Hanukkah Toy StoryLesson: Objective 3 (5.10) (I) find similarities and differences across texts such as in treatment, scope, or organization

Grade 5 (TX)

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It is that time of the year when Hanukkah is celebrated. It is also the season of Fall.

In today’s lesson you will be required to find similarities and differences across texts such as in treatment, scope, or organization.

You will have to compare and show how two passages are alike or how they differ.

For this reason, you will be required to read two passages at a time.

These are called paired selections.

You will have to compare the following parameters:

Main idea, subject and setting, characters, plot, conflict,

and organization.

Introduction

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Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah in some parts of the world, is celebrated by the Jewish community.

Hanukkah starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. This means, this year, it starts on December 1 and ends on December 9.

This festival has its origins in the second century BC. It is a very happy time, marked by the lighting of a special candelabra.

A dreidel is a four-sided top bearing the Hebrew letters nun, gimel, he,  and shin, one on each side. It is used chiefly in a children's game traditionally played on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

Introduction

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1. The toy store owner had enjoyed his breakfast of pancakes. He hummed as he prepared to open his store. The December morning was cold. He loved the quiet moments of the morning. These days his store was crowded with a rush of noisy children, from the time the store was opened until the minute he closed it for the night.

2. To the storekeeper, it was all quiet. That was because his ears couldn't hear the awful ruckus that many of the toys were making as they sat on the shelves. The sounds that toys make are not the kind of sounds that human people can hear.

3. These toys were no exception: the dolls were all showing off their dresses, their hair, or their shoes. The games and puzzles all tried to look very intelligent and air their knowledge as they lay in their boxes: they tried to use long words that no one would understand. And many of the toys that were modeled after television cartoons bragged to all the rest about how they were the strongest, the cutest, the smartest, the most powerful, and other such silly boasts.

Feature # 1- Hanukkah Toy Story

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4. Finally, one of the toys looked over at a small wooden dreidel who was gazing quietly out of the window.

“Hey, Wood-head!” He sneered. “How come you're so quiet? No one is ever going to buy you unless you do something with yourself!”

Some other toys joined in and laughed at the quiet toy.

5. The dreidel spun around and looked at the others. “You may be prettier, shinier, and louder than me,” he

answered humbly, “but you probably don't know the meaning of the letters printed on each of my sides.”

6. “How can we?” exclaimed the Scrabble game on the same shelf. “Those aren't English letters!”

“No,” agreed the dreidel amicably. “You're quite right.

They're Hebrew.”

“Humph,” snorted a snooty little purple pony. “Do you know what they mean?”

Feature # 1 – Hanukkah Toy Story

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7. “Certainly,” replied the dreidel. “Each letter stands for a Hebrew word. Put the words together and they say, ‘Ness Gadol Hayah Sham’. In English it means, ‘A Great Miracle Happened There.’”

8. “A miracle?” asked one.

“Where?” quizzed another.

“What are you talking about?” asked a third. Now all were very

interested. All the toys were curious and clamoring to know more.

9. “It all started over two thousand years ago,” began the dreidel, “when a Syrian ruler named Antiochus wanted to get rid of the Jewish people. He tried to force them to give up their Jewish customs and beliefs. He ruined the temple in Jerusalem where they worshipped God, burned the Jewish Scriptures and killed many people who refused to worship his idols.

Feature # 1 – Hanukkah Toy Story

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10. “A brave Jewish priest named Mattathias and his five sons led a revolt. When Mattathias died, his sons continued to fight, and as they trusted in God, He led them into victory after victory. The motto on their flag was ‘Who Is like You Among the Gods, O Lord?’

The initial letters of these words were taken to form a surname for the family – the Maccabees.

11. “When Antiochus finally sent troops to wipe out the Jewish people completely, the Maccabees and all those with them fasted, read the Scriptures and prayed. Trusting in God, although there were not many of them, they won the battles against the large heavily armed Syrian armies. Judah and his men were finally able to march in Jerusalem and cleanse and restore the Temple.

