Abstract

This is a lesson plan provided by the National Library of Israel.

When was the last time you sent someone a paper birthday card? A tradition that not so long ago was widely popular is increasingly being replaced by the technology of social media.  Cards, however, open a door into the time and place they were created; they can serve as historical snapshots.  What can we learn about a culture from a greeting card? What in the image can help us identify the greeting card’s intended holiday, its message? Through thought provoking discussion questions and engaging activities such as an analysis of sample Rosh Hashanah cards from decades past and designing their own Rosh Hashana cards, learners have the opportunity to explore history through images as well as create a snapshot of Rosh Hashanah in their own lives.

The learner will:

 

  1. understand how art can reflect life at a given point in time and place
  2. know the identifying marks on a image that tell us about the time or place where the card was created
  3. be able to choose appropriate imagery and text in order to create their own Rosh Hashanah cards
About the National Library and its educational materials:

The mission of the National Library of Israel is to provide a home for items of national, historic or cultural significance. Each of these primary sources serve as unique entry points into the collective memory of the people of Israel as well as the Jewish people worldwide.

The education department at the library curates the collection of primary sources and uses them as windows into the past; to foster a deeper understanding of Jewish history, and to enable learners to personalize and connect to earlier events.

 

When you click on the National Library of Israel resource link featured above, you will find the following educational building blocks for the creation of a lesson plan:

 

  1. A group activity to open the lesson and engage the learners.
  2. Discussion ideas and/or questions that are designed to get the learners thinking more deeply about the content.
  3. A creative activity that gives students the opportunity to go beyond learning and analyzing, to crafting something new, that personalizes how they relate to the  primary sources featured in the resource.
  4. The primary sources in this resource have individual links (listed in Expand your horizons below) that provide expanded information. In addition there are nuanced discussion questions that will enable students in small groups to engage independently and effectively in the process of  observing, interpreting, and connecting to the primary sources.

    Link to the lesson plan:
    Create your own Shana Tova card!

Student handouts, computer, projector, crafts materials

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