This Jewish Holidays Worksheet gives 4th graders a short passage about Hanukkah and Rosh Hashanah, then five sentences and two written responses to complete. Answer key included for fast, no-prep practice.
Apples, honey, and a sweet new year
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. Its name means "head of the year" in Hebrew, and it usually falls in September or early October. Kids learn that it begins the ten High Holy Days that end with Yom Kippur, a time to think about the past year and how to do better. Families hear the shofar, a horn made from a ram's horn, eat round challah bread, and dip apples in honey to wish for a sweet year. People greet each other with "Shanah Tovah," meaning "a good year." The click moment is when a child tastes apple and honey together and says, "Oh, that's why it's a sweet new year!"
This is a holiday about fresh starts. These moves connect it to kids' own lives.
Have kids read about several Jewish holidays and note when each happens and what it celebrates. Rosh Hashanah starts the Jewish year, so it is a great anchor for the rest. Seeing the calendar helps kids place each holiday.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withJewish Holidays WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Compare January 1 with Rosh Hashanah on a chart: when it happens, foods, sounds and traditions. Model one row, then let kids fill in the rest. Many children are surprised that New Year can happen in the fall.
Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Show a picture of a shofar and play a short recording of its sound. Ask kids to describe it in three words. Then explain it is like a wake-up call to start the year thoughtfully.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It lasts two days and starts the High Holy Days, a time for reflection that ends with Yom Kippur.
It begins on the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. Because the Hebrew calendar follows the moon, the date changes each year, usually landing in September or early October.
Dipping apples in honey is a wish for a sweet new year. Round challah bread is also common, standing for the circle of the year.
A shofar is a horn, usually made from a ram's horn, that is blown during Rosh Hashanah services. Its sound is a call to reflect and start the year fresh.
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