World Religions other than Christianity
How did it all begin?
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Learning Intentions
In this unit pupils are learning to explain how a particular religion began, explore the life of a Founder of a religion, assess how factors/events can influence behaviour and assess the Founder’s significance for followers today. Please note: consideration should be given to religious beliefs about the Founder of the religion and visual representation of the Founder.
Links with Key Elements
- Cultural Understanding – exploring the origins of a world religion other than Christianity.
Skills and Capabilities
Cross Curricular Skills:
Communication
- Listen to and take part in discussions, explanations, role plays and presentations.
Using ICT (if appropriate – research and development of end activity)
- Create, develop, present and publish ideas and information using a range of digital media;
Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities:
Working with Others
- Take personal responsibility for work with others and evaluate their own contribution to the group.
Thinking, Problem-Solving and Decision Making
- Being Creative
Learning Outcomes
- work effectively with others;
- communicate effectively in oral, visual, written and ICT formats, showing clear awareness of audience and purpose.
Key Questions
1. What was life like at the time?
Learning intentions
Pupils are learning to: Explain how a particular religion began.
Introductory Activity: Teaching Activity 1
Pupils encouraged to think about news stories today that provoke a reaction in them and would lead them take some kind of action. E.g. – inequality, war etc. Stories could be provided and pupils asked to give a considered response to what they have read. Short class discussion on what they would do and why. Explain context for discussion – looking at the life of an important person in a religion.
Communication
- Listen to and take part in discussions.
Core Activity: Teaching Activity 2
Teacher preparation:
- Produce relevant fact cards about the country/lifestyle/culture/religion and political state at the time of the Founder. (See relevant websites for information)
Group work – give each group a number of facts (9 facts ideal for diamond ranking) about the country at the time of the Founder – social/political/religious etc. Pupils classify or prioritise facts using negotiation. Which facts were most likely to provoke a reaction in people?
(Diamond Ranking –‘Active Learning and Teaching Methods’ page 22).
Working with Others
- Take personal responsibility for work with others and evaluate their own contribution to the group.
Reinforcing Activity: Teaching Activity 3
Encourage pupils to make a list of 5 questions that they still have about life at this time. As a class decide on top three things that they wish to find out about life at the time. Pupils encouraged to conduct research to find out the answers to their questions.
Managing Information
- Ask focused questions.
Reinforcing Activity: Teaching Activity 4
Group work - create a fact sheet about life at the time using all the information they have discovered.
Pupils could fill in a self evaluation sheet focusing on how well they worked in the group.
Reinforcing Activity: Teaching Activity 5
Group work - discussion using the following questions:
- How may these factors have provoked someone living at that time?
- Why would they have wanted to react?
- What actions may they have taken?
Pupils to discuss questions and to provide feedback to the class about their ideas.
2. Who was the Founder?
Learning intentions
Pupils are learning to: Explore the life of a Founder of a religion
Core Activity: Teaching Activity 1
Teacher preparation:
- Provide pupils with the life story of the Founder which highlights the key events in the life. This could be done in written, picture (if appropriate to religious belief about Founder) or multimedia format. (see relevant web sites)
Pupils are told/given the story of the life of the Founder.
Sequencing activity – Pupils given information about the life of the Founder in the wrong sequence and are then asked to sequence the information they have been given into the correct order.
Ask pupils to prioritise the key events in the life of the Founder in terms of what impact they may have had on the Founder of the religion. (Priority Pyramid – ‘Active Learning and Teaching Methods’ page 59)
Thinking, Problem-Solving and Decision Making
- Sequence, order, classify, and make comparisons.
- Make links between cause and effect.
Reinforcing Activity: Teaching Activity 2
Pupils to produce a living graph on the Founder outlining the emotions they think they (the pupils) would have had if the events had happened to them.
Discuss with pupils why they think the Founder carried on despite any setbacks they may have encountered.
Thinking, Problem-Solving and Decision Making
- Sequence, order, classify, and make comparisons.
Reinforcing Activity: Teaching Activity 3
Using all the information from previous tasks pupils summarise the key factors (social/political/religious etc) and events in the life of the Founder. They then list the possible impact these events may have had on the Founder.
3. How did it all begin?
Learning intentions
Pupils are learning to: Assess the Founders significance for followers today.
End Activity: Teaching Activity 1
Teacher preparation:
- Resource sheet for pupils – basic facts about the religion today eg number of followers, countries where it is the main religion, different groups within the religion etc.
Group work - pupils to work in groups to produce a ‘This is your life’ book for the life of the Founder. Book should include key events in the life of the Founder, key teaching or message to followers and impact in the 21st century.
Working with Others
- Take personal responsibility for work with others.
Core Activity: Teaching Activity 2
Group work - pupils to discuss their various thoughts about the question in groups and decide on three reasons for the beginning of the religion. This can be placed in the back of their book about the Founder.
Communication
- Develop, express and present ideas in a variety of forms and formats.
Using ICT (if appropriate)
- Create, develop, present and publish ideas and information using a range of digital media.
Reinforcing Activity: Teaching Activity 3
Possible extension activity – pupils produce a script and hot seat someone for a ‘This is your life’ special with the Founder. (Sensitivity towards religious beliefs about the Founder should be taken into consideration at this stage.)
Communication
- Listen to and take part in discussions, explanations, role plays and presentations.
Reinforcing Activity: Teaching Activity 4
Self-evaluation task. Pupils complete a self evaluation sheet focusing on Working with Others.
Working with Others
- Evaluate their own contribution to the group.
Resources and Useful Links
Resources needed:
- fact cards about the country/lifestyle/culture/religion and political state at the time of the Founder;
- the life story of the Founder which highlights the key events in the life. This could be done in written, picture or multimedia format;
- Living Graph;
- Summary of Events and Impact on Life;
- Outline of what is needed for ‘This is Your Life’ book/script.