Bat Mitzvah and Bar Mitzvah
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how Jews celebrate becoming an adult with a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
Key learning points
- Some religions mark becoming an adult with a ritual or ceremony.
- Bar and Bat Mitzvah are special celebrations when children become responsible for following Jewish rules, like adults.
- Girls have it at 12, and boys at 13; that’s when they become part of the grown-up Jewish community.
- Different Jewish groups celebrate these life events differently.
Keywords
Bar Mitzvah - a special ceremony for Jewish boys when they turn 13 and become responsible like adults
Bat Mitzvah - a special ceremony for Jewish girls when they turn 12 and become responsible like adults
Adulthood - when a child becomes a grown-up and can make important choices
Ceremony - a special celebration to mark an important moment
Common misconception
Only boys have Bar Mitzvahs, and girls don’t have any special ceremony.
Both boys and girls have special ceremonies when they become responsible in Jewish tradition. In some Jewish groups, boys and girls celebrate a little differently, but both are very important and special!
Teacher tip
Use pictures or videos of both Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations to show pupils how boys and girls celebrate becoming adults in Jewish tradition. Discuss the similarities and differences. Invite a guest speaker to share their experience of Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is the Jewish symbol with six points called?
Q2.What special cap do some Jewish people wear?
Q3.What is the name of the Jewish celebration of light?
Q4.Jewish people and spend time with family on Shabbat.
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What happens at a Bar Mitzvah?
Q2.Only boys have a Bar Mitzvah, girls do not have a special ceremony.
Q3.What might a girl do at her Bat Mitzvah in an Orthodox community?
Q4.A synagogue is a place of where Bar and Bat Mitzvahs often take place.
To help you plan your 3 religious education lesson on: Bat Mitzvah and Bar Mitzvah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 religious education lesson on: Bat Mitzvah and Bar Mitzvah, 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 Rites of passage: How do communities mark growing up? unit, dive into the full primary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.