Y9: KS3 CATHOLIC RED: Galilee to Jerusalem - L5: What is Religious Life?
This fully resourced Year 9 lesson on Religious Life explores what religious life is like in practice and why some Catholics choose this vocation as a way of living out radical discipleship. Carefully aligned with the KS3 Religious Education Directory (RED) and sequenced to support progression towards GCSE Religious Studies, the lesson develops pupils’ understanding of vocation, sacrifice, service, and commitment within the Catholic Church.
Pupils learn what is meant by religious life and consecrated life, exploring the differences between closed orders and religious life in the community. Through clear, accessible explanations, pupils examine daily life in monasteries and convents, including prayer, worship, silence, simplicity, and shared work, before comparing this with active service in schools, hospitals, parishes, and charities.
Strong links are made to radical discipleship in the Gospel of Mark, particularly the story of the Rich Young Man, helping pupils understand why religious life involves sacrifice and putting God above possessions, comfort, and personal desires. Pupils also explore the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, gaining a clear understanding of what each vow means and why they are central to religious life.
Designed for reading ages 8–12, the lesson includes purposeful clipart summaries, one-sentence keyword definitions, common misconceptions for pupils to correct, and accessible comprehension questions to support literacy, inclusion, and knowledge retention. Clear scaffolding supports pupils in securing core knowledge before applying it to explanation and evaluation.
The lesson culminates in structured evaluative writing, with scaffolded PEEL-style paragraphs supporting pupils to respond to the key question:
“Serving God in a closed order would make you a more faithful Christian.”
Present arguments for and against this statement, including what a Catholic might say, and explain which argument you find more persuasive.
Engaging, accessible, and GCSE-ready, this lesson provides Catholic RE teachers with a ready-to-teach, doctrinally sound resource that deepens pupils’ understanding of religious life, discipleship, and vocation while building confident evaluative writing skills.




















