Boredom is the enemy of education. These resources aim to give students an engaging, fun way into topics that are relevant to their lives, including awkward ones like sex education, and informing about issues that are shaping the world and their future. My hope is that they help be an effective tool to the teacher to wake up a hunger for knowledge in students, and that everyone in the classroom would have a more enjoyable and enriching experience because of their use.
Boredom is the enemy of education. These resources aim to give students an engaging, fun way into topics that are relevant to their lives, including awkward ones like sex education, and informing about issues that are shaping the world and their future. My hope is that they help be an effective tool to the teacher to wake up a hunger for knowledge in students, and that everyone in the classroom would have a more enjoyable and enriching experience because of their use.
A scheme of work which covers the causes of war, how it is justified politically and religiously, nuclear war, pacifism, north korea, 9.11 and terrorism, with an opportunity for an creative and analytical assessment.
I've tweaked, modified and re-vamped these resources to maximise engagement and learning for 2018.
This is a lesson that focusses on the FBV of tolerance and mutual respect. It looks at worldwide variations in family structures, gender and religion. It encourages students to see their ideas of ‘normal’ (i.e. in France they drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road) as simply another way to do things. Hopefully without slipping into complete relativism, students are encouraged to question, develop and refine their opinions rather than give any opinions up all together. Learning objectives include:
Does culture affect what is ‘normal’?
How and why does culture affect religion, gender and family?
Extension: Does the information in this lesson change how you think about your own norms and values?
Tasks are differentiated by outcome, with group learning carousel, whole class discussion, and individual tasks all incuded. Questions become increasingly high level as they go on. Suitable for KS3-5. With some simplification it could work with KS2, but it would take some work to do so. It includes in the powerpoint slides to print out with the information on the case studies and a document about the many different forms of Islam in the world, and how culture affects religion. (As an aside, I could have chosen any religion. Christianity has 40 000 types!)
This lesson aims to explore the seder meal with students, and includes the necessary information to run your own mini seder meal in the classroom if you so choose. It is part of a scheme of work where students create a booklet about Judaism, and hence one of the objectives is about creating the relevant chapter of that booklet.
Objectives include:
To know what Seder is, and the main signs and symbols that are used
To prepare for Project Chapter 5
To think about the importance of Festivals in our own lives
There are differentiated activities in this KS2-3 resource, and ideally there would be some role play that the powerpoint and teacher would facilitate with groups of 6. Lesson plan, song, youtube links and powerpoint iuncluded. Enjoy!
11 Lessons, including an assessment, covering:
Causes of War
The Just War Theory
Christian and Muslim Attitudes to War
Jihad (comparison with the Just War Theory)
Nuclear War
Terrorism and War
Independent Research Task
The Sanctity of Life
The Iraq War and Refugees
Assessment
This bundle includes worksheets, videos, presentations, assessment, starters, plenaries and everything you should need to teach this fascinating topic of Peace and Conflict. There's plenty here (hence the size of some of the presentations) so space for trimming slides and activities out. Feedback gratefully received.
A lesson to explore the psychological, social and environmental causes of crime. It includes youtube clips, 'a recipe for a criminal', and other creative activites that become increasingly challenging. A well differentiated lesson that is fun to deliver.
Lessons include:
What are the possible causes of crime?
How do environmental, social and psychological factors influence crime?
What do you think are the main causes of crime and why?
This resource is intended to facilitate independent inquiry and a choice of activity. Students should pick an activity and go through it, so this lesson works well with computers/iPads to access the resources attached which include video clips. There are also religious opinions and quotes to the environment, facilitating SMSC, RS, PHSE and Citizenship targets being met, and the lesson can of course be teacher led too. I usually give students 10-15minutes to feedback to the class what they found out.
A resource to help explore and counter Islamophobic rhetoric in schools, which is sadly increasingly common. This lesson includes individuals and philosophies in Islam which have been profoundly positive in their influence on society, including nobel prize winners, human rights activitists, politicians, charitable donations and international charities. Differenatiated, independent learning activities and links to youtube videos all included.
Learning questions are as follows:
Does Islam make any positive contributions to the world? (Level 4)
What are some of the reasons Muslims contribute positively to the world? (Level 5-6)
“Islam a force for good in the world” Do you agree? (Level 5-6)
This lesson is a Philosophy for Children lesson, supported by activities and pictures to try and get young people to engage with the huge injustice and personal loss of the Holocaust. It involves getting students to enquire into each others lives using the medium of their shoes: trying to be detectives (in a Sherlock deduction method sort of way). What can we tell about a person from a shoe? Very little. Yet this is all we have left of many human stories from the Holocaust, all 6, 258, 673 Jews and 3 million others. Its an attempt to get students to emote and empathise with the fact that each of those numbers is a person with a full story.
Learning Questions include:
The Holocaust-
What was it?
How many people died?
Why are we learning about it?
More detailed instructions on the P4C exercise included.
A lesson that explores what Humanism is, including descriptions, embedded videos, exploration of controversy surrounding Richard Dawkins and independent learning activities and discussions. Also, for the creatives out there, an extension which involves writing a rap.
Learning questions include:
What is Humanism?
What do Humanists believe?
What are the challenges of believing in Humanism?
Extension: Is Humanism a religion?
This is intended to help students explore and think with nuance about Humanism, the role of religion in the modern world (if indeed it has any), and is differentiated in its tasks: each question gets increasingly difficult and there are differentiated targets for video clips and activities.
