being a really successful way to practise Yiddish spelling and phonemic awareness.
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YENGA! It’s Yiddish Jenga!
Practising sight words and vocabulary can become quite monotonous. If you’re expecting younger kids to recognise the value of repetition, I’ll have to break it to you - it’s not on their radar yet. So how do you get kids to practise reading without facing the inevitable meltdown that comes with homework? You get creative, and to borrow a phrase from Mary Poppins, “snap! The job’s a game.”
I decided to mix things up this week by taking the classic game Jenga and turning it into my own Yiddish reading game - YENGA! I stuck labels on both sides of each brick in the set and wrote words that the students have learned throughout the year on each brick. Then, once I built up the tower of bricks, the game began.
The player must read the word on the brick they would like to remove from the tower. If they read the word correctly, they can remove the brick or choose to leave it. If they answer incorrectly, then the next player takes their turn. This way, weaker students who choose a simpler word that they know, but that may be in a more difficult position, are not disadvantaged.
This game was only meant to be a small part of my lesson, but the kids were so engaged, that they kept on going. I took the opportunity to record the words that each student got right so that I could show them at the end just how many words they could read. It was also great to see the kids using their knowledge of the letters to sound out the words.
I highly recommend giving this game a go. The labels means you can change up the vocabulary to suit whatever you’ve been teaching. Whether it’s a game at home, or a classroom activity, Yenga is a proven hit with the kids!
I decided to mix things up this week by taking the classic game Jenga and turning it into my own Yiddish reading game - YENGA! I stuck labels on both sides of each brick in the set and wrote words that the students have learned throughout the year on each brick. Then, once I built up the tower of bricks, the game began.
The player must read the word on the brick they would like to remove from the tower. If they read the word correctly, they can remove the brick or choose to leave it. If they answer incorrectly, then the next player takes their turn. This way, weaker students who choose a simpler word that they know, but that may be in a more difficult position, are not disadvantaged.
This game was only meant to be a small part of my lesson, but the kids were so engaged, that they kept on going. I took the opportunity to record the words that each student got right so that I could show them at the end just how many words they could read. It was also great to see the kids using their knowledge of the letters to sound out the words.
I highly recommend giving this game a go. The labels means you can change up the vocabulary to suit whatever you’ve been teaching. Whether it’s a game at home, or a classroom activity, Yenga is a proven hit with the kids!
Letter Match Memory Game
Learning both the print and script forms of the alef-beyz can be quite a challenge and, as I’ve mentioned before, very repetitive. As such, it’s vital that you make practising matching print and script as fun and exciting as possible.
I tried to change things up by turning it into a memory game. I bought plastic party plates and stuck on the print and script versions of each individual letter onto separate plates. I then turned all of the plates upside down and... voila! Instant memory game!
I tried to change things up by turning it into a memory game. I bought plastic party plates and stuck on the print and script versions of each individual letter onto separate plates. I then turned all of the plates upside down and... voila! Instant memory game!
How do you say Hogwarts in Yiddish?
When I found out that one of my Yiddish classes was going to be reading ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ (or Sorcerer’s depending on where you live), I got so excited! What an opportunity to bring magic into the Yiddish classroom. All of our Yiddish classroom displays became magic themed and I loved every part of creating them. This included making posters of the values of each Hogwarts house team in Yiddish. You may want to use them in your classroom or put them up at home. Enjoy!
Fishing with Sight Words
I was wandering through Kmart (as all good teachers do) and I came across some travel versions of classic family games. One caught my eye in particular: the magnetic fishing game. For those who don’t know the game, the aim is to ‘catch’ the most fish, using a magnetic fishing rod and fish.
Well, needless to say, I bought up big! I printed off some of the basic Yiddish words my students have been learning and stuck them onto each individual fish in the case. I then set out a version of the game for each student and told each of them a different word to ‘fish for’. It ended being a really engaging activity that had the kids practising their reading in the process.
Alternatively, you could also prepare a deck of cards with the words written on them and the kids could select a word at random to ‘fish for’, making it easier for you to move between students to assist them as needed.
Well, needless to say, I bought up big! I printed off some of the basic Yiddish words my students have been learning and stuck them onto each individual fish in the case. I then set out a version of the game for each student and told each of them a different word to ‘fish for’. It ended being a really engaging activity that had the kids practising their reading in the process.
Alternatively, you could also prepare a deck of cards with the words written on them and the kids could select a word at random to ‘fish for’, making it easier for you to move between students to assist them as needed.
Word Jump!
Now that my students are starting to sound out words, I decided to challenge them with this hands-on spelling game. I drew boxes onto the ground with chalk and wrote one Yiddish letter in each box. I tried to use letters from words that they are familiar with as a base. I then gave each child a simple word, such as הונט or מיידל and they had to jump to the letters in the correct order to spell the word. It was so special seeing the kids realise how well they could sound out the words and spell them. They had an absolute ball!
