Educator’s Guide to
...A New Leaf!
TU B’SHEVAT • VOLUME l •
FROM
This Educator’s Guide to
A New Leaf is provided
to help you engage, educate and energize your
students in grades 1 - 4 to
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a
deeper commitment to
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the land and people of
Israel with interactive and
relevant classroom activities.
The Tu B’Shevat issue
focuses on the environment,
both locally and in Israel, and discusses biodiversity
in nature and diversity in our society. Students
explore the interdependency of plants and animals in
an ecosystem, and the concept that every living thing,
no matter how small, has value. Students are encouraged to show respect to, and responsibility for the
world around them.
In This Issue:
• Tu B’Shevat
• Biodiversity
Introduction:
(20 minutes) Read the introduction
together. Give each student a sheet of drawing paper
and a pencil or marker. Ask students to draw their
favorite living creature, and underneath, write why it is
their favorite. Encourage students to share their
choices. Discuss what each creature contributes to
the world around it. Bind all of the drawings together
in a Tu B’Shevat Teva Book which can be on display
in the classroom.
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
included in the activity.) Have students fill out their
charts together, either with words or pictures. Discuss
each box as you fill it in. Stress how every part of the
ecosystem depends on the others. Ask, “What would
happen if there were no minerals or gases?” (We
couldn’t breathe, plants would have no nourishment,
the earth would have no atmosphere -- nothing to
absorb solar radiation or regulate temperature.) “What
would happen if we had non-living matter, but there
was no vegetable matter — no plants?” (Many animals
would not have food. Soil would erode when it rained,
we would have no wood, and the level of oxygen in
the air would be harder to maintain.) “No animal matter?”
(Trees would not be able to reproduce without bees to
pollinate.) “No decomposers?” (Dead plants and animals
would stay around forever. Although most decomposers
are unattractive, they play an important role in the
ecosystem.) If time permits, challenge students to
think of a creature that has no value. They may suggest
different kinds of insects or other pests. Students will
soon understand that every creature has value. This is
a good introduction to the story of King Solomon and
the Bee (A good version can be found at
www.jnf.org/yourpage. Click on “Stories” on the left
menu bar, and then choose “King Solomon and the
Bee” from the story drop-down menu. Printable
versions can be accessed from the Teacher’s Take-out
page.) Read the story to the class, or print out a copy
for each student to bring home.
Matter Matters:
(20 to 30 minutes) Even before you
have bound the Tu B’Shevat Teva Book, you can use it
for this activity. Place all of the drawings face down
on a table and mix them up. Call a student to the front
of the room. Have him/her choose a drawing at random,
with eyes closed. Hold the drawing up and discuss
with the class the contribution of the creature in the
drawing. Repeat this activity three to five times, then
turn attention to the activity on the front page of A
New Leaf. Make sure that students understand the
words “matter” and “ecosystem.” (Definitions are
Be Kind to All Kinds: (10 to 20 minutes)
This cartoon
is a great follow-up to the activity on the front page.
Read it together, encouraging students to use the
Hebrew words. As students fill in the last box with
their opinions, ask them to read aloud what they have
written. Take a poll. What is the prevailing opinion in
the class? Why?
Visit jnf.org/iae to learn more about JNF Israel Advocacy and Education programs.
Educators: Find ready-to-use student
materials at the “Teacher’s Take-out”
link on:
www.jnf.org/
We welcome your feedback. Contact: Nina Woldin, [email protected]
Alef-Bet Desk Organizer:
(45 minutes to one hour)
About one week before you plan to do this activity,
ask students to bring in small containers, for example,
cardboard boxes from jewelry and plastic baby food
jars. Also ask students to bring in an item small enough
to fit in their pockets that has special meaning to
them. It can be a man-made item, such as a small
toy, or an item from nature such as a smooth pebble
or an acorn. If time and weather permit, take students
outside to hunt for small natural treasures. Bring in
some extra containers and choose an item of your
own from nature to share with your students.
Begin the activity by asking students who would like
to, to share their small items with the class, telling
why they have chosen each item. Share your item
with them, stressing that even the smallest elements
in nature are important. Tell the class that they will be
creating special organizers to keep small items. Then
let them know that in order to read the instructions,
they must know about Gematria.
Forest Friendship Crossword Puzzle: (15 to 45
minutes) Before students work on the puzzle, talk
about the different trees in Israel that are highlighted
in the puzzle. A set of posters featuring photographs
of different trees that grow in Israel is available from
Jewish National Fund. To order, please contact
[email protected]. Encourage students to learn the
Hebrew names for the trees. Teach them to sing the
the shkedia song. Words and music can be found at:
http://www.jnf.org/site/DocServer/BranchingOut.pdf?docID=921
Read the story of Honi and the carob tree. (A good
version can be found at www.jnf.org/yourpage. Click
on “Stories” on the left menu bar, and then choose
“Honi’s Surprise” from the story drop-down menu. A
printable version can be accessed from the Teacher’s
Take-out page.) Check students’ work as they show
what they have learned and complete the puzzle.
Birkat HaChamah:
Explain that every letter in the Hebrew alphabet corresponds to a number. Explain that words, like yjæ,
chai, life, give special meaning to the numbers that
correspond to them. The value of yjæ, chai is 18
(y=10 and j=8). That’s why gifts or tzedakah donations
are often a multiple of $18. Read the introduction to
the Alef-Bet organizer with the class, making sure that
each student understands the concepts involved.
Enjoy creating Alef-Bet Organizers with your class.
Tu B’Shevat is a good time to look
at all of nature through a Jewish lens, and so it is time to
plan for Birkat HaChamah, the blessing of the sun, which
takes place every 28 years. This puzzle contains basic
information about Birkat HaChamah. For more, visit:
http://www.kehillaton.com/en/articles_birkat_hachama.asp?c=1.
School will most likely not be in session for Birkat
HaChamah this year, as it falls on Erev Pesach. Check
the Teacher’s Take-out page at www.jnf.org/yourpage
for a printable sheet to send home so that families
can celebrate Birkat HaChamah. It contains simple
background information, facts about solar energy,
and a short Birkat HaChamah ceremony.
Growing Friendship: (20 to 30 minutes) Ask students,
Diversi-TREE for Forest Fitness:
“Do you have a favorite plant?” There is not one
correct answer to this question. some students may
want to tell about a particular plant that they like,
others may think that having a favorite plant is silly.
Read the article together. Ask students, “Do you
think about plants in a different way after reading this
story?” (Some students may now see plants as
active, living creatures.) Students are now ready to
enter
. Enter as a
class, and you may win a TickleMe Plant Growing Kit for
your classroom. For a list of different plants that grow in
Israel and their significance, see Forest Friendship
Crossword Puzzle on the next page.
Through this
puzzle students learn how diversity makes forests
stronger. Solve the puzzle together as a class. When
you have finished, ask students, “You have learned
scientific reasons why diversity makes forests
stronger. Do you think that a diverse community, with
different kinds of people, is also stronger? Why or
why not?” Allow for open discussion. Remind students
to respect different (diverse!) points of view.
Grownups + Kids = Fun 2gether: Discuss the
many contributions of trees (food, shade, fuel, shelter,
cleaner air, and better soil). Encourage students to
take home A New Leaf! and try this fun quiz with their
parents. At the next class, ask them how their
parents scored.
To plant trees in Israel call 1-800-542-TREE (8733) or visit www.jnf.org