Yavneh sixth graders recently created original shiurim on the topic of tefillah, based on their learning of the mishnayot of the fourth perek of Mesechet Berachot. The students presented their shiurim to faculty and guests at a “Lunch-and-Learn” program.

These shiurim were the culmination of an extended project-based learning unit in Rabbi Simcha Schaum’s class, in which the students collaboratively learned the mishnayot and built their shiurim around the question, “What do you think people should know about tefillah that can be learned from משנה ברכות, פרק ד” While each team of students learned the same mishnayot, they each found original ideas and patterns within the perek that represented their deep understanding of the material.

Yoetzet Halacha Shoshana Samuels came to teach the students the ins and outs of how to give a polished shiur and the students prepared mishnayot to teach and cite, and created handouts, slideshows and a few games to make their shiurim come alive. They practiced and then practiced some more to perfect their delivery. Different teams assisted one another by offering constructive critique. Their hard work paid off in shiurim that were delivered with poise and were very well received.