Teaching Beginning Chumash - the ITL system

I spent some time teaching students who insisted they couldn't translate a pasuk. I tried to create a systematic way of reaching them. Here are my ideas

Rationale for system - The best learning comes through authentic involvement in the process. The process is modeled after being an apprentice rather than a student. An apprentice is involved to the best of his ability, while a student is perceived as an empty vessel to be filled by the teacher. To be authentically involved, the student must be provided with scaffolds so that they can act like the experts and can learn gradually how to be an expert.

Translated from jargon to English - I need to learn with my students not teach at my students.

For chumash, the key component missing is knowledge of grammatical structure and common words.


check out this post for reflections on using the ITL system
video examples of ITL independent Torah Learning -

Step 1.

1. Teach taamei hamikra - very essential - you need to stop after these signs to be able to translate pesukim. This step must be first!
2. Pick a logical chunk of story. Up to 10 pesukim works nicely. Pick out most common shorashim, prefixes, suffixes. Write all of them down. Translate the words using the shorashim and prefix list guide sheets.
3. Go through the pesukim and put lines after the words with the trop signs
4. Take turns reading the pesukim consulting the list of prepared words for help. I help break down the words initially by saying them syllable by syllable. Make sure that the reader stops by the trop signs.
5. Summarize the content of each of the pesukim.
6. Go through pasuk by pasuk and learn in depth (sometimes I combine steps e &f )
7. Read rashi for the knowledge of the letters rather than translation. If rashi skills are very weak start with rashi workbook, rashi matching games, etc.

Step 2

No putting in trop signs first, don't help syllable by syllable, don't summarize pesukim rather make sure that phrases are understood

1. Pick a chunk, go through and pick out most common shorashim, prefixes, suffixes. Write all of them down. Translate using guide sheets.
2. Take turns reading the pesukim consulting the list of prepared words for help. Make sure that the trop signs are followed religiously
3. Ask the students to find the phrase that means xyz or to answer an ?? ?? ????
4. Go through pasuk by pasuk and learn in depth (sometimes I combine steps j &k) making sure that the student can ask good questions
5. Read rashi for the knowledge of the letters rather than translation

Step 3

1. Prefixes and suffixes are learned with their context - the Shorashim.
1. Pick a chunk, go through and pick out words that have prefixes and suffixes. Write down the ones you don't know. Pick out shorashim & write down the ones you don't know. Translate those words before reading the pesukim
2. Concentrate on finding ?' ?????? and translating correctly.
3. Take turns reading the pesukim consulting the list of prepared words for help. Make sure that the trop signs are followed religiously
4. Ask students to make up their own "Who is it talking about"
5. Go through pasuk by pasuk and learn in depth (mostly I combine steps j &k)
6. Start to work on rashi skills - have students rewrite rashi by writing out phrases, underline question, answer, key words, quotes, begin rashi vocab journal)

Step 4
Almost there!

1. Pick a chunk, orally review difficult words, prefixes
2. Take turns reading the pesukim. Make sure that the trop signs are followed religiously
3. Go through pasuk by pasuk and learn in depth. begin reading meforshim with nikud.

Here is a sample of some of my classwork http://hochheimer.net/shira_classes/sample%20remedial%20work.pdf

Teaching it Right the First Time

I used to teach in High School. It was very rewarding, but at times I felt like pulling out my hair. I couldn't get some kids to remember assignments, translate basic pesukim or recall the story accurately no matter how many times we reviewed. I couldn't figure out where the problem was and how to correct it.

Last night I saw this video - http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=9 A Private Universe produced by the Annenberg Foundation that made me think about that experience and how what we teach when really impacts kids' lives.

The video is 20 minutes long and traces how both Harvard graduates and high school students had no idea why there are four seasons and different phases of the moon. The video follows one very bright high school student who has bizarre ideas about moon phases and seasons. The video then shows how with the successful intervention of a high school teacher these misconceptions are somewhat laid to rest. However, the brilliant high school student clings to some of the mistaken ideas despite the best efforts of her teacher.

My Ah-ha moment came at about 4 minutes in. The narrator says "These students have had virtually no instruction in science"

I've just spent a good chunk of my life analyzing K-4 science curriculum and I beg to differ. Our kids have not had virtually no instruction in science. The kids learn about seasons in nursery, kindergarten, first grade, and third grade. They learn about the phases of the moon in 3rd grade. If you are lucky, they have had a lot of great instruction in science. If you are not, our kids have had a lot of instruction in science that was superficial, simplistic or incorrect.

The video shows that this initial learning sticks and is very hard to undo. How is a kindergarten teacher supposed to explain the impact of the Earth's revolution and its tilt on the seasons to a bunch of 5 year olds? Teachers try and, in large part, succeed in having the 5 year old understand on a 5 year old level. The problem comes when the learning from kindergarten does not get updated to match the sophistication of the other learning. Someone needs to explicitly challenge a student's kindergarten level idea to update these basic concepts. Sometimes the reteaching works, often times it does not. One might argue that it is better to avoid teaching something rather than teach it on such a simplistic level that it is essentially incorrect.

Chazal have already taught us that girsa d'yankusa - what we learn when we are young - leaves an indelible impression on us. If simplistic or incorrect explanations mess up a Harvard graduates's understanding of the universe, what does learning incorrect or simplistic Torah do to our children? How many of us have absurd notions of the Avos and Imahos because we have not updated our knowledge to our current level of sophistication? How many of us envision Rochel Imeinu sitting on a camel outside her tent because of the parsha pictures we have seen as little kids? Do we ever question whether our ideas are grounded in Torah?

