The story of Hanukkah
I can retell the story of Hanukkah and explain how it is interpreted by different Jews.
The story of Hanukkah
I can retell the story of Hanukkah and explain how it is interpreted by different Jews.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Hanukkah is a Jewish festival.
- It recalls the victory and freedom of Jews when they were oppressed by the Greek Empire.
- King Antiochus demanded that Jews bowed down to statues of him. Judah Maccabee and other Jews fought back.
- They repaired the temple and lit the oil lamp in the holiest place.
- The festival traditionally lasts for eight days to celebrate the miracle of the oil lasting eight days.
Keywords
Hanukkah - Jewish festival of light celebrated in Autumn
Oppressed - treated in a way that is cruel or not fair
Sacred - an object or place that is set apart to be holy
Desecrate - to destroy the sacredness of an object or place
Menorah - a seven-branched candle-holder used as a symbol of Judaism
Common misconception
A menorah is just a decorative candle-holder.
A menorah has a deep significance for Jews as a symbol of G_d and the days of creation.
To help you plan your year 5 religious education lesson on: The story of Hanukkah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 religious education lesson on: The story of Hanukkah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 religious education lessons from the Jews: how does remembering maintain Jewish identity? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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