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Features

A table of the eight nights: candles lit each night and the total so far
Growing patterns over eight nights: add a number each night, find the rule, double
Boxes of 44 candles: multiply with an area model, 40 and 4
Candle arrays and every way to put 36 and 44 candles in equal rows
Multi-step story problems with candles, latkes, doughnuts and gelt
Every page in color and in black and white
Answer keys included

Skills Covered

Add a running total in a table
Extend a pattern from its rule
Find a pattern's rule

Multiply a 2-digit number with an area model
Find every factor pair of a number
Solve multi-step story problems

About Hanukkah

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, lasts eight nights. On the first night two candles are lit: one for the night and the helper candle, the shamash, used to light the others. Each night one more candle is added, so all eight nights use 44 candles, which is why boxes of Hanukkah candles hold 44. In 2026 Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 4 and ends on December 12.

How to Use This Pack

Five pages built on the eight nights of Hanukkah. Page 1 is a table of the nights: students write the candles lit each night with the helper candle and the candles used so far, then answer three questions; the table reaches 44 candles. Page 2 has five growing patterns over the eight nights, from adding the same number each night to finding the rule and doubling. On page 3 a box holds 44 candles: students multiply boxes of 44 with an area model, 40 and 4, and add the parts. Page 4 shows 36 candles in arrays, then asks for every way to put 36 and 44 candles in equal rows. Page 5 has six story problems, most with two or more steps. The first problem on every page is a worked example.

In the Classroom

Start with a real box of Hanukkah candles, or a picture of one, and ask why it might hold 44. Build the first three nights with cubes to show one more candle each night plus the helper. For page 4, give pairs 36 counters to arrange in as many equal rows as they can find before they write the factor pairs.

At Home

Count the candles you light each night, if your family celebrates, and keep a running total. Ask how many candles are still in the box. Lay out 36 coins or buttons in equal rows together and see how many ways you find.

Tips for Success

Each night has one more candle than the night before, plus the helper
A running total adds each new night to the total so far
A pattern rule tells you what to do to get the next number
Break 44 into 40 and 4, multiply each part, then add
Factor pairs come in twos: if 4 rows of 9 works, so does 9 rows of 4

Common Core Standards Alignment

This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

3.OA.A.1 Understand a product as the total in equal groups, such as 4 × 6 meaning 4 groups with 6 in each.
3.OA.D.9 Spot patterns in addition tables, times tables and other arithmetic, and explain them with properties, like why multiples of 5 end in 0 or 5.
3.NBT.A.3 Multiply a single-digit number by a multiple of ten from 10 to 90, such as 4 × 70, using place value and properties.
4.OA.A.3 Solve multi-step story problems with whole numbers and all four operations, deciding what remainders mean, writing equations with a letter, and checking by estimating.
4.OA.B.4 For numbers 1 to 100, list factor pairs, spot multiples of one-digit numbers, and sort numbers into prime and composite.
4.OA.C.5 Make a number or shape pattern from a rule and notice features the rule does not say, such as terms switching between odd and even.
4.NBT.B.5 Multiply numbers up to 9,999 by one-digit numbers, and two-digit by two-digit numbers, with place-value strategies shown in equations, arrays or area models.

Eight Nights of Hanukkah Math

3rd – 4th Grade

Hanukkah math built on the eight nights, when one more candle is lit each night: 44 candles in all with the helper candle. Students fill in a table of the nights, extend growing patterns, multiply boxes of 44 candles with area models, find every array of 36 and 44 candles and solve multi-step story problems.

Download PDF

What’s Included

5 worksheets in color and in black and white, with answer keys (15 pages)
The eight nights of candles in a table, and growing patterns
Boxes of 44 candles with area models, and arrays and factor pairs
Multi-step story problems

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