ODBE Activities for Progression in RE

Y1-2 / Descriptor / Possible activities
recall religious stories / Choose correct picture for a story from a choice of 3
Draw a picture to illustrate a story – Godly Play style
From a choice of 6 pictures choose three that link to stories about…
Sequence a simple story – pictures or words
Talk about a story they have heard
Recognise a religious story in a sung version
Make something that reminds them of the story
recognise lessons in religious stories / Link a picture or a story title to a sentence about the story
Choose from a selection a phrase that shows what the story is about
Draw a picture to show the main point of a story
Match two or three stories with similar themes from a range
Choose a character from a story and discuss how/ why they behave as they do
Respond to a story in Godly Play style
Link an activity they do to the actions of a character in a story
recognise and name features of religious life and practice, symbols and other verbal and visual forms of religious expression / Name a church or a synagogue from a picture
Put some items from a choice into the correct religious building
Match symbols to the correct religion – from a choice
Name items from church/synagogue – choose from labels perhaps
Odd one out pictures
Odd one out words
Handle artefacts and name them
talkabout their own experiences and feelings / Pick a picture from a choice and talk about what it means to them
Bring in something special from home and give a presentation
Talk about a character from a story & say what they like/dislike about that person
Talk about a festival/event they have celebrated
Visit a new place of worship and talk about what it felt like
talkabout what they find interesting or puzzling / Ask questions about the experiences of others – e.g. Shabbat meal
Show an artefact & get them to say what they think it is, how it might be used
Choose an interesting picture or artefact and ask questions about it; say what is interesting or puzzling
talkabout what is of value and concern to themselves and to others / Talk about a festival/event they have celebrated & someone else’s celebrations
Talk about how they spend their weekend – comparing it to how a Jewish person might spend theirs
Bring in a favourite toy and talk about it/ talk about an important member of a family
Emotions bag – pick out a face showing an emotion and talk about what makes them feel like that
Y2-3 / Descriptor / Possible activities
retell religious stories / Put a more complex story in order through pictures or simple sentences
Act out a story/produce a dance to tell a story/shadow puppet retelling
Play the part of one character in a story
Add speech bubbles to a cartoon strip to tell the story
Hot-seating a character in a story
Produce a story map
identify the importance of religion and beliefs for some people. They begin to show awareness of similarities in religions / Compare two pictures, finding similarities
Simple hot seating activity as a vicar/rabbi/Jewish child/Christian child
Label a Jew at prayer, suggest what the prayer items might mean
Gather and select pieces of information about religious festivals
Conscience alley as a believer in response to a religious story
Identify some features of religion and suggest meanings for religious actions and symbols. They identify how religion is expressed in different ways and begin to show awareness of similarities in religions / Annotate a simple picture of a baptism/ communion service/ bar mitzvah
Compare pictures of two different churches/ synagogues
Write or discuss a reaction to a story about an angel. Talk about what the angel stands for
Suggest a meaning for a story from the Bible
From a range of pictures, choose those that reveal religious belonging or activity
Look for similarities between different places of worship –e.g. towers, symbols, shape of building etc.
Look for similarities between worship styles in different faiths – dance, song, prayer, silence etc.
ask, and respond sensitively to, questionsabout their own and others’ experiences and feelings / Ask questions about how Jewish people celebrate Shabbat and talk about how it makes them feel
Respond to a story about Jewish or Christian believers, noticing what matters to them
Talk about how a piece of music can express feelings
Interview a member of a faith community using pre-prepared questions
recognise that some questions cause people to wonder and are difficult to answer / Suggest three questions about God that are interesting & hard to answer
Ask questions about creation – suggest two possible answers to each other’s questions
Godly play style questions about a “mystery” in a religious story; e.g. a miracle, angel, a healing,
recognise their own values and those of others in relation to matters of right and wrong / Suggest ways of spending time, showing what they think is right or wrong
Suggest some things that are precious even though money can’t buy them.
Recognise that others may have a different view to their own – suggest things that might be precious to someone else.
