A.

Topic: Talk it out Tefilah

Length: 10-20 sessions
How Often Class meets: Once a week
Approximate time of year: Beginning of school year to middle
Grade level: 9th-10th
Type of School: Co-ed Pluralistic School
Academic Level of Class: basic foundational knowledge

Pre-req knowledge: Students must know the words and actions of the Birchot
Hashachar, Shema, and Shmoneh Esrei.
B.

Unit Goals

Knowledge:
1.
2.
3.
4.

General Important concepts that relate to meaningful Tefilah

Historical concepts of Tefilah
Simple meanings behind some texts of Birchot Hashchar, Shmoneh Esrei
Background to how the traditional siddur was formed

Deep Understanding:
4.
Students will be able to start to understand the concept of speaking to
Hashem, Hitbodedut
5.

Know the concept of Tefliah being Avodah SheBLev

6.

Know the concept of the meaning of LiHitpallel, to judge oneself

7.
Be able to appreciate that Hashem is always listening regardless if the
prayers are being answered or not
8.

Concept of Shevach/Bakasha/Hodaa and why it belongs in our prayers

9.
Students will understand the concept of why having a fixed text is
beneficial to our prayers
10.
Students will be able to know the difference between Jewish prayer and
Christian prayer
11.

Know the importance of needing Kavanah in prayer

Skills:
12.

Translate the key words of Shmoneh Esrei

13.

How to create a power point or prezi presentation

Affective:
14.
Feeling why one needs to constantly judge yourself for personal
improvement
15.

Have a drive to constantly speak to Hashem

16.
Connect to the reasons why Tefilah was even started in the first place and
why it is important for them now
17.

Always feel connected to Hashem

18.

Feel confident they can always approach Hashem with anything

Big Ideas
-Personal Growth
-Connection
-Kavana
Enduring Understandings
-Tefilah helps us with one of lifes main goals, which is growth.
-We are always able to speak to Hashem, at any time and in our most
comfortable language.
Essential Questions
-Is Hashem really listening to us?
-Why do we need to pray?
-Why does Hashem need to be involved in my personal growth?

Example Lesson:
Goal: Students will be able to locate opportunities for to judge oneself in
.
Aim: How can I create daily self-reflection in prayer?
Do now: Define the word judge on your mini whiteboard and hold it up
Hook/motivation: Present 2 PowerPoint slides of normal people and ask them to judge
them based on their few facts on the type of person they are.
Procedure:
1. Class will write down on their whiteboards their definition of to judge
2. Class will have short discussion on judging another person
3. Teacher will present the question, if I could judge other people, who I dont know
much about, how am I able to judge myself? Think-pair-share of 5 ways to judge
yourself. CFU
4. If someone in the class came up with prayer, lead discussion from there. If not,
as the question, how could prayer and judgment be related?
5. Portray the word on the slide and ask what it means
a. Reflexive judging oneself

6. Ask them to record in their journals under why they think it is important to judge
yourself, and draw what they might think judging yourself looks like
7. With their groups in their tables, ask them to discuss a specific part of the
prayer and come up with questions for those paragraphs on how I could
judge myself. EX: , Have I thanked anyone today? How could I be more
thankful for my family today? What can I do today to make someone know I
appreciate him or her?
8. CFU- Each group will have a member catch a ball that will be passed around per
2 times to present the questions, and have one representative from each
group record all the answers, if not already, on a Google doc for the class.
Everyone will clap once after each person speaks.
9. Students will personally review the document and write one new question (CFU)
on the document in any of the prayers silently, and e-mail the teacher Evaluate
the positives and negatives associated with daily self judgments. AND add any
questions they have on how to accomplish self-judgment in the e-mail.
10. For the conclusion, teacher will briefly explain that in any form is a way to
get closer to ourselves and to and that we have various opportunities for
growth, even in the prayers already prescribed to us.