12. “When they rebuilt the Temple, there was a great celebration for eight days, and it was determined that the Jewish people should observe this festival every year.

Feature # 1 – Hanukkah Toy Story

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13. “Every year at this time, the Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah— the feast of Dedication—by eating special foods, retelling the story, lighting candles, and playing with dreidels like me. Our four sides remind them of the miracle that happened so long ago in Israel – when God once again gave the Jewish people victory over a mighty army.”

14. The dreidel finished his story and there was silence among all the toys. The toy who had mocked the dreidel turned red and said,

“I - I - -I’m sorry I called you Wood-head. I - I --I guess you know some pretty important things. You're pretty important and clever, after all. I bet you'll get sold first!”

15. Just then, the very second that the storekeeper unlocked the door, two children bounced in and spoke to him about what they wanted. It all happened so fast that the dreidel only had time to look back at the other toys and wink, before he was put in a bag and given to the children to take home.

Feature # 1 –Hanukkah Toy Story

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Outside, the snow is softly falling

Through the wintry night,In the house, the brass menorahIs sparkling bright with candlelight.

Father lighted the candles for us,Like a torch the Shamash shone.Sis gave me a penny and a big top, A dreidel as it’s known.

Feature # 2 – Happy Hanukkah

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We children sat in a circle to listenTo stories of uniting Jews that told,Of the daring MaccabeesAnd the miracles of old.

Mother made the pancakes sizzle,Golden brown, they brought good cheer Gifts are waiting to be opened,Happy Hanukkah is here.

– Author Unknown

Feature # 2 – Happy Hanukkah

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Check Your Understanding1. Feature # 1 and Feature # 2 both have a similar and powerful

main theme. What is this theme?

a. toys and gifts b. Thanksgiving / Halloween c. the Maccabees d. Hanukkah

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Check Your Understanding2. What is the main difference between Feature # 1 and Feature

# 2?

a. one talks about a toy shop; two talks about celebrations at home

b. one talks about customers who are mainly children; two talks

the children in a family; c. one is a passage; two is a poem

d. one is about dreidel; two is about pancakes

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Check Your Understanding3. What is the setting of the two Features?

a. both are around a dining table in a candle-lit room b. # 1 is in a toy store; # 2 is in a house c. both are in a place of worship where a religious story is being told d. # 2 is in a toy shop basement; # 1 is in a house

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Check Your Understanding4. Who are the main characters in the two Features?

a. in Feature # 1 it is the Father; in Feature # 2 it is the store- keeper

b. in Feature # 1 it is the dreidel; in Feature # 2 it is the family members

c. in Feature # 1 it is the store-keeper; in Feature # 2 it is the Mother

d. in Feature # 1 it is the Maccabees; in Feature # 2 it is the youngest

member of the family

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Check Your Understanding5. Given below are certain items / people associated with

Hanukkah. Three of them feature in both # 1 and # 2. Which one of them is only featured once, and not in both?

a. dreidelb. Mattathiasc. pancakesd. candles

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Check Your Understanding6. Given below are some descriptions. Check the ones that are

common in both Feature # 1 and Feature # 2.

a. gifting a dreidelb. listening to stories of the Maccabees c. burning brass menorah d. giving a penny

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Check Your Understanding7. Fill in the blanks with the correct options. Make sure that these

options appear in both the features.

i. a food item enjoyed at Hanukkah is ……………………………………

(a) plumcake / (b) pancake / © pumpkin pie

ii. a custom practised at Hanukkah is ……………………………………

(a) ringing bells / (b) lighting candles © playing in the snow

iii. something gifted at Hanukkah is ……………………………. ........ (a) a stocking full of old pennies and candy / (b) a fairy doll / ©

a dreidel

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Check Your Understanding8. i. Is there a conflict faced by the characters in both the

features? (a) Yes / (b) No

ii. What is the conflict that the main character – the dreidel – faces

in Feature # 1?

a. other toys are teasing it b. it is sacred of getting old and uselessc. it hates being with the other good-looking and clever toys d. it is lazy and does not like being played with

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Feature # 3 – A Fall Poem1. “Come, little leaves,” said the blowing wind one day,

“Come o'er the meadows with me and play:Put on your dresses of red and gold – For summer is gone and fall days are cold.”

