Background: Following the understanding gained of the importance of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), this lesson looks at the beliefs of Islam. The five pillars of Islam provide a structure for Islamic daily spiritual life. Islam is like a house held up by five strong pillars with central themes of purification and sharing with others. Muslims must not only believe in the five pillars, but also act on their beliefs. Learning objective Learning about: • To know and understand the main beliefs of Islam and to consider the effect these beliefs have on the life of a Muslim. Learning from: • To reflect on what the main beliefs are that support their own life. Activity sheet included. Does not include images. Leave a review

The big picture In every gurdwara there is a langar, a free kitchen/dining hall where anyone of any gender, religion or colour can come and share a meal. The provision of the langar is part of the Sikh belief that everyone is of equal value and worth. This lesson also demonstrates the Sikh belief in equality. Learning objective Learning about • To explain how the water carrier’s beliefs led him to act as he did despite influence from other people. Learning from • To learn that standing up for your beliefs and doing what you think is right can be challenging. All resources included

The lesson begins by recapping on the shared values of marriage, and then begins to explore these through the Jewish ceremony. The main teaching point of this lesson is how a wedding ceremony is a public display of a personal decision. By sharing their intentions and beliefs with their friends and family, believers have the support to do what they believe is right, even when things are tough. The lesson gives people the opportunity to draw parallels with their own public lives and the values which they demonstrate. Before teaching the lesson, you will need to find a video of a Jewish wedding ceremony. Ensure that you have had a chance to watch the video and that all equipment is working correctly Learning objective • To understand why Jewish believers get married and the public ceremony that celebrates this. Success criteria Learning about: • Pupils will know some key features of Jewish wedding ceremonies. Learning from: • Pupils will have reflected on the consequences of making vows in public and what making them says about the decisions the believer has made. Like this? See the full Unit on either TES or our website

Free Lesson Plan and resource Learning objective: • To know how we celebrate and how religious people celebrate family occasions Success Criteria • To describe their own family celebrations and show awareness of other families’ celebrations: how they are similar or different

Lesson Bonfire night Learning objective • To know about a common celebration that was originally linked with religion Success criteria • To understand that this celebration has lost its original meaning, but can still be meaningful today Includes Lesson Plan and Activity Sheet

This lesson explores more deeply one of the five pillars discussed in the last lesson: prayer or salah. Islamic prayer takes place five times a day, each time taking about ten minutes. These compulsory prayers help Muslims keep God at the front of their thoughts and keep them from doing bad deeds. Other prayers also take place at any time and these are called du’a and are often more personal prayers. The thinking skills strategy of fact or opinion will be used in this lesson. This strategy is used when material is controversial, such as the idea of a religious belief. It encourages people to think about what is a fact, a belief or an opinion. Learning objective Learning about: • To understand the importance of regular prayer in a Muslim’s life; and to understand the beliefs that teach the importance of regular prayer. Learning from: • To understand that what is truth to one religion, may be considered to be an opinion to another group of people. Success criteria Learning about: • Pupils will be able to explain the importance of prayer in the life of a Muslim and discuss how prayer improves the life of a Muslim. Learning from: • Pupils will have considered facts and opinions about prayers and be able to express their own views about how different people might categorise beliefs.

About this unit This unit looks at what it means to belong to something, whether it be a community, class, club, country, team, family, circle of friends and so on, and the need to show that belonging through joint activities or lifestyle, dress or behaviour. The unit explores belonging to: • a family • a school • other groups • the local community • our country • the world. People of particular life stances or groups will be valuable in sharing their experiences and showing any clothing and artefacts that signal their belonging and pride in that. Where opportunities arise for adding this feature to the lessons, make the most of them! Lesson length: Each lesson is designed to take one hour. (Lesson 3 will take longer if the group works outside to gather photographs.) Expectations At the end of this unit most children will: • understand the importance people attach to belonging to a group, and be able to name a religious and secular group. Some children will have made less progress and will: • be able to talk about the groups they belong to. Some children will have progressed further and will: • be able to explain why people belong to religious groups, naming some

