Song Bank link

Chanukkah, Chanukkah
Traditional (edited by Lucie Skeaping)

Related songs

Dreidel song

Subject links

• RE QCA Unit 1E: How do Jewish people express their beliefs in practice?

• Music QCA Unit 1: Ongoing skills

Duration

45 mins – 1 hour

Learning objectives

RE

• Children will learn the key features of the story of Hanukkah.

• Children will learn that light is seen as representing the presence of God during the festival of Hanukkah.

• Children will understand that light is used as a symbol in other celebrations and festivals too.

Singing

• Children will learn to control the expressive elements, eg. timbre, dynamics, tempo.

• Children will learn to sing with expression and a sense of occasion.

• Children will learn that songs are written for different purposes, eg. festivals and celebrations.

Resources

• Chanukkah, Chanukkah - all audio tracks

• A hanukiah candle stick (or a picture)

• A version of the story of Hanukkah

• Recording device (optional)

• Instruments (optional)

Prior Learning

• The children will have heard the story of Hanukkah.

• The meaning of the story will have been discussed with the children.

Introduction

• Share the Learning objectives with the children at the start of the session.

• Recap the story of Hanukkah by questioning the children about its key points. This might include discussion about the miracle of the oil burning for eight days, that this symbolises God’s presence, and that Jewish people celebrate this by lighting the hanukiah candle during the festival of Hanukkah.

• Show the children a hanukiah and ask them why they think it has nine main branches (refer them back to the story if necessary).

• Ask the children about how the dark and light makes them feel. Encourage discussion of this and ask the children to share their ideas with the class. Ask what they like about candles.

• Link this discussion to other festivals which use light as a symbol. Ask the children about candles and lights which they use at home for celebrations. This may involve discussion of Christmas tree lights, birthday candles, Divali diva lamps or even fireworks, but remember to emphasise that these festivals use light as a symbol differently to Hanukkah.

• Summarise by lighting a candle and emphasising the special effect of light. While the candle burns ask the children to listen to the song Chanukkah, Chanukkah.

Main Activity

• Explain to the children that they are going to learn to sing the song as part of their celebration of the festival. For younger children the song can be learnt by rote. You may wish to display the words on the whiteboard for strong readers or older children, and to encourage everyone to have a go.

• Say the words of the chorus (first and fourth sections of the song), asking the children to echo each line as you go. Check their pronunciation of ‘Hanukkah’. Model the words with some energy and excitement in your voice to emphasise the lively and joyous nature of the song.

• Using the echo track(s) sing through the first section. (It may be a good idea to start with the slower echo track, and then when the children are confident with this, move on to the faster track.) Ask the children which tempo they think is most appropriate for this song, emphasising again the joyous nature of the festival.

• Next focus on the words to the second and third sections (verses), which tell the story. Practise the words in the same way as before. You will find that some lines have extra syllables which will need careful fitting into the metre of the song. Try to model and lead these lines. Ask the children to explain how these verses fit with the story of Hanukkah.

• When the children are ready, sing the song with the backing track.

Singing tips

• Start learning the song sitting down, but when you begin to sing, ask the children to stand with relaxed shoulders and straight back and ‘sing out’ to a focal point, imagining that they are telling the story to an audience.

• Model your facial expressions to match the mood of the song. This will help the children to understand the relationship between the mood of the music and the timbre of our voices.

• From the outset ask the children to sing the words clearly and with lots of energy. Work on the dynamics if they are too soft or indistinct. Saying the words and varying the dynamics may help to demonstrate your point.

Independent activity

• Note that if your lesson is shorter, you could make the dreidels in advance and then decorate in the lesson.

• Get the children to make a dreidel and play games with it. This will help to aid understanding of the activities which form part of the festival, as well as reinforcing the meaning of the song which mentions the dreidel and mimics its actions in the words ‘sov,sov, sov’. It can also form part of a movement activity which might encourage children to devise some dance using the idea of the spinning dreidel.

• You will find many instructions for making dreidels with children on the internet, for example on the BBC website (Schools/Religion).

Differentiation

Support

• Less confident singers or younger children may find learning the whole song a challenge. Try splitting the verses between two groups of more confident singers and ask the rest of the group to learn the choruses. The chorus group might also add simple movements to the verses.

• Less confident singers may welcome the support of more experienced singers standing near them.

Extension

• Use the simple instrumental parts provided on the Song Bank website to add colour to the accompaniment once the song is learnt. You can download the full arrangement and parts for chime bars and recorders.

• Soloists could sing the verses (sections 2 and 3).

Plenary

Depending on the level of experience and ability of the group either:

• Record the song and ask the children to listen to their performance and evaluate it through paired discussion of what went well and what would have been even better. Focus on how the style of singing helps to emphasise the meaning of the story.

Or:

• Sing the song once through. Ask how the performance made the children feel and how they might change it next time. (Did you enjoy the singing? Why?)

Assessment for Learning

• Questioning (during discussion).

• Peer and self-evaluation (of the final performance at end of lesson).

• Teacher assessment.

Next steps

• The song This little light of mine (also on the Song Bank) can be used to highlight the symbolic nature of light. You will need to consider that this song describes the symbol of light in a different way and it might need careful explanation.

• A simple circle dance might be used to emphasise the joyous nature of the Hanukkah song. Other celebratory songs such as Kalinka (also on the Song Bank) can also be performed with a circle dance and might be used to highlight the use of song and dance in celebrations and festivals. You could also consider the symbolism of the circle as a formation for dance.

Differentiated success criteria

All children will:

• Recall the main elements of the story of Hanukkah.

• Perform the song responding to its mood as they sing.

Some children will:

• Use appropriate vocabulary to retell some parts of the story of Hanukkah.

• Link the story of Hanukkah to their own experience of light as a symbol.

• Sing with confidence and clarity of diction.

• Sing with recognition of how some musical elements can be used to create mood.

A few children will:

• Recognise how religion is expressed, through the idea of the symbolism of light.

• Tell the story through song using appropriate facial expression, dynamics, tempo and a sense of occasion.