Category Archives: Discussion Plan

Exercise: Desecrating ‘human ground’- hs

Exercise: Desecrating human ground

Which of these would desecrate human ground? give your reasons.

Building a museum on the site of an old cemetery
Constructing a road through a national park
Putting up an ice-cream stand for tourists at Auschwitz
Building a dam (changing nature) to give a city drinking water
Building a fighting ring as part of a sports hall.
Having a zoo where animals are kept in cages
Punishing people by putting them in prison
Cutting down native rainforest to plant sustainable growth trees
Making a campfire to sing songs around in the evening
Organizing an office space so that people don’t have common space to talk to one another

Exercise: For the sake of people or land?

Exercise: For the sake of people or land?

Which of these things do you think we do for the sake of our fellow human beings and which do we do for the sake of the environment? (or both/neither)

Keeping the school yard free of litter
Keeping our room at home tidy
Saying thank you when someone gives us a present.
Picking up bottles and place them in a recycling bin
Taking the rubbish out
Avoiding stepping on a grave if we are at a cemetery

Cleaning out the fish tank (if we have one)

Discussion Plan: What is disrespect?

Discussion Plan: What is disrespect?

If you talk in a movie theatre when the film is showing, are you being disrespectful? – if so what is it you are disrespecting?
If you put gum you have been chewing on the underneath of the desk, is this disrespectful? If so, what is it you are disrespecting?
If someone gives you a present and you treat it badly, is this being disrespectful of the person who gave it to you? Why or why not?
If someone gives you a present and you put it away at the back of cupboard and forget about it, is this being disrespectful of the person who gave it to you? Why or why not?
Do you think writing in a book is disrespectful? Why/Why not? Does it matter what kind of book it is? If so, why should this matter?
Is it disrespectful to spit on the ground – if so, what are you disrespecting?
When might brushing someone off be a way of showing them disrespect?
Could ignoring someone be a way of disrespecting them?
Could ignoring someone be a way of showing them respect?
Can you disrespect someone and still like them?
Can you disrespect someone and still consider them a friend?
Is there a difference between disrespecting things and disrespecting people? If so, what is the difference?
Is there a difference between disrespecting people and disrespecting God? If so, what is the difference?
Who decides what actions count as being disrespectful?

Discussion Plan: Inventing New Rituals -dp

Discussion Plan: Inventing New Rituals

Do you have any rituals that are specific to your family? If so, what are they and how did they come about?
Do you have a bedtime ritual? A homework ritual?
Do you have any rituals in your classroom or school? If so, what are they and how did they come about?
Is there a difference between habits and rituals?
Do rituals involve emotions? actions? reasons? (something else?)
If I develop a way of doing something that only I know about, can I call it a ritual?
Do rituals need to be connected to a religion?
Can rituals be empowering? If so, in what ways?
Does a ritual need to be a shared understanding between people?
Can any repeated practice become a ritual?
Can we create new religious rituals?
Could the same ritual be practiced in two different religions?
Are rituals important to you?
Do you think rituals ought to be important? Why / Why not?
Do you think human beings need rituals?

Exercise: Form and Meaning

Exercise: Form and Meaning

If you wanted to capture the meaning conveyed by an object in the way you constructed it, how would you go about:

Making a sign to remind people to recycle
Making Challah for Shabbat
Designing a synagogue
Baking or icing a cake for a wedding
Making a notice board for student notices in your school
Creating an artwork to be placed in the school foyer to mark the beginning of the school year.
Designing your school entrance

Discussion Plan: Establishing new civic norms – ms-hs

Discussion: Establishing new civic norms.

Do you think the following civic, or societal, norms were in place 30 years ago? If not, how do you think they came about? Who put them in place? In what ways are they moral or cultural norms? If they are moral norms, what values do they express?

Facebook etiquette
Expecting there to be a security check at the entrance to schools
Sharing the bill when going out on a date
Swapping clothes with a friend
Lighting candles at the sight of a tragedy
Considering it wrong to hit children
Having recycling bins in public areas
Having service learning programs in place in schools
Judging work in terms of productivity (rather than satisfaction or gainful employment)

Discussion Plan: Norms & rules in our institution-ms-hs

Discussion: Norms and rules in our own institution

What norms, rules, habits and rituals do you see around you in your school or synagogue – to what extent do you think they necessary for the school/synagogue to function? In what ways do they convey its values? Are there any that you think go against the school or synagogue’s stated values?

Discussion Plan: Norms & rules in our institution – ps

Discussion: Norms and rules in our own institution

Discussion Plan: Knowing how to act – ps-ms

Discussion Plan: Knowing how to act

Are there societal norms and/or rules that govern how we act in the following situations – if so, how do we come to know about them? Is it anyone’s responsibility to make sure you know about them? How do we learn how to follow them? In each case, if there is a norm or rule – do you always follow it? Is there somewhere we can find the procedures to follow written out? Are they in plain language? Are they in clear view?

How to behave in class
What to do at a red traffic light
How to properly wait your turn at the post office
How to cross a road safely
How to behave when you visit a friend in their home
What counts as suitable clothing to wear to school
Who has priority seating on a bus
How to behave at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah party
What counts as a ‘suitable’ present for a birthday.
How to make up with a friend after a fight
How much tzeddakah to give
How much television to watch

Discussion Plan: Knowing how to act – hs