About this unit: This unit explores ways in which different people mark special occasions in the life of their families and communities, particularly: • birthdays • harvest • Bonfire Night • Guru Nanak’s birthday • Hanukkah • the Nativity. The unit looks at what these events mean to people of faith, and to people in the class. It allows people to share ideas and examine how traditions are formed. There is a brief look at Sikhism and Judaism, with a Christian and secular look at other significant dates in the calendar. This should be a joyful unit full of real experiences, so, plenty of food, music and fun! Lesson length: Each lesson is designed to take one hour. If a visit is arranged for Lesson 4, this will take longer

6 lesson plans with resource sheets About this unit: As we learn about other people, what makes them tick and how they live their lives, we need to consider ourselves and how we experience things. This gives us a confident base from which to explore. This unit encourages people to: • think about how they were welcomed into the world • talk about things that they like • consider who they belong to • know about events in their lives • consider their feelings • celebrate these events and feelings creatively. This unit sets the tone for RE in Year 1: a time for sharing thoughts and feelings in a supportive, trusting atmosphere where we are not afraid to say what we think. Lesson length: Each lesson is designed to take one hour. Expectations At the end of this unit most children will: • be able to express what they feel about themselves with confidence. Some children will have made less progress and will: • need support expressing their thoughts. Some children will have progressed further and will: • be able to express what they feel about themselves with confidence and understand enough about others to sum up their thoughts too.

Taken from -RE Resource File RE Resource File Key Stage 2 Years 3 Key Stage 2 Years 3 & & 4 Includes: Introduction Unit resources Medium-term plan Lesson 1: What does a baby need? Lesson 2: What is sin? Lesson 3: Christian baptism Lesson 4: Muslim birth ceremonies Lesson 5: Sikh birth ceremonies Lesson 6: Making comparisons All lesson plans and printable activities included This unit is designed as an introduction to Religious Education at Key Stage 2. It introduces pupils to some of the religions they will study during their four years in Key Stage 2. All religions treat the birth of a new life as special and celebrate its importance in different ways. In the religions covered in this unit, God is acknowledged to have an important role in the creation and safe delivery of a new life and is thanked for the new baby. Prior learning: The class will have spent time in Key Stage 1 studying religious belief and practice. This unit will build on their previously gained understanding. Lesson length: The lessons are designed to last approximately 60–70 minutes. At the end of this unit most children will: • Be able to explain the meaning behind the symbols and actions in the different birth ceremonies. • Be able to explain the importance of committing the baby to the community of God. Some children will have made less progress and will: • Be able to share their own experiences of babies and explain what some people believe are babies’ spiritual needs. Some children will have progressed further and will: • Be able to explain similarities and differences between the themes in the different birth ceremonies. Leave a review

Includes: Introduction Unit resources Medium-term plan Lesson 1: Doing the right thing Lesson 2: Making choices Lesson 3: A good influence Lesson 4: Wrong choices Lesson 5: David and Goliath Lesson 6: Inner strength Lesson 7: It’s up to you This unit is intended as an introduction to thinking about ultimate truths in Key Stage 2. By beginning with ‘golden rules’, found represented in all major faiths, pupils then explore how their sense of right and wrong can change with circumstances. By using stories from different faiths and by studying the actions of believers who chose what they believed to be right over wrong when that was a hard choice for them to make, pupils are introduced to the concept of faith and behaviour being inextricably linked. The issue of ‘right and wrong’ will be discussed almost daily throughout a school child’s life! For this age group, right and wrong tends to be very cut-and-dried. These lessons are not intended to introduce the issue of ‘grey areas’ or ‘relative truth’ as children at this age have neither the spiritual, mental, moral or ethical maturity to address these issues appropriately in a classroom context. Leave a review

