Who was Jesus? Life at the time of Jesus; evidence for the existence of Jesus (KS3)

KS3 lesson looking at Jesus, focusing on what life was like where Jesus lived in Jesus’ time and looking at the evidence for the existence of Jesus

Lesson starts by looking at various archaeological/historic sites - students to work out what they have in common (that all are from during or before the time of Jesus) and discuss why the existence of Jesus is questioned. After giving examples of what they already know about Jesus, they then look into what life in Palestine was like at the time of Jesus (a 4 page resource pack). They have a task sheet to complete on this. They then explore the evidence surrounding Jesus’ existence, considering how trustworthy the sources are and what they say about who Jesus was. Lesson finishes with a mini quiz.

Resources included: PPT, lesson plan, ‘Life at the time of Jesus’ resources (4 pages plus task sheet), source evidence for the existence of Jesus and table sheet