The end of the calendar year is a great time to incorporate engaging, relevant holiday activities into your lesson plans. Your students likely celebrate various winter holidays at home, and it’s important to ensure their traditions and experiences are represented. You can bring interesting Hannukah activities to your classroom to reflect students' traditions and teach them about other beliefs and cultures.

• Experience Hanukkah through literature and poetry in ELA
• Build background knowledge of Hanukkah traditions in social studies
• Try a fun holiday experiment in science

[Experience Hanukkah through literature and poetry in ELA](id-ela)

Help your students get in the spirit of the season with Hanukkah stories and lessons that look at the history of Hanukkah in your ELA classes:

What does the menorah stand for?

Do your students know why the menorah is so important in Hanukkah celebrations? Use a paired text analysis to help them explore the question through multiple lenses.

• Assign the fictional story “Hanukkah Helper” by Andra Abramson, which describes the shamash, or helper candle, that makes the other candles glow.
• Share a nonfiction article about the increasing popularity of public menorah lightings worldwide.
• Ask students to complete a paired text analysis and answer the question, “How are the ideas from the articles similar or different?”

Is Hanukkah the correct spelling for the holiday name?

Depending on who you ask, some people may spell the name of the festival of lights as Hanukkah or Chanukah. What’s the difference? Students can explore this question through resources like:

• An interactive video that explains the significance of Hanukkah in the Jewish religion.
• An article that explains why the holiday name has multiple spellings.
• An extension activity that invites students to look up the origins of related holiday words in the dictionary.

Hanukkah through a writer’s eyes

Writers, poets, and other artists use different mediums to share their traditions, ideas, and beliefs with others. You can use the holiday of Hanukkah to help students explore this concept by reviewing content like:

• The poem “On Chanukah” by Ilene Bauer.
• An explainer article on the history of Hanukkah.
• An interactive video about the significance of Hanukkah to Judaism.

Compare and contrast celebrations for December holidays

Winter is a common time for celebrations around the world. People observe so many different holidays during this season—not just Hanukkah! Assign articles to help students understand, compare, and contrast topics like:

• The history of Hanukkah
• The history of Christmas
• Little-known facts about Kwanzaa
• How people celebrate Diwali

[Build background knowledge of Hanukkah traditions in social studies](id-ss)

Teach students more about the history and background of Hanukkah celebrations, traditions, and customs in social studies classes:

How do people around the world celebrate Hanukkah?

Students can learn more about how people around the world celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah by using content that explores:

• How Jews in the late 1800s and early 1900s considered celebrating Christmas to assimilate into American life.
• The custom of making latkes as a Hanukkah dish.
• Five myths about the history and beliefs of the holiday.

How do holidays affect the economy?

Aside from family get-togethers and fun traditions, holidays like Hanukkah can have a significant financial impact on various sectors of the economy. Have students investigate these impacts with a targeted inquiry lesson. They’ll explore articles on topics like:

• How Hanukkah merchandise gets lost in the holiday retail rush.
• How impactful worldwide events—like the COVID-19 pandemic—force people to alter long-standing traditions and buying practices.
• The impact of holiday shipping and wrapping waste on the environment and the economy.

Why do holidays bring people together?

Holidays and celebrations are perfect for family and friends to gather, reminisce, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. A targeted inquiry lesson can help students ask questions and uncover why we associate gatherings with holidays.

• Have students read about how spending time with friends during the holidays can improve our relationships.
• Ask students to explore how interfaith families can find common ground when celebrating holidays.
• Encourage students to use a Venn Diagram to document similarities and differences they find while reading the articles.

[Try a fun holiday experiment in science](id-sci)

Candles are a staple in Hanukkah traditions and decorations. But have your students ever heard of a candle that can drink water? Help them see the science behind this “magic trick” with the following lesson:

• Discuss the necessary elements to start a fire and how the chemical reaction of combustion keeps one burning.
• Explore the different types of pressures that exist in air and water.
• Do the drinking candle experiment to see firsthand what they learned about fire and pressure.

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