An introductory lesson, including a debate ("Capital Punishment should be reintroduced to the UK"), about Capital Punishment. It covers the following objectives, mainly from a secular viewpoint although including some Christian views:
What is Capital Punishment?
What are the arguments for and against it?
What do YOU think?
It includes a youtube video, gap fill exercise, debate and evaluation writing exercise. Students are always engaged with this topic area.
A lesson to explore the six aims of punishment: protection, retribution, vindication, deterrence, reformation and reparation. It includes discussions on what crimes should receive what punishment, learning walks and written exercises which increase in difficulty. Writing scaffolding for paragraphs are included on the powerpoint, and it will help students studying religious studies, history and citizenship.
Learning questions:
What are the six aims of punishment?
Which is the most important?
8 Lessons on the environment and medical ethics including presentations, worksheets, information sheets and activities.
Including:
Environmental Issues
Religious Attitudes to Environmental Issues
Infertility Treatment, and Religious Attitudes
Organ Donation and Transplants
Religious Attitudes to Organ Donations and Transplants
Assessment
Its not the most polished of Schemes of Work, but its all there and space for you to personaliz e it.
Enjoy! :)
8-10 lessons on Medical Ethics, including religious teaching (Christian and Muslim) on various procedures that simply did not exist at the time of the formation of these major world religions. Clips, hyperlinks, presentations (ppt) articles and case studies are all included in the 18 files in this bundle. There are also a couple of cover lessons/film lessons if you happen to have a copy of Gattaca or 6th Day.
The topic includes:
Embryo Research
IVF
Surrogacy
Transplants and Transfusions
Genetic Engineering
Human Experimentation
Cloning
Saviour Siblings (briefly in the consolidation/revision session)
I hope it's all very helpful!
Feedback welcome,
David
p.s. Some DVDs on this topic (particularly My Sister's Keeper, Gattaca (and 6th Day to some extent) are good ones to invest in - you can buy these all on youtube)
Perfect for a form discussion or a PHSE/Citizenship lesson, this resource examines the investigatory powers act and gives students the opportunity to debate their opinions on mass surveillance. It also summarises human rights, and is designed to help develop students skills of critical thought and debate. It includes a short youtube video and SMSC objectives.
Learning Questions include:
What is the investigatory powers act?
Should the government be able to see all of our online data?
SMSC objectives met are:
To learn and discuss what is right and wrong and respect the law;
investigate moral and ethical issues and offer reasoned views.
To appreciate diverse viewpoints and resolve conflict.
A resource to explore what drugs are, their effects, and why people take them. It includes some videos (some KS3 appropriate, some KS4 appropriate) which are gritty without being disturbing. Also included here is a good 25 minute documentary about drug use filmed at Liverpool royal hospital which gives an excellent insight into the effect of drugs and addiction generally. If that's not enough, a couple of resources (pages 11-19 on the pdf) with information about specific drugs and their effects.
Learning questions include:
Drugs:
What are they?
Why do people take them?
What dangers are there?
What is the law regarding drugs?
How should we respond?
Great for PHSE, Religious Studies, Citizenship and Sociology
A differentiated activity with Marketplace, opinion line and video clip which explores these key questions:
What are new religious movements and cults?
What are the benefits and challenges of such movements?
Should these new religious movements be made illegal?
A Powerpoint and extensive word resource which has information on 8 of the world's new religious movements & cults.
A whole scheme of work on Religion in the UK, which includes a parallel SEND SOW as well. 30 files, including powerpoints, marketplace resources, videos, lesson plans and worksheets, as well as youtube links in the PPTs themselves. The links to the 2011 Census are included in the powerpoint notes so you can personalise your lessons to your locality, and Manchester is used as a case study in the multicultural segregation that occurs in cities (i.e. Muslims/Christians/Jews/Hindus/Sikhs congregate together.)
Six lessons in all:
1) Identity: What is 'Britishness' anyway? (challenging xenophobia)
2) Religion in the Stockport & Manchester
3) Humanism in the UK
4) Judaism
5) Religion in the UK
6) Islam in Manchester/Stockport
6b) Islam is good (anti-islamophobia)
7) 'Natural' spirituality: The Case study of Findhorn
8) Assessment (creative dialogue)
SEND:
6 lessons which follow the above but exclude Findhorn.
There is a prezi that comes with this lesson plan, the link for which can be found as a hyperlink in the lesson plan itself.
Or copy and paste:
http://prezi.com/m8egb_g7wt1d/religious-revolutionaries/
Religious leaders often seem able to draw on a well of internal strength that allows them to fight for - and sometimes die for - social justice. This resource is designed with an independent study phase so students can choose who they wish to study, which can be found in the PDF file.
Enjoy!
A selection of resources to help your school become a school of sanctuary: a place of safety and welcome for asylum seekers. The resources and activities will produce evidence you can use in your application to your local city of sanctuary group.
https://schools.cityofsanctuary.org/
:)
4 lessons, board games, role plays, documentaries, collated from City of Sanctuary, Resources made by me, Amnesty International, Oxfam and online reports. What more do you want? Free? Ok, free.
A second draft of a lesson attempting to explain and help students understand the unexplainable and shocking violence over the past couple of weeks in the UK.
As news unfolds about the london attack I'll add another update about the London attackers: for me understanding the nuanced reasons for these attacks is very important to prevent Islamophobia.
There are hyperlinks to videos etc. on many of the photos, and too much for an hour but plenty for you to pick and choose from depending on the needs of your students.
I hope it helps your students understand what has happened, even if it can never be justified, and help them figure out positive ways to respond.
Feedback GREATLY appreciated.