**GCSE Religious Studies: Philosophy and Ethics: Religion and Life
**
Lesson: What happens when we die? / What are the different beliefs about life after death?
This lesson is Lesson 7 in 'Religion and Life’, devised as part of a brand new, interleaved scheme of work for GCSE. It is intended as a double (roughly one and a half hours per lesson) however, due to time restrictions and the embedded support in the corresponding Work Pack, could also be taught in a minimal one hour.
This scheme of learning has been devised explicitly to support the Recovery Curriculum, interleave learning with previously-learned religious units (Christianity and Islam) and support cognition through interleaving techniques.
Although part of a unit, this lesson can also be taught as a stand-alone lesson, e.g. for revision. The corresponding Work Packs would also support a home-learned curriculum as the PowerPoints and Packs themselves include differentiation and scaffolding, where required.
The interleaved schemed of work are specifically designed to promote the two skills desired for success at GCSE:
AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding)
AO2 (Analysis and Evaluation)
The resources are specifically created to ensure students are aware of the skill they are demonstrating and how to improve further through modelling.
These new units bring the relevance back to our topics, for example, through thought experiments and reference to current affairs. Students will experience greater engagement and enjoyment in a fair and balanced approach.
Lesson includes:
Homework Slide
Unit Cover and lesson overview
Starter activity, including interleaving
Key words (literacy focus)
Introduction of key information (AO1 - knowledge) and how this is used (AO1 - understanding)
Introduction of a contentious issue or debate (AO2 - analysis) and finalised judgement (AO2 - evaluation)
Plenary
The Work Pack:
If you would rather work in exercise books, the Work Pack is designed so that you can print off relevant pages - it is a resource pack. This would be useful if you have appropriate curriculum time to cover the content of the course. Unfortunately, this is not the case across all schools, and therefore the Work Pack helps by providing time-saving activities, whilst still being able to cover the breadth and depth of the course.
In addition, students who may be limited by literacy issues, e.g. slower writing paces, are not disadvantaged or capped in their progress. Therefore, some classes could use a mixed approach - part Work Pack, part exercise book - and all students will be able to progress through the same volume of content.
Please give feedback: I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
Lesson: What is Charlie Hebdo?
This lesson is Lesson 3 in ‘Religion and the Media’ unit, devised as part of a brand new, relevant and engaging scheme of work for KS3. It is intended as a double (roughly one and a half hours per lesson) however, due to time restrictions and the embedded support in the corresponding Work Pack, could also be taught in a minimal one hour.
This scheme of learning has been devised explicitly to support the Recovery Curriculum, interleave learning with previously-learned religious units (Christianity and Islam) and support cognition through interleaving techniques.
Although part of a unit, this lesson can also be taught as a stand-alone lesson, e.g. for revision. The corresponding Work Packs would also support a home-learned curriculum as the PowerPoints and Packs themselves include differentiation and scaffolding, where required.
The interleaved schemed of work are specifically designed to promote the two skills desired for success at GCSE:
AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding)
AO2 (Analysis and Evaluation)
The resources are specifically created to ensure students are aware of the skill they are demonstrating and how to improve further through modelling.
These new units bring the relevance back to our topics, for example, through thought experiments and reference to current affairs. Students will experience greater engagement and enjoyment in a fair and balanced approach.
Lesson includes:
Homework Slide
Lesson overview
Starter activity, including interleaving
Key words (literacy focus)
Introduction of key information (AO1 - knowledge) and how this is used (AO1 - understanding)
Introduction of a contentious issue or debate (AO2 - analysis) and finalised judgement (AO2 - evaluation)
Plenary
Lesson Sheets:
If you would rather work in exercise books, the Work Pack/lesson sheets are designed so that you can print off relevant pages - it is a resource pack. This would be useful if you have appropriate curriculum time to cover the content of the course. Unfortunately, this is not the case across all schools, and therefore the Work Pack helps by providing time-saving activities, whilst still being able to cover the breadth and depth of the course.
In addition, students who may be limited by literacy issues, e.g. slower writing paces, are not disadvantaged or capped in their progress. Therefore, some classes could use a mixed approach - part Work Pack, part exercise book - and all students will be able to progress through the same volume of content.
Please give feedback: I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
**GCSE Religious Studies: Philosophy and Ethics: Religion and Life
**
Lesson: Are abortions acceptable?
This lesson is Lesson 5 in 'Religion and Life’, devised as part of a brand new, interleaved scheme of work for GCSE. It is intended as a double (roughly one and a half hours per lesson) however, due to time restrictions and the embedded support in the corresponding Work Pack, could also be taught in a minimal one hour.
