I have been playing with ideas for a slightly more intensive variation on the parsha copywork we’ve been doing all along and come up with a 6-page booklet that I think might work well not only for us, but hopefully for others. I will explain the ideas behind the different pages and you can decide if all or part of this would be useful to you.
The whole booklet is centred around an excerpt from the parsha. It may or may not be an entire contiguous passuk – I’ve done two so far and one is, while the other isn’t. One draws in bits and pieces from several pessukim to create a “complete” passage that is more concise than the original text.
The idea is to introduce spelling and vocabulary words through the context of the weekly parsha. The English words are fairly easy, so this won’t make for very intensive spelling practice. My thinking behind this is that my kid is feeling discouraged in Hebrew, so if throwing in a couple of easy English words will help boost her self-confidence, then so be it. This booklet is NOT meant to be completed in a single day; one or two pages a day is enough, depending on your kid’s level.
Page 1 – Introduces “list words” and presents one or two grammatical points in English / Hebrew.
Page 2 – Alphabetize the list words, in Hebrew and English. Use them in sentences (4 Hebrew, 4 English).
Page 3 – More activities with the list words. In this case, it’s a rhyming exercise. The other one I’ve done so far has a bingo activity. There is also picture matching on this page with the Hebrew words only.
Page 4 – Now it’s time to read the actual “passuk” (which may or may not be an entire passuk from the parsha). Translated in linear form, with easy English (translations are my own simplifications of Chabad’s weekly parsha text). Having been introduced to eight of the words already, the child should be able to read this passuk without much difficulty. I suggest reading it line by line first, Hebrew and English together. Then, read just the Hebrew from top to bottom.
Page 5 – Copywork! You didn’t think I’d leave out copywork, did you??? This is a shorter portion of the longer excerpt. In English and Hebrew.
Page 6 – Self-test, and test. First, a quick self-test to fill in missing letters from list words in Hebrew and English. Then, the page is folded on the dashed line and the parent dictates six of the eight list words in Hebrew and English. You’ll have to decide which words to leave out – either the hardest two, if they are far beyond your child’s ability, or the easiest two if you want to make the test a challenge.
So far, I have finished two booklets (for Bo and Beshalach, the next two parshiyos) and feedback would be most appreciated before I do any more!!! If you do end up using all or part of these, I’d even love just a quick note to let me know how old your child(ren) is/are and which bits are most helpful.
- To download this and hundreds of other Limudei Kodesh (Jewish) printables – including weekly parsha copywork and holiday resources, click here. (search for “workbooks”)
- For General Studies printables, including science, art and music resources in Hebrew and English, Ambleside, composer and artist resources, click here.
I will definitely give them a try and let you know.
ReplyDeleteWe used the Bo one last week and started Beshalach this week. I made flashcards on blank recipe cards and we started by trying them out three times a day until we had them down.
ReplyDeleteThen we did most of the rest of the worksheets over the last two days. The kids liked them!
@Amital - I appreciate your feedback; thank you! I am just finishing up the next two. The only thing I caught on the first one was that I don't want the name of Hashem on worksheets and I usually blank it out with a "ה" but forgot to do it for that one. Oops! The others don't have that problem.
ReplyDeleteI did find the selection for Beshalach too long for Naomi to read well; tons of kvetching over that one. :-(