Download Core Units KS 2 lower Judaism - Peterborough Education Network

The Agreed Syllabus for
Religious Education in Peterborough
Core Unit
KS2 Lower Judaism
Non-Statutory Exemplification
(picture)
(picture)
Title: How does the Torah influence the lives
of Jewish people?
Year Group: Year 3 or 4
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The Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education
in Peterborough
Non-Statutory Exemplification
About this Unit: This unit enables pupils to begin to understand how being a member of a
faith community affects a person’s way of life. Pupils explore ways in which being Jewish
affects a devout Jew’s way of life. The focus is on the importance of God, the Torah, and
family to the Jewish people and how their beliefs are expressed in practice. Pupils will look
at the connection between the Creation story and the tradition of Shabbat in Jewish homes
today. It encourages pupils to think for themselves about questions to do with belief and
what is important to them.
Pupils are encouraged to consider what is important to Jews about being part of a world
wide community of Jews and what can be learned from the Jewish way of life, with
examples and teaching referring to their own experiences, beliefs and values.
Where this unit fits in:
This unit will help teachers to implement the Peterborough Agreed Syllabus for Religious
Education by providing them with well worked examples of teaching and learning about the theme
of family in Judaism, focusing on key Jewish stories, beliefs and practices and encountering the
concepts of God, holy books, tradition, community and identity, all of which find their roots in the
Torah.
This unit contributes to the continuity and progression of pupils’ learning by reinforcing
stories and beliefs that may already have been introduced in both core and school designed units
and building upon the learning about celebrations and special times in people’s lives from the Key
Stage 1 units of work.
The unit anticipates a further study of Judaism through the school designed units.
Estimated teaching time for this unit: 6-7 lessons or a whole day in a half term. It is
recognised that this unit may provide more teaching ideas than a class will cover in 6-7
hours. Teachers are invited to plan their own use of some of the learning ideas below,
ensuring depth of learning rather than trying to cover everything, and link with other areas
of the curriculum as appropriate
Key Fields of Enquiry addressed in this unit:
AT 1: Learning about Religion and Belief
 Beliefs and Teaching
 Religious Practices and Ways of Life
AT 2: Learning from Religion and Belief
 Questions of Identity, Diversity and Belonging
The core RE concepts that the unit develops are:
God : Jews believe in one creator God who promised a homeland to Abraham and his
descendants if they followed the commandments;
Torah: It means instruction and it contains the 613 commandments Jews are to follow
Beliefs :Jews believe the family plays an important role in keeping the commandments;
Tradition :Established patterns of behaviour are important in teaching and maintaining the beliefs
of a religion;
Identity :Belonging to a group with a set of beliefs and traditions gives people a sense of
belonging and purpose.
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Attitudes Focus
This unit will help pupils to explore attitudes of:


Self awareness by becoming increasingly knowledgeable about others‟ and their own
beliefs;
Respect for all by developing a willingness to learn from the Jewish way of life;
The unit will provide these opportunities:
 To consider the impact of the Torah upon religious practices and ways of life and its
importance to the Jewish people;
 To consider a range of views about questions of belief, identity and traditions from the study
of Judaism and the Torah;
 To think about their own experiences and views in relation to questions of belief, belonging
and identity;
 Experiences using their senses, meeting people of different faiths, role play, dance,
creative art and use of ICT.
Background information for the teacher:
Judaism is the oldest of the monotheistic religions. Its history begins with Abraham and the
Hebrew people. Jews believe that Abraham was called into a covenant, a binding agreement, with
G-d to start a people whom G-d described as many as the stars in the sky. Judaism does not
define itself in terms of beliefs but rather what Jewish people do to express their beliefs. Not all
Jewish people are religious; by Jewish law they are Jewish if they have formally converted to
Judaism or they were born to a Jewish mother.
