Final project

For my final project

For my final project, I decided to work on a something that is dear to my heart. 

I have always felt that as a religious school teacher, my report card for how well I have taught the students each year comes at the Passover Seder. 

Of course we need to teach the kids how to recite the four questions with confidence in themselves and their ability to read the Hebrew. That's a given. But we also need to prepare them to take a leadership role in the Seder and be able to recognize the symbolism in what we do. Year after year. For thousands of years and hundreds of generations. 

My best way to do that is to teach them the Order of the Seder: Kadesh Urchatz. 

It is the Seder Cliff Notes. And it provides both me and my students the perfect outline for how to learn the Seder. Each of the parts of the Seder are listed. And put to music. And the tunes can be changed. Easily and often (by me, of course!)

So, I teach them each of the steps. I teach them the blessings and the symbolism. 

I prepare them to ask the right questions and know how to answer them. So that in the next generation, or the one after that, they can do it. Year after year. 

This year I used Prezi and Tellagami for my presentation. Next spring I hope to have the students learn with these tools and maybe add Garage Band to it. And my silly trick, where I can change the tune of that song at will, will make an impression on my students that just might stay with them long enough to make their own Passover Seders even more fun. Hopefully! 

Thank you for everything. And thank you for opening my mind to the possibilities. 

Judy Olshansky.