Yiddish Hopscotch
I’m constantly trying to find interactive ways to practise letter recognition with my younger students. No kid wants to repeat the same activity over and over again. My younger students are particularly active and love any activities that get them moving.
I decided to set up a Yiddish letters hopscotch game. I called out the name of a letter and the student then had to hop to the correct letter and back. They then got to choose the next letter for the following student in the line. The kids loved the game and really enjoyed being able to pick out the letters for their peers.
I decided to set up a Yiddish letters hopscotch game. I called out the name of a letter and the student then had to hop to the correct letter and back. They then got to choose the next letter for the following student in the line. The kids loved the game and really enjoyed being able to pick out the letters for their peers.
Finger Painting Fun with Letter Formation
Teaching and learning correct letter formation can be quite tedious and boring. Unfortunately, it requires repetition, which we can all get quite tired of. When teaching letter formation, I try and find different ways of practising it without having my students write lines. I came across a post from Livonia Pop on Pinterest - for those who don’t know her, she creates literacy activities for kids. One of these wonderful activities is focused on learning to write English sight words, where children finger paint dots around the words to help them practise forming the words. I decided to create my own version of this with the Yiddish letters, so that children could practise forming the letters in a more artistic way.
The kids really enjoyed it and were really upset that I had only brought six letters for this week’s lesson - they wanted to keep going!
I’m going to keep bringing this activity back to practise different letters, as it really forced the kids to slow down and focus on the correct way to write their letters.
The kids really enjoyed it and were really upset that I had only brought six letters for this week’s lesson - they wanted to keep going!
I’m going to keep bringing this activity back to practise different letters, as it really forced the kids to slow down and focus on the correct way to write their letters.
alef_beyz_painting.pdf |
Peysakh Activities
!אַ פֿריילעכן פּסח אײַך אַלעמען
Gut yontef! Here are some reading and writing activities I prepared for my Yiddish tutoring group to help them prepare for yontef.
I found this poem in the Sholem Aleichem College hagode and it’s a short and sweet poem for beginners to learn in time for yontef.
Gut yontef! Here are some reading and writing activities I prepared for my Yiddish tutoring group to help them prepare for yontef.
I found this poem in the Sholem Aleichem College hagode and it’s a short and sweet poem for beginners to learn in time for yontef.
Practice with Vowels
I came across these great vowel cards for teaching English and I thought it would be a fantastic activity for kids learning vowels in Yiddish too. It’s simple! Take some basic words (I’ve used some of the most common sight words), remove the middle vowel and replace it with a circle. Print the words, laminate them and cut them up into cards. Kids then sound out the start and end sound to work out which letter is missing from the middle of the word. I’ve attached my template here:
vowels_cards.pdf |
Fun in the Sun: Letter Recognition
We’re nearing the end of summer here but the weather shows no signs of cooling. Aussie kids know how to embrace the hot weather and they can’t get enough of playing outdoors. I thought I’d try and take advantage of this to help practise letter recognition.
I walked out into the yard and wrote the letters of the alef beyz all over the concrete.
I walked out into the yard and wrote the letters of the alef beyz all over the concrete.
I called my students outside and told them that I would call out a letter and give them the sound the letter makes. The children then needed to find the correct letter on the ground and run to it. I started off by using letters they would recognise from their own names to build their confidence and then branched out into the more challenging letters. It worked a treat - a fun way to get the kids to participate in repetitive letter learning.
** Variation: for children who are more advanced
Tell children a Yiddish word and ask them to find the letter it starts with. You could then have the children put those words into sentences.
** Variation: for children who are more advanced
Tell children a Yiddish word and ask them to find the letter it starts with. You could then have the children put those words into sentences.
Teaching to Recognise Print and Script Activity
At first, children (and adults, of course) can find it difficult to recognise both print and script Yiddish letters. It’s important that we help them get this right early on, as most books and materials are printed, whilst they learn to write in script. I came across this fantastic craft on Pinterest. It was actually used to teach children to match capitals and lower case letters in English, but I thought it would be perfect to use for Yiddish.
This is a cheap and easy activity to prepare at home. All you need are the following materials:
1. A paper plate
2. The alef beyz printed and each letter cut up individually
3. Glue
4. Washing line pegs
5. Markers
Stick the printed letters in order around the edge of the plate. Then write each letter onto the bottom half of a peg. Hand the plate over to your student and ask them to peg the matching letter onto the edge of the plate where the corresponding letter is.
Sounds simple, but I trialled this with my wonderful Yiddish tute group. I thought they would get bored of it quickly, but they loved it!
1. A paper plate
2. The alef beyz printed and each letter cut up individually
3. Glue
4. Washing line pegs
5. Markers
Stick the printed letters in order around the edge of the plate. Then write each letter onto the bottom half of a peg. Hand the plate over to your student and ask them to peg the matching letter onto the edge of the plate where the corresponding letter is.
Sounds simple, but I trialled this with my wonderful Yiddish tute group. I thought they would get bored of it quickly, but they loved it!