CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT FINAL PORTFOLIO: SEFER MALACHI

Curriculum and Assessment Final Portfolio: Sefer Malachi

Sarah Gross

Azrieli Graduate School

Table of Contents
Learning Goals

Pre-assessment

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

11

Affective Assessment

15

Chart of Goals, Learning Activities, and Assessments

17

Theorists

19

Reflection

21

Learning Goals- Sefer Malachi

Unit: Sefer Malachi
Unit Length: Four weeks (meeting three times a week)
School: Modern-Orthodox
Grade: 11th grade girls, non-honors

Big Ideas:

The end of the era of Neviim- Hashems final message

Hashems enduring love for Klal Yisrael
We must be respectful to Hashem, treating Him with at least the same amount of respect that
we accord to other human beings
Jews should not intermarry with non-Jews
The arrival of Mashiach and the final days of judgment

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills:

Ability to read pesukim and to translate them

Ability to locate meforshim

Knowledge and Simple Understanding:

Identifying information about Malachi

Bnei Yisraels transgressions in bringing inferior korbanos
The task of the Kohanim and Leviim in disseminating Torah
Yehudas transgression in marrying non-Jewish women
Hashems promise regarding maaser

Deeper Understanding:

Hashems desire for us to do teshuvah

The imperative of giving tzedaka
The purpose of the coming of Mashiach
Hashems system of judgment- bechira and tzadik vra lo
The role our leaders play in the giving over of Torah and mesorah to the Jewish people

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Skills:

Ability to read and translate the pesukim in the Sefer

Ability to explain the varying ideas presented by the mefarshim
Ability to explain the themes of each perek

Recognizing that Hashem only desires the best for us

Feeling that we have a responsibility to each other (kol yisrael areivim ze lazeh)
Feeling an anticipation for the arrival of Mashiach

Affective:

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Pre-Assessment for Learning Sefer Malachi

I. Getting to know you:

1) Have you previously learned any of the ? If yes, please write which ones.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2) In a few words describe your level of comfort with reading and translation new and
:_______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3) Do you have a favorite on ( "ex. Rashi, Malbim, Radak)? If yes, which one(s) and why?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

4) What do you enjoy about learning ?"What do you find challenging or least enjoyable?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

II. Please read the following two on the first of and answer the questions that
follow:
. ' :)" (
'
" . :)" (
.

1) According to both Radak and Malbim during what time period did Malachi
prophesize? ___________________________________________________________
2) What support does Radak bring for his idea about when Malachi prophesized?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3) Malbim refers to Malachi as the . What does that mean? Does Radak
agree with this?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

1) Which learning goal(s) or pre-requisite knowledge and skills (or which yearlong goals) will this

pre-assessment address? This pre-assessment addresses the students ability to read and
understand Hebrew. The student is asked to give a short description of their comfort level
reading Hebrew. The student is also asked to read two meforshim in Hebrew and answer the
comprehension questions afterwards.
2) What is your purpose for this pre-assessment? I want to get an understanding of what my

students have enjoyed while learning Tanach in the past and what they did not enjoy. By asking
them questions about their previous Tanach learning experiences, like which Seforim did they
learn, what did they enjoy or not enjoy, and if they have a favorite Mefaresh, I can then tailor
my class to be suit their needs. If a certain Mefaresh is very popular I can adopt more in my
lesson plan. If they liked certain other Neviim I can try to make parallels between the sefer
were learning and that Navi.
3)

What decisions will be made based on the results? The Mefarshim comprehension questions
require very basic Hebrew skills. If I see that students are struggling even with that level of
Hebrew I will know to adjust my expectations and can prepare reading aids for the students, like
a Navi packet with many of the words translated. If the students prefer certain meforshim I can
try to incorporate more of that peirush into my class (ex. Rashi or Radak).

Summative Assessment on Sefer Malachi

I.

Matching:

Please match the themes from , listed in column A, with the that they appear in,
listed in column B. The in column B may be used more than once:

Column A

Column B

_____ The sin of intermarriage

a) '

_____ The bring bad

b) '

_____ ' -The Day of Judgment

c) '

_____ Hashems love for the Jewish people

_____

II.

Multiple Choice:

Please circle the correct answer:

1) According to the we learned, who of the following is possibly ?
a.
b.
c.
d.
2) What did the mean when they said that ?" '
a. The smells from the animals
b. The is covered with blood and fat
c. The is dirty from the waste
d. The is moldy
3) How did steal from Hashem?
a. By not learning Torah
b. By not saying before eating
c. By not bringing appropriate
d. By not giving and

III.

True or False:

Please circle T if the statement is true and F if the statement is false:

1) T or F- ' admonishes the first because they are the leaders
2) T or F- offered damaged gifts to their governors
3) T or F- The refers to the
4) T or F- ' says that if do first He will then return to them

IV.

