Tsedoke... Online!
My students are currently learning about the United Nations as a way to understand the concepts of mutual responsibility and respect. I happened upon this great initiative from the United Nations World Food Programme - freerice.com. Free Rice is an online game that combines learning with fun and tsedoke. For every question you answer correctly, the United Nations donates 10 grains of rice to end world hunger. The subjects you can be quizzed on include literacy, numeracy, humanities, chemistry and geography. I introduced this website to my students on Wednesday. By Thursday, they had become so excited by the game that we had a class tally going on the wall so they could count up how much rice they had donated.
It’s important for kids to understand that helping others doesn’t just mean giving money. This is a great way for them to see how their efforts can help change the world, one grain of rice at a time.
It’s important for kids to understand that helping others doesn’t just mean giving money. This is a great way for them to see how their efforts can help change the world, one grain of rice at a time.
Teaching the Jewish Undertones in Comics
It can be really hard to get kids to read in Grade 6. By that point, they know what they like and they’re not fond of being forced to read what they don’t. The moment reading is a chore is the moment children lose all interest in literature. I’ve often heard people say that comic books do not count as formal reading, but I heartily disagree. Quality comics and graphic novels offer a rich storyline and context through illustrations. That’s why when my sisters told me about the book “Up, Up and Oy Vey”, I couldn’t wait to try it in my English class.
Symcha Weinstein’s book “Up, Up and Oy Vey” delves deep into the history and inspiration for some of the most famous comics. The author contends that a comic can be seen as a modern day version of a droshe - it provides a modern interpretation on a traditional Jewish moral. Moreover, Weinstein offers many interesting comparisons between certain superheroes and traditional Jewish heroes. For example, Superman and Moses, as well as the Hulk and the Golem.
This book has served as a perfect basis for my unit on the Jewish undertones in comics. Weinstein’s chapter on Superman is of particular interest for most students, as they see how the context of World War 2 and the Holocaust had a major influence on Seigel and Schuster, the two Jewish comic book writers who created Superman. This leads to a fantastic discussion on why the world needs superheroes.
Most importantly, it gives us the chance as teachers to teach the Jewish values we wish to instil most in our students: respect, integrity, justice, equality, kindness and responsibility. I allow my students to design their own superhero, reflecting on the global issues of today and the values they consider most important.
I also love that this topic allows students to reflect on who their heroes are and how they define a hero. The answers they give are always insightful and usually come to the same conclusion: that a person chooses a hero based on shared values. I give my students the task of choosing their own heroes and a quote that reflects their values. I get them to prepare these as posters to hang up as it’s a great way to share a bit of their personality in the classroom.
I love seeing how passionately the kids approach this topic and how surprised they get reading about the creation of Superman. This is a great way to start a year filled with bar/bas mitsve preparation, as they are introduced to the concept of interpretation of texts, Jewish history and Jewish values. For the record, I’ve never had a student refuse to do their comic book reading homework.
Symcha Weinstein’s book “Up, Up and Oy Vey” delves deep into the history and inspiration for some of the most famous comics. The author contends that a comic can be seen as a modern day version of a droshe - it provides a modern interpretation on a traditional Jewish moral. Moreover, Weinstein offers many interesting comparisons between certain superheroes and traditional Jewish heroes. For example, Superman and Moses, as well as the Hulk and the Golem.
This book has served as a perfect basis for my unit on the Jewish undertones in comics. Weinstein’s chapter on Superman is of particular interest for most students, as they see how the context of World War 2 and the Holocaust had a major influence on Seigel and Schuster, the two Jewish comic book writers who created Superman. This leads to a fantastic discussion on why the world needs superheroes.
Most importantly, it gives us the chance as teachers to teach the Jewish values we wish to instil most in our students: respect, integrity, justice, equality, kindness and responsibility. I allow my students to design their own superhero, reflecting on the global issues of today and the values they consider most important.
I also love that this topic allows students to reflect on who their heroes are and how they define a hero. The answers they give are always insightful and usually come to the same conclusion: that a person chooses a hero based on shared values. I give my students the task of choosing their own heroes and a quote that reflects their values. I get them to prepare these as posters to hang up as it’s a great way to share a bit of their personality in the classroom.
I love seeing how passionately the kids approach this topic and how surprised they get reading about the creation of Superman. This is a great way to start a year filled with bar/bas mitsve preparation, as they are introduced to the concept of interpretation of texts, Jewish history and Jewish values. For the record, I’ve never had a student refuse to do their comic book reading homework.