KS3 RE – The Dalai Lama & Buddhism (Nobel Peace Prize Lesson)
A fully resourced KS3 RE lesson exploring the life of the Dalai Lama, focusing on his commitment to peace, non-violence and why he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Designed as Lesson 7 in a wider Nobel Peace Prize / Religion and Peace unit.
Students learn about the Dalai Lama’s childhood in Tibet, his role as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and the challenges he faced following the Chinese invasion of Tibet. Through a supporting reading and comprehension task, students explore how he responded to conflict and exile without resorting to violence.
The lesson encourages students to consider the qualities of leadership, courage and compassion before evaluating whether the Dalai Lama’s actions were influenced by his Buddhist beliefs. Students explore key Buddhist teachings, including compassion and non-violence, and examine how these influenced his work for peace.
A range of discussion, reflection and written tasks help students develop critical thinking while preparing them for the final enquiry question of the unit: Does religion influence peace?
-Fully resourced KS3 lesson (ready to teach)
-Includes reading and comprehension activities
-Focus on Buddhism, compassion and non-violence
-Develops discussion, explanation and evaluation skills
-Explores the impact of religious beliefs on peace-making
-Part of a Nobel Peace Prize / Religion and Peace scheme of work
-Designed as Lesson 7 of an 8-lesson unit
The Dalai Lama
This is a lesson that can support the GCSE Buddhism course or it can be a general lesson to help contextualise the Dalai Lama as a spiritual and political leader.
The lesson covers:
Who is the Dalai Lama
The challenges the Dalai Lama faces
Tibetan independence
The challenges of self-immolation
The lesson takes 40-50 minutes to complete.
Trigger warning - this lesson does refer to the self-immolation of Buddhist monks in protest of Tibetan occupation.
If you are interested in more lessons consider my Buddhist beliefs bundle which includes all the content for the GCSE Buddhist Beliefs curriculum.
Dalai Lama
Let’s learn about the Dalai Lama! What did he do for the civil rights of people? Let’s find out with this 10-page biography. Exercises, puzzles and other fun stuff are included!
Overview:
Page 1: Introduction (reading)
Page 2: Exercise: multiple choice & gap-fill
Page 3: Early Life (reading)
Page 4: Exercise: true/false statements & word scramble
Page 5: In Exile (reading)
Page 6: Exercise: open questions & matching terms
Page 7: Exercise: timeline
Page 8: Fun Facts (word scramble exercise)
Page 9: Word Search
Page 10: Crossword (revision)
The answers and an answer sheet are included.
You might also like these biographies:
Nelson Mandela
Mahatma Gandhi
Martin Luther King
Dalai Lama
You can save money by purchasing the Bundle!
Human Rights Leaders
Keywords:
Dalai Lama, Tibet, human rights, civil rights, China, government, exile, Tenzin Gyatso, spiritual leader, Buddhism, Lhamo Thondup, reincarnation, Lhasa, Nobel Peace Prize, India, peace
Dalai Lama an Introduction
A 6 page pdf document covering and overview of the Dalai Lama
Intended for Stage 6 Religion
Covers
Background of the Dalai Lama
The present Dalai Lama - Biography / Education / Leadership / Democratic Process / Peace Initiatives / Universal Recognition / Political Retirement / The future
Hero: Dalai Lama
A lesson from the Hero topic. Looking at main Buddhist beliefs, the history of the Dalai Lama and Tenzin Gyatso’s key teachings. Includes video links and questions to answer based on them.
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Buddhism as a worldview Lesson 6 The Dalai Lama
An exploration on who the Dalai Lama is and what he is like and why he received the nobel peace prize. Study of Tibetan Buddhism and the political situation between Tibet and China!
Dalai Lama Reading Comprehension Activities | Year 5 or Year 6
A reading comprehension passage with a teacher presentation, comprehension and grammar questions, a multiple choice quiz, a crossword puzzle and a wordsearch about the head of Tibetan Buddhism and the Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama.
The NO PREP informational text worksheets are perfect for students in Year 5 or Year 6. Students will learn key facts about the famous figure whilst working on their comprehension skills.
