Learning Objectives: To consider what ‘worldviews’ are and to evaluate whether they are important To explore the right to freedom of belief and religion as a Human Right To put into context where the world’s religions have come from To be introduced to a variety of key words, facts and figures related to these religions Students start by watching a video on worldviews and use it to feedback their thoughts on what they think the term means, why worldviews may be important and what factors influence someone’s worldview. After identifying that religion plays a key role in shaping some people’s worldviews, they then complete a timeline activity to introduce them to a brief development of religion over time, including the world’s 6 main religions. Students use the information from this activity to answer questions that will introduce them to some key words, facts and figures about these main religions (answers included). The lesson finishes with students responding to the prompt: ‘Religions are irrelevant in today’s world.’ Extension: students to create their own set of ‘worldview glasses’ to show their own worldview Resources included: PPT, lesson plan, map and timeline sheets

Focuses on: Debates about female ordination in the Church of England up to and after 1994 and the continuing debate today Lesson starts with a key concept check, then students are introduced to the arguments surrounding female priests from a clip of the Vicar of Dibley. They are then introduced to the hierarchy of the Church of England, and go through a timeline of female ordination, ending with being introduced to Libby Lane’s consecration as a bishop. Students then watch an 8 minute video about the role and authority of women in the Church, picking out further key arguments which they will use, combined with their textbook, to bullet point down arguments for and against the 15 mark statement, ‘women should not be leaders in Christianity’. Resources included: PowerPoint, lesson plan, video links Students will need textbooks

Double lesson on the Bible - sources of wisdom and authority, AQA A Level Christianity. Students start by completing an origami activity to show the importance of having guidance/instructions. They are then introduced to the nature of the Bible and issues with it through a video linked on the PPT. They then create a booklet ‘Guide to the Bible’ using an A3 sheet template to cover the nature and authority of the Bible, including conservatism, liberalism and neo-orthodoxy. Final activity is to plan and write a draft 10 mark essay on the nature and authority of the Bible. Resources included: PowerPoint, lesson plan, origami instructions, A3 sheet Students will need: paper for the origami activity, textbooks *I have added resources for another way of completing this lesson, whereby students are given a booklet to complete instead. You can then choose what you prefer

Lesson created for KS3 on moral vegetarianism, looking at why people become vegetarian or vegan; evaluating different views on moral vegetarianism and whether it is morally right to eat meat (GCSE style statement). This is in the style of an animal rights protest placard. Could be used easily for KS4. Includes the lesson plan, a booklet that students have to fill in synced with the lesson content (no books needed - with starter questionnaire, space to write in definitions of vegan and vegetarian, space for the ‘for and against’ arguments, and then for the plenary), and case studies. Students work in pairs or teams to look at the case studies. Extension/challenge throughout. The case studies are in pairs (the for and against arguments): Animal Aid and the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board Christianity and Hinduism Philosophers (including the utilitarian argument, to link to A level)

2 to 3 lessons worth of materials focusing on: An introduction to the topic of ‘expressions of religious identity’ Baptism: the significance of infant baptism in Christianity with particular reference to the Catholic and Baptist traditions; arguments for and against infant baptism Starts with discussion prompts around identity, and students are then introduced to some of the key words and ideas of the topic ‘expressions of religious identity’ and are to discuss what they already know about them/try to link the words together. Because students need to focus on Catholic and Baptist traditions, they then look at recent data on Christianity around the world to research into the two areas. Students are then introduced to baptism and the story of John the Baptist, which they act/read out as a role play. Students then look at the various Gospel accounts of Jesus’ baptism and complete a compare/contrast sheet with prompts. Students will need Bibles for this. Then, students are to use their textbooks to complete a question booklet/sheet about baptism in the Catholic and Baptist traditions, and then colour code arguments for and against infant baptism. The teacher answers for this are included. Final activity/homework is a 15 mark question on baptism Resources included: PowerPoint, detailed lesson plan, Christianity around the world data sheets, John the Baptist role play script, Gospel comparison table sheet, Baptism question sheet (and answers). Students need Bibles and textbooks

This was designed as part of a KS3 unit of work on Jesus to explore whether Jesus was the messiah. Students start off by considering what a superhero is and link this to Jesus. Students are then provided with resources to find out what the prophets predicted the messiah would be 700 years before Jesus, and compare this to accounts of Jesus in the gospels to decide whether they think Jesus was or was not the messiah. You can put the resources on tables, or around the room as a treasure hunt. Students then write up their evaluation/findings (writing frame provided).

