Integrating Science, Judaic Studies and Art Offers Students the Bigger Picture
The Parparim class (grades K-1) has been immersed in an integrated Judaic Studies and Science unit that incorporates both the story of Noah and the Ark and a unit studying animals and their habitats. In Judaic Studies, the class had conversations about the big questions connected to the story of Noah: why G-d chose Noah to be the messenger, the brit (promise) that G-d made to Noah never to flood the earth again, how this story relates to us now, and what it means to have second chances in life. Meanwhile, the students were classifying animals, then researching and creating their habitats with a partner, including rainforests, oceans, deserts, wetlands, grasslands, forests, and arctic/polar climates. The students concluded the unit with a rainbow science activity.
To make this unit even more interdisciplinary, the students added worked with Ms. Van in Art Studio to create salt dough animals from their chosen habitat. The students rolled, cut, and detailed the dough; once the animals had dried, they were able to paint additional detail to complete the 2-D sculpture animal.
Through the interdisciplinary nature of this unit and others like it, Schechter helps develop students’ learning in complex and multifaceted ways, enabling them to think critically and connect ideas across time, traditions, subject matters and learning modalities.
Click HERE to see photos of this integrated unit in action