Included in this PDF printable resource:
A teacher presentation to introduce the subject
An informational text
A comprehension activity with ten questions
Two grammar questions about the text
An extension writing activity
A multiple choice quiz with seven questions
An answer sheet for self-assessment or teacher use
A crossword puzzle to consolidate learning
A wordsearch puzzle
⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻
This resource is great for:
In class learning
Independent work
Homework
Guided reading sessions
Assessment practice
Reading interventions
Emergency sub plans
The activity requires NO PREP; it has a body of text that students need to read through thoroughly; then they can use the text to find the comprehension and grammar answers. All texts then have an extension activity for those fast finishers and answers, for teacher use, are on the final page of the document.
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Dalai Lama | Spirituality | Compassion & Tibetan Buddhism
This knowledge card set includes 10 cards offering an overview of the “Dalai Lama,” covering his early life and recognition as the 14th Dalai Lama, religious training in Tibetan Buddhism, leadership during exile, teachings on compassion and nonviolence, role in promoting human rights, Nobel Peace Prize, dialogues with global leaders, efforts toward Tibetan autonomy, interfaith initiatives, and enduring influence on world spirituality. The text and images were generated with AI.
KS3 - Inspirational Leaders // Dalai Lama
Updated lesson from 20/21 for KS3 on Inspirational Leaders.
Lesson contains worksheets, differentiation, learning objectives and milestones.
Dalai Lama Putting Faith Into Action RE
Dalai Lama RE lesson looking at how the current Dalai Lama was found, difficulties in his rule and lifetime and how he has put his Buddhist faith into action. This can be taught as a stand alone lesson or as part of our putting faith into action unit here.
You may also be interested in our resources on -
Jackie Pullinger
Food Banks
5 Precepts
This is an easy to follow power point lesson. The lesson has been planned to last for about 1 hour however it is fully editable. This lesson has the option of a printable or online wordsearch activity and the option for a blooket quiz activity or written questions and answers.
No previous knowledge in this subject area is needed, the lesson is easily deliverable by someone who is not a subject specialist.
Lesson includes -
Starter and plenary task to demonstrate learning and progression
Clear and accurate information
Discussion tasks and feedback slides
Short, engaging tasks
Challenging extension activities
Optional traditional or technology based tasks
An ask an expert option
Writing frames provided where needed
Optional Rights Respecting Slide
Homework Slide
Optional recap & recall slides (these refer to the previous Jackie Pullinger lesson in the Putting Faith into Action unit).
In response to current educational research on cognitive load, our lessons contain minimal unnecessary text or imagery in order to enhance memory of key information
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If for any reason you are unhappy or have technical problems with this resource please email youcantknoweverything@gmail.com and we will do our best to resolve any problems for you.
Youcantknoweverything Education
How did the Dalai Lama's background influence the person he became?
This lesson will support student learning in how the background of the Dalai Lama influenced his later day teachings and his Buddhist philosophy
Students will need to use this information to write an introduction to the Dalai Lama and will have to interpret his own words and link them to his upbringing
Dalai Lama Reading Comprehension Activities | Year 3 or Year 4
A reading comprehension passage with an informational text, a teacher presentation, comprehension and grammar questions, a multiple choice quiz, a crossword puzzle and a wordsearch about the head of Tibetan Buddhism and the Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama.
The NO PREP informational text worksheets are perfect for students in Year 3 or Year 4. Students will learn key facts about the famous figure whilst working on their comprehension skills.
Included in this PDF printable resource:
A teacher presentation to introduce the subject
An informational text
A comprehension activity with ten questions
Two grammar questions about the text
An extension writing activity
A multiple choice quiz with seven questions
An answer sheet for self-assessment or teacher use
A crossword puzzle to consolidate learning
A wordsearch puzzle
⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻
This resource is great for:
In class learning
Independent work
Homework
Guided reading sessions
Assessment practice
Reading interventions
Emergency sub plans
The activity requires NO PREP; it has a body of text that students need to read through thoroughly; then they can use the text to find the comprehension and grammar answers. All texts then have an extension activity for those fast finishers and answers, for teacher use, are on the final page of the document.
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For more great resources check out my store ⇉⇉ CLICK HERE
Dalai Lama Biography Writing Unit | Year 5 or Year 6
A biography writing unit about the spiritual leader of Buddhism across the world and Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama. The NO PREP unit has been split into four separate lessons and is perfect for students in Year 5 or Year 6.
Included in this PDF printable resource:
Four fact sheets which students need to cut out and sort into paragraphs
Writing templates for four draft paragraphs
Two prompt sheets for students to write their introduction and conclusion
A template for students to write up their neat biography text
A crossword puzzle & wordsearch activity to consolidate learning
If you would like to add another lesson, download my Dalai Lama Reading Comprehension Activity. This would give the students more background knowledge before they start writing the biography.
