Set Induction:
Share with children that today the class will be learning a story from the Torah. Activate background knowledge by supporting students as they think and discuss what stories and people they already know from this very special book for Jewish people.
Tell the story through dramatic, interactive storytelling.
A storytelling example (this is a guide, not a script, make this story your own an make sure to highlight the parts that are most interesting to your students). The story puts the songs in context! Children participate in story with motions and repetition:
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there was a man named Noah.
Walking in the park, hearing the wind in the trees (whoosh!), the birds singing (tweet!), the squirrels scampering (scampering sound), Noah heard his name, but no one was there!
Activity 1
Use the megaphone, say: “Noah!” God tells Noah: “It’s going to rain; you must build an
ark!”
Noah said to himself, “What’s an ark?” Discuss with children what they know about an ark.
Activity 2
Take
out the magical musical hammer and let each child take a turn at “building the ark", or
use bag of laminated tools. If you know it, sing "Noah Built the Ark by Ellen Allard" (link will be posted as soon as it is available).
Teacher Tips:
You might not want to give out tools unless you have one for each child… also it takes too long to sing the song if everyone has a different tool, so consider these challenges as you facilitate this experience.
With 2’s, pull a tool out of the bag and ask them what it is, practice the motion, then sing.
With 3’s and 4’s, ask if they can think of tools that Noah might have used, then pull the
picture out of the bag and put up for everyone to see. (This facilitates important skills such as grouping, sequencing and rhythm patterning)
Activity 3
Use the rain-stick to make rain sounds. Close eyes and listen; what does that sound like? Encourage the children to “make it” rain by sharing turns turning the stick(sensory experience).
Noah took his family onto the ark. He also brought animals on the ark, but he didn’t have
room for ALL the animals, so he brought two of each kind.
Activity 4
Give out arks and animals.
Sing Good Ol’ Noah. (Sequencing, animal sounds, fine motor skills)
To the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm, adapted by Lisa Baydush
*Consider using hebrew words for the animal’s names!
Lyrics:
Good ol' Noah built an ark ‘cause God said it would rain;
And on that ark he took two cows* who moo'ed everyday.
They mooed here, and they mooed there,
They mooed and mooed and mooed everywhere!
Repeat with animals and sounds suggested by children
*replace with other animals and sounds
End song:
Good ol' Noah built an ark 'cause God said it would rain,
It rained and rained and rained and rained til the sun came out one day!
So Noah opened the door of the ark and the animals rushed out…
The cows went there and the horses went there and the sheep went
there and the frogs went there and the monkeys went there… etc.
Good ol' Noah waved goodbye, “Shalom, shalom, shalom!”
Continue with the story:
After 40 days, the sun came out and Noah opened the door of the Ark and the animals went all over the earth.Take out rainbow boa and hold it over their heads. Ask what it looks like. Noah saw a rainbow in the sky! Then wear it around your neck.
Activity 4:
Rhythm dance with Rainbow Ribbons:
Choose a song from this list, or choose your own favorite that aligns with the concepts in the lesson:
Noah!
Take out rainbow ribbons and give one to each child. Tell the children that the rainbow filled the world with color. Practice fluttering the ribbons in the air over heads. (Gross motor skills) Play a song and encourage to move around the room, waving their ribbons and their bodies the way the music moves, to the beat.
Collect the ribbons and ask children to be seated. Discuss with children what the significance of the rainbow. Discussion Questions may include:
- What words can you use to describe a rainbow?
- How do you feel when you see a rainbow?
- How do you think Noah and his family felt when they saw the rainbow?
Conclude the discussion by explaining that the rainbow was a way for God to show God's promise to never flood the earth again.
Summarizing Activities:
Choose a storybook from the literature connections, below, to explore the story and characters again.
Dramatic ReTell:
Encourage children to using the props that were utilized in the initial sharing of the story (megaphone, rainstick, animals, etc.) to present the story to another classroom or community members.