LOs: To have considered your own and others’ beliefs around the subject of death - is it the end? To learn and compare different beliefs about the afterlife in the Abrahamic religions as well as in the non-religious worldview of Humanism To know and be able to explain how some views differ between people within the the same religion/worldview Students start by listening to the story of Badger’s Parting Gifts (widely available online but also on PPT) and pondering if it is a suitable introduction to death for young children. They then have 10 prompts on A3 paper to respond to - each sheet on a different table, which is then passed round so that students continue building on the responses on each sheet without leaving their tables. After a key concept understanding check, students watch a video introducing different views about what happens after death, before then moving around the room to different stations to find out and answer questions (answer provided) to 4 different perspectives: Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Humanism (using Understanding Humanism sheet). Prompts to feedback on at end of lesson. 1-2 lessons depending how you go about the activities.

LOs: To investigate the concept of miracles from a philosophical perspective by learning about and applying the philosophical worldview of humanism, as well as the specific views of philosophers Starts with an introduction to what is philosophy, and what is a philosophy, then introduces humanism. With this gained knowledge, students then consider what a humanist response to 5 perceived miracles might be. Students read a hand out by Understanding Humanism called ‘Miracles? A humanist perspective’ and answer some questions in relation to this, including about David Hume who then then explore in the next activity. Students receive a set of philosopher cards and have to read each and put them into 3 piles - agree, disagree, middle in relation to the statement ‘it is unreasonable to believe in miracles’. Finishes with responding to a quote picture of Einstein.

LOs: To investigate the concept of miracles from a Jewish perspective To learn about and apply the strategy of Pardes to the miracles contained within the Exodus story To consider how Jewish understanding compares to our prior learning about miracles - liberal, conservative and fundamentalist interpretations Students start by trying to identify the story and order of the story via pictures. They are then introduced to the Jewish textual analysis strategy of Pardes which they then apply to the story of Exodus, having watched a brief video of the Exodus story and reading through a the story. Students prior to this lesson in my SOW have explored Christian miracles (liberal, conservative and fundamentalist interpretations) so I have left the reference to this in the lesson in case it’s useful, but it’s easily removable.

LOs: To investigate the concept of miracles from a Muslim perspective To learn about and apply the four layers of tafsir to the miracle of Muhammad’s ascent into heaven (al-Mi’raj) To consider how Muslim understanding compares to our prior learning about miracles Students start with statements related to al-Mi’raj and have to consider whether it describes a real-world scientific phenomenon, a religious or miraculous belief/story, or both/unclear. Students then read the story and consider why it is considered a miracle and why it’s important to Muslims. Many Islamic scholars and mystics recognise four levels of meaning in the Qur’an, known as the four layers of tafsir. Students then apply these four layers of tafsir to the story of al-Mi’raj, and have some reflection questions on this. Finishes with 3 quotes saying what people believe about this story from different perspectives - why is the miracle important to all Muslims, regardless of the interpretation they take? Students prior to this lesson in my SOW have explored Christian miracles (liberal, conservative and fundamentalist interpretations) so I have left the reference to this in the lesson objectives, but it’s just a point of discussion and not explicitly in the lesson, so it’s easily removable.

PPT and resources (key word match, key word sheet for students to fill, God in 6 worlviews cards, task sheet for cards, plus 2 scaffolding sheets for less able) for the KS3 lesson: What is God? LOs: To develop subject vocabulary in relation to ideas about God To learn about the diverse views of God across six of today’s worldviews Lesson starts with students writing their own words or questions that come to mind when they hear the word ‘God’ and an introduction to key terms used in relation to God. Students match key words and definitions about God, some that will come up in the next lesson activity Groups have a pack of 6 cards about God in 6 worldviews - Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddha Dharma (Buddhism), Hindu Dharma (Hinduism) and Humanism, and have questions to answer on these. Answers provided. Each card has a challenge question also. Knowledge check to finish.