In Jewish thinking there is one God, who created the world and everything and everyone in it. In
practice, these beliefs are particularly expressed through the Jewish families’ celebration of
Shabbat, the ‘Jewish Sabbath’. This is a tradition linking the Jewish beliefs about God’s rest day at
the end of the creation story to the Jewish people’s rest day at Shabbat. The Exodus of the
Israelites, the Jewish nation, from Egypt at the time of Moses and the provision of G-d in the
wilderness is also celebrated at Shabbat.
There are different denominations within Judaism so it is important to remember that not all Jewish
people practise in the same way.
There are three key ideas that need to be understood by the children:Torah : The contents of the Torah are at the centre of Judaism. The written Torah and the
oral Torah were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. By accepting and promising to live by
these laws the Jewish people became God’s people. Making and keeping promises is
central to Jewish people. The Jews promised to keep God’s laws. In return G-d promised to
make them into a great nation and to give them a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ ( the
promised land). This agreement is known as the Covenant.
G-d : Jewish people believe in a creator G-d who made human beings in the image of
himself. They believe that we cannot know what G-d looks like and so no pictorial
representation of G-d will be found in homes or synagogues.
Many Jewish people believe that the name of G-d is too sacred to pronounce. Jewish
practice is to avoid writing the holy name of God, instead using G-d in the written form.
The words of the Shema (most important Jewish prayer) are at the centre of the Jewish
belief. The opening of the Shema is: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our G-d is one. Love the Lord
your G-d with al your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength….”
Community : Jewish identity is very important and at times this has been a challenge as
Jews have faced oppression. The family and the wider Jewish community are central to
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living a practising Jewish life. Many Jewish festivals are based around the home as much
as the synagogue, showing the importance of the family in Judaism.
Shabbat : Shabbat is the Jewish holy day. Jews looked forward to it; it’s a rest day. (It is
misunderstood to think of it as just a day of restricting rules). It’s like welcoming a royal queen
(Shabbat is thought of as female).
Linked with creation (God rested on 7th day) and Exodus (Shabbat is a way of remembering God’s
mercy in delivering the Hebrews out of Egypt):
It lasts from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday evening – traditionally when 3 stars are
seen in the sky;
During Shabbat no work is performed so preparations are completed beforehand e.g. cleaning,
tidying house, food preparations, table set and food in slow cooker etc. Jews bathe and put
best clothes on. In stricter households switching lights on is seen as work so they are on a time
switch. This links to God resting on the seventh day of the creation story;
Men often visit synagogue on the way home from work on Friday afternoon/evening.
Blessings :
 Beforehand the women (mother) in the home welcome Shabbat by 1) lighting the candles
2) moving both hands in circles as if spreading the light out 3) covering both eyes 4) saying
blessings asking for care of family and blessings of peace and light and joy over family.


Shabbat meal starts: - Father pours and blesses the wine (in Kiddush cup), thanking God
for holiness of day and for creation and freedom (Exodus). They all sit.
Blessings over Challah - bread (2 loaves of plaited bread- to remind of time in wilderness
when God sent 2 portions of Manna on Friday, one to be used for Shabbat). Share bread &
dip in salt. (Reminds of temple sacrifices which were dipped in salt).
They eat the Shabbat food – usually fish, soup, chicken, and fruit. Hebrew songs are sung
between courses.
On Saturday morning many families visit the synagogue to hear the Torah read. They may play
board games; go for a walk, read, rest in afternoon. It is seen as a quality time to be with family
(and friends).
Havdalah Ceremony :
 Havdalah is a ceremony at the end of Shabbat. It means ‘separation’ – separating Shabbat
from the first day of the week. This happens at sunset on Saturday.
Blessings :
 Over the Havdalah spice box, containing sweet smelling spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg,
cloves). The spice box is passed round and smelt ; the sweet smell reminds Jews of the joy
of Shabbat and the hope of it spilling out into the rest of the week. Plaited Havdalah candle
is lit .The candle is held up high by youngest member of family.
 Father says blessing over the goblet of wine, he drinks, candle is snuffed out in wine
(in goblet or overflowed wine in saucer). This is the final division between Shabbat and rest
of week.
Many religious traditions have sets of beliefs and practices that impact on their way of life.
