Hebrew and Judaic Studies Resources for Shavuot
Shavuot is right around the corner! We’ve collected a number of free resources for Judaic Studies and the Hebrew language classroom that you can try out to teach about the holiday.
Educational Games
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Chag Shavuot has many names. Here is a game about the holiday’s names.
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Shavuot marks the receiving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. Here is a matching game in which students match between the Ten Commandments and their meaning in modern Hebrew.
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Ruth, a young Moabite widow, is celebrated during Shavuot. Here is a trivia game about Ruth.
Videos
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BrainPop Israel has two free videos for Chag Shavuot. This video teaches students about the counting of the Omer and how it relates to Shavuot, the seven species, traditions, and more. You can also play this video about Matan Torah and the events that took place after the exodus from Egypt. On the same platform you will find quizzes, lesson plans, and facts about the holiday. You can have students work on this independently in small groups.
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Expose your students to Israeli culture by showing them a video from Parpar Nechmad, a long-running Israeli children's television program. In this video the dolls and the moderators prepare for Shavuot and learn about the holiday - its names, characteristics, customary foods, and the seven species.
Ji Studio is an educational app. You can create anything from digital books to treasure hunts with this app for your students. In fact, it is also kid friendly and your students themselves can create games and posters with it! Ji Studio is easy for student use. Simply begin by typing in or selecting any text from the Tanach in Hebrew or in English. Students who are no yet typing in Hebrew can simply drag and drop a pasuk from the Book of Ruth or modern Hebrew words. Ji Studio also includes Shavuot themed photos, backgrounds, stickers, and biblical characters and for a personal touch, students can take pictures of themselves and add them to the app.
Rinat Levy-Cohen is an educational consultant for The Jewish Education Project where she plans and facilitates professional development for teachers.
