For the last few weeks, Tanach classes in all four grades at RKYHS have been working on a project-based learning unit that focused on two subjects: the 10 plagues in ancient Egypt and contemporary experiences that allow people to experience God in the natural world. In class, students have been working in groups as they chose to learn about one particular plague, or the plagues in general, and to understand how the specifics of their chosen event taught the Jews or the Egyptians about Hashem’s unique power and capabilities. At the same time, students also developed projects that depicted how they can connect to Hashem and recognize His uniqueness in today’s world.

As the culmination of this unit, students exhibited their learning at a special “Makot Museum” that was visited by the fourth and fifth grades. The variety of projects truly showcased students’ interests and talents. Students made models of the human body, designed personal siddurim that depicted ways of communicating to Hashem, coded computer programs that reenacted the experience of the makot, recorded musical performances, created virtual reality experiences of nature and did much more. In doing so, they shared their learning with the visiting lower school students, their peers and their teachers.