Short Answer:

1) According to the ", why do think that ' loves them and what is the real
basis for the love that ' has for them? _________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2) What was the great sin of , how did they defend their actions, and what was 's
response to their defense? __________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3) What does ' tell us to test Him with? What will be our reward for fulfilling this
___________________________________________________________________ ?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4) How will ' punish the on the ? How will ' reward the ___________ ?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

V.

Essay:

You may use your :

ask at the end of ' :
"? , , ' -"
"Everyone who does wrong is good in the eyes of Hashem, and he
favors them; or else where is the G-d of justice?"
Please describe in detail at least three ways in which ' answers this accusation in ' . What
can we learn from this about " , "? You should refer to both and
.
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Use of and

Clarity and
Understanding

Makes no
references to
the or
in the
essay

Makes one
reference to
or
in the essay

Makes two
references to
or
in the essay

Makes three
references to
or
in the essay

The examples
are not clear
and do not
show that the
student
understood the
message of the

One of the
examples is
clear but the
rest do not
show that the
student
understood the
message of the

Two of the
examples are
clear but the
third does not
show that the
student
understood the
message of the

All three of the

examples are
clear and show
that the student
had a strong
understanding
of the

The student is
not able to
incorporate any
of the language
of the
into her answer

The student is
able to
incorporate 5
words (or less)
of the language
of the

The student is
able to
incorporate
between 6 and
11 words of the
language of the
into her answer
into her
answer

The student is
able to
incorporate
12+ words of
the language of
the into
her answer

Points

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Summative Assessment Learning Goals

I am assessing several of my learning goals in this assessment. My first section, matching, is

assessing the students understanding of the themes of each and the order in which the topics
are raised. The rest of the questions cover the following learning goals:

Identifying information about Malachi

Hashems enduring love for the Jewish people
Bnei Yisraels transgressions in bringing inferior korbanos
Yehudas transgression in marrying non-Jewish women
Hashems promise regarding maaser
The purpose of the coming of Mashiach
Hashems system of judgment- bechira and tzadik vra lo
Ability to explain the varying ideas presented by the mefarshim

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Formative Assessments for Sefer Malachi

Formative Assessment 1Goal: Students will understand that Hashem has an enduring and exclusive love for Klal
Yisrael
Type of Assessment: Class Response
Instructions: Students will respond to the questions by signaling with thumbs up or
thumbs down. Thumbs up means yes and thumbs down means no.

1) Hashem has a long standing love for the Jewish people based on His love for the
2) The primary love that Hashem has for the Jewish people is based on His love for the

3) Hashem loves because he is descended from and

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Formative Assessment 2Goal: Students will know about the arrival of Mashiach and the final days of judgment
Type of Assessment: Worksheet to fill out during the last 5 minutes of class
Instructions: Below ' has been divided up into three lines. According to the Malbim
that we learned in class today each line below refers to a different point in the process of
the coming of Mashiach. Please briefly explain what the Malbim says on each of these
segments of ' and who that part of the is referring to:

_______________________________: - ,

______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
_________________ , - -
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

__________. , -- - -
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

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Formative Assessment 3Goal: Students will know about Shevet Yehudas transgression in marrying non-Jewish women
Type of Assessment- Exit Card
Instructions: Please take two minutes to answer the following three questions based on the "
that we learned on the following words in ' :

, ,
, -
1) Who is the word referring to here? _____________________________

2) What is Yehudas defensive argument? ________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3) What does Hashem say to argue against Yehudas defense? __________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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Formative Assessment 4Goal: Students will know the fundamental arguments and counter-arguments to the concept
of
Type of Assessment- Performance based assessment
Instructions- Students will be divided into two groups for a debate. Group A will defend the
position about the perceived manifestation that Hashems judgment isnt fair, using the
arguments that are brought down in the Malbim and the Rambam. Group B will defend the
position that everyone is judged fairly. This group will also use the ideas brought down in the
Malbim and the Rambam.

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Affective Assessment

Directions: Please read each statement carefully and indicate how much you
agree of disagree with it by circling the appropriate letters to the right:
Key: SA-Strongly Agree

A- Agree

D- Disagree

NS- Not Sure

SD- Strongly Disagree

I have a responsibility to help other Jews

SA

NS

SD

My actions have no effect on other people

SA

NS

SD

Its difficult for me to feel a connection to those around me

SA

NS

SD

Before this class I never thought about Mashiach

SA

NS

SD

SA

NS

SD

This class helped me to have a greater anticipation for the

coming of Mashiach
I dont understand why we need Mashiach

SA

NS

SD

Everything Hashem does is for the good

SA

NS

SD

SA

NS

SD

I feel comfortable engaging in a conversation about

,
Hashem loves me

SA

NS

SD

10

I would like to learn other

SA

NS

SD

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1) My three affective goals for this unit are:

a) Recognizing that Hashem only wants the best for us
b) Feeling that we have a responsibility to each other (kol yisrael areivim ze lazeh
c) Anticipating the coming of Mashiach

2) Questions 1-3 address affective goal #2: Feeling that we have a responsibility to each
other
3) Questions 4-6 address affective goal #3: Anticipating the coming of Mashiach
4) Questions 7-9 address affective goal #1- Recognizing that Hashem only wants the best
for us
5) Question 10 is assessing whether the student liked this class on Navi enough to be
motivated to learn other Sifrei Neviim.