In Christian thinking, the Creation story gives shape to the week; suggesting a day of rest
on the seventh day, which is traditionally thought of as Sunday in most (but not all)
denominations and used as a day to worship together in church.
Christians believe that there is one God who created this world but that he also sent his
son, Jesus, to earth to free people from sin.
In Muslim thinking, there is one God, Allah, who gave the prophet Mohammed (pbuh) rules
for people to live their lives by. Prayer is an important part of the daily lives of Muslims; in
particular Friday midday prayers are felt to be extremely important.
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Festival of Shavout : this celebrates the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai ( Exodus
ch19-20). ‘Shavuot’ means ‘weeks’. The festival comes 7 weeks after Passover. At Passover the
Israelites were freed from slavery. Seven weeks later they were given the laws they were to live by
(Torah) In the Saturday morning synagogue service at Shavuot the Ten Commandments and the
Book of Ruth are read. Some Jews spend the night before the festival in Torah study. Jews
traditionally eat dairy products at this time. These remind them that the Torah is ‘like milk and
honey’.
Vocabulary & Concepts
In this unit, pupils will have
an opportunity to use
words and phrases related
to:
Judaism
G-d
Torah
Abraham
Moses
Challah
Kiddush cup
Kippah
Kosher
Havdalah
Mezuzah
Scroll
Shabbat
Shema
Spice Box
Synagogue
Tallit
Shavuot
General
Blessing
Creation
Peace
Prayer
Tradition
Identity
Resources
Teachers might use:
 Picturing Creation – CD Rom and seven A4 posters for each
day of the week.
Music “Two candles burn” CD
Artefacts such as: Challah loaves, Challah cover, kiddush cup,
silver Shabbat candle sticks, white candles, red grape juice,
havdalah candles, havdalah candlestick, mezuzahs, Havdalah
spice box and spices, table cloth, kippahs, tallits.
 Jewish visitor
Web
 The National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) has
various useful resources: www.natre.org.uk and
www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts enables pupils to view and judge
numerous works of pupil art on key Biblical stories and spiritual
ideas from young people.
 www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/judaism
 Online searchable sacred texts from different religions at:
www.ishwar.com
 Try www.reonline.org.uk for a good general gateway to RE
materials.
www.lbc.ac.uk Centre for Jewish education.
www.sofer.co.uk website about the scribes that write the Torah
scrolls.
www.aisenthal.co.uk useful website for Jewish resources.
o www.akhlah.com/holidays/Shavuot
Books
“Wonderful Earth” Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen ISBN 185608-005-60
“Sammy Spider‟s First Shabbat” Sylvia A. Rouss ISBN 1-58013006-2
Religious Studies
“It‟s Challah Time!” Latifa Berry Kropf ISBN 1-58013-036-4
“My Jewish Faith” ISBN 0-237-51897-X
The language of shared
human experience
“God‟s Quiet Things” Nancy Sweetland ISBN 07459 42687 (Lion)
“In The Beginning” Steve Turner ISBN 07459 36059 (Lion)
Film and video
CD Rom ‘The Jewish Way of Life’ (see www.jwol.org.uk)
Video “Shema – The Promise begins” RMEP
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Contributions to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils:
Opportunities for spiritual development come from experiencing images of the world’s beauty
and from considering the wonder of Creation or from considering the importance of having a
day of prayer and worship that is different from the other days of the week;


Opportunities for social development come from considering having a day of rest
distinguished from the other days of the week;
Opportunities for cultural development come from understanding some of the
practices and beliefs of the Jewish faith.
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Expectations : At the end of this unit in relation to the influence of the Torah
Pupils working at level 2 will
be able to:
 Retell stories associated
with the Jewish celebrations
encountered. (AT1)
 Know and begin to
understand why
celebrations such as
Shabbat are important to
Jewish people. (AT1)
 Identify some religious
beliefs and practices
associated with the stories
and celebrations. (AT1)
 Respond sensitively to
questions about the
importance of family
and celebrations in Judaism.