This scheme of learning has been devised explicitly to support the Recovery Curriculum, interleave learning with previously-learned religious units (Christianity and Islam) and support cognition through interleaving techniques.
Although part of a unit, this lesson can also be taught as a stand-alone lesson, e.g. for revision. The corresponding Work Packs would also support a home-learned curriculum as the PowerPoints and Packs themselves include differentiation and scaffolding, where required.
The interleaved schemed of work are specifically designed to promote the two skills desired for success at GCSE:
AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding)
AO2 (Analysis and Evaluation)
The resources are specifically created to ensure students are aware of the skill they are demonstrating and how to improve further through modelling.
These new units bring the relevance back to our topics, for example, through thought experiments and reference to current affairs. Students will experience greater engagement and enjoyment in a fair and balanced approach.
Lesson includes:
Homework Slide
Unit Cover and lesson overview
Starter activity, including interleaving
Key words (literacy focus)
Introduction of key information (AO1 - knowledge) and how this is used (AO1 - understanding)
Introduction of a contentious issue or debate (AO2 - analysis) and finalised judgement (AO2 - evaluation)
Plenary
The Work Pack:
If you would rather work in exercise books, the Work Pack is designed so that you can print off relevant pages - it is a resource pack. This would be useful if you have appropriate curriculum time to cover the content of the course. Unfortunately, this is not the case across all schools, and therefore the Work Pack helps by providing time-saving activities, whilst still being able to cover the breadth and depth of the course.
In addition, students who may be limited by literacy issues, e.g. slower writing paces, are not disadvantaged or capped in their progress. Therefore, some classes could use a mixed approach - part Work Pack, part exercise book - and all students will be able to progress through the same volume of content.
Please give feedback: I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
Revise GCSE Religious Studies using these differentiated Tarsia puzzles. There are three puzzles for each unit (18 tarsias in total) in the Themes section of the course:
Relationships and Families
Religion and Life
Existence of God and Revelation
Peace and Conflict
Crime and Punishment
Human Rights
Each unit has an easier (hexagon), medium (triangle) and difficult (hexagon) ability level, for you to build up your students’ skills or to challenge different groups.
All resources can be downloaded as PDFs to print out with the whole solution on a page or with the pieces printed larger across multiple pages.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This revision lesson aims to review Human Rights and Social Justice for GCSE Religious Studies. The accompanying PowerPoint gives guidance and goes through the answers with the students, providing modelled written responses, where relevant.
It is created with the AQA GCSE in mind, though is adaptable across specifications.
The PowerPoint includes:
Key Words
Human Rights and Social Justice
Religious Expression
Discrimination from Religion
Discrimination of the Religious
Wealth and Poverty
Responsibility of the Poor
The activities are a collection of time-saving revision activities that minimise writing, making the lesson suitable for all learners. Answers are also embedded into the PowerPoint via attractive and engaging animations.
The learning mat is one-sided A3 (Word) and A4 (PDF) and correspond with the work on the PowerPoint. All resources are available in their original Microsoft Word format, though can be downloaded as PDFs too, for compatibility purposes.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
**GCSE Religious Studies: Philosophy and Ethics: Human Rights and Social Justice
**
This unit, ‘Human Rights and Social Justice’, is devised as part of a brand new, interleaved scheme of work for GCSE. Individual lessons are intended as a double (roughly one and a half hours per lesson) however, due to time restrictions and the embedded support in the corresponding Work Pack, could also be taught in a minimal one hour per lesson.
What are Human Rights?
How do people express their beliefs?
Should people express their beliefs openly?
How are religions discriminated against?
Do religions discriminate?
How are humans exploited?
How should wealth be earned and spent?
Who is responsible for the poor?
This scheme of learning has been devised explicitly to support the Recovery Curriculum, interleave learning with previously-learned religious units (Christianity and Islam) and support cognition through interleaving techniques.
Although part of a unit, lessons can also be taught as a stand-alone lessons, e.g. for revision. The corresponding Work Pack(s) would also support a home-learned curriculum as the PowerPoints and Packs themselves include differentiation and scaffolding, where required.
The interleaved schemed of work are specifically designed to promote the two skills desired for success at GCSE:
AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding)
AO2 (Analysis and Evaluation)
The resources are specifically created to ensure students are aware of the skill they are demonstrating and how to improve further through modelling.
