Unit: Introductory unit to KS3 RE: Why have I got to do RE? I don’t want to be a Vicar!

About this unit: This unit is designed to provide an opportunity to conduct some benchmark assessment on the students that are just starting at the school. Also a chance to do some formative assessment on work covered in Primary school. There is also the opportunity for the RE department to set the tone and expectations of RE in the Secondary school.

The approach taken here is merely suggested and reflects how I would have gone about this. Your department may want to approach this is a different way; Most schools have already established how they do this.

(Suggested Assessment Task: Included in teaching activities)

Prior learning / Technical Vocabulary / Resources
It would be helpful if
Nothing is assumed other than there has been some / In this unit children will have an opportunity to use words and phrases related to:-
Theist
Atheist
Agnostic
Respectful disagreement
Maria Gomez
Justice / This is RE book 1 Cath Large
Stilling: A pathway for spiritual learning in the National Curriculum: Michael Beesley
Who wants to be a millionaire? Template from resources disc.
Assessment task for resources disc
Skills / Attitudes
Investigation
Analysis and Evaluation / Open mindedness
Respect
Expectations
At the end of this unit
Most children will:
Core level 4 / Pupils use a developing religious vocabulary. They describe the impact of religion on people’s lives. Pupils raise, and suggest answers to, questions of meaning, purpose, truth, values and commitments. They apply their ideas to their own and other people’s lives. They describe what inspires and influences themselves and others.
some children will not have made so much progress and will:
Reinforcement level 3 / Pupils use a developing religious vocabulary. They begin to identify the impact religion has on believers’ lives.
They ask important questions about religion and beliefs, making links between their own and others’ responses. They make links between values and commitments, and their own attitudes and behaviour.
Some children will have progressed further and will:
Enrichment level 5 / Pupils use an increasingly wide religious vocabulary They explain how religious sources are used to provide answers to ultimate questions and ethical issues, recognising diversity in forms of religious, spiritual and moral expression, within and between religions.
Pupils ask, and suggest answers to, questions of meaning, purpose and truth, values and commitments, relating them to their own and others’ lives. They explain what inspires and influences them, expressing their own and
Others views.
Learning Objectives / Possible Teaching Activities
(Select from) / Learning outcomes / Contribution to other Curriculum Areas/ other information
  • You may need to take the first lesson to establish with the class your ways of working or you may have a well worked start of RE in the secondary school. Please feel free to still do that
Or if you wish start with below /
  • Reinforcement
  • Core
  • Enrichment

Learners will:-
Understand that religion seeks top answer ultimate questions.
Will learn and reflect on terms such as Theist, Atheist, Agnostic
Have an opportunity to reflect on the ultimate questions that concern them most
Investigate the beliefs of others and consider arguments around belief. / RE is about Big Questions.
Explain that regardless of what people believe we all have big questions to ask. This has been the same since man began. Religions seek to explore these big questions.
Use a text Like What is RE Book 1 page 4/5.
Explain terms Theist, Atheist, Agnostic.
Pose a question such as those suggested on page 4 and do a Human Bar Chart activity.
(How to do a human bar chart.
First pose a controversial question I.E I believe God doesn’t exist.
Students are then asked where they stand on a 1-5 scale Agree to disagree. On a small piece of paper each students write 1…5 depending on their response. These are then collected in , mixed up and handed back. Then class forma a human bar chart based on the number they got back. Discuss results, discuss question, ask students to role play the argument of the number they got back etc. then repeat task and see if any change in views.)
You could follow this up by doing a ‘Stilling’ exercise such as ‘The Wise Person’ (Michael Beesley page 34) You may need to simplify this for year 7. Ask learners to write down the Big Question they would want to ask of the wise man..and explain why they chose that question.
OR
Using worksheet 1.4 from the This is RE Book 1 teacher’s guide. Conduct a Belief Survey ..Perhaps as a homework. Collate results (Numarcy in RE!)
Conduct a group Pyramid/Card sort activity on Reasons to believe ..or not. Again The teachers guide for This is RE Book has a suitable resource but you could easily devise you own.
Redo the Human bar chart activity and see if there are any changes to the original results. /
  • Reinforcement
Learners will be able to use a developing religious vocabulary. They can ask important questions about religion and beliefs, making links between their own and others’ responses. They will develop skills in reflection.
  • Core
Learners use a developing religious vocabulary. Pupils raise, and suggest answers to, questions of meaning, purpose, truth, values and commitments. They apply their ideas to their own and other people’s lives. They describe what inspires and influences themselves and others.
  • Enrichment
learners use an increasingly wide religious vocabulary
Pupils ask, and suggest answers to, questions of meaning, purpose and truth, values and commitments, relating them to their own and others’ lives. They explain what inspires and influences them, expressing their own andothers views. / Spiritual development
Thinking skills
Numeracy Skills
  • Reinforcement
  • Core
  • Enrichment

