Your Pupils’ Quest is to Discover
Why is saying thank you important?
Why do people of faith say thank you to God at harvest time?
What exactly is being celebrated at harvest?
How do people of faith say thank you to God at harvest time?
It is recommended that this Quest is a minimum of 6 lessons.
World Faiths and World Views
Progressive Study
- Christianity – (God’s Big Story – CREATION – Fall – People of God – Incarnation – Gospel – Salvation – Kingdom of God)
Encounter
- Judaism – Festival of Sukkot
- Hindu Dharma – Festival of Pongal (this could be explored now or later in Unit 3.6)
The Aims of this Quest…
- Develop further pupils’ understanding that harvest festivals are a traditional celebration to give thanks to God for the gifts of the harvest.
- Increase awareness that the food we eat is harvested and distributed all around the world
- Raise awareness that in the UK our harvest is usually plenty but in some other countries around the world the harvest fails.
- Discuss what the response of Christians should be to the need of others according to the Bible.
- To explore the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
- To explore the Hindu festival of Pongal.
On this Quest your pupils will develop their skills of:
- investigation, interpretation, reflection, empathy, analysis
Prior Learning
Pupils will have previously explored
- EYFS Unit 2 Pupils will have talked about people of faith saying thank you to God at harvest time.
Key Substantive Knowledge
There is a huge variety of food that people can choose to eat, and it is sourced from around the world.
The concept and importance of saying thank you and being grateful.
There are several faith-based charities working around the world to help in countries where the harvest is failing or has failed.
Sukkah shelters are built for the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot.
Pongal is a Hindu harvest festival celebrated mainly in southern India.
Key Vocab
harvest, festival, thankful, grateful, God, Sukkot, Sukkah, Pongal
Signposts
Explore
Christian harvest festivals.
The work of Christian organisations putting their faith into action.
Encounter
The Jewish festival of Sukkot.
The Hindu festival of Pongal.
Experience
Building a Jewish Sukkah.
Tasting foods and talking about food from around the world.
Key Questions
Key questions to get you started and to ask along the way:
- Why do some people celebrate harvest festivals?
- Where does our food come from?
- Which foods do you enjoy the most?
- How many foods are there to enjoy?
- How can we help those who do not have a good harvest?
- Why should we help those who do not have a good harvest?
- What does it say in the Bible about celebrating the harvest?
- How do people of Jewish faith celebrate the harvest?
- How is the harvest celebrated in parts of India?
Prepare for the Quest
- Share with pupils the key information and key equipment.
- Ask pupils the key questions.
- What do pupils already know and what do they want to find out?
- Discuss with pupils where and how they are going to find out the answers to the unit and key questions.
- Begin a Working Wall and start recording in your class RE Scrapbook.
- Look at artefacts and pictures that help to generate more interest, engagement and further questions.
Resources you will need:
Click here for the link to Sensory Stories and Widgits for this unit.
Useful websites:
Harvest school resources | Christian Aid
CAFOD – Primary teaching resources
Download the Travel Guide and Questful Learning Journey.
The Travel Guide and Questful Learning Journey
The Travel Guide gives information and facts that will be useful throughout the Quest.
The Learning Journey is an assessment tool to be referred to and filled in as you go along or at the end of unit. It can be used by pupils individually, in groups or as a class.
Who is going with you on the Quest?
After considering the content and focus of the Unit and Key Questions, decide which of the expert characters are going to be the most useful to have with you on this Quest. It is likely that they will all go with you, but they won’t always have an equal part to play.
Godfrey the Theologian
Phil the Philosopher
Sally the Human Social Scientist
Which of the key questions do you want to ask each character?
Sort the questions according to the expertise of each character. The children can then use the skills of each character as they answer the questions throughout the unit.
Godfrey will help you with questions about the links between sacred text and the belief that harvest celebrations are about giving thanks to God.
Phil will help you with big questions about the values connected to harvest festivals and choices about whether to help those in need.
Sally will help you with questions about describing the features of harvest festivals and diversity of practice.
Throughout the Quest
Keep referring to the key questions and exploring the concept of being thankful/grateful.
Although you will be talking about countries abroad where the harvest has failed and food is scarce it is important to remember that there is food poverty in the UK. Some sensitivity will be required if you have children in your class who are facing this challenge. If your school is in a rural area, then you may have children from farming families who are experiencing a poor harvest. There are people with no particular faith commitment who celebrate the harvest because it it’s a traditional part of rural British culture.
The Quest Begins
Your Direction of Travel
Variety and source of foods – celebrating the harvest – helping those whose harvest has failed – Jewish Sukkot.
First Pathway – Where does our food come from?
Explore
Show the children three different selections of food from your kitchen cupboards:
• a few items that have, if possible, been sourced locally or are definitely from the UK eg. eggs, milk, potatoes, jam
• items that, although you bought them locally, are actually sourced from all around the world eg. fruit, rice, tuna, coffee, tea, spices.
• finally, a few items that may have been made and produced in the UK but traditionally come from another part of the world eg. curry sauces, pizza, Edam cheese, noodles
Wow! What an amazing variety of food God has provided for us. He could have just made porridge for us to eat!
