Beyond the Family Tree: Jewish History and Diversity through Family Names and Languages
In this project-based curricular unit, students explore the diversity of Jews around the world, past and present, including their own family stories about names and languages. Through hands-on activities, primary sources, visual and performing arts engagement, family interviews, and online research, students will connect their family histories with the larger story of Jewish ancestral diversity, enabling them to see themselves as part of that mosaic. The unit culminates in a creative project and showcase.
Target Age:
- Designed for grades 5-12 but ideal for middle grades (grades 5-8)
Details:
- 9 Lessons, roughly 1 hour in length each
- Lessons can be used modularly/mixed and matched
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
- History
- Intergenerational Learning
- Jewish Peoplehood
- Congregational Learning
- Day Schools and Yeshivas
Discover more
This collection highlights the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of Jews in North America and around the world.
Join a meaningful and fun Jewish heritage program that involves 20,000 Jewish youth from over 30 countries researching their own stories.
Mayim, our initial example of "Additional" Models, could be placed in a Multi-aged, Project-Based Learning, or Experiential Learning bucket. Mayim is a K-5 learning community in which depth of relationships and depth of learning are intentionally fostered and visible everywhere.