[HANASHIR:7958] Re: Help with 7th Graders...

[Freedabet <Freedabet...>]

This kind of thing worked very well with some very apathetic 5th and 6th 
graders I worked with last year.

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> Date: Thursday, 18-Jan-01 02:16 AM
> 
> From: Rglauber (at) aol(dot)com         \ America Online: (RGLAUBER)
> To:   Hanashir Mail Server     \ Internet:    (hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org)
> 
> Subject:  [HANASHIR:7949] Re: Help with 7th Graders...
> 
> Sender: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Reply-to:       hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> To:     hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> 
> In a message dated 1/17/01 6:08:03 PM, dweisz (at) brandeis(dot)edu writes:
> 
> << they have it in their heads that they dislike music.
> 
>  
> David, it's a huge topic, and I appreciate the way that you presented the 
> situation.  Here's my take on it, and surprise, I seem to be in a minority 
of 
> one....
> 
> There needs to be a new music, a new attitude about music, a new way of 
going 
> about music with maddle school kids.  For the following reason:  It's hard, 
> if not impossible to do ANY kind of music with this age kid, let alone with 
> the added burden of having it be a "Jewish Learning" experience.  It's like 
> coming to bat against Pedro Martinez and you've already got 2 strikes .   
> You're gonna strike out, my friend.
> 
> I mean, you can convince yourself that you're doing something if you quote 
> tanach or talmud as part of the music class, but I don't think that really 
> addresses the reality of the KIDS' EXPERIENCE!.   The students want 
something 
> different.  They are dying for something different, and if you can provide 
> it, you're a great teacher.
> 
> Let's say you're wanting to do a lesson on "justice".  There's that saying, 
> Justice shall you seek.  or whatever is the exact wording in English or 
> Hebrew.  I would do a repetitive, simple chant over two chords.   Could be 
> reggae style, could be minor key Am to G  style,  something really simple.  
> Then I would start talking over the two chords, talking about a time when 
> something unfair happened to me, someone copied my homework and got me in 
> trouble, I got ripped off by my lawyer, I got punished for something my 
> brother did, that sort of thing.  Just spin a little anecdote.  Then sing 
the 
> chorus  Justice justice shall you seek.....
> 
> Then keep the chords going and ask them if they've ever had anything unfair 
> happen.  One of them shares while the chords are going on.   It doesn't 
have 
> to go with the music, it doesn't have to be sung, just spoken.   "The 
teacher 
> thought that I was talking but I wasn't"    then sing the chorus
> 
> Ask someone else to share about something unfair in their life   Sing the 
> chorus...
> 
> It's creating a kind of vibe in which the kids have input.  It's creating a 
> way for them to share with one another in a pretty safe (and revealing) 
way.  
> It's presenting a small, (I repeat SMALL) bit of Jewish concept and showing 
> that it has relevance to THEM.
> The goal is to create an ambience for them to have a communal experience.  
> They want to share, they want to be heard.  You need to create the context 
> that will allow that to happen.
> 
> The focus needs to be on them.  Not on them as consumers of Jewish content. 
 
> On them as interesting, creative people with something to say.  You could 
get 
> into  many cool topics with this approach.  It's almost like a cross 
between 
> music class and 7th grade "rap session"   (I'm dating myself, aren't I?)
> 
> Rich Glauber
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

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