Students explore extracurricular activities both in Israel and in America, and then create visuals and deliver presentations on their own favorite extracurricular activity. Aligns with ACTFL Proficiency level Novice High to Intermediate Low. Click the Resources tab for a free downloadable teacher's guide!
Written by master educator and Chaverim B'Ivrit practitioner Dr. Esty Gross, the workbooks promote higher order, expansive critical thinking skills. For example, in Chaverim B'Ivrit 5 Workbook students survey classmates to explore individual, family, and cultural eating habits. After tallying the survey results on a chart, learners deduce and explain what they now know about cultural eating habits. They then discuss-all in Hebrew-why some people are not able to make healthy food choices and how they can help those less fortunate living in their local communities.
Students connect with one another as they work and play games together in pairs and small groups. Student-to-student interactions are built into many of the activities such as writing Hebrew text messages to one another.
Kinesthetic learning is integrated throughout the workbooks. Fun, out-of-your-seat activities encourage movement and physical engagement and help many to retain new knowledge. In Chaverim B'Ivrit 4 Workbook, for example, before discussing their extracurricular activities, students run to different parts of the room to indicate which activities are their favorites. In Workbook 5, learners conjugate verbs while balancing on one leg.
Hands-on activities such as drawing and creating short videos promote comprehension and long-term memory. To acquire new vocabulary, students create their own flashcards and add drawings to make the new words personally meaningful, then play card games together. In addition, each workbook incorporates project-based learning, culminating in a project that builds on the newly acquired key vocabulary and grammar.