(AT2)
 Respond sensitively to
questions about their own
and others’ experiences and
feelings. (AT2))
Pupils working at level 3 will be
able to:
 Describe the main practices
associated with Shabbat and
other Jewish celebrations.
(AT1)
 Make links between Jewish
practices and the importance of
following the Torah (AT1)
 Use religious or spiritual
vocabulary such as Kippah,
Tallit, Kiddush, Challah, Torah,
Mezuzah, Hebrew, belief.
(AT1).
 Make links between their own
and others’ experiences and
identify what influences them.
(AT2).
Pupils working at level 4 will be able to:
 Use the vocabulary learned in this unit
to show their understanding of the
importance of G-d and the following
the Torah is to Jewish people. (AT1)
 Show understanding of words like
‘Shabbat, God, Torah, Identity and
commitment’ (AT1)
 Describe the impact of the Jewish
beliefs about G-d and keeping the
Sabbath day holy on people’s
lifestyles (AT1)
 Can raise questions and suggest
answers to the importance of having a
day that is a ‘day of rest’ in all families
(AT2)
 Apply ways in which Jewish people
observe Shabbat with non Jewish
people, noting differences and
similarities. (AT2)
ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS
A formal assessment of each pupil is neither required nor desirable for every RE unit. Continuing
use of Assessment for Learning methods is best.
Teachers can assess this work by setting a learning task during the unit. The task aims to elicit
engaged and reflective responses to the material studied in the unit, across the ability range.
Tasks that could be used include:
 Sequencing pictures of Shabbat activities and describing to another person what is
happening;
 Labeling special Jewish objects associated with Shabbat and talking about how they are
used and why they are important;
 Creating mind maps with everything learned about Shabbat ;
 Show pictures of Shabbat. in pairs or groups, fill in speech bubbles for people in the
pictures e.g. the mother, the father, the children. What could they be saying? How do they
feel?
Higher attaining pupils: To extend this work, ask pupils to express their own questions and views
about belonging to a group or religious tradition and suggest reasons why this may be difficult or
easy in Britain
Or Pupils could find out different ways in which Jews observe Shabbat according to their different
traditions, suggesting reasons for these differences.
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Information to help fill in the following grid
It is suggested that teachers plan for:
 About 6-7 good, active lessons;
 Use a key question as the title for each lesson;
 Give no more than 2 or 3 objectives for each lesson;
 Put appropriately levelled ‘I can...’ statements in the fourth ‘outcomes’ column;
 Refer to help/guidance available to the teacher, resources, cross curricular links and things that teachers should not forget in the ‘points
to note’ column;
 Some T&L activities may last more than one lesson: please make it clear if this is your intention;
 In the learning outcomes column, be as specific as possible in describing how the objective is to be achieved.
Use the current Peterborough exemplars as a starting point, together with your expertise!!
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UNIT TITLE: How does the Torah influence the lives of Jewish people?
Key Question: Why is God important to Jewish people? What is most important to you and why?
Learning Objectives
Suggested Teaching and Learning
To consider
what/who is
important to me?
* Show pupils something or someone that is important to
To know that Jewish
people believe in one
G-d.
To know that G-d is
important to Jewish
people and begin to
understand why this so.
you. Invite questions as to why this might be.
* With talk partner, ask pupils to share who/what is most
important to them and why.
* Show a balloon to the pupils and blow it up. Discuss
with them what is inside and that the air cannot be seen.
With talk partner, ask pupils to think of other things that
exist that can’t be seen. (E.g. wind, electricity, love).
* Recap on who was most important to them and explain
that some people believe in God and that God is very
important in the lives of these people even though God
cannot be seen. Explain that Jewish people believe the
world would not function without God, just as the balloon
would not function without the air.
*Introduce the Torah and the Creation story to explain
the Jewish idea of God as the Creator of all who sees
and knows everything. Jewish people usually call God
“Lord” and the word is usually written as G-d. He is seen
to be all powerful, loving and forgiving. Jews believe that
they must be loyal and obedient to the Laws of God as
found in the Torah
*Discuss pupils‟ ideas about God and any
similarities/differences with Jewish view of God. Why
might Jewish people think God is so important?
