Share the Question: Many Christians Believe That Jesus Lives in Them, So Why Can T They
KEY STAGE 2
Mid-term planning
Year 4: Unit 6 / Term: Summer 2 / Year:
Does prayer change things?
Key Concepts: Prayer (sin/salvation/miracle) / Learning Objective: to explore the reasons why believers pray and what they believe the results are
Background information for teachers
Prayer means different things to different people. For most Christians, prayer is about communicating with God; this can include listening as well as talking and so there are as many different ways of praying as there are individuals. There are formal written prayers, books of prayers and liturgies for all occasions. Many people also use extemporary prayer, believing that God/the holy Spirit will direct them. This idea is based on Romans 8:26 “In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” There are also injunctions from Paul to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17); from Jesus to pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44); from James to pray if you are in trouble (James 5:13). Throughout the Bible (old and new testaments) there are accounts of prayer and the outcomes. 1 Samuel 1:27 shows Hannah thanking God for answering her prayer for a son; Jonah prayed and the Fish spewed him onto dry land (Jonah 2:1); Paul and Silas pray when they are in prison and there is an earthquake that makes the walls of the prison fall down (Acts 16: 25ff.); Peter is meditating (a form of prayer) when he has the vision about the food in the sheet teaching him that Gentiles as well as Jews can hear the gospel (acts 10). Ananias is praying when he receives the instruction to go to where Saul is, having been blinded on the Damascus Road (Acts 9). There are many other accounts linking prayer and miraculous events (healings, raising the dead, with standing snake bites, rescues from shipwreck etc.) The book of Acts, charting the growth of the early church, contains many of these accounts, but there are Christians who attest to such miracles in response to prayer today. There are examples on RE Quest website, which are suitable for children. As well as causing external miracles, many Christians believe that prayer changes them as well, giving them strength to take action or withstand difficulties. Interviewing believers is probably the only way for pupils to find out about that. There are many artefacts associated with prayer: rosary beads, icons, crosses, candles etc. There are also many different types of prayer – silent meditation or contemplation, chanting, singing, intercession (asking for things for others), thanksgiving, praise, confession and these can be combined (cf the Lord’s Prayer). Similar types of prayer are found in other religions, although the accompanying artefacts and practice are often different. Hindu puja uses bells, incense, fruit; flowers and milk and prayers often begin by being offered to Ganesh, the remover of obstacles. The aim of Hindu prayer is ultimately to achieve unity with the Divine.
Expected
Pupils know the correct terms for different types of prayer and can identify those types in written or spoken prayers. They can recount at least three tales from the bible and describe the impact that prayer has in these accounts and link them to some modern examples. They can evaluate the significance of prayer in the lives of historic and contemporary Christians and make some comparisons with prayer in other faiths. They will know that not everyone prays or believes that prayer has any value.
Developing
Pupils will be able to talk about what prayer might mean to a Christian or a Hindu and suggest some reasons why they might choose to prayer. They will show awareness of people who believe that prayer makes a difference and give some examples from the Bible. / Excelling
Pupils will be able to describe many different types of prayer and evaluate the impact of the belief in the power of prayer on individuals and communities. They will make links to Biblical and contemporary material and be able to use this to inform their own views about prayer.
Engage:
- Share the question: Many Christians believe that Jesus lives in them, so why can’t they do miracles (or can they)? How do the children react to this question? What would you do if you wanted to see a miracle? Could you make a miracle happen? Many Christians believe that miracles happen when they pray. Survey around the class – Do you pray or know anyone who does? Illicit pupil responses – what do they think prayer is? Where do people pray? Why do people pray? Pictures of people praying - see what they think is happening. Children could come up with the questions for the survey and then interview a selection of Christians (or mixed faiths if preferred).
Enquire & Explore: (AT1)
- Using PowerPoints from RE Quest website, explore Christian teaching about prayer, focussing on the Lord’s Prayer and identifying different types of prayer – intercession, supplication, confession, adoration and thanksgiving. Read the Lord’s Prayer and look at prayers from other Prayer books. Classify prayers according to type. Find out why people pray, what they hope to gain from prayer.
- Perhaps explore some Hindu prayers using the clips from BBC online – are there differences between Hindu and Christian prayers? Are there similarities?
Evaluate: (AT2 Impersonal)
- Again from watch and listen to people talking about the differences that they believe prayer can make. What do the children think? Are all prayers equally valuable? Do prayers have an effect on the world or just on the people who say them? Are there differences between prayers said together and prayers said alone? Why does prayer not always work? Is prayer personal?
Reflect & Communicate: (AT2 Personal)
- Write your own prayers. Give a presentation about why it is important to pray or why prayer is a waste of time. What is it important to pray about? Will your prayers change you? Will they change the world around you?
- What prayers would you like to see answered? What changes would it make if your prayers were answered? How would you react if the answer were “no”? Link to belief in God i.e. people who don’t believe maybe pray less. This could be linked back to the work on miracles.
Evaluation:
- What went well?
- Even better if:
Some suggested resources:
- Bibles
- – prayer, Jesus teaching on prayer and allied worksheets
- BBC clips online: 2871, 3617, and 5918
- Copies of the Lord’s Prayer, other Christian Prayers (perhaps from Celtic prayer books, Anglican prayer book, children’s prayers books)
- Hindu Puja set; for additional information about Hindu Prayer
RE SCHEME OF WORK
CLASS RECORD SHEET
Assessment opportunities & activities
Year 4: Unit 6 / Term: Summer 2 / Year:
Does prayer change things?
Some pupils will have made more progress and will use a developing religious vocabulary to:
- Describe and show understanding of the various types of prayer, giving examples from the Bible, prayers or other stories
- Show understanding of the reasons why people do or do not pray and link this to their own views
- Refer to biblical quotations when explaining their own views about prayer
- Connect Christian stories and beliefs with the Lord’s Prayer
- Devise good questions to ask believers about prayer and evaluate the answers
Most pupils will be able to use an increasing religious vocabulary to:
- Use the correct words to describe some different types of prayer and identify the aspects within a prayer (e.g. the Lord’s Prayer)
- Using a Bible or other Christian story, identify the impact that prayer can have on a believer’s life
- Suggest reasons why people do or do not pray, and make a link to their own views
- Ask questions about frequency and effectiveness of prayer and interview a believer
- Investigate the various beliefs that are held about prayer
- Make a link between prayer and their own lives
Some pupils will have made less progress and will be able to use religious words and phrases to:
- Match a story about prayer to some statements about Christian belief
- Rank some statements about the importance of prayer to a Christian
- Give some reasons why Christians or Hindus pray
- Identify the impact prayer has had on an individual
- Make up some good questions to ask a believer about prayer and interview them