Colours Quiz
My latest game? A colours quiz! Play by clicking the link below:
Games Galore
These are unprecedented times and it certainly has thrown the world all over! Us teachers are pretty good at thinking outside of the box and teaching online has forced me to do something I never thought I could - make some online Yiddish games!
I’m sharing my first set here, which are online interactive cue cards to practise reading with. More are on the way! |
Yiddish Cartoons
In case you’ve been living under a rock, I felt I should share with you the wonder that is the work done by Cztery Strony Bajek - The Four Directions of Fairy Tales. They prepare videos of fairy tales in many different languages, but their two cartoons in Yiddish are an absolute hit with kids. The first one ‘der gliklekher mentsh’ is wonderful for younger children, whilst ‘der goylem fun harov elye’ is a great choice for 10-12 year olds.
Definitely worth showing your students if you have the chance, as the stories provide an excellent opportunity to teach about Jewish legends and folktales.
Definitely worth showing your students if you have the chance, as the stories provide an excellent opportunity to teach about Jewish legends and folktales.
Making Tests Fun!
It is rare to find kids that actually want to complete their homework or sit a test. Who can blame them? The fact is, it’s our job to make learning fun, especially when it comes to learning Yiddish. I f you want to set a quiz or are looking for a fun way to review vocabulary or phrases, I recommend creating quizzes for your students using Kahoot.
Kahoot is a fantastic website through which you can create quizzes absolutely free. Students can play on any device. I can’t tell you how many times my students have been reviewing grammar and vocabulary when they think they’re just playing games. This website is amazing!
Kahoot is a fantastic website through which you can create quizzes absolutely free. Students can play on any device. I can’t tell you how many times my students have been reviewing grammar and vocabulary when they think they’re just playing games. This website is amazing!
YiddishPOP
For those who have been living under a rock, YiddishPOP is the current go-to for online Yiddish language learning for kids. The program follows the format of the world renowned BrainPOP, which uses a variety of videos, games and listening and speaking exercises to introduce and review vocabulary and phrases. The project was driven by Avraham Kadar in honour of his late wife, Yiddish educator Naomi Prawer Kadar, and has taken the Yiddish world by storm.
As a Yiddish teacher, I cannot tell you what a gift this program is. It’s engaging, it’s interactive, it’s fun- kids love it! YiddishPOP can easily be used on interactive boards in the classroom, which means that you can use the program with either small groups or with a whole class. What I love most about this program is that it starts from the very basics and continues progressively, whilst continuously reviewing the concepts previously taught. I highly recommend giving the program a go. Whether you’re just starting out learning Yiddish or you’re looking for some consolidation of what you’re learning, YiddishPOP is a fantastic way to practise and develop Yiddish language skills. |
Wizer - DIY Online Interactive Worksheets
I might be late to the party, but I’ve just come across Wizer, a fantastic program that allows teachers to create their own interactive worksheets. Guess what? It works with Yiddish text!
The gist of the program is that it provides you with a range of options of activity styles, including mix and match, multiple choices questions and fill in the blanks. You choose the activity styles and fill in the content you’d like to teach. You can also add in audio and videos!
I created a quick interactive worksheet about the ‘Days of the Week’. I was able to add in a section that required my students to hand write their answers, so they can work on their Yiddish handwriting.
Wizer is an amazing way to set Yiddish homework or activities to complete on an individual device. Check out my photos below on how Wizer works and how to set up an activity.
The gist of the program is that it provides you with a range of options of activity styles, including mix and match, multiple choices questions and fill in the blanks. You choose the activity styles and fill in the content you’d like to teach. You can also add in audio and videos!
I created a quick interactive worksheet about the ‘Days of the Week’. I was able to add in a section that required my students to hand write their answers, so they can work on their Yiddish handwriting.
Wizer is an amazing way to set Yiddish homework or activities to complete on an individual device. Check out my photos below on how Wizer works and how to set up an activity.