* Ask pupils to use artwork to show where they think
people can find God.
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Learning Outcomes
(Can be written as
success criteria)
I can explain who/what
is important to me.
(AT2 L1)
Points to note
Keep in mind sensitivity of
family issues whilst thinking
about significant people.
I can use religious
words to show how G-d
is important to Jewish
people.
(AT1 L2)
Cross-curricular links: Literacy,
PSHE (SEAL) – “It’s good to
be me”.
I can retell the creation story
and suggest what it teaches
Jews about G-d. (AT1 L2)
Make sure Muslim pupils know
that their own religion does not
permit drawings of Allah. They
can draw a location, or symbol
I can make links between
the story of Creation and
belief in G-d (AT1 L3)
for ‘everywhere’
Key Question: In what ways is the importance of the Torah demonstrated?
Learning Objectives
Suggested Teaching and Learning
Consider ways in
which the Torah
influences Jewish
people (AT1)
* Introduce a Jewish family using video, DVD, IWB
or photos and explain that
they are getting ready for a festival Shavuot.
*Tell the story behind the festival.
Explore and try out some activities associated with
the festival.
Appreciate the way in
which the Torah
influences daily living,
festivals and worship
(AT2
Explore and express
the meaning of
Shavout (AT1)
E.g.
Make and taste cheesecake, honey flavoured
biscuits. Explain why there are rich foods are
appropriate at this time.
* Talk about what it means to Jews to describe
the land promised to them is like milk and
honey.
*Talk about keeping promises and why the
Jewish people promise to obey G-d’s rules
*Explore the Ten Commandments, putting the
six which offer the best advice for Jews at the
top.
*Choose two of the Ten commandments which
you think are good advice fro everyone and
show in a cartoon or role play what happens
when this advice is not followed.
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Learning Outcomes
(Can be written as success
criteria)
Points to note
I can suggest what the
story of the giving of the Torah to
Moses on Mount Sinai means for
a
Jewish person today.
(AT1 L2)
Note that many Orthodox
Jews believe that the Torah is
literally the word of G-d.
Liberal and Reform Jews
believe that it is inspired by Gd but that humans wrote down
the ideas and developed
them.
I can respond
sensitively to stories
about people from the
Jewish religion, noticing
what matters to them.
(AT2 L2)
I can identify a variety of ways
in which the Torah influences
Jewish people (AT1 L3)
I can make links between the
value of the ten
commandments to both
myself and to Jews (AT2 L3)
I can describe some of the
importance of Shavuot to
Jewish people. (AT1 L3)
Key Question: What is the link between the Creation story and the Sabbath Day?
Learning Objectives
Suggested Teaching and Learning
To understand the link
between the Creation
Story and the seventh
day of Rest by G-d.
Use BBC learning Zone to see free to view
programme which makes connections to the
Creation stories in Jewish scriptures. ( See
www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips.the
torah/7464.html
Create picture cards the right order of creation.
Talk about the order and what questions does it
raise?
Discuss why do they think G-d rested? What
are the links between the way our week is
divided up with the Creation story?
Look at the way in which Sundays are different
to the other days in this country. E.g. shopping
laws, overtime and pay on Sundays
Find out why the Jewish holy day is a Saturday,
not Sunday. Ask what pupils would do on a
Saturday if they had a choice and why.
Talk about whether people should have a day
of rest? Has everyone got to have the same
day off?
Write about whether they ever have times of
rest, peace and quiet.
To explore the
meaning and purpose
of the Creation Story
for Jewish people and
others
To consider the
difference between
weekdays and
weekends.
