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.
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.
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.
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?
A lesson to help students explore religious laws in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Differentiated by activity and outcome with independent learning resources that can be used for a variety of year groups and abilities, as well as links to youtube videos.
Learning Questions:
What are religious laws? (l.4)
What are the religious laws of two different religions? (l.5)
What are the challenges and benefits of following Religious Laws? (l.6)
Included is a powerpoint, plan, pdf and .pub file of the resources for editing if necessary. Enjoy!
:)
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 lesson designed to explore the Just War Theory in a collaborative, group work activity that emphasizes team work. This leads on to a creative activity where students create a poster, poem or rap to exemplify the Just War Theory’s 7 aspects.
Learning Questions include:
What is the Just War Theory?
Do I agree with it? Why?
Differentiated learning outcomes included, which evaluate why Christians may or may not agree with the Just War Theory. All activities are clearly explained in the Powerpoint, and a variety of extension activities for more able students are included.
A differentiated resource, complete with worksheets and independent a scaffolded role-play task where students take on the role of Muslim, Christian or Atheist response to Capital Punishment. Intended to enable students to explore their own opinions about Capital Punishment using religious views as a springboard, this resource should stretch and challenge a range of ability levels.
1.What do Muslims and Christians say about Capital punishment?
2. How do people in the same religion disagree with each other?
EXT: Why do people in the same religion disagree with each other?
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.
A powerpoint with embedded documentary about Alcohol use which is really good. It also has a venn diagram which compares Christian and Muslim attitudes to alcohol and drug use. Finishing with a discussion based plenary, this is an engaging, differentiated by activity and outcome lesson that explores the tricky world of drug and alcohol use.
Objectives explored include
What is a drug?
Is alcohol a drug and what are its effects?
What do Muslims and Christians believe about drugs?
What is your opinion on drugs?
This lesson is designed to be adaptable to the needs of your class. It can build on previous knowledge of Gandhi, and works best if that is the case, but can also be used as an introduction to Gandhi’s teaching and life. (To this end, I’ve included a link of him burning the passes and his famous non violence speech that followed it, which are both short and excellent insights into his teaching and philosophy. On non violence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKzKj_8CO2g
Burning of the passes (ahimsa):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50gNryy9JnA)
It includes extension tasks for able and talented, and differentiated activities including ethical dilemmas, youtube videos, group discussions, treasure hunts as well as written tasks. A broad range of activities, in my experience, always bosters engagement. (there is a need to print 10 slides here)
The lesson aims to remind students’ of Gandhi’s teachings and inform them of the Caste system. There is also a short video about Narayanan Krishnan, an inspirational Hindu who has disregarded his Brahmin caste to help untouchables or down and outs in Indian Society.
2 differently worded Learning Objectives here for lower and higher ability or age groups:
To remember who Gandhi was.
to explain what the caste system was.
To know Gandhi’s opinion of the untouchables.
To develop and evaluate my own opinion about the caste system.
To empathise with people who are in the caste system.
Or, for KS4,
All will be able to explain what the caste system was, and why Gandhi was against it.
Most will be able to relate the situation to contemporary issues re: jobs and status.
Some will be able to explain why the caste system became a source of prejudice and discrimination.
Chandra Bose has been likened to Malcolm X in comparison to MLK, but when compared with Gandhi. He led a profoundly effective campaign at forcing the British out of India through armed resistance, but is greatly neglected by a narrative that prefers non-violent protest.
Key question: Is violence justified when fighting injustice?
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!