Learners will
Revisit and research the religions they studied at KS2
Peer assess the knowledge and understanding of religions studied at ks2
Make effective use of ICT / Part of RE is about learning facts about world religions. What do you already Know?
  • ‘Quiz Time’ activity from ‘This is RE book 1’ – What do you know about World Religions? It is suggested that the RE room becomes an area where the learners can move around researching the answers using any RE resources that they may use in the future. E.g. Text books, displays, video, leaflets, internet.
  • Divide the class into groups or teams; you may like to this based on the feeder primary schools they came from. Ask them to take on religion that they studied at KS2/3. Provide them with a suitable textbook on that religion and ask them to do a 'Who wants to be a Millionaire’ on that religion. The ICT Blank is included in the resources pack.
  • Groups can then quiz each other and you can judge how much learners already know about the faiths they have studied.
/
  • Reinforcement
  • Core
  • Enrichment
This task is mainly a formative assessment task to gauge the background coverage of Religious knowledge and understanding at KS2. Here the teacher has the learning outcome that he/she is better informed and enabled to apply this to better lesson planning.
There also opportunists for achieving ICT learning objectives. / ICT
Research skills
Cultural development.
Learners will
  • Develop skills in listening to others
  • Develop skills in disagreeing respectfully
/ RE are the first two letters of Respect.
This lesson is based on recent work by Lat Blaylock, Look out for new resources to support this section. In the meantime…
  • Respect doesn’t mean that you have to agree with someone but it is important to develop the skill of disagreeing respectfully.
  • Give students a suitable newspaper article on a controversial issue. A religious theme might help but it’s not essential. Outline rules for discussion. Phrases used must be constructive. E.g. ‘I disagree with that because…..’ I can see what they are saying but…… These gain points. Every time someone says ‘That’s a load a of rubbish’ or something similarly dismissive or they jeer or shout down someone else point of view they lose points
  • Discuss the issues.
  • Then ask the students to write about the issue using the disagreeing respectfully writing frame.
  • Artefact handling. Talk with pupils about handling items with respect. Get them to ask questions and suggest answers in terms of what they are and what religion they belong to.
/
  • Reinforcement
Learners are able to ask important questions about religion and beliefs, making links between their own and others’ responses. They make links between values and commitments, and their own attitudes and behaviour.
  • Core
Learners raise, and suggest answers to, questions of meaning, purpose, truth, values and commitments. They apply their ideas to their own and other people’s lives.
  • Enrichment
Learners ask, and suggest answers to, questions of meaning, purpose and truth, values and commitments, relating them to their own and others’ lives. / Cultural development
Thinking skills
Learners will
Learn about the life of Maria Gomez and Christian teachings on Justice.
They will ask questions about her lifestyle and faith.
They will reflect on the importance of and dangers of standing up for justice. / So what difference does religion make?
Assessment task Maria Gomez
Show an image of the Maria Cristina Gomez Cross. In pairs/groups produce a list of questions they would like to ask about this. Compare with another group and produce best question. Then compile a class list of questions.
Use these questions to explore the story of Maria Gomez. Background to this is given in This is RE book 1
Look at the source 1 (Bible passage) discuss how this relates to Maria Gomez.
Benchmark Assessment task. This should not be done as a test. The levels of the agreed syllabus should be explained before hand so that learners know what is expected of them. Each question can be explained before being attempted. You should however make sure that each learner produces their own work. /
  • Reinforcement
Achieve at level 3 or below
  • Core
Achieve at level 4
  • Enrichment
Achieve at level 5 or above.