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Learning Outcomes
(Can be written as success
criteria)
Points to note
I can retell the Creation story
from the book of Genesis (AT1
L2)
I can respond sensitively to
some questions about the
Creation story ( AT2 L2)
I can describe the importance of
the link between the Creation
Story and the Sabbath Day (AT1
L3)
I can ask some important
questions about the origins of
our planet. (AT2 L3)
I can show that I understand
how the Creation Story makes a
difference to Jewish people
every week. (AT1 L4)
I can suggest ways in which
there are differences between
every day and one special day
‘of rest’ in the week. (AT2 L4)
This is not the time to
discuss the controversial
nature of the Creation story.
Note that Jews, Christians
and Muslims share these
scriptures and there are
different interpretations of
them. It is important for
pupils to understand the link
with G-d making the world
but needing to rest on the
seventh day.
Key Question: In what ways is Shabbat a weekly tradition?
Learning Objectives
Suggested Teaching and Learning
Learning Outcomes
(Can be written as success
criteria)
Know what is meant
by the term ‘tradition’
* Help pupils understand the concept of ‘tradition’ by
talking about special things families do together at
special occasions like birthdays, Christmas, or on
holiday. Or discuss school traditions. Why are they
important to people?
* Look at books, pictures, video or meet person to
find out how a Jewish family celebrates Shabbat
both at home and in the synagogue (including use
of loaves, blessings, candles and the Havdalah
ceremony to say goodbye to the Sabbath
* Make and taste challah bread.
* Learn a Shabbat song or hear story reflecting the
specialness of Shabbat (e.g. The Sabbath Lion)
* Create a collage to describe the kind of activities
that Jewish people might do on the Saturday of
Shabbat. Share with a partner, giving reasons for
why those activities are suitable.
* Talk about and share what do they do that is the
same or different from us and our families?
I can identify how Shabbat is
expressed in religious artefacts
(AT1 L2)
I can talk about thoughts and
feelings I have about traditions
(AT2 L2)
To know the
importance of Shabbat
and family to the
Jewish people
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I can suggest what difference
Shabbat makes to a Jewish person.
(AT1 L3)
I can make meaning links between
Jewish special times and my own
special times. (AT2 L3)
I can show understanding of the
importance of Shabbat to Jews
(AT1 L4)
I can respond meaningfully to
questions about the importance of
traditions to people and myself
(AT2 L4)
Points to note
Note that the home is the
centre of Judaism’s most
sacred institutions
Key Question: Why is it important to have a ‘rest’ day for Jewish people and others?
Learning Objectives
Suggested Teaching and Learning
Learning Outcomes
(Can be written as success
criteria)
To know that
Shabbat is a
special rest time
for Jewish people.
*Show a variety of pictures of different activities. In
small groups, ask pupils to consider whether they
are peaceful activities and to give reasons.
* Recap and reveal the Havdalah table (Kiddush
cup, spice box, Havdalah candle) and explain the
closing ceremony of Havdalah and how the peace
of Shabbat is taken with them into the rest of the
week.
* Use a stilling exercise to explore peace and calm
with the pupils and ask them to share their feelings
if they wish.
* Ask pupils to draw what they would do when
resting/being quiet/peaceful. Give an outline of a
pillow to draw into. These could be used for display
purposes.
* Fill in thought bubbles to put with their pictures
about why this is a restful/peaceful time. What
would they be thinking?
I can show awareness of a Jewish
‘day of rest’ and a non- Jewish ‘day
of rest’. (AT1 L2)
To talk about the
Havdalah
ceremony.
To think about and
discuss their own
experiences of rest
and peace
*Talk about write about what difference it would
make to them or to Jewish families if there were no
special times of the week.
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I can talk about thoughts and
feelings about having a special day
of rest that is different from other
days of the week (AT2 L2)
I can begin to recognise the impact
on Jewish lifestyles of their beliefs.
(AT1 L3)
I can identify different influences on
people regarding needing a ‘day of
rest’ (AT1 L3).
I can describe the impact of
Shabbat on Jewish children (AT1
L4)
I can describe ways in which rest is
experienced by myself and others
(AT2 L4)
Points to note
This could be an
opportunity to use stilling or
creative reflective story
telling and allow the pupils
complete free response,
using a range of materials.
Key Question: In what other ways do Jewish people obey G-d’s rules?
