While studying the verb system, it is helpful for students to always see in front of them a clear picture of the Hebrew verb system. (See To The Instructor)
A clear picture of the Hebrew verb system (in any of the suggested modes described below) should always be visible in class, right from the introduction of the Verb (Volume I, Lesson 24) to its conclusion (of Volume II), and through:
- the qal prefix and suffix forms, ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ root groups (Vol. I, Lessons 24-44)
- the rest of the qal forms: infinitives, imperative, participle (Vol. II, Lessons 1-10)
- the completion of all stems (Vol. II, Lessons 11-23)
The repeated referral to the Hebrew verb system allows the instructor to zoom in and out of what is discussed in any particular lesson, pointing to other root groups and stems, and drawing attention to similarities and differences.
For example:
- while studying the suffix form of the qal, zoom-out and show students that the same suffixes are identical in all stems.
- while learning a root in the Nif’al (e.g. י.ד.ע) remind students of its meaning in the other stems you point too).
In the Classroom, you may present the Verb System in two different visual ways:
- Colored version of Tool No. 10 – Color Paradigms & Root Groups The or
- Personally, I like to present the different paradigms copied from the Tool Box on colored paper (see Colored Paper Paradigms), and laminated. The actual paradigms are placed on any shelf or ledge in this order. This allows me to pick up each particular paradigm studied, zoom-in, and learn it in details, while returning every now and then to the ‘bigger picture’ of the whole verb system, zooming-out and pointing to similarities and differences in the other stems and root-groups to the paradigm studied.
As we spend most time studying the qal, its various root groups are also represented. Students attention is drawn to the fact that the other stems may also have certain root groups deviating from their basic paradigms (as shown in Tool No. 10).
[I usually present the passive stems Pu’al & Huf’al only on the flip side of the Pi’el and Hif’il pradigms (respectively), as they are rarely referred to at this introductory level. Lessons presenting the Pu’al & Huf’al stems are optional in Hinneh, Volume II. You may still choose present them in front as any of the other stems, but keep the same colors (red for pi’el/pu’al & blue for the hif’il/huf’al)]