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There are six clear topics in this plan. You may wish to teach over a whole term or just pick those topics which suit you and your class.

Lesson Objective:
Understand the role that Moses plays in the history of the Jewish people

Lesson Outcome:
By the end of the lessons, the children will have learnt about the stories of Moses and understood the significance he plays in the history of the Jewish people

 

Resources:

Introduction

  • Brainstorm – Who is Moses? – Children to think about what they know about Moses. Brainstorm ideas and thoughts about the different stories of Moses. (Each week, the lesson should start with a recap of the story from the week before).  


Main Teaching

  • The Story of Moses – Each week, read one of the stories of Moses leading to the appropriate activity.
  • Discussion on Moses – Discuss the story read with the children so that they have an idea of its context and can understand what happened and why it happened. With older children, aim to delve deeper into the story, thinking about Moses’ feelings and relationship with God.
  • Trusting God – In some of the lessons, you may wish to play trust games with the class, discussing why it is important to trust each other.
    Examples of trust games might include: Blindfold one child, whilst another instructs them to walk to another place, or instructs how to draw something. Alternatively, the trust falling game, where one person falls backwards into the arms of another.
    Continue discussion about how at times the people trusted Moses and that Moses trusted God, and, quite importantly, God seems to have faith in Moses.



Activities

  • Baby Moses – Read ‘The Story of Baby Moses’ with the children and discuss the fact that Moses was raised as an Egyptian prince who had everything that he wanted. Refer to his mother and Miriam who watched Moses in his basket all the way down the Nile to the home of the Pharaoh.
    Option 1: Create a Basket – Children to make a basket out of any resources that you have and place a baby (either a dolly, teddy or created out of resources) into the basket. Within the basket, children can either place elements of the story (written/drawn or made) or useful Jewish objects (again, written/draw/made or real) so that Moses will always know that he is Jewish. This can obviously be simplified or extended as you wish – the idea will be to make a big display of the Moses story by the end. If you do not have the space, then big pictures or a wicker basket would be just as good.
    Option 2: How do you feel? – Using the template, children to fill in the thought bubbles for the different characters of the story. Think about how they would feel leaving Moses behind or receiving this child in a basket.
    Option 3: Diary Entry – Children to write a diary entry as if they were Miriam, Moses’ Mother or Pharaoh’s Daughter.
    Option 4: Colouring Pages – Children to colour in a selection of pictures of Baby Moses.

 

  • Moses in Egypt – Read ‘The Story of Moses in Egypt’ with the children and discuss the fact that Moses was raised as an Egyptian prince who had everything that he wanted. Think about how he must have felt knowing that he was really a Jew. Discuss the meaning of the burning bush and think about why God chose Moses even though he was not raised as a Jew.
    Option 1: Make Egyptian Wall Art – Children to look at an example of Egyptian Wall Art that tells a story. Plan a piece of wall art for the story of Moses, from being raised as an Egyptian prince, seeing and killing the Egyptian guard, running away, getting married, seeing the burning bush, to coming back to Egypt. As a class, or individually, children to create a piece of wall art. This can obviously be simplified or extended as you wish – the idea will be to make a big display of the Moses story by the end. If you do not have the space, then A4 or A3 pictures would be just as good.
    Option 2: Make a Burning Bush – Children to create a burning bush out of any resources that they have available to them. Children to work individually or as a class to produce the burning bush. Add captions or pictures for the story – telling what happened and thinking about what God said to Moses and Moses would have said to God and how he would have reacted. This can obviously be simplified or extended as you wish – the idea will be to make a big display of the Moses story by the end. If you do not have the space, then A4 or A3 pictures would be just as good.
    Option 3: Diary Entry – Children to write a diary entry as if they were Moses. Each child to write a diary entry at a different point in the story, i.e. growing up, seeing the taskmaster beating a Jewish slave, running away, getting married, seeing the burning bush, returning to Egypt.
    Option 4: Colouring Pages – Children to colour in a selection of pictures of Moses in Egypt.

