The Analysis of the Jewish Life Cycle - Assignment Example

Understanding and Teaching the Jewish Life Grade 5 unit Jewish Life Cycle Event (Birth) Overall aim of the unit: People belong todifferent cultures and religions. These religious and cultural settings always have lifecycle events that are marked by unique activities to commemorate them. Such is the case with life events among the Jewish. Jewish people have life cycle events commemorated uniquely to give such events their spiritual content, deeper meaning and eternal memory. Sometimes these events are viewed as normal and natural occurrences of the lifespan of a human being; like in the case of weddings. In the case of Jewish people, life events in the family and personal life have far more intense meaning than the event itself. This is why in this unit; the teacher will emphasize the importance of life events among the Jewish people. Judaism does not recognize these events as passages that are ordinary to normal human life. They are all considered extraordinary, therefore, given extraordinary methods of commemoration and remembrance (Marcus, 2013). Each lesson will take50 minutes. Objectives of the unit: To show students the different way in which the Jewish enrich a life cycle experience To make the students understand the values of the customs, traditions, and ritual law To instill confidence among the students so that they can easily make the right decisions about rituals To enable students appreciate the value of diversity These objectives are important in achieving the aim of Jewish studies which require a coverage life cycle events, Jewish holidays, Jewish Holy days, and aspects of Jewish ethics, Zionism, and history. Lesson 1 Introduction In order to understand one of the Jewish life cycle events, it is important to discuss what life cycle events are. This lesson will introduce the unit by first defining life cycle events, and discussing with the students to ensure that they understand. From then I can introduce the Jewish life cycle events and discuss briefly. The lesson is expected to follow the following outline; The first 10 minutes will be used to introduce and define life cycle event. Provide an example of weddings Ask the students what they think about weddings (This should focus on identifying any values that the students relate to the weddings) Ask students to give examples of life cycle events that they know. During the question –answer session, explain more using their responses to make them understand Conclusion Give a take home assignment to enhance understanding. All students are to ask their parents or guardians about any life cycle event that they may know, and the student note two or more activities that are associated with it. Lesson 2 Introduction This lesson will be a follow upon what the students were told to do, and the introduction of the Jewish lifecycle events. The lesson will be carried out as follows; The teacher will issue small cards to the students to write down the lifecycle event, and two activities associated with the event. The teacher will then read this to the whole class. It is anticipated that this will take 20 to 25 minutes. Identify areas of weaknesses and make necessary steps The next 25 minutes will be used to introduce the Jewish Life cycle events: Name all of them Inquire from the students about their knowledge on the importance of commemorating life cycle events Discuss values, and how deeper meanings are associated with the events. Conclusion Inform the students about the focus on Birth as the lifecycle event that will be studied. Lesson 3 Introduction This lesson will discuss Birth as a Jewish lifecycle event. Information below will guide the teaching process. The Birth of a Child among the Jewish People The delivery of a child is a wonderful event. The Jewish believe in the bible command that says, they should be “fruitful and settle the world” (Wein, 2003, p. 13). When a child is born into the world, the Jewish are happy because it is a fulfillment to God’s command. Because of this command, the Jewish have a general rule that seeing children and welcoming children to the world is a blessing. The birth of a Jewish is a national joy as well as personal satisfaction. From the knowledge of the birth of a child as a national joy and personal satisfaction, the teacher can deduce the reasons why a child is valued among the Jews. These reasons are described below, and these can be classified as personal or communal. A child is valued because: The Jews are few in number (This is related to their history) The newborn Jew will provide a link from generations of the past to generations of the future. Inherent in the link are thousands of years of beliefs, practices, traditions, and a sense of humanity, which the Jewish belief and know, that it is a mission and privilege to carry. The newborn carries hope of bearing the Jewish heritage. The teacher should describe how the Birth of a child is commemorated, for example, by noting that Psalms and special prayers are always recited when a mother is in labor to prepare the way for a normal child and to ease the labor (Wein, 2003). Conclusion Give an assignment: inform the students about the next lessons requirements. Materials needed are; dolls to be used as newly born children Small bottles to hold holy water Decorative clothing to be used to decorate materials and distinguish them for the occasion The teacher will issue a short play for the students to memorize for the next lesson. Lesson 4 This lesson will stimulate recall, bring out performance, and enhance retention, and transfer of what has been learnt in previous lessons. Assess the students’ understanding. The lesson will entail the following activities: Informing the students about the aim of the activity Ask the students to Form family groups Within the family, there should be an occasion of commemorating the birth of a child. Guide the students to start the play Let the students carry on the activities on their own for the first 20 minutes while watching Take notes on their participation in relation to the unit’s objectives Conclusion Review the whole unit with the students Point out values and event specific activities that they implemented in the play Check if every objective is accomplished References Marcus, I. G. (2013). The Jewish Life Cycle: rites of passage from biblical to modern times. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. Wein, B. (2003). Living Jewish: Values, practices and traditions. Booklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications. Read More