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Durgamata's Shop

Average Rating3.89
(based on 485 reviews)

A specialist Religious Education and Art Teacher - I retired a few years ago. Now I am an Entrepreneur. I have created a Programme called The Seven Steps to Happiness. It is all about Reducing Stress, Building Resilience and Increasing Happiness. Before Coronavirus came along I gave Workshops and Retreats from my home. Now I am moving my work online. I share resources on TES to support my wonderful Teacher-Colleagues. Most are free but I spend hours on these so I charge for some of them. Enjoy.

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A specialist Religious Education and Art Teacher - I retired a few years ago. Now I am an Entrepreneur. I have created a Programme called The Seven Steps to Happiness. It is all about Reducing Stress, Building Resilience and Increasing Happiness. Before Coronavirus came along I gave Workshops and Retreats from my home. Now I am moving my work online. I share resources on TES to support my wonderful Teacher-Colleagues. Most are free but I spend hours on these so I charge for some of them. Enjoy.
Muhammad and Islam
durgamatadurgamata

Muhammad and Islam

(7)
responding to a request for help on this topic for a year 5 teacher, I have given an overview of Islam and Muhammad which is based on KS3 but can be adapted for younger pupils. It will also be a useful revision guide and starting place for KS4 students. - (now added a few dates and pictures) As always, please give feedback - and send me more stories and anything else you think would be useful to include, to make this resource as useful as possible.
Activities / worksheets homeworks on Buddhism
durgamatadurgamata

Activities / worksheets homeworks on Buddhism

(22)
My approach aims to be practical and experimental. students who can be hostile towards other religions because of an atheist mentality are quite interested in Buddhism because it is such a practical faith which does not require belief in God. Buddha spoke of Truth and Nirvana. Many Hindus interpret this as God in the abstract form of qualities such as Truth, Peace and Bliss. I will add to the files in this folder
Resources for teaching Hinduism / Hinduism Day
durgamatadurgamata

Resources for teaching Hinduism / Hinduism Day

(20)
Great resources which you can adapt for any age. Power Point Slide Show has over 80 slides and covers many topics. Save with different headings then delete slides to give many shorter slide shows - and show with music. Stories are versions of traditional stories about episodes in the lives of deities or the Ramayana and Mahabarata. Over a week’s work in these - and I’ll add to them. Don’t forget to give ratings and comments/feedback to help others find what they need. Contact if you would like a workshop - info@bluelotus.co
Exploring Religion - Introduction/Conversation
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Exploring Religion - Introduction/Conversation

(11)
Begins by asking reception children 'What is Religion?' ‘conversation’ looks at personal identity, Awe and Wonder, the Dawn of Religion, Eternal Questions - including God, introduces the six Major Religions, leads to an exploration of Religious Identity. Ends with a reflective exercise on Loving Kindness. Aimed to engage yr 7 and give an overview of what Religion is all about, useful for KS4 &'the God Question&'; and the problem of generalisation. Will also give non-specialist teachers some insight into RE. see also other ppts in Exploring Religion Series (about 4 resources back)
What is Religion? Part one Religion and Me
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What is Religion? Part one Religion and Me

(3)
The latest of my slide-shows which asks 'What is Religion? using beautiful images, inspiring quotations, thought provoking text and interactive activities. The slides are timed to progress and some animation is used but the activities progress with a mouse-click and can be timed to suit. This resource is great to stimulate thought about religion in its widest aspect or to set the scene for any new Scheme of Work. It takes viewers through two models of religion - the jigsaw and the garden and introduces the great Eternal Questions, exploring identity - body, vital, heart, mind and soul. comments and feedback welcome.
Symbolism in Buddhism - especially the lotus
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Symbolism in Buddhism - especially the lotus

(5)
material here from several different websites - will save a lot of time but still needs some unpicking. The Lotus symbolism explained in different ways, including symbolism of the colour. Lotus in Chinese art -
The Parabe of the Sheep and the Goats - InterFaith
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The Parabe of the Sheep and the Goats - InterFaith

(5)
This is a Power Point slide-show which explores the Parabe of the Sheep and the Goats in some depth, looking at examples of people who have devoted their lives to helping others. There are reflective activities and exercises which engage with and explore forgiveness and self-giving in an experiential way. The extended version includes visualisations and a memorial I conclude with an overview of my approach to teaching RE and some tips on how to avoid pitfalls and make the subject real and alive. In process
Malala Yousafzai  - a source of inspiration
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Malala Yousafzai - a source of inspiration

(15)
includes speech Malala gave at the UN on 12th July 2013 Videos of M's recovery more vids inc reports and interviews from July - Nov 2013 some of M&'s blog + it inspires others wksheets 1 bckgnd to start of her speech Worksheet with 20 questions plus 2 - in process - on the substance of the speech. (yr 9 upwards needs adaption and differentiation.) Worksheet on UN and Human Rights Taliban 1 full text of letter from T with background Taliban 2 about T from a contrasting perspective Women&';s experiences of T rule. Buddhist statues destroyed by T. Drone attacks. feedback please
What is Religion - an approach for all ages
durgamatadurgamata

