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

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

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

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)

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.

This is a Slide Show Power Point which will be ideal for many settings. It was designed first to encourage reflection and discussion in a workshop in a conference on Community Cohesion - but it would make a good Assembly and could also be useful as a resource in Art, RE, Citizenship etc. The theme is peace so it is particularly useful for the GCSE RE unit on war and peace

115 images and texts which explore life and meaning on earth encompassing many different faiths, races, cultures and ages etc on the way. Designed to use as part of a Community Cohesion programme to stimulate reflection and discussion - this should ideally be accompanied by music. It was designed with ‘Windmills of your Mind’ (All Angels version). I

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

This is a ppt slide show which combines inspiring images and texts which share and celebrate the wisdom found in many different cultures and religions around the world. Texts explore and reflect on many aspects of life and look for common threads in the teachings of many different religions. There is a focus on peace and overcoming conflict - as well as a celebration of the beauty and wonder of life and the universe. thanks for comments. I will add the music I use if possible.

A range of resources to use when planning a unit on questions of human rights justice, suffering and the age old issue of 'Is it Fair?&' The oxfam unit is excellent and I have made a worksheet for our students to create cards inspired by the ones created by the students at the school in South Africa which is featured in the Oxfam resources.

Reading an essay on this topic I was irritated because it didn't incude RE. Then I relised it missed out many links that as an Art teacher I would make between Art and different subjects in school. That inspired me to I use it as a springboard to explore the subject in more depth. I hope it will help to get our students to think 'outside the box&' and be more adventurous in finding inspiration for their work.

just as it says - a practical approach to introducing the 4 Noble Truths

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 -

Sue is an inspirational RE teacher who has found creative approaches to engage her students. Many of these are based on visualisation and role-play. They are all creative and deeply spiritual. I can not recommend them too highly. The attached information is just an introduction. If you can arrange to attend a workshop - or if you have done so in the past, you will know what I mean. BRILLIANT. Please add a comment if you have experience of Sue's work

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.

This is also good for KS4 and post 16. The poems explore ideas about God and several are powerful atheistic and agnostic responses. Finally Johar's poem spans over a year. He has written about 35 pages, each exploring different aspect of Islam and his views as a British Muslim. I want to publish this and would value any feedback or ideas regarding this. Great material for stimulating serious discussion about the concept of God and many issues relating to Islam here.

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.

This is a Power Point which explores the concept of Place of Worship and sets a reflective/mind-map exercise and research homework It explores the concepts of both place and worship encouraging reflection on what it means to be a human being, body, mind and spirit - where we go to find inner qualities such as peace and happiness - Very versatile introduction to the topic of places of worship but useful for more than that - including identity and meditation. Please give comments and ratings to help others.

articles about the riots to prepare work for exploring the riots and issues / emotions including grief, alienation, fear and anger opportunity to learn about, think, discuss and reflect in a supportive environment - but one which is able to explore and clarify right and wrong - to challenge and inform. Includes articles from a range of sources to show the different 'spin' journalist give a story. It's easy to scapegoat, stereotype and blame, harder to listen to and to learn. All agree change is needed, but effective change must be rooted in reality. See more in linked resource.

These files are all related to RE history or Pedagogy - put together in response to a question on the forum from an RE student who has to write an essay on RE Pedagogy. I will add material as I find it. I guess this is relevant for all who teach RE as CPD. Hope you all had a great Christmas - and best wishes for a great New Year. DurgaMata