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Outline of Unit Goals, Activities, and Assessments

Session

Goals/ Content

To be able to identify the

background information
about Malachi and the
time period in which he
prophesized
To know about Hashems
enduring and unique love
for the Jewish people

To know about the

Kohanims sin of
disrespect and hypocrisy
towards Hashem
To know about Levis
covenant with Hashem

Activities

Read : and the

accompanying Metzudas
Dovid, Radak and Malbim.
Read -:

Assessment

K.W.L

Thumbs up/Thumbs down

Read a selection of
on these from the
Malbim, Metzudos Dovid
and Radak
Read -:

Group discussion

Read a selection of
on these from the
Malbim, Metzudos Dovid
and Radak
Read - :

Worksheet

Read -: with the

accompanying

To know how Levi

violated his covenant
with Hashem
To appreciate the role of
our Rabbis who teach us
Torah
To understand why Jews
shouldnt intermarry

Read a selection of
on these from the
Malbim, Metzudos Dovid
and Radak
Read -:
Discussion about the role of
Rabbanim in transmitting
Torah knowledge over to
the Jewish people
Read : and the
accompanying Malbim and
Radak

Poll on the role that

Rabbanim play in Klal
Yisroel

Group discussion

Read article on Aish.com

about intermarriage
7

To know about Yehudas

Read -:

Exit Card

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transgression in marrying
non-Jewish women.
8

10

11

12

To understand some of
the fundamental
arguments and counterarguments to the concept
and
Hashems system of
judgement
To appreciate Hashems
desire for us to do

To understand what
is and what the reward is
for this

To know the details of

the final days when
will come

To appreciate the
significance of the last
messages of prophecy to
the Jewish people

Read a selection of
on these from the
Malbim, Radak and Rashi
Read :-: and
-:

Debate

Read the Malbim on these

Read -: and -:
Read a selection of
on these from the
Malbim, Metzudos Dovid
and Radak
Read -:
Read a selection of
on these from the
Malbim, Metzudos Dovid
and Radak
Read a few of
from the
: and -:

Short essay on topic of

Create an advertisement
about giving - why
people should do it and
how its done.

Worksheet

Read the Malbim, Metzudos

Dovid and Radak on these
.
Read Rambams
on the

-:
Read a selection of
on these from Rashi,
Malbim, Metzudos Dovid
and Radak
Read on -

Affective assessment on
students feelings of
connection to the final
messages in

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Reflections
Part One:
1) I enjoyed writing the Chart of goals, learning activities, and assessments the most. I think
that it was one of the most challenging assignments but I felt that it really helped to make
my unit feel come alive for me. I could see the class being built in front of me as I created
the outline for each lesson. It was fun to come up with what we would read in class,
especially when thinking of ideas that could supplement the readings from Sefer Malachi.
I also enjoyed breaking down my unit goals into individual goals for each lesson which
continued to help give a real shape to the unit for which I have been doing so much work
this semester. Thinking of the different assessments was challenging in a creative way. I
had already written three assessments as part of our formative assessment assignment but
I still needed to think of basic ideas for nine more. While thinking of the ideas for the
assessments I was able to come up with some good ideas, including a performance based
formative assessment. I also liked the assessment for the fifth lesson which is a poll on
the role that Rabbanim play in transmitting knowledge. Doing this assignment was really
enjoyable and it helped to give me a lot of necessary structure to my Malachi unit. I really
feel like I could teach this class now!
2) I felt that the affective assessment was the most challenging for me to create. It was very
different in concept and content from all the other assessments. It was difficult for me to
venture into the realm of how my students feel versus what they know. Even though

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creating every assessment posed some difficulty to me I felt that the other assessments
were easier because they represented more traditional teaching. I dont think I was ever
given a pen and paper affective assessment in all my years of grade school. For the other
assessments I mainly just had to look into the Sefer to come up with the content for the
assessment. The affective assessment required me to think deeply of many different
statements that could help me understand not what my students know, but what they
believe and feel. Since this was so conceptually different from the other assessments I
found it more difficult to construct.
3) I feel that my summative assessment is the best assessment that I created. I like how it is
comprehensive, covering almost the whole Sefer Malachi, and I like how it includes all
the different types of questions that we learned about in the textbook (binary-choice,
multiple-choice, matching, etc.). It was important to me that the summative assessment
should cover as much material as possible and I tried to have at least one question for
every unit lesson. I worked hard to come up with an essay question that would necessitate
deeper thinking and an understanding of the arguments offered in the and and
I think that the essay question reflects those objectives. The hardest section of the
summative assessment to create was the True and False questions because it was tricky to
think of statements that were not obviously true or false. I think that the true and false
questions in this assessment are not as good as they could be but I think that they are
satisfactory.