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This resource is great for:
In class learning
Independent work
Homework
Creative writing sessions
Assessment practice
Emergency sub plans
⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻
The first lesson is interactive and involves students cutting out facts, and then sorting these facts into paragraphs. In the second lesson the students need to use these facts to write four paragraphs. Then, in the third lesson children need to choose the most important facts and include these in an introduction; after this they need to answer several questions on a prompt sheet before writing up their conclusion. In the final lesson students need to check their draft paragraphs for mistakes before writing up their work on to a neat copy on the template provided.
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Bundle
Dalai Lama Reading Comprehension and Biography Bundle | UKS2
A bundle of two resources that span five lessons about the spiritual leader of Buddhism across the world and Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama. Perfect for students in Year 5 or Year 6.
Firstly, there are reading comprehension activities which come with an informational text, a teacher presentation, comprehension and grammar questions, a multiple choice quiz, a crossword puzzle and a wordsearch. Secondly, there is a biography writing unit which has been split into four separate lessons of reading, sorting and writing.
Included in the close reading activity:
A teacher presentation to introduce the subject
An informational text
A comprehension activity with ten questions
Two grammar questions about the text
An extension writing activity
A multiple choice quiz with seven questions
An answer sheet for self-assessment or teacher use
A crossword puzzle to consolidate learning
A wordsearch puzzle
Included in the biography writing unit:
Four fact sheets which students need to cut out and sort into paragraphs
Writing templates for four draft paragraphs
Two prompt sheets for students to write their introduction and conclusion
A template for students to write up their neat biography text
A crossword puzzle and wordsearch activity
This resource is great for:
In class learning
Independent work
Homework
Creative writing sessions
Guided reading sessions
Reading & writing interventions
Assessment practice
Emergency sub plans
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For more great resources follow my store ⇉⇉ CLICK HERE
What were the key teachings of the Dalai Lama and how did he influence modern Buddhism?
This lesson will explore the key themes to the Dalai Lama’s teachings. It will then get students to think about what quotes from the Dalai Lama fit into each theme. Finally, students will need to consider 10 key points that they would include in an AO1 question on the 14th Dalai Lama
How far have the 14th Dalai Lama &Thich Nhat Hanh developed new and innovative Buddhism?
How far have the 14th Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh developed new and innovative expressions of Buddhism?
Students will analyse and evaluate key arguments in this debate and the identification of key conclusions to this debate
Lesson 1 of 6- Buddhism and its involvement in the world
The SOW for this unit is available to download for free on TES.
The objectives of this lesson are:
-Identify key facts about Buddhism.
-Explain the experiences of Siddhartha Gautama that lead to Buddhism.
-Analyse text about the Dalai Lama.
-Create questions you could ask the Dalai Lama.
The lesson includes a PowerPoint and all resources.
Bundle
Buddhism as a worldview
A series of 8 lessons looking at Buddhism as a worldview.
1.Buddhism through a sociological lens
To consider facts and figures about Buddhism around the world
2.Who was the Buddha?
To consider who the Buddha is through a historical, religious and philosophical lense
3. The stories of Buddha
*To consider what Buddhists learn from the teachings of Buddha
4. Buddhism and happiness
*To consider to what extent Buddhism to contributes to happiness
5. Buddhism and morality
To consider what Buddhism teaches about morality
6. Who was the Dalai Lama?
To consider who the Dalai Lama is and his place within Tibetan Buddhism
7. Buddhism in the 21st century
To consider what part Buddhism plays in the modern world, in terms of culture and wellbeing
8. Is Buddhism a religion?
To consider whether Buddhism is a world view or a religion focussing in Ninian Smart;s 7 dimensions of religion
It presupposes some previous knowledge of worldviews, lenses and types of truth
Religious Leaders (Puzzles, reading & questions)
This unit includes a wide variety of puzzles and close reading activities about Religious Leaders.
Puzzles:
Word searches
Crosswords
Word scrambles
Fast facts
The following people are addressed in the puzzles:
Buddha
Confucius
Dalai Lama
Jesus Christ
Joseph Smith
Martin Luther
Moses
Muhammad
Pope Francis
The puzzles come in different levels.
The following people are included in the close reading activities:
Buddha
Confucius
Dalai Lama
Jesus Christ
Martin Luther
Moses
Muhammad
The answers for all activities are provided.

