What is Religion - an approach for all ages

(8)
This is a Slide-Show conversation about religion which starts with the answers that a Reception class, part of a workshop I gave in March. Here I explore Religion using models of Jigsaw, Kaleidoscope, Music and Dance and cover concepts of Theist, Atheist and Agnostic I conclude with a section which explores the concept of God. This makes the Slide Show useful for KS4 and older philosophy students as well as younger children. Please give feedback and ratings Thanks, durgamata
The Problem of Evil and posters to aid reflection
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The Problem of Evil and posters to aid reflection

(2)
A video shared on an RE Forum with my thoughts on the matter - ideas to stimulate thought and discussion. also links to more videos. I plan to add to this and create some activities to go with these resources. some pictures to print out as posters to encourage thought and reflection on this subject.
homosexuality euthanasia suicide - ethics/morality
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homosexuality euthanasia suicide - ethics/morality

(2)
Max files are 20. I just added a recent article (2014) and my own views + suicide by doubling up with another file. But there are many other important perspectives. Do give me a message about inspiring or helpful articles etc. so I can include them here too. The three autobiographical accounts are taken from the Courage website - testimonials section. I have listed most docs as 'guide&' to use as sources or extension material. However Jeremy Marks statement of apology is concise enough to use directly with KS4 classes and raises many interesting points. Lots on Euthanasia too.
Ecumenical Developments in Catholic  + Protestant
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Ecumenical Developments in Catholic + Protestant

(2)
Including the Second Vatican Council. At GCSE and beyond our students need to learn something about the way that Christians are working together more, particualrly since the Second World War. This outline includes material from Wikki, Catholic and other sources
Eid-ul-Adha revised scrapbook Google articles
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Eid-ul-Adha revised scrapbook Google articles

(2)
In response to a question about teaching Eid-ul-Adha to a year 5 class I have collected a range of articles which inlcude pictures and the web address of a BBC site which has a 3 minute video. I hope this is helpful for the year 5 teacher but it will also be very useful for Secondary RE teachers. It includes many perspectives. I will add to it if/ as and when/ time permits. (note - I have not yet read all this. It is not me who has to plan the lesson - but I have increased the text size to make it easier to read.
Village Community - based on a Bengali village
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Village Community - based on a Bengali village

(2)
The slide show is in the process of development - to support a family member who is studying Early Years Childcare in Kolkata, Having been to Bengali villages I googled things that I remember seeing there and this is a complete jumble of images. I suggest you edit it, arrange the images you wish to use and add text as required. I googled India Village and found some very interesting bits of contemporary news which may be useful in citizenship and international studies. The Stories may be good for drama and to give insight into village life and characters past and present.
Preparing for exams - a Power Point slide show
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Preparing for exams - a Power Point slide show

(4)
This is a really great resouce created by niamhmcguinness which gives an outline of how to revise and prepare for exams. I can't recommend it too highly as our exam system creates tremendous pressure, stress and distress for many students and this is set to get a whole lot worse as Course Work is being phased out. The second version includes the advice I give my own students about exam revision. Many thanks to niamhmcguinness for permission to share this resource. It is not just good for RE but for all subjects.
Resources for teaching Sikhism / Sikhism Day
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Resources for teaching Sikhism / Sikhism Day

(5)
Just preparing background resources for a workshop introducing Sikhism. These will be of interest to anyone preparing work on Sikhism from KS1 to post 16. I will continue to add material as I find suitable resources. The video link tells the story of Guru Nanak. I have ordered the full video that this is taken from - and given the Amazon link here that I used. The 'parent' video includes 'episodes' about may religious leaders. Do add comments about how you use material and feedback/ratings as this helps others find what will be useful to them.
Pilgrimage - 6 religions, Shia, Sufi, Sunni + more
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Pilgrimage - 6 religions, Shia, Sufi, Sunni + more

(7)
40 slide PPt with videolinks - introduces pilgrimage in an interactive way. Designed to set the scene for and inspire some extended group work involving research and presentation activity on pilgrimage + a simple assessment aid - My initial Pilgrimage resource is getting cluttered. I hope to create separate resources for each of the religions - an overview and exploration of them all - controversy version explores Shi'ite Sufi + more video links - 66 slides. For music/CD of Here in a Blind World please send a personal message.
Pilgrimage - All 6 Religions
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Pilgrimage - All 6 Religions

(7)
Introducing the concept of pilgrimage - Mostly focussing on Christianity but an overview of pilgrimage in all 6 Religions. More detail on Iona, Lindisfarne, Walsingham and more to come. There are some excellent links to videos from Iona, Taize and more + flute music for meditative/reflective time/starter/coming into the classroom quietly etc.
Process Theology
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Process Theology

(1)
An interesting 'paper&' on Process Theology by two authors with a brief biography at the start. The biographies alone would be useful in exploring the way that our beliefs change and are shaped by experience - and the problem that some people find with traditional or fundamentalist-Christianity Process Theology is at the cutting edge of Christian Theology today, one of the most interesting and challenging responses to the life and teachings of Jesus. For example, God, in this article is referred to as &';She.'