Pyramid activity of values – e.g. what’s most important at the weekend?
Golden Rules in the classroom
Respond to a picture of a problem, exploring different responses
Debate a relevant controversial issue
Y3-4 / Descriptor / Possible activities
makelinks between beliefs and sources , including religious stories and sacred texts / Describe three things that Christians believe in, referring to stories in the Bible
Draw the link between the creation story & Shabbat
Link Christian activities to appropriate bible stories
Bring a parable up to date – act it out
Link the items on the Seder plate to the Passover story
Link a belief to a quotation from a sacred text
begin to identify the impact religion has on believers’ lives / Make a link between a Bible story and the impact it might have on a child
Illustrate some of the rules of Shabbat for a child today
Draw a picture to show the main message from a Bible story
Make a link between a piece of Christian music & the Bible verse which inspired it
Annotate a picture of a Sikh wearing the 5 Ks, showing the impact of each item on a Sikh’s life
Diary of the impact of Islamic prayer
Hot seat as a faith member on a relevant issue
describe some key features of religions and forms of religious expression recognising similarities and differences / Describe the difference Christian beliefs make to Christmas celebrations
Compare pictures of two different Easter/Christmas celebrations, looking for similarities & differences
List similarities between a vicar & a rabbi or Imam (Venn diagram)
Design a building suitable for Jews & Christians to share in worship
Sequence the Islamic positions for prayer or Wudu describing the importance to a believer
identify what influences them, making links between aspects of their own and others’ experiences / Describe a place that is special to them, saying why
Choose an artefact that they link to Christmas/Easter & one that a Christian might choose describing what it means to them
“Hot seating” as an inspirational person
Choose a verse from a sacred text, describing what it means to them and what it means to a member of that faith
ask important questions about religion and beliefs, making links between their own and others’ responses / Ask questions about worship in the Synagogue/Mosque/ Gurdwara and interview a believer
Write a reflection on the 10 commandments, asking what would be different if everyone in school followed them
Write key questions to ask a member of a faith community; compare the answers they get to the way they would answer the same questions
make links between values and commitments and their own attitudes and behaviour / Prepare a reflection on what is important to a Christian at Easter & what is important to them
Describe a typical Saturday for a Jewish child and describe how it is different/similar to their own and why
Make an advert for a person they like to follow – make an advert for a person a Jew or a Christian might follow
Describe how a faith member might respond to a problem, comparing it to their own response
Y4-6 / Descriptor / Possible activities
describe and show understanding of sources, beliefs and ideas making links between them and practices, feelings and experiences; describe some similarities and differences within and between religions / Link the story of creation to Christian or Jewish views on ecology
Use quotations from the Guru Granth Sahib to explain the four principles of Sewa, Kirat Karna, Vand Chakkna & Nam Japna
Connect Sikh stories of the Gurus with the ideas in the Mool Mantra
Annotate a Hindu Murti, showing what a Hindu believes about the deity depicted
Compare & contrast an icon with a murti
Link the activities a Muslim does on Hajj to Islamic stories
describe and show understanding of feelings and experiences and the impact of religion on people’s lives; describe some similarities and differences both within and between religions / Write a postcard from a pilgrimage destination showing how a pilgrimage is different to a holiday
Write an account of the Amrit ceremony from the point of view of a young Sikh
Describe how adult baptism feels to a young Baptist and compare it with another ceremony of belonging (e.g. Amrit)
Compare the experiences of different faiths in regard to worship or pilgrimage
suggest meanings for a range of forms of religious expression and describe and show understanding of religious practices and some similarities and differences both within and between religions / Describe Hindu puja, suggesting meanings for the various actions
Compare worship in two different religions
Describe marriage services in two different faiths or denominations.
Make a poster showing why Christians or Sikhs or Muslims might engage in charity work
Describe the 5 Pillars of Islam and the impact these have on the lives of Muslims
raise, and suggest answers to, questions of identity and belonging and apply their ideas to their own and other people’s lives; describe what inspires and influences themselves and others / Devise four good questions about what makes a leader worth following and explain what a Sikh might say about Guru Nanak’s leadership
Interview a believer on the issue of who inspires them and why.