These new units bring the relevance back to our topics, for example, contentious debate on the pandemic, the genocide of the Uighur Muslims and other cruccurrent affairs. Students will experience greater engagement and enjoyment in a fair and balanced approach.
Lessons include:
Homework Slide
Unit Cover and lesson overview
Starter activity, including interleaving
Key words (literacy focus)
Introduction of key information (AO1 - knowledge) and how this is used (AO1 - understanding)
Introduction of a contentious issue or debate (AO2 - analysis) and finalised judgement (AO2 - evaluation)
Plenary
The Work Pack:
If you would rather work in exercise books, the Work Pack is designed so that you can print off relevant pages - it is a resource pack. This would be useful if you have appropriate curriculum time to cover the content of the course. Unfortunately, this is not the case across all schools, and therefore the Work Pack helps by providing time-saving activities, whilst still being able to cover the breadth and depth of the course.
In addition, students who may be limited by literacy issues, e.g. slower writing paces, are not disadvantaged or capped in their progress. Therefore, some classes could use a mixed approach - part Work Pack, part exercise book - and all students will be able to progress through the same volume of content.
Please give feedback: I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This revision lesson aims to review Religion and Life for GCSE Religious Studies. The accompanying PowerPoint gives guidance and goes through the answers with the students, providing modelled written responses, where relevant.
It is created with the AQA GCSE in mind, though is adaptable across specifications.
The PowerPoint includes:
Key Words
Creation
Science and Creation
Stewardship and Dominion
Animal Rights
UK Law on Abortion/Euthanasia
Abortion and Euthanasia arguments
Life After Death
The activities are a collection of time-saving revision activities that minimise writing, making the lesson suitable for all learners. Answers are also embedded into the PowerPoint via attractive and engaging animations.
The learning mat is one-sided A3 (Word) and A4 (PDF) and correspond with the work on the PowerPoint. All resources are available in their original Microsoft Word format, though can be downloaded as PDFs too, for compatibility purposes.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This thorough and interactive revision lesson on the topic of ‘Christian Moral Action / Practices’ (in the Developments in Christianity / Theology) section of the course helps learners to revise both AO1 and AO2, in line with the specification requirements. The lesson PPT and resources can be downloaded as both a PPT document and a PDF, for compatibility.
Activities include card sorts, fill in the blanks, video tasks, true/false quizzes and more!
This lesson specifically follows the requirements of the OCR A Level Religious Studies Spec, though they can be edited easily for other specifications. They explore appropriate AO1 (knowledge and understanding) followed by AO2 (analysis and evaluation), culminating in exam practise with a choice of four essay titles.
The lesson itself can be both teacher-led and used as a revision resources for at-home learning. It is a versatile resources for both class and home.
The teaching and example of Dietrich Bonhoeffer on:
Duty to God
o Obedience
o Leadership
o God’s will
Duty to the state
o Justification of civil disobedience
Church as community
o Confessing Church
Church as source of spiritual discipline
o Finkenwalde
Cost of discipleship
o Costly Grace
o Sacrifice and suffering
o Solidarity
o Analysis and evaluation (AO2) relating to:
Whether or not Christians should practise civil disobedience
Whether or not it is possible to always know God’s will
Whether or not Bonhoeffer puts too much emphasis on suffering
Whether or not Bonhoeffer’s theology has relevance today
o Exam practise questions
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
Phillipa Foot’s ‘Trolley Problem’ has been mystifying students of Ethics since 1967.
Play ‘Track Junction’ to decide who lives and who dies, battling 108 different characters off against one another, with a further 108 contexts to add to your character!
Winners are decided by the quality of argument posed by each team. Collect the tokens to win the game!
There is an additional layer of rules for A Level players, who can use this game to revise Ethical Theories - Kantian Ethics, Utilitarianism, Situation Ethics and Natural Law.
Please give feedback! Any hints, tips or otherwise are more than welcome, after all, that’s what the education world is about!
This resource is for revision and exam preparation. It is based on the topic-by-page programme I do with my students.
Each topic comes with knowledge (AO1), questions to develop understanding (AO1), questions to develop analysis and evaluation (AO2) and an essay-style question.
This resource is indented for the OCR AS/A Level specification, although it can be applied across specifications using alternative marking schemes.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This workbook is intended to cover approximately 10 hours of lesson time on the topic of: Evil. The workbook is intended for home-study or as homework to complement an existing unit.
Topics include:
What is evil?
What are moral evil and natural evil?
Where do we learn morality?
Accounting for evil
Story of Job
Has the idea of evil changed over time?
