Unit title	Year	Background notes
Why is Pesach (Passover) a special time for Jewish people?	4	In this unit, pupils will explore the biblical story of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt and link it with times of delivery, difficulty, and escape. They will especially consider the theme of freedom. They will learn about the way in which, during the annual Seder meal, Jewish people relive the events of the Exodus. It is important to remember that source books may describe the number of items on the Passover table and their significance in slightly different ways, and many families have developed their own rituals. Also, traditional symbolic foods for Passover differ according to country and cultural background. Link with QCA unit 1E How do Jewish people express their beliefs in practice? and unit 3A What do signs and symbols mean in religion?

Key questions	Concept/s	Learning outcomes	Suggested activities	Resources
What difficulties do we face in our lives and who helps us?	Support Difficulty Salvation	To understand that all people face difficult times at some points in their lives To be able to identify people who are able to help with problems	· Share accounts of difficult times that children can experience (eg finding work hard, losing a good friend, moving to a new country, school or home). In each example, identify someone who helped make things better. What did they do to help the situation? · Choose one of the examples of difficult times and draw it as a cartoon strip, showing a happy ending · Pupils write about a special person who has helped them in their lives, or about a time when they have been helped
What made Moses a special leader?	Leadership Obedience Respect	To understand the importance of Moses to Jewish people (as well as to Christian and Muslim people) To be able to identify what qualities makes a good leader and then to link these to Moses To be able to produce a creative response to the story of Moses and the Burning Bush	· Listen to the story of the Exodus, or watch a relevant schools programme, paying special attention to the role of Moses in leading the Hebrew people out of slavery. If you had to make a film about Moses' life, what would be the main scenes you would include? · Concentrate on the story of Moses and the Burning Bush. What feelings and emotions did Moses show when he was asked by God to be a leader? Re-tell the story, or write a poem showing how Moses felt, or produce art work based on this story · Research what Christians and Muslims believe about Moses. (NB Moses – Musa in Arabic – is regarded by Muslims as one of the line of prophets or messenger of God)	Exodus Chapter 3 BBC ‘Pathways to Belief ‘ video, programme 3
What are the important themes in the story of the Exodus?	Escape Freedom Liberation Deliverance	To know the key themes of the Exodus story To be able to link the themes of the Exodus story with other examples of struggles for freedom To be able to explore what freedom means to them	· Talk about the main themes that pupils see in the Exodus story, such as suffering, slavery, evil, leadership, God's power, freedom · In groups, pupils freeze into tableaux showing each theme eg a still picture showing suffering in the story, or a still picture showing slavery. Present these to the class. These tableaux could be photographed and used as a basis for writing. · Pupils draw an image of what freedom means to them and add a few words which help make sense of the image · Some Jewish people have a Third Seder, where they concentrate on the themes of freedom and liberation, but use different examples eg a seder which is about animal rights and vegetarianism. What other Third Seder themes could be explored? Think about injustice in the world and what would make a powerful Third Seder theme. Design a cover for a special Third Seder Haggadah (prayer book for Passover)
How is the Exodus story remembered by Jewish people in their homes at Pesach?	Symbolic meal Remembrance Ritual Tradition	To know how the festival of Passover is celebrated by Jewish people around the world To be able to explain how the items on the seder table provide a link with the past	· Research, using ICT, religious visitors or source books, the way in which Passover is prepared for and celebrated in Jewish homes. Put this together as a display or book. Try and show some differences in the way the festival is celebrated by Jewish people in other countries, eg variations in food. Look at food boxes (eg matzot) to see whether they are kosher for Pesach · Design a Passover plate for the symbolic items used at the seder meal: bitter herbs, roasted egg, shankbone, charoset, parsley, lettuce. Find out what the Hebrew word for Pesach looks like and include this in the centre of the plate. Explain what each item symbolises in the seder	Scholastic Curriculum Bank, Bk 1, pp78-80 Jewish visitor/s Example of a Seder plate
What symbolic meal could we devise to welcome a new person into the class?	Symbolic meal Welcome	To be able to devise a meal, including symbols, to welcome a new person into the class	· Discuss what it feels like to join a new class. What are the good things about starting afresh, and what are the difficulties? · Explore the idea of a ‘symbolic meal’ to welcome a new person: what could it include? Ideas could include something sweet (to symbolise a sweet future in the class), something bitter (to show there might be some problems ahead) and some things to symbolise friendship and learning · Draw the plate you will use for the meal with the symbolic items on it and explain their symbolism

Useful websites

www.holidays.net/passover/ A good general site about Pesach

www.passover.net Listen to Pesach songs, look at recipes

http://uahc.org/congs/nj/nj006/seder/plate.html For a Virtual Seder plate

Glossary of Jewish terms used in this planning grid

Charoset	Pronounced char-owe-zet with a gutteral ch. A mixture of apples, cinnamon, nuts and wine, to remind Jewish people of the mortar used to make bricks by the ancient Hebrews during their time of slavery in Egypt. Jewish people around the world have different recipes for charoset.
Exodus	The word ‘exodus’ can be used generally to mean leaving one place, usually in a hurry. The Exodus refers to the hasty departure of the ancient Hebrew people from Egypt under the leadership of Moses which took place about 3500 years ago. Because the second book of the Jewish Bible (Christian Old Testament) contains this story, it was given the title Exodus.
Haggadah	The book used at the seder table which tells the Pesach story. There are simplified versions for children. Often several family members have different versions, which can lead to lively discussions about the right order of the seder!
Matzah	Plural matzot. Matzah is the main symbol of the Pesach festival. It symbolises the unleavened bread eaten by the Israelites, who left Egypt before their bread had time to rise. No bread or food made from ingredients that rise are eaten at Pesach. Although matzah is described as ‘bread of affliction’ in the Haggadah, everyone has a favourite recipe to make it taste delicious.
Pesach	Pronounced pay-sach with a gutteral ch. The Hebrew name for Passover.
Seder	Usually pronounced say-da. Literally means 'order' and is the name for the structured meal which is eaten at Passover and during which the story of the Exodus is retold, along with songs. There are usually two traditional family seder nights. Some communities, however, have the tradition of a Third Seder at which the themes of freedom and liberation are explored. During the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela, for example, many Jewish people held a third seder outside the South African embassy.