Learning Objectives
Suggested Teaching and Learning
To know what a
mezuzah is and where
it is found.
* Show and handle a range of mezuzahs. What
might they be for? Carry out an investigative
approach. Feed back ideas.
* Look at some symbols/pictures found on the
mezuzahs. Why are they important? What do they
represent?
* Design and make own special boxes with symbols
or pictures important to pupil.
* Make individual promise containers or make one
for the whole class and see if they can stick to their
promises.
* Introduce the Shema - prayer. Explain that a
miniature copy is found in the mezuzah. What do
the words mean? What do they tell us about Jewish
beliefs?
*Discuss where mezuzahs are found and how/why
they are used in the home. Why?
*What special words might pupils want to regularly
repeat? Write own special words and put into own
special boxes. Read words to a partner and say
why they are so important. Display.
*Discuss the food laws that Jewish people keep.
How would this affects family life in preparing for
Sabbath. How might some pupils find these rules
difficult?
* What if they have a Jewish friend? What would
they need to think about?
To describe how the
mezuzah is used in a
Jewish home.
To make links between
special food laws at
Shabbat and
the importance to
follow G-ds laws.
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Learning Outcomes
(Can be written as success
criteria)
Points to note
I can identify mezuzahs in the
Jewish religion and suggest
meaning for them. (AT1 L2)
I can recognise how important it
is to keep promises (AT2 L2)
The Shema, a prayer from
The Torah (“Hear Oh
Israel, the Lord our G-d is one.
You shall love the Lord with all
your heart, with all your soul
and with everything you
have.”) conveys the key
beliefs of Judaism: One
God, Torah, Israel.
I can make links between the
use of the mezuzah and Jewish
beliefs about G-d ( AT1 L3)
I can identify ways in which
people are influenced by their
beliefs.(AT2 L3)
I can show I understand the
meaning of the Shema prayer
for Jews.(AT1 L4)
I can apply the importance of
keeping promises to myself and
to others (AT2 L2)
Jewish food laws
(simple ones such
as no meat from pig,
no shellfish and
meat/milk not to be
eaten together) can
be explored. Explain
they are rules in the
Torah and link with
Torah unit. Show
pictures of Jewish
kitchens. Link with
synagogue visit –
look at kitchen there.
Key Question: Why is family so important?
Learning Objectives
Suggested Teaching and Learning
To know the
importance of
family to the
Jewish people.


To think about and
discuss the importance
of belonging to a family
for everyone.
To tell others what
I have learned
about the importance of
being part of God’s
family for Jew.



Learning Outcomes
(Can be written as success
criteria)
Recap through Sabbath festival showing how
I can give two examples of
the mother is important in welcoming Shabbat or important Jewish rituals by
the role of the father. What part the children
family members showing
play? Show some of the rituals that happen.
obedience to G-d. (AT1 L2)
Research what Jews say about the importance
I can respond sensitively to what
of quality family time (See RE Today resources
people share about their families
“Opening up Judaism” isbn 978-1-905893-55-3)
and their importance. (AT2 L2)
As a class talk about some of the things the
pupils have learnt about the importance for
Jews being part of G-d’s family.
Divide class into groups and ask then to decide
upon three reasons for the importance of
families for everyone. Compare and contrast
.with each group.
Compare similarities and differences between
the importance of families given by the pupils
with those comments said by Jewish people.
I can describe two key reasons
for the importance of family for
Jewish people (AT1 L3)
I can compare some of the
importance of families for Jews with
my own beliefs about the
importance of family. (AT 2 L3)
I can show understanding of the
impact of belonging to God’s
family to Jewish people (AT1 L4)
Raise and suggest answers to
questions of identity, belonging,
values and commitments with
reference to Judaism (AT2 L4).
15
Points to note
When discussing the
importance of family it is
important to broaden out
the discussion to include
different types of families.
There can be school
families or village
communities as a type of
family. No-one should feel
excluded especially if they
come from a split family or
single parent family or
adopted etc.