Religious Education

Autumn

The children will learn about how people help us in and around our families, school and community in both a secular and religious context. They will learn why light is important in everyday life (Hindu festival of Diwali and Jewish festival of Hanukkah). They will learn about how Christians show they are thankful for the natural world (Christian festival of Harvest). They will also learn about the Christian festival of Christmas.

Spring

The children will learn that there are different groups of people and that they belong to different groups and that religions welcome someone new through different ceremonies and that there are people who are in charge of a church. They will discuss things that are important to them and to Jesus. They will study the Easter story and what Jesus gave up for other people.

Summer

The children will learn about religious stories and be able to recount some of the elements in the stories. They will understand that different religions have special books and that there are special ones for children as well as adults as well as why they are important to people. They learn to recognise that life involves making choices between right and wrong. They will learn that there are rules set out in the special books that we live by.

Autumn

Signs and symbols
Signs and symbols in everyday life, the use of artefacts, symbolic behaviour.

The main symbols from each faith and their meaning:
Cross (Christianity), Wheel of Life (Buddhism), Aum (Hinduism), Star and Crescent (Islam), Menorah (Judaism), Khanda (Sikhism) Signs and symbols for Christians and Muslim

Christmas
Giving and receiving at Christmas. Story of the wise men. Significance of the gifts they gave. The purpose of giving gifts at Christmas. Invisible gifts. God’s gift of Jesus

Spring

Special Places
What do Christians do when they go to church? To discuss a visit to a church by class members and why it is an important place for Christians who attend church.

Easter
Why is Easter Important for Christians?
The excitement of Palm Sunday, the special feeling of the Last Supper, the sadness of the Crucifixion, the joy of the Resurrection.
‘Badger’s Parting Gifts’ by Susan Varley

Summer

Religious Leaders
The work of religious leaders within the community. Authority figures within their own lives. The role and work of, for example: Vicar/Priest/Minister/Pastor (Christianity), Rabbi
(Judaism), Granthi (Sikhism), Priest (Hinduism), Imam (Islam)

Easy questions – Difficult answers
The ultimate questions raised by the natural world.
People’s relationship with the natural world
Who is God? Why am I here? What is Good? What is Bad? Is Death The End?

Autumn

Children will learn to identify the key symbols of religion and what they mean for believers. They will know what Hindus teach their children about God.

and that in Hinduism, one God takes many forms. Children learn about different aspects of worship including a shrine and worship in a Hindu home as well as features of worship in a mandir. The festival of Diwali is examined, knowing about the significance of light and Rangoli patterns are created. Children compare some features of Christianity and Hinduism. The importance of Advent to Christians is explored and children learn how Christmas is celebrated in different countries.

Spring

Children will learn to understand what it means to belong to groups and how believers demonstrate commitment to a faith group. They look at Infant Baptism in the Christian church and compare this with the Hindu naming ceremony, Namkaran.

Children learn why and when Christians and Hindus feel it is important to share food, as well as the guidance for Hindus of types of food that can be eaten and why. Children will learn about Communion and the link to The Last Supper, leading on to the events of Holy week and the significance of why the resurrection is important to Christians.

Summer

Children review their own books and what makes a special book. They find out about the bible and why the Bible is important to Christians. They look at occasions that sometimes need courage and learn that Christians use the Bible to help them when they need courage as well as other guidance. Children learn about the special, sacred texts of Hindus, particularly the Bhagavad Gita and how it helps Hindus in their daily lives.

Pupils learn what happens at a Christian, non-secular and Hindu wedding comparing their similarities and differences. At the end of term, children recreate the preparation of and take part in a Hindu Wedding ceremony.

Autumn

During the autumn term children will learn about religious artefacts, look at Islam and how Muhammad (PBUH) affects the lives of Muslims today. They will also look at the ways in which people describe their understanding of a god.

Spring

In the spring term children will learn about religious acts and stories during the life of Jesus. They will focus on the meaning and the understanding of the stories.

Summer

In the summer term children will learn about other parts of Jesus’ life, rules that Christians follow, the 5 pillars of Islam and the significance of special places for religions.

Autumn

This term we look at rules that guide us in life and those of the Jewish and Christian religions. We study the 10 commandments found in the Old Testament and how these impact on Jewish people. We also consider their relevance to modern day living. We make a mini Torah scroll with 10 modern day rules for living. We look at Kosher and non-Kosher food and why Jews have rules for what they eat from day-to-day. We look at light as a symbol of hope and how significant it is to many different religions. Finally, we study advent and the meaning of Christmas.

Spring

In the spring term we concentrate on learning about key figures in the Jewish religion, in particular, the stories about Queen Esther and Moses. We continue then studying the Easter story and the main figure of Jesus as an important figure to Christians, especially during Holy Week. We finally compare the story of Passover and Easter to see similarities between them both.

Summer

During this term we look at the role of authority figures and the responsibilities they have in their jobs. The children write adverts for authority figures in different jobs. They plan interview questions in preparation for visits by a local vicar and rabbi. On two consecutive weeks they have these visits and get the chance to read out their questions about their roles and how they feel about having authority and responsibility. They then compare the two different jobs and see if there are any similarities or differences. The children move onto to looking at ultimate and non-ultimate questions. They explore the need for humans to find answers to questions about life and the universe and where they can get help from. If there is time, creation myths are explored leading on from the questions “How was the world made?”

Autumn

Children learn about the significance and impact of religious figures and personal heroes on their lives. They learn to describe a variety of ways of life and link these with people’s beliefs and teachings. With classmates, they discuss matters of right and wrong and to suggest answers which show understanding of moral and religious teachings. They carry out independent research, presenting their ideas imaginatively. During the latter part of the term, children learn how religious festivals are related to key figures, events and stories and how these are celebrated within families and religious communities.

Spring

Children are taught about the significance of a range of Bible stories in Christianity and how these can have a positive effect on our lives today. By looking at examples of old and new stained glass windows, they learn about the links between art and religion. Children have the opportunity to design and create a ‘stained glass’ panel which represents a Bible story of their own choice. In this unit, children learn to describe religious practises and their meanings and to understand symbols in religion. They learn the importance of personal reflections during times of stillness. Children discuss the life of Jesus and what role He might have in today’s society. They will be able to retell stories of the lives of some key religious people, and the significance of these in their own lives and in the lives of believers today. The main events of the Easter story are retold through the eyes of some of the main characters such as the disciples and high priest.

Summer

In this unit, children learn about the importance of respecting other people’s beliefs and traditions. They discuss the similarities and differences between Christian and Muslim gods and how they are worshipped and learn the names of some Hindu gods and what they represent. Through discussion, children begin to identify changes that can be made in our own lives in order to help resolve problems in the world. Linking to our work on sustainability, children begin to understand the word belief and why these are important to people. They learn about Christian beliefs, in the relationship between humans, their environment and other living creatures.