Word Clouds
Ever wanted to summarise stories or songs but don’t want to stick with sentence writing? Word clouds are a great alternative and are computer generated.
Let’s say you wanted to test your students on what they know about shabes. The students pick out as many words as they can think of that relate to shabes and add it to the word bank. The more times they write a word. The bigger it will be on the screen, so you can also test their view of significance of certain aspects of the yontef. The website will auto-generate the word cloud, which the kids can then edit using the colours of their choice. You can print these and put them on display in the classroom.
Let’s say you wanted to test your students on what they know about shabes. The students pick out as many words as they can think of that relate to shabes and add it to the word bank. The more times they write a word. The bigger it will be on the screen, so you can also test their view of significance of certain aspects of the yontef. The website will auto-generate the word cloud, which the kids can then edit using the colours of their choice. You can print these and put them on display in the classroom.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Ah, the iPad! A turning point in technological advancements and an absolute pain for parents. Why? Well, it seems children can’t get enough of them. Whilst I will leave it up to others to debate the place of iPads in the classroom, I am going to advocate their importance in the Yiddish classroom.
You will see me post about different ways to use the iPad in the Yiddish classroom, but for today’s post, I’m going to share a really quick activity that you can use to encourage your child or students to practise speaking in Yiddish.
Get your child to release their inner star and have them create films of themselves speaking in Yiddish. Perhaps you’ve taught them a few words (eg: colours, numbers), or perhaps they are practising conversations or more advanced oral work. In any case, having children create their own films using the target vocabulary and phrases is a non-confronting way for them to present what they know.
My preferred apps for this kind of activity include iMovie, Telegami and Puppet Pals. They’re easy to use and give those who aren’t confident in front of the camera the chance to rely on animation while they record the audio of their speech.
This activity can be done at home, at school or really anywhere. Very versatile and can be adapted to suit any levels.
What are you waiting for? Get filming!
You will see me post about different ways to use the iPad in the Yiddish classroom, but for today’s post, I’m going to share a really quick activity that you can use to encourage your child or students to practise speaking in Yiddish.
Get your child to release their inner star and have them create films of themselves speaking in Yiddish. Perhaps you’ve taught them a few words (eg: colours, numbers), or perhaps they are practising conversations or more advanced oral work. In any case, having children create their own films using the target vocabulary and phrases is a non-confronting way for them to present what they know.
My preferred apps for this kind of activity include iMovie, Telegami and Puppet Pals. They’re easy to use and give those who aren’t confident in front of the camera the chance to rely on animation while they record the audio of their speech.
This activity can be done at home, at school or really anywhere. Very versatile and can be adapted to suit any levels.
What are you waiting for? Get filming!
Teaching to Type
Nowadays, most children have learned to type either on a PC or tablet by the time they enter school. These skills are an essential part of literacy education today. The same must be said for literacy in Yiddish. If we want children to use Yiddish in the modern age, they must learn how to type in Yiddish.
There are many different ways to type on PCs and they are not all straightforward for children who are just learning to type. I recommend the 'YiddishKB' app, which allows you to install a Yiddish keyboard on your tablet.
Not every Yiddish class has access to a tablet every day. I work around this by screenshotting the keyboard in the app, printing it and laminating it, as you will see below. I then give this to my students, along with a deck of cue cards with vocabulary I want them to practise. Each child takes turns picking out a word from the deck, and children practise 'typing' the word on their laminated keyboard.
This is a really easy and affordable way to help children develop their typing skills to assist in their language development.
There are many different ways to type on PCs and they are not all straightforward for children who are just learning to type. I recommend the 'YiddishKB' app, which allows you to install a Yiddish keyboard on your tablet.
Not every Yiddish class has access to a tablet every day. I work around this by screenshotting the keyboard in the app, printing it and laminating it, as you will see below. I then give this to my students, along with a deck of cue cards with vocabulary I want them to practise. Each child takes turns picking out a word from the deck, and children practise 'typing' the word on their laminated keyboard.
This is a really easy and affordable way to help children develop their typing skills to assist in their language development.