Annotate a picture of the cross or the resurrection, showing how this might influence a Christian or a non-believer
Choose quotations from a sacred text showing how they might influence a believer and how they react to the material
raise, and suggest answers to, questions of meaning, purpose and truth and apply their ideas to their own and other people’s lives / Apply three sayings of Christ or Guru Nanak to their own lives, giving their reaction to the religious teaching
Examine a news story from the point of view of a particular faith group
Retell a faith story for a different audience; show understanding of how it is different
Write questions to an “agony aunt” as a believer and suggest answers that different faith members might give
raise, and suggest answers to, questions of values and commitments and apply their ideas to their own and other people’s lives / Gather, select & organise information on faith responses to big questions e.g. about life & death, suffering & evil, ethical trading etc.
Create a statement about their own beliefs in God or another big issue, referring to the beliefs of two other faiths studied
Respond in artistic form to a religious painting; include an explanation of their painting
Link a bible/other sacred text quotation to a news item, event, value used in school
React to a story of commitment by asking questions or writing a commentary
Y5-6 / Descriptors / Possible activities
show they understand that similarities and differences illustrate distinctive beliefs within and between religions and suggest possible reasons for this / Make Wordle or Taxedo images to show the differences and similarities between Christian & Sikh view of God
Annotate images/ texts about Christian baptism to show the reasons for the differences between infant & adult baptism
Explore the differences between the ways in which sacred texts are handled by different faiths
Describe the differences between churches, explaining them in terms of beliefs
Compare stories from two religions that teach a similar message
explain the impact of beliefs on individuals and communities, explain how religious sources are used to provide answers to ultimate questions and ethical issues, and describe why people belong to religions / Explain what it means for a Jew or a Christian to take Genesis 1 literally or read it as a symbolic text
Show how bible passages are used by charities to inspire their workers
Plan & hold a debate on how & why people pray (use two faiths)
Hot seat representatives of different faiths on key issues
Link a sacred text quotation to a key issue, explaining the link in terms of behaviour within the community
Explain what it means for a Muslim to live by the 5 pillars and the difference it might make to the community
recognise diversity in forms of religious, spiritual and moral expression, within and between religions / Design a prayer room that would suit believers from particular faith groups
Illustrate a variety of faiths, emphasising the key differences between them
Hot seat representatives of different faiths on key issues
Sort statements about religious expression into different faith groups
ask, and suggest answers to, questions of identity and belonging relating them to their own and others’ lives; explain what inspires and influences them, expressing their own and others’ views on the challenges of belonging to a religion / Annotate images of faith based clothing, expressing their own views about what they choose to wear and why
Interview a young Sikh about their views on the 5Ks and write a balanced report on the challenges of following a faith for a young person today
Write a review of a piece of Christian/Sikh music explaining the effect of the music on their own understanding of God/worship
Choose a religious story that resonates with their experiences and compare it to one that does not
Explain what might motivate a young Muslim to become “Hafiz”
ask, and suggest answers to, questions of meaning, purpose and truth relating them to their own and others’ lives / Explain how an issue that is relevant to their lives might be addressed by a Christian or a Sikh
Explain how two faiths influence truthfulness and two influences that encourage lies
Design a memorial that shows the Christian/Sikh view of death; design a memorial for themselves and compare the two
Ask questions about what helps people believe and what helps them to believe or doubt
ask, and suggest answers to, questions about values and commitments relating them to their own and others’ lives / Create questions to ask someone of a different faith; answer the questions themselves as if they belong to that faith; answer them as themselves and compare the two sets of answers
Examine a current news story from the point of view of two faiths; produce headlines that reveal the differing responses
Present a response to a “big question” referring to two faiths studied
Suggest how a faith member might respond to a controversial issue and how they respond to the same issue

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