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GROUP TEACHING OF HEBREW —continued from page 10 ing should not be attempted. 2. A typical lesson might in clude the following: a. Silent Reading. Written seat work in the form of carefully designed exercises prepared to meet the needs of pupils in each group. These may include fill-ins, multiple choice ques tions, vocabulary quizzes, etc. Teachers should prepare the group for this. (Comprehen sion should naturally be stressed.) The material should be mimeographed or duplicat ed. The use of the ditto ma chine is highly recommended. b. Recreational Reading. Children should be encouraged to read collateral materials selected from other textbooks. These readings should contain the basic vocabulary familiar to the pupils. Children should also be encouraged to read Hebrew library books. The collateral reading published by the United Synagogue Com mission on Jewish Education is highly recommended. c. Oral Reading. Under the direct guidance and supervision of the teacher, but in real audi ence situations. Suggested are dramatic readings of class ex ercises. d. Arts and Crafts and projects such as composition writing, stories, poetry, experience charts and dramatization. 3. It is important to remember that pupil preparation and specific instructions should he given before the group begins its work. The teacher should demonstrate all ex ercises in advance to avoid con fusion, and arguing among the children. Group leaders or pupil helpers might be selected for each group. These leaders might be given definite responsibilities for seeing that the work is completed. 4. The teacher under the above plan will be able to spend approxi mately 20 minutes with each group in oral reading while the other groups will be preoccupied with assigned activities. 5. A classroom library containing various textbooks should be avail able to the children to increase their reading interests. PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN GROUPING CHILDREN IN THE JEWISH SCHOOLS 1. One of the most serious prob lems is the lack of sufficient grad- FRED WORRILL / * UvertCainy Glenn Building WAlnut 7551 Atlanta, Ga. We are proud to join in sponsoring the message of freedom to all men on this Passover Holiday. CRescent 6488 ed materials in the Hebrew lang uage for primary and middle-grade children. In the secular school, the teacher has access to many more textbooks, workbooks and materials to meet the needs of each group than in the Hebrew school. Thus, in one fourth grade observed, the writer found the class using five different reading primers. While it is true that our Hebrew textbooks are graded in language and word structure, most of them are of the same nature, The teacher, to be effective, in the grouping method, will have to prepare suitable grad ed silent reading exercises to meet the specific needs of each group, to supplement the selected text book or books. While this will mean much work, the exercises can be saved from year to year and new material can be mimeographed or still better, duplicated on a ditto machine. 2. Another serious handicap is the lack of sufficient recreational materials anil library books. It is, therefore, suggested that the teach er assemble various Hebrew text books. The children can be assign ed different stories in the many textbooks which correlate with their own vocabulary and class text. The excellent series of text books prepared by the United Syna gogue Commission on Jewish Edu cation are especially recommended for the better students having two or three years of Hebrew. The children might be provided with Hebrew dictionaries which they can learn to use in connection with the recreational reading. 3. Grouping is basically an indi vidual and not a class approach to study. This undoubtedly will cre ate many problems. To insure a unified plan of study for the entire class, materials can be arranged according to unit topics or interest areas of the class such as the Sab bath, the Jewish home, the family, the school, etc. This would provide the class with a complete unit of study for later discussion and re view. The writer actually attempt ed to do this with a class and met with considerable success. Each group studied the same unit topic and section in the textbooks. The material for each group was care fully graded according to the chil dren’s ability. The brighter stu dents were given supplementary work in the unit, while the weaker students covered the basic work in a simplified form, provision being made to meet their specific needs. Each pupil was thus given a sense of accomplishment. After the com pletion of each unit, general class work was done, in which all pupils were able to participate actively. All experienced a sense of accom plishment. 4. Another serious problem is, of course, the time element. The grouping plan to be effective will necessitate a minimum of one hour and ten minutes. (See above sched ule.) Most congregational schools IT . . . Only in Israel is the door open for oppressed Jewish people seeking haven from persecution. Despite Arab turbulence, they still have faith in Israel, chal lenging us to continue support for the United Jewish Appeal and its Special Fund to provide transportation to their new home in the minimum of time yet available. This space sponsored as a public service by //. MENDEL & COMPANY 185 Pryor St., S. W. Atlanta Wholesale Textiles - Home Furnishings - Hosiery - Lingerie Knit Goods - Shirts - Underwear - Work Clothing THE MAJESTIC COUP. DIVISION H. MENDEL & COMPANY 260 Central Avc., S. W. One block from Pryor St. Infants Juvenile Wear - Girls & Boys Apparel Ladies Sportswear - Kiddie Toys & Novelties Two Private Parking Lots for Convenience of Buyers The Southern Israelite