Free Easy Reading Passage About Chanukah for Kids

Read aloud a simple telling of the Hanukkah story and follow upward with a scattering of across-the-curriculum activities.

The Jewish holiday Hanukkah literally lights upwards the home. The viii-twenty-four hour period, 2,000-year-erstwhile holiday, besides chosen the Festival of Lights, celebrates God'southward glory, an ancient victory of the Jews over their enemies, and the liberty Jews enjoy today.

The story of Hanukkah begins in strife. Antiochus, a Greek who was king of Syria, marched with an army of soldiers into the kingdom of Judea, dwelling house to many Jews. He insisted that the Jews worship the Greek gods rather than the one God they worshipped. When the Jews refused to worship the Greek gods, the soldiers attacked the Temple in Jerusalem and killed countless Jews. They stole holy objects. They even stole the sacred lamp, chosen the menorah, that stood before the chantry. The lamp'southward flame, which always burned brightly, went out. That had never happened before. Special oil stored in pocket-size containers called cruses was always used to keep the flame live. The soldiers dumped the oil all over the floor. As a terminal insult, they let pigs roam in the Temple.

The king returned to his own country, simply the soldiers stayed on. They did not respect the Jewish Temple. They brought food and drinkable in, played noisy games, and shouted and laughed there. Jews could not say their prayers in the Temple.

I old man, Mattathias, wanted to fight to take back the Temple. He went with his 5 sons into the wilderness, where other families joined them. The men began to fight the enemy anywhere and in any way they could.

Mattathias became sick. He named i of his sons, Judah the Maccabee, the leader of the fighting band. For two years the Jews fought their enemy. Then one night they attacked Jerusalem, the enemy stronghold. Judah the Maccabee and his followers camped outside Jerusalem all wintertime. When the people inside had little food or water left, they attacked and overwhelmed the enemy. The Jews were free!

I of the kickoff tasks of the Jews was to make clean upwards the Temple. They restored the holy lamp -- the menorah -- simply found only enough make clean and holy oil to last 1 day. Yet the flames of the menorah burned steadily for eight days. With each passing solar day, the flames grew brighter.

From then on, every year at that time, Jews have celebrated with the Festival of Lights. Candles are lit at sundown for eight nights in a row. Today's menorahs have nine branches; the ninth branch is for the shamash, or servant low-cal, which is used to light the other eight candles. (Come across paradigm above, courtesy of Roy Lindman.)

People consume potato latkes, substitution gifts, and play dreidel games. And equally they gaze at the light of the menorah, they give thanks for the miracle in the Temple long ago.

Linguistic communication Arts. Listening. Invite students to mind equally you read aloud the above story of Hanukkah. Then ask the listening comprehension questions beneath to find out how well they understood.

• What is Hanukkah sometimes called? (The Festival of Lights)
• When Jews observe Hanukkah, what are they celebrating (God's glory, victory over an enemy, standing freedom of the Jews)
• What happened to the menorah and oil when enemy soldiers took over the temple? (The menorah's flame, which had always burned brightly, went out; oil was spilled all over the floor.)
• Where did Mattathias and his followers hide? (in the wilderness)
• Why might Mattathias have wanted to bulldoze the enemy out of Jerusalem? (so the Jews would exist free again)
• How long did the Jews fight their enemy? (two years)
• Afterward the Jews conquered their enemy, how much oil did they find in the Temple? (enough to lite the menorah for one day)
• Explain the miracle of the oil. (Although there was plenty oil for just one day, the menorah burned brightly for viii days.)

Read aloud. Read aloud from one of the popular children's books about Hanukkah.

• For children age three-6, endeavor the imaginatively illustrated picture book Hannukah!, written by Roni Schotter and illustrated past Marilyn Hafner (Piddling, Brown, 1990). A winner of the National Jewish Volume Award, the book tells the simple but compelling story of how a family celebrates Hannukah.
• For children historic period 7-9, The Story of Hanukkah, written by Amy Ehrlich with paintings past Ori Sherman (Punch, 1989), is a proficient choice. The text is direct and poetic; the paintings are sumptuous, carrying powerful emotions.
• For ages nine and up, the chapter book Light Some other Candle, written by Miriam Chaikin and illustrated past Demi (Clarion, 1981), has a great deal of fascinating item and puts the story into historical perspective.

Fine art. Create a Noah's Ark Hanukkah Card. Adjusted from Hanukkah Crafts: A Holiday Arts and crafts Book by Judith Hoffman (Corwin Franklin Watts, 1996).
Yous will need: a pencil, an viii-ane/ii- past 11-inch sheet of white paper, a fine-line black marker, colored pencils or markers, and a piece of ribbon or yarn.

1. On the white paper, use a pencil to draw an ark, Noah and his wife, and pairs of animals. You might show the elephants, lions, ducks, rabbits, cats, zebras, giraffes, and so on.
2. Become over pencil lines with the black mark. Color in your designs with markers or colored pencils. At the bottom of the sheet, write a Hanukkah greeting and sign the card.
3. Roll up the sheet of paper, necktie a ribbon around information technology, and give information technology to a friend.

Civilisation. Play the classic dreidel game that is often played during Hanukkah. A dreidel is a kind of top. The four letters on the iv corners of the dreidel refer to the Hanukkah phenomenon.

Write and perform a radio show. Employ the story of Hanukkah above and/or a book or ii from the Resources list below. Arrange students in small groups to focus on a different merely related attribute of Hanukkah. (An example would be a scene where the victorious Jews make clean up their Temple and light the menorah again.) Have students rehearse their scripts and then do performances of radio broadcasts in the classroom. Tape record their broadcasts.

Commodity by Sharon Cromwell
Education World®
Copyright © 2002, 2016 Education World

Hanukkah books to share

• The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays by Malka Drucker (Little, Brown). The collection of information about Jewish celebrations helps readers understand the meanings behind the rituals. Information technology includes stories, songs, craft projects, and recipes likewise every bit lovely illustrations. Reading aloud, 4 and upwardly; offset readers, 8 and up.
• Grandma's Latkes by Malka Drucker (Harcourt Brace, 1992). A girl helps her grandmother make latkes, and her grandmother tells her the story of Hanukkah. Painted woodcuts illustrate the story. Reading aloud, 4-8.
• Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins past Eric Kimmel (Vacation Business firm, 1989). In this "trickster" tale, a crafty old man rescues Hanukkah from goblins who hate it. Reading aloud, ages 5-viii.
• Chanukah Fun by Toli Marcus Minelli (Tupelo, 1994). A fun book of Hanukkah crafts and activities. Ages 6-12.
• Light the Lights by Margaret Moorman (Scholastic, 1994). This book nearly an interfaith vacation celebration tells of Emma, a daughter whose family gladly observes both Hanukkah and Christmas. Reading aloud, ages three-7.

Chapter Books

• Hanukkah Fun by Judy Bastyra (Kingfisher, 1996). A crafts book includes fun and different projects. Ages 7-12.
• The Hanukkah Book by Marilyn Burns (Macmillan, 1981). A nonfiction book, this examines the meaning of Hanukkah and includes a section on how Jewish children can explore their feelings near Christmas. Ages 8 and up.
• There'due south No Such Thing every bit a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein by Susan Sussman (Albert Whitman, 1983). An account of what information technology feels like to exist Jewish when everyone else seems to be jubilant Christmas.

• Don't miss Education World'southward December Holidays archive folio. There you will notice dozens of ideas for teaching virtually the holidays too as craft activities, resources, and more than.

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