Rosh Hashanah Activities for ELA and Social Studies

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, gives students a meaningful way to learn about reflection, renewal, and Jewish traditions. For you, it can also be a way to introduce respectful conversations about holidays and culture.

These Rosh Hashanah activities use multimodal Newsela ELA and Newsela Social Studies resources to help students read, watch, discuss, and respond to thoughtful ideas. Use them to build background knowledge and bring more diverse perspectives into your fall lesson plans.

[Rosh Hashanah ELA activities for exploring meaning and reflection](id-ela)

Use these Rosh Hashanah activities to help students build background knowledge while practicing ELA skills like multimedia analysis, evidence gathering, and summarizing.

How can students analyze multimedia about Rosh Hashanah?

Students can analyze multimedia about Rosh Hashanah by comparing how a video and an article explain the history and traditions of the same holiday.

For this activity, have students start with a quick reflection about what they already know about Rosh Hashanah and how their families or communities mark the new year. Then, ask them to engage with the resources and take notes on each source’s message.

After they revisit both sources, ask students to highlight or record evidence that answers the focus question: “How and why do people celebrate Rosh Hashanah?” They can respond through discussion, a short written response, or another format that shows what they learned.

How can students summarize what they learn about Rosh Hashanah?

Students can summarize what they learn about Rosh Hashanah by naming the topic, choosing the most important details, and leaving out opinions. The activity is designed for Grades 3–5 to help them practice these important skills.

[Rosh Hashanah social studies activities for history and culture](id-ss)

Use these activities to help students explore what Rosh Hashanah means, how people celebrate it, and how the holiday connects to broader lessons about Judaism and religious traditions.

How do people celebrate Rosh Hashanah?

Students can explore how people celebrate Rosh Hashanah by looking at the holiday’s meaning, traditions, and connection to reflection and renewal. Start with a think-pair-share question, then have students engage with texts and resources, and finally discuss what the holiday celebrates and how communities observe it.

Use the final reflection to connect the activity to classroom community: Why is it important to learn about different religious holidays and traditions? How can you support classmates as they celebrate different holidays?

What other Judaism lessons connect to Rosh Hashanah?

You can extend Rosh Hashanah activities with lessons on Jewish American culture, Judaism, early Hebrew traditions, and comparative religions. These options work well when you want students to place one holiday in a broader historical or cultural context.

Social studies lesson extensions

Related Judaism lessons to extend Rosh Hashanah learning

Use these lessons when students are ready to learn more about Jewish culture, history, traditions, and connections across world religions.

Lesson	Use it to explore	Sample content
Jewish American Culture and Traditions	Jewish American culture, history, holidays, and traditions	A History of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year A History of Passover The History of Hanukkah
Judaism	Judaism’s history, holidays, diaspora, and branches	What is a bar mitzvah, and how has the Jewish rite of passage evolved? Diaspora of the Jewish people The branches of Judaism
The Beginnings of Judaism	How Judaism developed from early Hebrew traditions and beliefs	Hebrews and the Land of Milk and Honey When did the major religions of the world truly begin? What is Judaism?
Judaism, Christianity and Islam	Abrahamic faiths, religious holidays, traditions, and customs	Comparing Judaism, Christianity and Islam A History of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year A Day In The Life: The Islamic World

Scroll left to right to see the full table.

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Go deeper with comparative religions

Extend the conversation with Newsela’s Comparative Religions course, which helps students explore Judaism alongside other major belief systems and contemporary religious issues.

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Cover more fall holidays in your classroom with Newsela

Rosh Hashanah is just one of many holidays celebrated during the fall. With the Newsela Learning Suite, you can bring in articles, primary sources, videos, and activities that help students learn about holidays through context and respectful discussion.

Use these Rosh Hashanah activities as a starting point, then keep building lessons that help students understand the histories, traditions, and perspectives that shape different communities.

Not a Newsela customer yet? Sign up for free and start your 45-day trial. You’ll get access to our premium content and activities for everything you need to teach about every holiday this fall.