2. With new found freedom the leaves went a-dancing

Curtseying and tumbling, skipping and prancing, Floating gracefully to earth in the cool, crisp breeze,

As they threw themselves from the big old trees.

3. All the leaves in the fall came tumbling down, Dressed in scarlet and yellow, russet and brown,Leaves in the garden were swept in a heap, While trees were undressing ready for sleep.

– Author

Unknown

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Feature # 4 – The Anxious Leaf1. High up in a tree, a little leaf was sighing and crying. All leaves

often do this when a wind blows. A twig asked, “What is the matter, little leaf?” The leaf answered, “The wind just told me that one day it would pull me off and throw me down to the ground to rot.”

2. The twig told this to the branch on which it grew, and the branch told this to the tree. The tree heard it, rustled all over, and sent back word to the leaf, “Do not be afraid. Hold on tightly with all your inner strength and you do not have to go till you want to.”

3. So the leaf stopped sighing. Every time the tree shook itself, and stirred up all its leaves. The branches shook themselves, the little twig shook itself, and the little leaf danced up and down merrily, as if nothing could ever pull it off. It hung on with all its might. And so it grew all summer long, till October. When the bright days of fall came the little leaf saw all the leaves around becoming very beautiful. Some were yellow and some scarlet, and some striped with both colors.

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Feature # 4 – The Anxious Leaf4. It could not understand and asked the tree what it meant. The tree said, “All these leaves are getting ready to fly away,

and they have put on these beautiful colors because of joy.”

5. Then the little leaf began to want to go too, and grew very beautiful in thinking of it. Soon it was very bright in color. It saw that the branches of the tree had no bright color in them, and so the leaf said, “O branches! Why are you lead-color and we so golden?”

6. “We must keep on our work-clothes on, for our life is not done – but you have to wear holiday clothes, because you are ready to go,” said the branches.

7. Just then a little puff of wind came, and the leaf let go. The wind took it up and turned it over and over. It danced and whirled like a spark of fire in the air, and then it dropped gently down under the edge of the fence. It lay among hundreds of leaves thinking, how good inner strength was.

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Check Your Understanding9. The main theme is Feaure # 3 and Feature # 4 is:

a. colorsb. naturec. Falld. change

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Check Your Understanding10. What is the main difference between Feature # 3 and

Feature # 4?

a. Feature # 3 is a poem; Feature # 4 is a storyb. Feature # 4 is in verse; Feature # 3 is an essay c. Feature # 3 is a dialogue – a conversation between the wind and

the leaves; Feature # 4 is an excerpt from a diary d. Feature # 3 is a dialogue / conversation between the wind and

the leaves; Feature # 4 is a conversation between the leaves and

the tree

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Check Your Understanding11. Two of the descriptions below are featured only once (and not

in both the features). Which two of these feature with a single mention?

a. inner strength b. blowing wind c. dancing leaves d. work clothes and holiday clothes

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Check Your Understanding12. What conflict does the leaf feel in Feature # 4?

a. the leaf does not have a russet colored dress b. the leaf does not understand the wind’s language c. the leaf is anxious and scared to fall d. the leaf is shocked at the Tree’s advice

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Check Your Understanding13. Fill in the blanks.

i. there is a lesson to be learned about using one’s inner strength

from ……………………………………………………………… (a) Feature # 3 / (b) Feature # 4 / © both the Features / (d)

none of the Features

ii. the end lesson, that leaves have to change color and fall to the

ground, is evident from ………………………………………………..

(a) Feature # 3 / (b) Feature # 4 / © both the Features / (d) none of

the Features

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Check Your Understanding14. Discuss your favorite season and any celebration that goes

with it.

Summary

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Today you have learned about the traditions and history of Hanukkah, and also about Fall.

In today’s lesson, you learned to find similarities and differences across texts such as in treatment, scope, or organization. You have done this by reading paired selections.

GREAT JOB TODAY!