Unit: What does it mean to belong to a religion? About this unit This unit is intended to allow pupils to explore commitment, belonging and identity within religion. It also gives them the opportunity to reflect on their own personal values and commitments. Although the unit focuses on commitment within Christianity, it is expected that this will be a comparative unit developing upon work done at Key Stage 1 on Judaism. Some of the themes on commitment and belonging will be further developed at Key Stage 3 when looking at the other rites of passage. Prior learning Technical Vocabulary Resources It would be helpful if pupils had studied: In this unit pupils will have an opportunity to use words and Infant baptism phrases related to:- The life of Jesus The importance of the Church The importance of the home and synagogue in Judaism Have looked at a range of religious symbols connected with Christianity and Judaism Confirmation Sacrament Holy Communion/Eucharist Holy Spirit Laying on of hands Believer s Baptism Baptist Church Baptistery Protestant Catholic Denomination Bar/Bat Mitzvah Reform Judaism Orthodox Judaism Finding My Feet by Jason Robinson Teaching Christianity At Key Stage 2 p.61 by Lilian Weatherelyand Trevor Reader (Christian House Publishing) useful for information on Confirmation Christianity for Today by Carrie Mercier (Oxford) useful for information on Christian denominations and Believer s Baptism Photo pack on Judaism Jewish Artefacts Learning From and Learning About by Jan Thompson (TTS) BBC Belief File Judaism the Torah Believe it or not video 1 - initiation rites Bar Mitzvah and confirmation Believe it or Not video 4 - Baptist www.request.org.uk Expectations At the end of this unit Most pupils will:: (Level 3) Be able to use a religious vocabulary to describe key features of religions Make links between beliefs and religious stories e.g. the story of Jesus being baptised in the Jordan Identify the impact of religion on believers lives e.g. commitment to faith Describe some forms of religious expression such as confirmation, believer s baptism and Bar Mitzvah
Some pupils will not have made so much progress and will: (Level 2) Some pupils will have progressed further and will: (Level 4) Identify what influences them Ask important questions about religion and belief Make links between values and commitments and their own attitudes and behaviour Identify some features of religion and its importance for believers Show awareness of similarities in religions Suggest meaning for religious actions and symbols Identify how religion is expressed in different ways Ask and respond sensitively to questions about their own and others experiences Recognise their own values and those of others Recognise similarity and difference in and between religions Use a developing religious vocabulary to show understanding of practices, beliefs, feelings and experiences in religions Describe the impact of religion on believers lives Suggest meanings for a range of forms of religious expression Raise and suggest answers to questions of identity, belonging and commitment Apply their ideas to their own and other people s lives Describe what inspires and influences themselves and others
Learning Objectives Possible Teaching Activities Learning outcomes Contribution to other Curriculum Areas Pupils should: What does it mean to make a Pupils should be able to: Consider what it means to make commitment? Ask/raise/suggest possible Sport/PE a commitment to something Look at the life of a famous sports answers to questions of identity, Citizenship important person e.g. Jason Robinson, belonging and commitment PSHE Learn about the commitment a Kelly Holmes, David Beckham Reflect on their responsibilities Social development prominent sports person has made to achieve success Discuss what ways they have shown commitment and sacrifice when they make a commitment to a group etc Consider what responsibilities are to their sport involved when they make a commitment to do something Discuss how important is team spirit to success in sport? Reflect on what groups e.g. school clubs, sports teams they are committed to and how it Pupils should: Learn about the significance and symbolism of confirmation Consider their own beliefs and commitments in response to Christian commitments to their faith impacts on their life What does commitment mean in Christianity? Recap on infant baptism Introduce confirmation. Explain that for Christians confirmation could be seen as like owning a Christian passport e.g. you have an identity as a member of the Christian family; you are taking full responsibility for being a Christian; you are regarded as an adult; you are given the strength of the Holy Spirit to declare Pupils should be able to: Identify/describe/show understanding of practices, beliefs, ideas and experiences connected to confirmation Make links between biblical passages and believers lives Identify/describe/suggest meaning to forms of religious expression Make links between their own and other people s values and commitments Literacy Spiritual development Citizenship
Pupils should: Learn that there are denominational divisions within the Christian Church Learn about the practice of Believer s Baptism in the Baptist denomination Develop skills in questioning AOTs (Adults Other than Teachers) publicly your faith and you are able to receive Holy Communion. Confirmation means to strength. Acts 8:14-17. www.request.org.uk Believe it or not video 1 - initiation rites Bar Mitzvah and confirmation Design a Christian passport with stamps to show the main beliefs visited. Students are to design another for themselves Do all Christians have to be confirmed? Talk about the Church as being the Christian family. All families have different branches and some people draw up their family tree. It is the same for the Church, as it has many different branches and although they may do things slightly differently and disagree over a few points they are still part of the one family. Use a diagram of the Christian family tree to show the different Christian denominations (p6-7 of Christianity for Today by Carrie Mercier (OUP) does this very well Pupils should be able to: Identify/describe/show understanding of practices, beliefs, ideas and experiences connected to Believer s Baptism Make links between biblical passages and believers lives Identify/describe/suggest meaning to forms of religious expression Ask/respond sensitively/raise/suggest answers to questions of identity, belonging and commitment Literacy Communication skills Spiritual development
Pupils should: Learn about the Jewish practice of Bar/Bat Mitzvah Develop the ability to recognise similarity and difference within and between religions Explain that the Baptist Church is one of the biggest Protestant churches in the country and that they don t have confirmation but instead have believers baptism. Look at references in the Bible to John the Baptist (Luke 3 and Acts 8:26-39) Watch a video of a believers baptism Believe it or Not video 4 or use www.request.org which shows this Pupils should prepare questions and predict answers to interview a minister or member of a Baptist Church What does commitment mean in Judaism? Mind map recap on what do we know about Judaism? Use a photo pack to ask groups of children to explain key aspects of Judaism to the class Introduce Bar/Bat Mitzvah Show video BBC Belief File Judaism the Torah Draw a venn diagram to show similarities and differences between confirmation, believer s Pupils should be able to: Identify/describe/show understanding of practices, beliefs, ideas and experiences connected to Bar/Bat Mitzvah Identify/describe/suggest meaning to forms of religious expression Show awareness/recognise/describe show similarities and differences both within and between religions Recognise/make links/apply their Cultural development Numeracy Art and design Spiritual development
baptism and bar/bat mitzvah. Comparisons can also be made with the Sacred Thread ceremony in Hinduism Design cards suitable for confirmation, believer s baptism and bar/bat mitzvah ideas and values to other people s lives
Suggested Assessment Task: Pupils are to produce a venn diagram showing the shared and distinct aspects of Confirmation, Believer s Baptism and Bar/Bat Mitzvah. They are to imagine that they are graphic designers for a greetings card company and they have been commissioned to produce a design brief for a series of cards for Confirmation, Believer s Baptism and Bar/Bat Mitzvah. The design brief must include: an explanation of the symbolism and pictures used and the message inside the card.