Kindergarten Spring History — Calendar Time, Holidays Across Traditions, and Mapping Our Neighborhood
Lesson 8 25 min hist.gK.s.lesson_08

Hanukkah and Kwanzaa — two December-into-January celebrations

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students can identify Hanukkah and Kwanzaa as holidays celebrated by many families in late December and early January.
  • Students can name one tradition associated with each (Hanukkah: lighting menorah, dreidel game, latkes; Kwanzaa: lighting kinara, seven principles, family gathering).
Vocabulary
HanukkahKwanzaamenorahkinaradreidelprinciplecandle

Lesson plan

Warm-up

3 min

Daily Calendar Circle. Then: 'Today we meet TWO holidays — Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Both happen near the end of the year. Both use CANDLES. But they are different.'

Teacher moves
  • Show menorah (9 candles) and kinara (7 candles) side by side
  • Count candles together; notice the difference

Direct instruction

10 min

HANUKKAH is a Jewish holiday. It lasts 8 NIGHTS, and on each night families light a candle on the MENORAH. The story is about a small jar of oil that lasted 8 nights when it was only supposed to last 1. Listen to a small piece of Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. KWANZAA is a holiday many African-American families celebrate. It lasts 7 NIGHTS, with a candle lit each night on the KINARA. Each candle stands for a PRINCIPLE — a way of living together well. Listen to Seven Spools of Thread.

Key examples
  • Notice how lighting candles is the BIG tradition — and how the story is about a miracle of light.
    model Count to 8; explain the 9th candle (shamash) lights the others
    prompt Show menorah (9 candles — 8 nights plus the shamash helper)
  • Notice how each candle has its own meaning — 7 ways to live together.
    model Read aloud the 7 principles in child language (umoja=unity, kujichagulia=self-determination, ujima=working together, ujamaa=helping each other, nia=purpose, kuumba=creativity, imani=faith)
    prompt Show kinara (7 candles in red, black, green)
Checks for understanding
  • How many nights is Hanukkah?
  • What do the candles on the kinara stand for?
Sourcework
Source type
two picture books paired
Routine
Paired read-aloud -> compare/contrast the two candle holidays -> add both to Holidays-We-Share Wall
Details
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric A. Kimmel (1989) and Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Andrea Davis Pinkney (2000).
Media
M-K-S-CUL-08-A Manipulative Physical / non-image

Two ceremonial objects displayed side by side on a felt-covered tray. Menorah: 9-arm brass or pewter, candles unlit (or LED-flame). Kinara: 7-arm wooden, candles in red (3 left), black (1 center), green (3 right). Tray includes a 'count the candles' picture card: 8+1 for menorah, 7 for kinara. Safety note: NEVER light real candles in the K classroom — use LED flame inserts.

M-K-S-CUL-08-B Illustration
Reproduction of Andrea Davis Pinkney / Brian Pinkney cover — seven brothers of varying skin tones holding seven differen

Reproduction of Andrea Davis Pinkney / Brian Pinkney cover — seven brothers of varying skin tones holding seven differently-colored threads/spools, kente-cloth patterns in background. Title 'SEVEN SPOOLS OF THREAD: A KWANZAA STORY' in 2-inch warm orange against teal background.

Guided practice

7 min
Tasks
  • Play one round of dreidel with a partner using foil-wrapped chocolate coins (gelt)
    scaffold Dreidel-rules picture card showing the 4 Hebrew letters and what each means
  • Color a 7-spool craft sheet (one strand per Kwanzaa principle)
    scaffold Pre-drawn spools with principle-name in 24pt; child colors and labels one principle they like
Media
M-K-S-CUL-08-C Manipulative Physical / non-image

Set of 6 plastic or wooden dreidels (3 inches tall), each painted with Hebrew letters Nun, Gimel, Hey, Shin. Picture-cue card explains what each letter means in the game (Nothing / Get all / Half / Share one). 30 foil-wrapped chocolate coins (gelt) for tokens; allergen-free option also available.

Formative assessment

2 min
Exit ticket
  • Tell me one way Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are THE SAME. Tell me one way they are DIFFERENT.
scoring Both same + different = mastery; one = practicing; neither = re-teach

Closure

Moves
  • Add Hanukkah and Kwanzaa tiles to Holidays Wall
  • Preview: tomorrow we'll make a Holidays-We-Share book

Homework

5 min
Tasks
  • Ask a family member: 'Do we light any candles for special days?' Bring back the answer tomorrow.

Exercises in this lesson

hist.gK.s.cul.holidays_compare.ex_01
Pick TWO holidays from the Holidays-We-Share Wall. Tell me ONE way they are the SAME and ONE way they are DIFFERENT. Use the words...
 venn compare two holidays · diff 4

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Picture-card pairs for sorting (same/different)
  • Pre-printed 7-spool sheet
  • Bilingual books where available
Extensions
  • Find a third candle-holiday (Diwali) and add it to the comparison
  • Recite all 7 Kwanzaa principles
English Learners
  • Hebrew/Swahili word cards with English meanings
  • Echo-and-repeat key terms
Ieps 504s
  • Allow drawing instead of writing
  • Pre-paired same/different cards
  • Extended time

Teacher notes

Hanukkah dates shift each year (Jewish lunar-solar calendar) — anchor on the actual calendar. Kwanzaa is December 26 - January 1, always. NEVER LIGHT REAL CANDLES in a K classroom — use LED flames. Be careful with the dreidel game's gelt — check class allergens. Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are not the 'Jewish Christmas' and 'African Christmas' — that framing erases their distinct histories. Hanukkah is about religious freedom and the miracle of light; Kwanzaa is a cultural (not religious) celebration created in 1966 to honor African heritage and community values. Honor both as their own things.