Includes: Introduction Unit resources Medium-term plan Lesson 1: Belonging to a group Lesson 2: Confirmation and believer’s baptism Lesson 3: Bar Mitzvah Lesson 4: Amrit ceremony Lesson 5: Taking responsibility Lesson 6: Initiation ceremonies About this unit This unit is intended to explore becoming an adult and discuss the themes that are addressed by different religious initiation ceremonies and their effect on people’s lives. Not all religions have specific ceremonies welcoming members into adulthood but Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism and Hinduism do. In this unit we will look at three religions: Christianity, Judaism and Sikhism, together with a non-religious view: humanism. This unit allows pupils to consider the commitment involved in deciding to become a full member of a religious community. Prior learning: This unit will build on the work completed in Year 3 on birth ceremonies. Lesson length: The lessons are designed to last approximately 60–70 minutes. Taken from our R.E Lower Keystage 2 Resource File Leave a review

Includes Introduction Unit resources Medium-term plan Lesson 1: Why are there wars? Lesson 2: Why is there suffering? Lesson 3 & 4: Responses to suffering Lesson 5: Christmas Day truce Taken from our Lower Keystage 2 R.E Resource file This unit grapples with an issue of universal debate both within and between religions. In recent years, religious fanaticism has been regarded as a major contribution to war and suffering around the world. In truth, religious zeal has always been a factor in conflict on a local, national and international scale. By starting with playground problems and other contexts in which pupils’ arguments may get physical, the unit explores the problem of what is meant by a ‘justifiable’ war, looks at both religious and non-religious responses to war and suffering through the work of charities, and ends with a look at how individuals can make peace, even when whole countries are fighting each other. The length of the unit means that this is not intended to be an in-depth study, so you should see each lesson as an opportunity for pupils to develop questions, rather than be given all the answers. It will be important to address any topical issues or current events that may occur while you are teaching this unit to make the subject an uncomfortable reality for your class. Leave a review

This unit addresses the topic of marriage in a way that is appropriate for Key Stage 2 pupils. It begins by looking in general terms at the idea of love and relationships, then goes on to explore how some of the major religions allow believers to make a lifelong commitment to their partner and how God’s blessing on this is represented in a marriage ceremony. Non-religious commitment is also discussed and addressed. The individual circumstances of anyone in your class for whom this is a sensitive topic should be considered and discussed with their carers if appropriate. You will need to source video clips of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh marriage ceremonies to enhance the teaching of the lessons. Prior learning: It is likely that pupils will have studied friendship, families and perhaps other relationships that are special to them. However, no specific knowledge is required to access the unit. Lesson length: The lessons are designed to last approximately 75 minutes. 7 lesson unit includes all lesson plans and resource sheets Lesson 1: Relationships Lesson 2: Love Lesson 3: Christian Weddings Lesson 4: Jewish Weddings Lesson 5: Arranged Marriage Lesson 6: Sikh Wedding Lesson 7: When relationships go wrong

This is a whole-term unit containing 12 lessons, with the first six lessons focusing on the beliefs that many Muslims hold, and the following six lessons looking at ‘belonging’ in the Islamic faith. As part of this unit of work, it will be necessary to visit a mosque and invite in a visitor from the Muslim community. If it is impossible to visit a mosque in your locality, use an online virtual tour. Learning within this unit will be enhanced if examples of artefacts are available for pupils to experience. Prior learning: Although there may not have been systematic teaching on Islam before this unit, pupils should have studied rites of passage within Islam and Muslim views of creation. Lesson length: The lessons are designed to last approximately 75 minutes Lessons consist of: 1 The final prophet of Islam 2 The Bilal mystery 3 The five pillars of Islam 4 Islamic Prayer 5 The Qur’an 6 Good advice 7 A mosque 8 Hajj 9 What is Zakah 10 Fasting and Feasting 11 Should Ahmed go to war? 12 Learning from Islam