This year I am teaching third grade.Today, I was teaching the topic of Yaakov getting Esav's bracha from Yitzchak. Even at eight years old, the kids had preconcieved notions of what was in the pesukim. When challenged they said to me " I don't know where it says it, but I know it is true." Exploding these ideas took hard work, but once I made the kids look at the pesukim they were astounded how much of the story they really did not know. Only then, were we ready to learn.

There is nothing simple about teaching elementary school. In everything I do, I am laying the foundation for their ability to learn in the future. I teach them shorashim, how to translate pesukim, read Rashi, halacha, and parsha. I also teach them how to keep an organized binder, hand in homework responsibly, and be a mentch. I want them to succeed in high school where my other students never had the chance.

The seforim I used to teach high school are still open on my desk. Each day, I have to evaluate what I should teach and what ideas are too complex and can only be taught when the students gain a greater level of sophistication. Yesterday, I taught what I thought was a great Rashi for third grade. The words were easy, and there were a few new vocabulary words I wanted to reinforce. The Rashi said that Rivka asked Yaakov to bring two goats to serve Yitzchak because one would be a replacement for Esav's dish and one would be for the Korban Pesach. We rewrote the rashi script and translated the words. All was great until one student raised her hand. "How could Rivka make a korban Pesach if they hadn't gone down to Mitzrayim yet?" Uh-Oh. I didn't see that one coming. How do I explain the eternity of Torah law and its influence on historical events to eight year olds? Would a superficial answer corrupt them from learning it completely when they are ready? Or, could I teach them something true and understandable on their level?

I make these decisions everyday when teaching third grade. I know the other teachers are equally concerned about teaching truth to the students from the time they are in nursery. I have made some mistakes and that is an awful responsibility. But having these goal in mind helps minimize those mistakes.

As parents and educators, we must always envision our children as being our Harvard graduates. We must see them as the bright, capable adults they will become and teach them so that they will be successful when they get there. We must realize that what they learn as toddlers and children will impact the heights they reach as adults. It's an awesome responsibility and priviledge that we are entrusted with. A lot of faith has been placed in us and we just have to work to do it right.

Self - Assessment & Feedback

Learning happens when kids are invested in what they are doing. This works best if they buy into the process and know why they are doing what they are doing. Over the years, I have developed questionnaires to help the students figure out what they need to best learn and why we are doing what we are doing.

This tool promotes a better classroom climate and learning. Research says that students who set personal goals for learning learn more effectively (Marzano). I have combined this goal setting with getting feedback to help improve my teaching and student learning 

I have used this technique in my high school classes because it requires students who are cognizant of what they are learning. At the beginning of the year, I give my students a list of skills that are necessary to learn Chumash (segmenting a passuk up to comparing Meforshim's essential premise) and ask them to rate themselves 1-5 for each skill. I then ask them to pick 5 skills in which they would like to improve, for any instructional techniques that help them, what can I do to help them achieve their goals and their favorite subjects. This lets them know from the start that I am tailoring the class to them, and I expect the year to be a learning process for both of us. 

On subsequent tests, I include a feedback section. I take out the key skills that we have worked on in that unit and ask them to rate themselves 1-5. I then ask questions about what instructional practices have helped them achieve their goals and other open ended questions about the learning going on in class. It is worth 5 points on the test so the students answer it. Asking them to rate themselves is important because it focuses their suggestions on academics rather than personality. 

Shockingly, most students are very sincere and concrete in their feedback. They have asked to increase homework frequency, use the board differently and have even suggested a particular graphic organizer. I make sure to modify my instruction and tell them I am doing so. If I can find educational research that backs up their request, I tell them about it. This helps the students be conscious of their thinking and learning styles. It becomes highly motivating for them to come up with clear, concrete suggestions instead of general complaints. It creates a classroom focused on growth rather than on getting good grades. I love when a student comes up at the end of class and says she is proud of me that I ____ while I am teaching. It also means I can change course if I see something isn't working instead of waiting until the end of the year to hear that a kid feels he didn't learn all year. 

I save the feedback sheets. On the final, I ask them the same questions as I did on the first day. Last year, I circled their original rating from the first day so they could see their growth. This was particularly meaningful for kids who got C's & D's since they saw their own growth and they cared less that their grade was low. I then use their feedback from the whole year to plan for my next year. If I see that students don't feel like they have improved in a particular area, I use my summer to think of strategies of how to address that skill set. 

here is a link to my assessment tool http://hochheimer.net/shira_classes/feedback_self_assessment_tool.pdf

A new blog

I already have a blog parshacakes.blogspot.com. That blog was devoted to things I do at home to teach my kids Torah.

In my professional life, I teach. I have taught Tanach, Machshava and Ivrit in high school for 10 years and am teaching 3rd grade this year.   It is true that Chinuch is always written about as a calling, a mission, an opportunity to reach the next generation and teach them Torah. But it is also a job. To do a job well, you got to know what you are doing, to reflect on what works and what doesn't.  This is what this blog is for.

I sometimes get passionate about an idea and need to share it. I'd love to hear your feedback. Please let me know if you implement any ideas in your classroom and how they worked out.