Our food is harvested all around the world and the Harvest Festival is all about celebrating God’s good gifts to us.
Have a tasting session and give pupils an opportunity to try something new. Taste several varieties of the same fruit eg. apples. Do all apples taste the same? (Be aware of allergies and special dietary requirements)
Talk about favourite foods, unusual foods and food eaten on special occasions.
This is an opportunity to ask parents or staff from diverse cultural backgrounds to bring some traditional cooked food into school to share with your class.
Don’t forget to take photos and record children’s comments in your class RE Scrapbook.
Create
Ask the children to bring into school clean labels from foods they have eaten. Display the labels and pictures of food around a world map. Join the food to the country of origin with string.
Milestone Marker
Pupils will be able to:
- talk about their own likes and dislikes and experiences.
Second Pathway – Why do people celebrate the harvest?
Show the children these paintings of traditional harvests in the past. They are easily found via a Google Image search.
A Golden Harvest by Gregory Frank Harris
The Harvest by Camille Pissarro,
The Gathering of the Harvest by Charles Philogene Tschaggeny
What is happening in these paintings? What are the people doing? Why?
How do farmers gather the harvest today? Have a look at pictures of modern farming machinery gathering the harvest around the world and include fishermen harvesting the sea.
Follow on by showing the children this piece of artwork. What do they think is happening here? What are the people doing? How are the people feeling?
Celebrating Rich Harvest Artist: Wang Xiuyun
It is a celebration of the harvest.
Why do people celebrate the harvest?
Why is the harvest so important?
Record the children’s comments and ideas in your class RE Scrapbook.
People of all faiths and worldviews celebrate the harvest.
Reflect
People harvest food around the world and share it? Or do they?
Does everyone have enough to eat?
Discuss
Move on to discuss with the children that harvest time is an opportunity to think about how usually the harvest in the UK is plenty but in other countries the harvest often fails.
The harvest round the world varies greatly. Why?
If the harvest fails what happens to the people?
How can we help the people who live in places where the harvest has failed?
Why has their harvest failed?
Record discussion in your class RE Scrapbook.
Why should we help those who do not have a good harvest?
Record discussion in your class RE Scrapbook.
Discover
What does the Bible say?
Jesus taught us to love one another. He said “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35
In the book of Acts, we read that the first groups of Christians shared everything they had with each other.
”All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another. They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed.”
Acts 2:44-45
The Bible tells Christians to love and to share.
Faith in Action
There are Christian people working for many different organisations supporting people living in places where the harvest has failed. These people are putting their faith into action. They are showing how their beliefs impact on the way they live their lives.
Their faith is being expressed through their work helping others.
Each year Christian Aid produces excellent materials to use at harvest time.
Tearfund and CAFOD also supply free resources for exploring how the success and failure of the harvest affects people’s lives.
There are many ingenious ways farmers are being helped and taught how to alter their methods of farming eg. floating gardens, ducks, worms and kitchen gardens.
There will be lots of ideas, conversations, photos, artwork etc. to record in your class RE Scrapbook.
Milestone Marker
Pupils will be able to:
- talk about what the purpose of a harvest festival is.
- talk about what the Bible says about celebrating the harvest and sharing with others.
- express their own thoughts and opinions.
- talk about Christian charities helping those in need because their harvest has failed.
The Judaism Pathway – How do people of Jewish faith celebrate the harvest?
(2 lessons)
Explore the Jewish festival of Sukkot and have fun building a Sukkah shelter.
Remember to take photos.
In accordance with the laws laid out in the Book of Leviticus each year when all the harvest is gathered in, the festival of Sukkot is celebrated.
As well as celebrating the good gifts of the harvest and God’s yearly provision, the festival of Sukkot is a time to remember the Exodus. Moses led the people out of Egypt to freedom. They then lived in makeshift shelters the wilderness for 40 years. During that time God provided for them.
Remembering this event in their history is very important to the Jewish people.
Story
Tell the story of the people of God being rescued from slavery in Egypt. They crossed the Red Sea and camped in the desert. While they were in the wilderness God fed them with manna and quails.
Lion Storyteller Bible The Great Escape page 32.
Exodus Story
Discuss
Talk about remembering important times in our lives and the things we do at times of celebration to remind us of other special times in history eg. certain foods, dances, looking at photos, decorations etc.
Create
Build a Sukkah shelter. Indoors or outdoors.
Decorate your Sukkah with real, plastic, papier-mâché or salt dough fruits. Use pictures of Jewish symbols, such as the star of David or Menorah and pictures of Jewish families in a Sukkah. Make a roof of leaves and branches, real or paper! Leave spaces so that you can see the sky.
Throughout the week of Sukkot Jewish families gather to chat and eat meals in the Sukkah. Give each child an opportunity to sit in the Sukkah and have a drink and a biscuit.
Recommended story Sammy Spider’s First Sukkot by Sylvia A Rouss ISBN 9781580130837.
Think about
Imagine what the festival of Sukkot and building the Sukkah must feel like for the Jewish children.
