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.
A powerpoint which includes differentiation activities, a worksheet (with different activities for KS3 or 4 which we print on double sided A3, and there is enough here for at least 2 lessons.
Youtube links, treasure hunts, a debate, TPS activity and more. Easily personalisable to suit your own needs, and included here is the SMSC objectives met with this lesson.
The Powerpoint itself has some instructions on how to use the resource, although most of it is quite self explanatory.
Enjoy!
A bundle of 8 lessons which includes: embryology, IVF, surrogacy, cloning, transplants and transfusions and human experimentation. these include case studies, embedded videos, youtube links, articles, current updated statistics and a variety of activities for students to get stuck into. This also includes some extenstion activities, some key word tasks and a revision session to really embed your students learning.
50% reduction on indivual lessons.
A powerpoint, with flash embedded slides that narrate the creation story and youtube videos discussing different opinions on the creation story. This lesson aims to encourage debate and students to explore their own opinions on creation, evolution and if the two theories could be compatible. An SEND alternative included here too.
Learning Questions and Objectives:
Comparing the Big Bang and Christian ideas of Creation (Level 3-4 Commmunicate)
With scientific understanding of the Big Bang, is it still possible to think of a creator God? (level 4-5 Enquire)
Why is there something rather than nothing? (level 5 Evaluate)
This lesson is part of a scheme of work on Judaism, aimed at KS2-3 students. The objectives it covers are:
To know and understand the main symbols of prayer in the home
To think about what is most important in my life, and write a short prayer or poem about it and create a symbol for it
It includes the main symbols used by Jews in prayer, including the Tefillin, Mezuzah, Kippah and Tallit. Ideally you would have these in the classroom and be able to dress up a student in them. There’s also a song including of the Shema, the main prayer of Judaism.
Differentiated comprehension questions, a range of activities, and information slides to help students get to grips with how Jews may worship in the home. Worksheets also included.
A lesson to explore what pacifism is, how it has been used in the past and if it is a reasonable attitude to take to war. Looking particularly at the Quakers and their use of pacifism in anti-war protests and campaigning, the lesson aims to engage students in active critical thought and improve their awareness of how belief manifests in the real world.
Learning Objectives:
What is Pacifism?
What is a conscientious objector?
How did people treat conscientious objectors in WWI and II?
Why might a religious person refuse to fight?
Should we ALL be pacifists?
It also includes links to youtube videos on conscience and examples of conscientious objectors for students to explore. It also includes, for more able students, examples of people who ‘broke the mold’ such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
A PHSE lesson to help students discuss and explore healthy ways to end relationships. It’s an attempt to try and get secondary school students in particular to treat each other with respect when everything seems epically painful.
Differentiated by outcome, with plenty of opportunities for discussion and exploration with some youtube links included.
This is a marketplace activity which aims to give students some introductory knowledge about four key aspects of Jewish life. The four aspects included here are:
Beliefs about G-d
The Shema
Shabbat
The Ten Commandments
What are some key Jewish beliefs and practices?
What are their benefits for Jewish people?
EXT: What are their challenges for Jewish people?
Good lesson for Religious Studies, PHSE, Citizenship, SMSC and improving community understanding.
This is a set of resources for year 9 and up, and should not be used for students any younger. The objectives are to describe a case study of evil (the largest powerpoint focusses mainly of Jamie Bulger, but the resources can be adapted to look at any of the topics). There are 13 resources here, with evidence students can evaluate from each example.
There are also 'Must, should, could' guidance as well as plenty of opportunity for extension of gifted and talented students.
Good links to Citizenship, religious studies, Sociology, and the activities are pretty self explanatory.
Radio show links, videos included.
This is a pretty harrowing subject to teach, but sometimes students seem to be particularly interested in real life examples and applications. When discussing things like Capital Punishment it seems particularly helpful to bring into relief the truly horrible things people do sometimes, and how a responsible society should respond.
This comprehensive lesson exploring the facts, benefits and religious responses to organ transplants and blood transfusions will need trimming to fit in one hour. There are plenty of case studies, youtube clips, embedded short videos about ‘cellular memory’, and comparative religious arguments from the six major religions. Activities are differentiated by outcome, with discussion or learning pyramid plenaries available. Went all out on this one.
Learning Objectives:
To know the possible benefits about organ transplants.
To know some religious attitudes to blood transfusions and organ transplants.
To evaluate and compare religious attitudes to medical ethics.
It also includes a particularly close look at Jehovah’s witnesses opinions on blood transfusions.
A powerpoint that explores assisted reproduction, specifically IVF (AIH and AID). It includes religious responses to the issue, which can be used in a variety of ways (as a treasure hunt or group exercise).
Learning questions include:
What is IVF? (AIH and AID)
What are some Religious Responses to it?
Learn a case study and consider if IVF is ethical?
Case studies include Octomom, with a youtube video link included, to explore IVF at its extremes and help students evaluate how different situations may alter their opinions on how ethical it is.
The exercises are differentiated by outcome, and groupings can be done using a kagan system of mixed ability.
Side note: My preference with the religious responses exercise is to number the class 1-5, have them study, condense and write one opinion. I then re-number them 1-4 and have them sit in new groups, so each new grouping has at least one person from each of the 5 previous groups. They then teach each other all the information.
This lesson is an exploration of the incredible human beings who risked (and sometimes lost) their lives working to rescue Jews from the Holocaust. It is an inspiration from Philip Zimbardo who encourages us to educate children about the psychology of heroism. This powerpoint and collected resources aims to help students understand and be inspired by the incredible acts of bravery these people engaged with. I greatly encourage you to play the video linked to this lesson to students: it moves me to tears every time!
Learning Questions include:
How did some people act heroically in the Holocaust?
