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������̳ Teach > School Radio > Assemblies and Collective Worship
KS1 audio: Something to Think About / KS2 audio: Together

Programme content:

Interview: with a Jewish family as they prepare for Sukkot by building and decorating their ‘Sukkah’.
Song: ‘The building song’ (Come and Praise 1, no 61). Verses 1 and 2 only.
Story: Escape from Egypt by Sue Reid.
Reflection: On why it’s good to give thanks for all the things that we have and remember those who do not have the same.

Pre-programme questions:

• Have you heard of the festival of Sukkot? What do you know about it?
• Have you ever been camping, spending time in a tent? What are the good things about camping and are there any less enjoyable aspects?
• Would you like to live in a tent for years or is it good to come home at the end of a camping trip?
• Can you think of three things that it is good to stop and think about and give thanks for?

Story synopsis:

The story begins in Egypt late at night. Ishmael, the son of an Israelite slave, overhears his father telling the other men that tonight Moses will lead them from Egypt to the ‘Promised Land’. Unknown to them he had slaughtered a sheep and daubed some of it’s blood on the door post earlier that day. He told them it would keep them safe. The others didn’t understand, but it soon it would become clear…

The Israelites are excited to be free, but after days of trudging in the wilderness they become weary and question Moses’ faith that they will reach the ‘Promised Land’.

As they reach a sea suddenly, in the distance, they see Egyptians soldiers chasing after them. They are stuck with nowhere to go. Then, Moses raises his staff and the waves before them roll back, revealing a path to safety between two great walls of water…

After the story:

• In the story the Jewish people are slaves in Egypt. What is a ‘slave’ and how does slavery differ from having a job?
• How many times had Pharaoh promised to let the Jewish slaves go? Why do you think he didn’t keep his promise?
• What happened at the end of the story? How did Moses lead his people to safety even though the Egyptians on horseback had caught up with them?

Follow-up activities:

• Imagine that you are one of Pharaoh’s slaves. What do you think your life would be like? What would your daily activities be? How early would you start work? How long would you work? Imagine your thoughts in the few moments before you sleep and write these down as your reflections on your life as a slave.

• Working in groups of three or four improvise a scene where Moses asks Pharaoh for the seventh time to let his people go free. One of you will be Moses and another Pharaoh. What will he say to them about the situation? In your drama, how will you show the power and wealth of Pharaoh? How will he talk to Moses and to his own advisors?