1. Introduce the students to the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by reading
On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Cathy Goldberg Fishman and Melanie W. Hall
This story tells about a child’s view on these holidays and how she feels and what she sees during these holidays such as the leaves changing and the air turns crisp and cool. Rosh Hashanah is the time Hebrews celebrate New Year’s and Yom Kippur is the celebration of “Day of Atonement” and is a day for people to atone for their sins.
Some questions to ask after reading the book:
- What is Yom Kippur?
- What is Rosh Hashanah?
- When do these holidays occur?
2. Vocabulary: Have students complete the word worksheet below. They will unscramble words they have learned from the book you have read together. Then they will try to making as many words as they can from the words Rosh Hashanah.
3. Math Skills: Have students practice math skills by completing worksheet 2 below. Math word problems will include related topics from the book. The students will also come up with their own word problem.
4. Geography: Where is Israel? Explain to children that Jewish and Hebrew people come from Israel. Print out outlines of Israel and hand out a map to each child. Have students mark down important cities, rivers, etc.
In our next part of the lesson we will look at more creative ideas for teaching these Jewish holidays. Some of these creative ideas will come from art, music, and poetry.