Case Study: Harold Shipman
There are a variety of knowledge, understanding and evaluation tasks throughout the workbook, including some research tasks.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This is a revision poster/sheet indented for independent study or revision for the whole unit on Ethics - both Year 12 and Year 13, as part of the OCR AS/A Level specification, although it can be applied across specifications. Document can be downloaded as an A3 Word document and as an A4 PDF, for compatibility.
Although quoting scholars is not entirely necessary, the need for “scholarly views” is clearly expressed on the mark scheme. In addition, quoting from well-known scholars also demonstrated key knowledge and understanding (AO1).
Created with the OCR RS AS/A Level in mind, though can be applied across specifications and qualifications.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This workbook is intended to cover approximately 10 hours of lesson time on the topic of: Happiness and Minfdulness - a combination of RS, Philosophy, PSHE and Ethics. The workbook is intended for home-study or as homework to complement an existing unit.
Topics include:
What is happiness?
The state of happiness (includes global happiness survey results)
The science of happiness
How do you measure happiness? (includes Betham, Mill, Buddhism)
What makes me happy? (includes myth of King Midas)
Happiness and the environment
Happiness and morality (includes Aristotle’s virtues)
Happiness and social media
There are a variety of knowledge, understanding and evaluation tasks throughout the workbook, including some research tasks.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This workbook is intended to cover approximately 10 hours of lesson time on the topic of: Who Was Jesus? - a combination of RS, History, Philosophy and Ethics. The workbook is intended for home-study or as homework to complement an existing unit.
24 page booklet in Word and PDF (for compatibility)
Topics include:
Who was Jesus?
What was life like in Ancient Judea?
The Romans & Crime and Punishment in Ancient Judea
The idea of the Messiah
Historical evidence for Jesus
Was Jesus a Moral Teacher (Teacher of Wisdom)?
Was Jesus a Political Liberator?
Was Jesus the Son of God?
Who was Jesus to you?
There are a variety of knowledge, understanding and evaluation tasks throughout the workbook, including some research tasks.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This resource is for revision and exam preparation. It is based on the topic-by-page programme I do with my students.
Each topic comes with knowledge (AO1), questions to develop understanding (AO1), questions to develop analysis and evaluation (AO2) and an essay-style question.
This resource is indented for the OCR AS/A Level specification, although it can be applied across specifications using alternative marking schemes.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This resource is for revision and exam preparation. It is based on the topic-by-page programme I do with my students.
Each topic comes with knowledge (AO1), questions to develop understanding (AO1), questions to develop analysis and evaluation (AO2) and an essay-style question.
This resource is indented for the OCR AS/A Level specification, although it can be applied across specifications using alternative marking schemes.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This resource is for revision and exam preparation. It is based on the topic-by-page programme I do with my students.
Each topic comes with knowledge (AO1), questions to develop understanding (AO1), questions to develop analysis and evaluation (AO2) and an essay-style question.
This resource is indented for the OCR AS/A Level specification, although it can be applied across specifications using alternative marking schemes.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This resource is for revision and exam preparation. It is based on the topic-by-page programme I do with my students.
Each topic comes with knowledge (AO1), questions to develop understanding (AO1), questions to develop analysis and evaluation (AO2) and an essay-style question.
This resource is indented for the OCR AS/A Level specification, although it can be applied across specifications using alternative marking schemes.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This resource is for revision and exam preparation. It is based on the topic-by-page programme I do with my students.
Each topic comes with knowledge (AO1), questions to develop understanding (AO1), questions to develop analysis and evaluation (AO2) and an essay-style question.
This resource is indented for the OCR AS/A Level specification, although it can be applied across specifications using alternative marking schemes.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!
This resource includes six essays answering the same A-Level exam question on the topic of Meta-Ethics. The question is:
Critically assess the view that what is ‘good’ can be observed in nature. (40 marks)
All six essays have been marked stringently and comments are written throughout. Overall comments and banding is awarded, with justification, and an overall grade.
The resource also includes the essays without comments, for students to mark on their own, before going over comments/grades. The essays can also be used as revision resources for students practising their own exam-style essays.
Grades high B, low B, high C, mid C, high D, low D
Mark scheme for both AS and A Level included for marking.
Download as both Word and PDF documents.
“To improve” exercises to help A Level practice
These essays are indented for the OCR AS/A Level specification, although it can be applied across specifications using alternative marking schemes.
Please give feedback! I am always happy to respond to comments - whether positive or constructive - this will help to improve the quality of my resources in the future and, more importantly, the quality of pupils’ RE/RS education in general - which is what we’re all here for!