Sixty-four dynamic activities in four arts disciplines--music, drama, creative writing, and visual arts--weave the arts directly into the Jewish school curriculum and "open up" the big ideas of Jewish education. An extensive introduction examines the importance of the arts in Jewish life and Jewish education and explains the philosophy of this unique integrative approach. Includes four topic areas (Holidays, Torah, Mitzvot and Middot, and Jewish Life Cycle) with activities for four grade levels (K-1, 2-3, 4-6, and Family Education) and, within each grade level, one activity in each of the four arts disciplines. CONTENTS: Part I: Holidays Shabbat (Grades K-1) Chanukah (Grades 2-3) Sukkot (Grades 4-6) Pesach (Family Education) Part II: Torah Noah's Ark (Grades K-1) Three Righteous Women (Grades 2-3) Moses and the Burning Bush (Grades 4-6) Jacob and Esau (Family Education) Part III: Mitzvot and Middot Tza'ar Ba'alay Chayim: Kindness to Animals (Grades K-1) Hachnasat Orchim: Welcoming Guests (Grades 2-3) Derech Eretz: Proper Behavior (Grades 4-6) Bal Tashchit: Do Not Destroy (Family Education) Part IV: Jewish Life Cycle Baby Naming (Grades K-1) Growing Older (Grades 2-3) Bar/Bat Mitzvah (Grades 4-6) Death (Family Education) SPECIAL FEATURES: "Big Idea" and "Inspiration" sections provide the background and the rationale for each activity. Clearly stated objectives for each activity tie directly to the Big Ideas. Materials lists, step-by-step instructions, helpful hints, and suggested resources make activities easy to implement. Activities are adaptable to higher or lower grade levels, providing hundreds of creative opportunities. Ideal for average classroom teachers who think they are not artists, in addition to arts specialists

When What We Know about Jewish Education was first published in 1992, Stuart Kelman recognized that knowledge and understanding would greatly enhance the ability of professionals and lay leaders to address the many challenges facing Jewish education. With increased innovation, the entry of new funders, and the connection between Jewish education and the quality of Jewish life, research and evaluation have become, over the last two decades, an integral part of decision making, planning, programming, and funding.

One hundred individual and group art projects, keyed to the text books most frequently used in grades K-2, are outlined in this book.

The first volume to examine the contributions of women who brought the forces of American progressivism and Jewish nationalism to formal and informal Jewish education

Starting Up is a collection of first-person accounts by some of the best-known founders of new schools in America. Providing the kind of knowledge that only experience can teach, it is an invaluable resource for anyone in the process of or thinking about opening a new school, as well as those interested in the politics of today’s era of new school development. The authors share how they worked to make their educational aspirations a reality while wrestling with social and economic obstacles, such as the distressed state of the communities in which these schools operated and the constant competition for resources. Starting Up tells real stories that capture the rich sense of possibility that currently exists for urban education. Book Features: Behind the scenes accounts from the founders of innovative K–12 schools created to better serve primarily poor communities across the country. Lessons learned from school leaders, including both the rewards and challenges associated with starting a new school. An introduction by Pedro Noguera that situates start ups within current economic and political realities. Lisa Arrastía is the middle school principal at United Nations International School in New York. Her work in the classroom is the focus of the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary Making the Grade. Marvin Hoffman is the founding director of The University of Chicago Charter School, North Kenwood/Oakland campus and the associate director of the University’s Urban Teacher Education Program. “These are educators who recognize that although urban public schools are often deeply flawed and dysfunctional, they don’t have to be, and they are educators who act on the belief that it is possible to create schools that nurture and support the hopes and aspirations of those they serve.” —From the Foreword by Pedro Noguera, New York University “How might we reimagine our schools? This book offers a guide from those who have experienced firsthand the trials and tribulations of trying to create a school from the bottom up. It asks all the right questions, both the practical and the pedagogical. It feels like essential reading as we reconsider how our urban schools should look and function.” —Alex Kotlowitz, bestselling author of There Are No Children Here and The Other Side of the River

This book offers a variety of effective, concrete ways to better assimilate arts therapies in the educational system. Featuring leading art therapists and the models they have honed as a result of their arts experience in education, Integrating Arts Therapies into Education discusses systemic issues and challenges related to work in the education system such as confidentiality, multidisciplinary teamwork with educators and contact with parents. Divided into two parts, the first discusses systemic issues related to work in the education system, and the second presents a series of dedicated models that can be implemented in the education system. Each chapter consists of a theoretical background, a description of the working model, a clinical example or case study and a summary. Creative arts and expressive therapy practitioners will find this guide filled with the most effective ways to approach and deliver arts therapies in a school setting.