Year 1 and 2
Why is celebration important for Jews?
ATT 1: Learning about religion and belief
What important celebrations do Jews take part in? / ATT 2: Learning from religion and belief
What celebrations are important to you and your family?
Engage
Why is celebration important for Jews?
(week 0ne) / Children to take part in a pretend Shabbat ceremony discussing what happens during each blessing (candles, bread, wine/grape juice). Children to taste challah bread(see recipe on ECRE website) and explain how they feel when they eat together as a family.
Learn and sing the Shabbat Shalom song.
Discuss with the children the important events celebrated in their own families.
Use class cameras to record the ceremony for use in future lessons.
Enquire
Develop questions with the children about Christian celebrations.
(week two) / T: What questions do we need to ask in order to better understand why celebrations are important to Jews?
Display pictures of the ‘pretend Shabbat ceremony’ ask children to recap on the event.
Encourage the children to develop questions to answer the big question at the end of the unit.
The teacher may model some questions, but encourage the children to ask their own questions.
E.g. What other celebrations do Jewish people celebrate?
Where do these celebrations take place?
Are some Jewish celebrations more important to others?
Do they celebrate together as a family?
Have in mind the assessment criteria (see below)
Explore
Responding to, analysing and evaluating what they have learned – have we answered our questions?
(week three) / This might include:
Researching the different celebrations for Jews.

- Shabbat at home.
- The story of Passover.
- Rosh Hashanah assembly.
Learn the Chanukah song and watch a video clip of a Hanukkah dance.
Espresso – KS1 – R.E. – Easter Story
Evaluate
Responding to, analysing and evaluating what they have learned – have we answered our questions?
(week four) / Refer back to the enquire stage. Have we answered our questions?
Do we have an idea of Why is Celebration important for Jews?
Take notes on a flipchart all the ideas of Jewish celebrations that the children have learned about.
Discuss any differences and similarities in their answers.
Focus back to the key question.
Express
Expressing knowledge and understanding – children answer the key question
(week five) / The final task is introduced.
Children to use the templates to decorate, cut out and make their own dreidel.
Children to learn the dreidel game and challenge each other to play the game.
Teach the children the dreidel song show to the whole school in assembly.
Assessment - Using the level descriptors below, level each child using a best fit method over the whole of this unit.
Level 1 / Level 2 / Level 3
The following level descriptors are covered in this unit:
  • Recall part of a story or practise from a religion or worldview and ask a simple question about it.
  • Use some correct names for things that are special to religious people.
  • Pick out religious symbols or words eg. in a picture or story.
  • Give a simple reason using the word ‘because’ when talking about religion and belief.
  • Ask questions about things they find puzzling and talk about them.
  • Talk about any beliefs that are important to them.
  • Talk about themselves and things that have happened to them.
/ The following level descriptors are covered in this unit:
  • Use religious words and phrases to identify some aspects of religion and say why they are important to their followers.
  • Talk about things that some religious people have in common and things that are different.
  • Talk about what some religious words and symbols mean.
  • Give a simple reason to say why they have a particular belief.
  • Talk about the questions a story from a religion or worldview might make them ask.
  • Talk about what is important to them and others with respect for their feelings.
/ The following level descriptors are covered in this unit:
  • Describe simply what a believer might learn from religious stories, practices and worldviews.
  • Describe simply some things that are the same and different for people who follow religions and worldviews.
  • Use some words and symbols from religions and beliefs appropriately and independently.
  • Give a reason to say why their affect their lives and compare with other people’s experience.
  • Ask questions about religion and belief and explore different answers to them.
  • Identify similarities and differences about things that influence them and others.