Acts

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

Look at Torah and Bible as source of story they are to hear. Recap on previous work about Judaism. Tell the story of Jonah and the big fish (see resources) up to where Jonah is left on the beach. Using guided imagery, think what Jonah might have felt like inside the fish. Make a drawing to try and show this.
Recap. Think about Jonah on the beach. Draw Jonah and add two speech bubbles; one saying what he should do now and one saying what he wants to do now. Reflect on times when they have felt they should do one thing but wanted to do another. Share ideas.

Recap. Read story to end. Make a collection of words or phrases that describe what God was like in the story (e.g. forgiving, powerful, mean). Using pictures from book, match words with appropriate picture that illustrates particular description of God.
Recap on describing words. Focus on one - forgiving. Tell story of ‘It was Jake!’ Through quiet reflection, focus on a time when they were sorry for doing something or when they forgave someone. Share ideas in circle-time format. Make a class list of how you can show you're sorry in different ways.

Recap. Make a double-sided person from card; on one side draw themselves and on the other the person they said sorry to or forgave (from last session). On each side write words describing how each person felt. As a class, share ideas about why people felt these things.
Recap that the story of Jonah is found in the Torah and is an important story for many Jews. Tell the story of ‘Rebecca’s book’; an account of Yom Kippur. Focus discussion on: thinking about wrong doings, saying sorry, fasting, prayers asking God for forgiveness. Play tape of shofar being blown. Examine artefacts, eg shofar, tallit, Torah, kippah, cards.

Ask if they can remember the main features of Yom Kippur in ‘Rebecca’s book’. Make a Yom Kippur card to send to a friend - include a drawing of an artefact that might be seen and a few words about what is done on that day. Try to include something that was done, eg. fast, and something that was thought about, eg asking God for forgiveness.
Play tape of shofar being blown and explain that it signals a new beginning or New Year for many Jews, when a new start is made. With quiet reflection time, ask them to think of a new start or resolution they could make. Do some writing, a drawing, or find an object that indicates the ‘fresh start’ and put them into a class box. (The box could be opened at an agreed time in the future and they can assess their ‘fresh start’!)
Continue making... Share ideas and make a class brainstorm of the values represented in their resolutions or ‘fresh starts’, eg caring, sharing, being helpful.