The Seder meal
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what a Pesach Seder is and what each food on the Seder plate represents.
Key learning points
- The Seder meal is eaten as part of Pesach.
- Seder means order and the meal is eaten in a set format.
- The Seder plate contains symbolic items of food.
- Each item relates to a different part of the Exodus story.
Keywords
Seder - a special meal Jews eat during Pesach. It follows a set order, telling the story of how the Hebrews left Egypt
Exodus - the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt
Symbolic - something that represents a bigger idea or story
Common misconception
The order of the Seder doesn’t matter. You can do it any way you want.
The word “Seder” means “order,” and the Seder follows a special, set sequence. Each step and food is part of this order to help tell the story clearly and meaningfully.
Teacher tip
There are good online videos such as My Life, My Religion, that show Jewish families celebrating the meal. You may want ot use artefacts to bring this to life, or invite a Jewish visitor in.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What is the Torah?
Q2.What does the word “covenant” mean?
Q3.Who was chosen by God to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt?
Q4.Why do Jewish families use special dishes during Pesach?
Q5.What is the spice box used for during Pesach?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What does “Seder” mean?
Q2.Why do Jewish families dip parsley in salty water at the Seder?
Q3.What does the bone on the Seder plate represent?
Q4.The roasted on the Seder plate shows hope and new life.
Q5.The order of the Seder doesn’t actually matter.
To help you plan your 3 religious education lesson on: The Seder meal, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 religious education lesson on: The Seder meal, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 religious education lessons from the Pesach: How do Jews remember God's covenant? unit, dive into the full primary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.