This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on Bar Mitzvah's. The main part of the lesson involves using resource sheets to complete a set of differentiated questions on the activities building up to a Bar Mitzvah and the ceremony itself, and then consider in a consolidation task why they are important for individual Jews and their communities. To describe the key features of a Bar Mitzvah. To explain why these features are important. To analyse the importance of the ceremony for young Jews and their community as a whole.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on Christian baptism. The main part of the lesson involves students using a resource sheet to describe what happens during a baptism, a ranking task where students consider the importance of reasons why baptism is important for Christians, and a scenario-based discussion task where they finally consider difficulties the ceremony may create for young people. Learning Objectives: To describe what happens during a typical baptism. To explain why baptism is important for Christians. To assess the difficulties this ceremony can bring for young people.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on the milestones the average person in the UK may experience in their life. The main part of the lesson involves students creating an annotated timeline of all the key milestones, explaining how and why they are celebrated. This can form part of a piece of display work if you wish to do so. To identify a list of milestones. To describe how milestones are celebrated. To understand why milestones are celebrated.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on how babies are welcomed into the Islamic faith, otherwise known as the Aqiqah Ceremony. The main part of the lesson contains an information hunt on the different practices followed by pair-work where students have to compare the similarities and differences with Christian Baptism. Learning Objectives: To describe how Muslims welcome newborns into the Islam. To explain why these practices are important to Muslims. To compare this ceremony with the Christian tradition.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on Plato's theory of forms. The main part of the lesson involves note-taking and class discussion on the fundamentals of his theory, after which they carry out an independent reading task. This is followed by students analysing the criticisms of his theory followed by a traffic light plenary task. Learning Objectives: To understand Plato’s Theory of Forms. To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the theory.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on how theists claim that God can be revealed to humanity (this includes general revelation and special revelation). The main part of the lesson consists of a class discussion task on the two groups of revelation (general and special), a picture sorting task where they sort different types into general revelation or special revelation, a written task where they become an 'expert' on one type of revelation, a peer teaching task and an exam question plenary. This lesson is aimed at the new 2016 AQA Religious Studies unit. It does require reference to the old AQA Philosophy textbook for the written task. Learning Objectives: To describe the different types of revelation. To explain their key characteristics. To analyse the validity of these types of revelation.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on how Hindus worship, focusing on the items used in a typical puja tray. The main part of the lesson involves students firstly drawing their own puja tray and making their own suggestions as to what it might symbolise, after which they use information sheets from around the room to annotate their actual meaning to their earlier drawings, and finally complete a written reflection on how useful they believe puja trays are for Hindus in helping them worship. Learning Objectives: To describe the items used on a Puja tray. To explain their symbolism. To examine how useful they are in helping Hindus to worship.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on why and how Aquinas believed analogy provided the only meaningful way to describe God. It contains a series of short discussion and written exercises to meet the following objectives: To outline why Aquinas rejected the use of using univocal and equivocal language to describe God. To explain why Aquinas believed analogy could help us to describe God. To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on the via negativa. The main part of the lesson involves a set of discussion tasks and short written tasks to understand how the via negativa works, from which they then produce fact files on how three different scholars (including Aquinas) have contributed to the argument, leading to an evaluation task where students generate their own arguments for and against the via negativa 'providing the only the true way to understand God'. Some ideas have been borrowed from other contributions on TES, to whom I am very grateful. Learning Objectives: To describe how the Via Negativa approach works. To explain how scholars have supported this approach to describing God. To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on whether miracles prove the existence of God. In the main part of the lesson students use visual prompts to discuss the different types of miracles, then work in groups to discuss and make notes on the strengths and weaknesses of two miracle case studies (Biblical - Raising of Lazarus from the dead, Modern - Miracles at Lourdes), explain two philosophical views towards miracles (linking them back to the case studies), and then finally complete a 12-mark evaluation question. Learning Objectives: To describe the different types of miracles. To explain the arguments for and against miracles. To evaluate whether miracles provide convincing proof for the existence of God.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on what two world religions teach about the soul (Christianity and Hinduism). The main part of the lesson involves using information sheets to complete a grid showing religious views towards the soul and the evidence for it, which they then peer teach to their partner. They also complete a Venn diagram to compare the views, and evaluate the evidence for the existence of a soul. Learning Objectives: To explain two religious views towards the soul. To compare and contrast their views. To evaluate the evidence for the existence of a soul.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on the Diwali Festival. The main part of the lesson consists of describing the story of Rama and Sita in their own words, writing a paragraph explaining the purpose of the festival, then linking the meaning of the festival to examples of other famous people who have overcome darkness in their lives (e.g. Brian Keenan, Malala). To describe the story of Rama and Sita. To explain the deeper meaning behind the story and festival. To examine the similarities between the story of Rama and Sita and prior examples.

This resource enables students to produce a written account of Brian Keenan’s experience of being imprisoned in a cell of total darkness for an extended period of time. In particular, it focuses on the feelings and emotions of the experience, and the impact that light and darkness placed.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on the symbolism of light, in particular how it can represent hope and the impact it can have on people. The main part of the lesson involves reading the story of Brian Keenan, a journalist who was kidnapped in Lebanon and subjected to an extended ordeal of being placed in a cell of complete darkness for an extended period of time. They use to complete several tasks, including drawing a storyboard and completing a grid with the emotions he may have been feeling. Learning Objectives: To describe the story of Brian Keenan. To explain the feelings and emotions he may have experienced associated with light and darkness. To assess the impact that hope may have played on his story.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on the symbolism of light and darkness. The main part of the lesson involves students listening to a story about an individual who becomes trapped in a cave of total darkness, and how light helped to 'push away' the darkness. They work in pairs to record the emotions the individual might have felt, and then use this as a basis to produce a piece of work showing the power of light to 'push back' the darkness. To describe the feelings and emotions associated with light and darkness. To explain the impact that light can have in overcoming darkness.

This contains a set of resources in order to enable students to design their festival which incorporates the symbolism of light and darkness.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on why light is important to people and world faiths. The main part of the lesson consists of a spider diagram task on things that brings 'light' (happiness) into their lives, a worksheet task explaining how light is used by two worldwide faiths (Christianity and Hinduism), and finally a Venn diagram to compare their views. To understand why light is important to humans. To explain how light is used by worldwide faiths. To compare and contrast their beliefs about light.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson on the Hindu belief of karma. The main part of the lesson consists of a game to help them understand how actions can lead to good and bad karma, a worksheet to explain how their belief in karma works in detail and a class discussion at the end relating to some of the problems associated with their belief. Learning Objectives: To describe how the idea of karma works. To explain why this belief is so important to Hindus. To assess some of the problems with this belief.

This contains a fully resourced, differentiated lesson which acts as an introduction to Hinduism. The main part of the lesson consists of a scavenger hunt to describe key facts surrounding the religion and to explain their key beliefs (this is differentiated to 3 levels). It also consists of students working in small groups to compare the religion with Christianity. Learning Objectives: To describe the key facts surrounding Hinduism. To explain their key beliefs. To compare the similarities and differences between Hinduism and Christianity.