Record in your class RE scrapbook, don’t forget to take photos
Look at these two artefacts from the Jewish Museum in London.
https://jewishmuseum.org.uk/schools/asset/sukkah
https://jewishmuseum.org.uk/schools/asset/model-sukkah
Milestone Marker
Pupils will be able to:
- talk about the Jewish festival of Sukkot and why Sukkah shelters are built.
Pause at the Checkpoint.
Review – What have you discovered so far?
Reflect – Have you reached any of the Milestones yet?
Revise – What more do you need to find out? Where do you need to go next?
Refresh – Do you need any additional resources to move forward?
Record – Is your learning journey up to date?
At this Checkpoint identify the Th, Ph and HSS questions you have answered so far and what you are going to ask next.
The Quest Continues
Your Direction of Travel
Pongal – being part of the school’s harvest festival
The Hindu Dharma Pathway – How is the harvest celebrated in parts of India?
A Hindu Harvest Festival – Pongal
Pongal is a Hindu Harvest Festival mainly celebrated by Tamil communities in South India.
The festival is in January, lasting 3 – 4 days when the rice and sugar cane is harvested. Pongal is the name of a sweet rice dish and the word Pongal means to spill or overflow.
During the festival new earthenware pots are filled to the brim with Pongal and boiled until they overflow. This symbolises abundance and prosperity. There is great rejoicing and thanksgiving offerings of Pongal are made to the sun god Surya and Lord Indira, god of the rain. Bonfires are lit, there is dancing and gifts are exchanged.
New clothes are worn and homes are cleaned and decorated. The women create Rangoli patterns with banana and mango leaves along with rice and rice flour. Cows are decorated as they pull the plough at planting and carry the harvest home.
Begin by showing the pupils lots of photographs of the Pongal celebrations, easily found using a Google image search. Ask the children if they can work out the ways in which the people are celebrating and giving thanks to the gods for the harvest.
Respond
A key element of the celebrations is the overflowing pot. Ask the children to draw the outline of an earthenware pot and fill it with words and pictures that describe things, people, feelings and situations that the children want their lives to be filled with. Emphasise that the items they put in the pot need to be objects, values and relationships that the children would want to be in abundance in their life and would give thanks for.
Record individually.
Milestone Marker
Pupils will be able to:
- talk about the festival of Pongal identifying similarities and differences between Christian, Jewish and Hindu harvest festivals.
- expressing their own values.
Fifth Pathway
Give the children the opportunity to help plan and take part in the school harvest festival service. (Liaison with the headteacher and clergy will be needed.)
The children can write and read prayers, make visual aids, choose songs, read out facts etc.
This will give them an opportunity to reflect on all that we have and give thanks to God for the harvest and all his good gifts to us in a very practical way.
Record with photos and children’s comments, prayers etc. in your class RE Scrapbook.
Pupils will be able to:
- talk about the harvest festival and express their ideas and feelings.
Check in at the Final Checkpoint.
The Final Checkpoint
Conclude the Quest
Reflect and give final answers to the Key Questions.
As individuals, groups or whole class ask the children to create a poster that celebrates the harvest. The poster should reflect the Christian and Jewish belief that the harvest is a gift from God and should be shared with everyone.
WAGOLL (What a Good One Looks Like)
Information for Teachers
Sukkot
This is the week long Jewish Harvest Festival which takes place in the Autumn. In English translations of the Bible it is called the Feast of Tabernacles. In Leviticus 23:39-44 the Jews are commanded to celebrate the feast after the completion of the harvest. They are to live in shelters or booths, as a yearly reminder that their ancestors lived in makeshift shelters in the desert when God brought them out of Egypt (Leviticus 23:42). So, as well as a celebration of the harvest it is a reminder of the Exodus.
The booth has to be covered with branches and leaves and decorated with fruits. It must not be completely covered so as to allow a glimpse of the heavens as a reminder of the presence of God, and as a sign of its impermanence.
In warm climates, devout Jews will live in the booth or Sukkah for the whole of the festival. In England, meals will be taken in the Sukkah (assuming it isn’t raining!) but on the first night of the festival they have to go into the Sukkah whatever the weather.
Before the meal a blessing is said:
“Blessed are you O Lord our God… who has commanded us to dwell in the Sukkah.”
If families have enough space, they will build a Sukkah in their garden. Some families may have a shed with a removable roof, when the roof is removed the structure is decorated to become the Sukkah. Children will be involved in hanging fruits and putting up pictures. Most, if not all, synagogues build a Sukkah for the whole community. In Israel, many of the flats are specially designed so that a Sukkah can be put up on the balcony and some Sukkah’s may be built in the street.
In the synagogue service to celebrate Sukkot, branches of palm, willow (arovot) and myrtle (hadasim) are waved in six directions: North, South, East, West and up and down to show that God rules everywhere. The collection of branches is called a Lulav. During the service people will carry a Lulav in one hand and a yellow lemon-like fruit called an Etrog in the other.
Synagogue members will bring gifts of fruit, cake and drink to take to the Sukkah for all to share.