How did these heroes’ beliefs affect their actions?
Can you evaluate the motivations for people’s actions?
EXT: What is the psychology of Heroism? What can we do to help ourselves become more heroic?
Great for PHSE, Citizenship, Religious Studies and History. Extension tasks and differentiated activities included.
A lesson to help students explore the meaning of life inclusive of, but not exclusive to, religious belief.
Learning questions include:
What is the meaning of life for you?
Do we all need a purpose in our lives?
Do you have to follow a religion to have meaning and purpose in life?
Excellent for SMSC, Religious Studies, PHSE and citizenship objectives and General Studies or Philosophy modules.
Slides have some instructions in the notes, and there is enough to pick and choose from to suit the needs of your class. 11 slides including youtube clips.
A lesson which aims to mythbust many of the global misconceptions about Islam which has led to widespread islamophobia. It focuses mainly on the UK but is globally relevant, and aims to expose the media bias against Muslims, how a tiny minority of people who claim the title of ‘Muslim’ have taken control of the narrative of what it is to be Muslim, and how we can address this.
Learning questions include:
Identify the meaning of Islamophobia?
What are some of the myths surrounding Islam and Muslims?
What would be an appropriate response?
Why is Islamophobia on the rise?
It includes a range of activities, from group work, discussion, individual writeen work and youtube videos. Tasks are differentiated by outcome, and is currently targeted at KS3-4 students. With tweeking it could easily be made into a KS2 resource, as it also includes Muslim art for students to make an anti-Islamophobia wall. I have intentionally put too much into this so you can prune out whatever you wish to.
A resource with embedded video clips, group tasks, differentiated activities and resources as well as mini plenaries. Plenty for students to get their intellectual/philosophical teeth into. There are also a range of miracles to look at: if you would like to explore the miracles of Jesus more then there are resources which look specifically at those, whilst there are also a range of more 'modern' Miracles, like crying statues, floating brooms lambs with 'allah' appearing in their coat and people being cured of cancer. From the sublime to the ridiculous, I know.
Learning Objectives:
To understand what a miracle is
To know some examples of Miracles
To think about if I believe miracles can happen
Links well to religious studies GCSE and KS3 groups, as well as compulsory GCSE sets. I use it in conjunction with my science and religion module to exemplify that much of what we do today with science would have once been considered miraculous.
A lesson that explores the learning questions:
What causes war?
Is war ever justified?
Using a game students explore in teams of 6 the possible causes of war, and evaluate if they are worthwhile. Differentiated learning outcomes and links to youtube videos included, this lesson has been tweaked over a course of 5 years into something that works for me in the classroom. It includes guided discussion and debate topics, as well as some religious opinions in the form of Augustine’s just war theory.
Any necessary instructions included in the powerpoint notes.
Gender and sexuality can be confusing for students (and teachers!), many of whom do not understand the idea of gender being a spectrum rather than a binary role connected to biological sex. Indeed, most do not understand that gender and sex are different things.
This presentation aims to present the different arguments around gender, varying from people who feel that their gender is different from their biological sex (transgender) or those who are biologically intersex (about 1-2% of the global population). It acknowledges that some people are very closed to the idea of transgenderism, whilst acknowledging the biological fact of intersex. It includes and article about Caster Semenya, the South African runner banned from competing in events because her testosterone is too high and told she would need to take medication to address this, as well as youtube videos, graphics, group discussion activities, opinion lines/corners, and written comprehension questions. There are also definition tasks too.
Ideal for KS3-5 students. (11-18yr old) A range of tasks that will not fit into an hour, so pick which work for you.
Learning questions include:
What is gender?
What is the difference between ‘intersex’, ‘transgender’, ‘transexual’ and ‘non-binary’?
What is a ‘patriarchy’?
Is gender a choice?
Is gender a spectrum?
This is a new resource on a tricky issue: feedback warmly, warmly welcomed.
Many thanks.
This resource looks at Jewish identity, and is part of a scheme of work about the Shoah/Holocaust. It includes some basic beliefs about G-d (including why Jews often write G-d, instead of God) as well as a brief overview of 1000 years of anti-semitism. It puts the anti-semitism that flared into the Shoah into perspective and I’ve used it mainly with KS3 students. It includes a clip of some survivors testimonies which speak about their experience of antisemitism, and has differentiated tasks that explore quotes from the Torah and Talmud in more depth. Extension tasks also included. Easily adaptable for KS4.
Ideal for religious studies, SMSC, citizenship and PHSE.
Learning Questions (Objectives) include:
Can I imagine the possible impacts of the Holocaust on a Jewish person?
How may the Holocaust have influenced or challenged Jewish beliefs?
What are some key Jewish Beliefs?
EXTENSION: Can I evaluate how the Holocaust may effect Jewish people today?
A lesson, more like two really, exploring what the Hajj is, why people do it, and how the Hajj effects Muslims. They hyperlinks in the PPT (image link on second slide and last slide) are to two excellent videos.
Ext: why do different Muslims go on Hajj for different reasons?
The idea of this PPT is to print out the pages of the Gurus and a story about their lives so students can convert the information into a poster, or put it onto a timeline, or create a marketplace activity.
Hopefully this is some useful raw material for you to work your creative magic on. It's supposed to show how Sikhism developed from a spontaneous vision of the first Guru (Nanak) into a world religion heavily shaped by oppression and military necessity (Gobindh Singh).
Hope it&'s helpful!
Be well,
d
A PPT with a variety of extensions to give students an idea about what all the fuss is about. The PPT itself is pretty self explanatory, and contains links to a variety of youtube videos (some are animations) as well as the Specials 'Free Nelson Mandela&' single. What a legend!