 

  • Moses and the Ten Plagues – Read ‘The Story of Moses and the Ten Plagues’ with the children, stopping and recapping important parts so that they children are familiar with it. You may wish to act out parts of the story with the children to keep it interactive.
    Option 1: Drama – Children to act out the Ten Plagues story. Children to be as creative as they wish, using costumes, scenery and writing a script. Children can take the roles of the plagues, the Egyptians, Pharaoh and Moses.
    Option 2: Hot Seating – Discuss the story and hot seat the children as Moses asking the following questions. When would they want to give up? At what point would you start to think that there is no help coming? What part of the story tells us that Moses is a true hero? Which part do you think Moses is as not as brave? Do you think that this could happen again? Do you think we deserve to be the chosen people? Encourage the children to think of some questions to ask Moses. If time, continue with the hot seating game and ask one of the children to be Pharaoh, Aaron, the children of Israel. What questions would they ask?
    Option 3: Create a Poster – Children to create a poster using pictures and words to show the story of the Ten Plagues. Ask children to choose favourite two plagues and decorate / create a plague poster with colours, tissue paper, etc (great display opportunity).
    Option 4: Ten Plague Storyboard – Children to retell the story of the Ten Plagues, but drawing them and adding a caption.

 

  • Moses and the Red Sea – Read ‘The Story of Moses and the Red Sea’ with the children and discuss the fact that Moses was raised as an Egyptian prince who had everything that he wanted. Refer to his mother and Miriam who watched Moses in his basket all the way down the Nile to the home of the Pharaoh.
    Option 1 – Make the Red Sea – Children to make the scene depicting the parting of the Red Sea using any resources that they have available to them. Think about adding captions, writing descriptions and drawing pictures to explain the story. This can obviously be simplified or extended as you wish – the idea will be to make a big display of the Moses story by the end. If you do not have the space, then A4 or A3 pictures would be just as good.
    Option 2 – Red Sea Pop Up Book – Children to create a Red Sea Pop Up Book. This should be decorated with appropriate pictures/key words or poetry. You may wish to make an example beforehand so that you can show the children how you want them to make it pop up.
    Option 3: Diary Entry – Children to write a diary entry as if they were Moses, one of the Israelites or Pharaoh.
    Option 4:     Colouring Pages – Children to colour in a selection of pictures of Moses and the Red Sea.

 

  • Moses and the Ten Commandments – Read ‘The Story of Moses and the Ten Commandments’ with the children and discuss the fact that Moses was given the Ten Commandments by God on top of Mount Sinai. Discuss the importance of this and why we view the Ten Commandments as the most important words of God.
    Option 1 – Make the two Tablets – Children to make the two tablets of stone and write the Ten Commandments on them. These two tablets can be made of any resources that are available and could be 3D or 2D. Think about adding captions, writing descriptions and drawing pictures to explain the story of how Moses received the Ten Commandments. This can obviously be simplified or extended as you wish – the idea will be to make a big display of the Moses story by the end. If you do not have the space, then A4 or A3 pictures would be just as good.
    Option 2 – Make a Torah Scroll – Children to make individual or paired Torah Scrolls out of paper, toilet rolls, lolly sticks etc. Children to write the Ten Commandments on the Torah scroll and include pictures of Moses receiving the tablets or interpretations of the Commandments.
    Option 3 – Write the Alternative Ten Commandments – Children to think about the relevance of the Ten Commandments today. Children to think of alternative commandments, and those they feel more relevant for today and themselves. These can be presented any way they wish.
    Option 4: Diary Entry – Children to write a diary entry as if they were Moses going up to Mount Sinai to receive the Commandments.
    Option 5: Colouring Pages – Children to colour in a selection of pictures of Moses and the Ten Commandments.

 

  • Moses and the Golden Calf – Read ‘The Story of Moses and the Golden Calf’ with the children and discuss the fact that Moses was not trusted by the Israelites and so they began to worship and make idols. Why do they think the Israelites did this? What was the significance? How would they have reacted?
    Option 1 – Make the Golden Calf – Children to make a golden calf using any resources that they have available to them. This could be 2D or 3D. Think about adding captions, writing descriptions and drawing pictures to explain the story. This can obviously be simplified or extended as you wish – the idea will be to make a big display of the Moses story by the end. If you do not have the space, then A4 or A3 pictures would be just as good.
    Option 2 – Hold a Mock Debate – Hold a debate with the children asking them to either argue for the side of Moses and be patient and trusting in God, or the other side, where they have run out of patience and believe that they should start worshiping idols. Try to encourage children to think about their reason for their arguments.
    Option 3: Diary Entry – Children to write a diary entry as if they were Moses or one of the Israelites. Think about how both would feel.


Plenary

  • Show work produced – Children to present their work to the rest of the class/parents