This lesson is designed to come after students have learned about Jesus in Christianity. LOs: To know and understand how Jesus is viewed by other worldviews in comparison to Christianity To reflect on why it might be important to learn about how different worldviews view the same important figures Lesson starts with students recapping what they already know about Jesus; they then have information sheets provided to them in packs about how Jesus is viewed in Islam, Judaism, Hindu Dharma (Hinduism), Sikhi (Sikhism) and Humanism, with questions to answer about each. Answer provided. Students then complete a Venn diagram activity comparing Jesus in Christianity (using their prior knowledge) and at least 1 of the worldviews explored in this lesson. They finish with thumbs up/down true or false statements. Answers provided.

A lesson on belonging in Buddhism - the sangha Objectives: to know some of the different types of Buddhist sangha to understand what it means to be a Buddhist monk and to consider how Buddhist beliefs are reflected in the monastic life to know what happens during initiation into the monastic sangha Students start by looking at pictures and trying to work out what sangha means, then are introduced to what sangha means and discuss what they think life as a monk/nun would be like, trying to link their ideas to Buddhist concepts. Students then watch a video on ‘a day in the life of a monk’ and learn about what it means to be a monk/how a person becomes a monk. After this students watch a video introducing a person’s 10 day stay with monks in Thailand. Students then have to write a postcard as though they are this person explaining about their stay, making sure to include everything on a check list. Students then complete mini quiz style 1 and 2 mark exam questions. An extension activity is included if need be for students to complete an information sheet about the worldwide sangha, for which they would need ‘The Buddhist Experience’ textbook. Resources included: PPT, lesson plan, videos linked on PPT, worldwide sangha double sided worksheet Resources needed: ‘The Buddhist Experience’ textbook (if you want students to complete the extension activity and worksheet)

Revision sheets for all of the AQA RS Christianity Year 12 topics: Sources of wisdom and authority God Self, death and afterlife Good conduct and key moral principles Expressions of religious identity

PowerPoint, resources and lesson plan for a double lesson on the Church - sources of wisdom and authority, AQA A Level Christianity. Includes an activity whereby students make their own big fold out timeline on the history of the Church. Question and answer sheet provided on the Catholic/Protestant split, using a video from YouTube that is linked on the PowerPoint. Exam question as extension.

LOs: To know the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment; to analyse the importance of the story of the Buddha Pupils start by exploring the impact of things in their own lives, then will need a textbook to read about the story of the enlightenment (I use pages 10-11 of ‘The Buddhist Experience’ but any Buddhism textbook or video will do). Then they complete a ‘choose your own’ activity on the story of the enlightenment, before moving on to discuss what they think is the most important part of Siddhartha’s story and completing an evaluation table on this to practise GCSE skills. Included: PowerPoint (my guidance is in the notes), blank evaluation table sheet for more able students, partially filled in table sheet for less able students. Some ideas/answers are on the second page of the less able table sheet document.

An information guide to provide to students starting the AQA Religious Studies A Level course. This booklet provides information for those studying Christianity as their religion, as well as Philosophy and Ethics (and Dialogues). Includes: Course/exam information Example Christianity and Dialogues exam paper (for illustration purposes) Checklists for the content of all of the components Advice about grades, note taking, and planning and writing essays AO1 and AO2 mark criteria Useful resources (e.g. magazines, books, websites, podcasts) Exemplar 10, 15 and 25 mark example essays Advice on how to write essays (introduction, main body and conclusion), with example introductions, conclusions and paragraph structuring (PEEL and PACE) Revision ideas Curriculum maps to give a clear course overview (you may want to swap these out for your own)

A set of approx 3 lessons (plus) on good conduct and key moral principles, covering the importance of good moral conduct in the Christian way of life, including reference to teaching about justification by works, justification by faith and predestination. Lessons include a variety of discussion, note taking, research using Bibles and research using textbooks, as well as 2 exam questions (AO1 and AO2). PPT and detailed lesson plan included.

Approx 2 lessons on euthanasia - should people have the choice to die? Learning objectives: to understand what is meant by the term euthanasia and the different types of euthanasia; to know the UK law on euthanasia; to understand some of the issues surrounding euthanasia and differing attitudes Students start by looking at and discussing a newspaper article about child euthanasia, look at the different types of euthanasia (passive, active, involuntary, voluntary), the UK law on euthanasia, and then look at the case of Tony Bland. The class is then split into groups to do group work on this case, ‘taking it to court’. Some groups are assigned the case of the prosecution (that it was murder), and others are given the defence (mercy). The groups are given information packs with instructions for what they need to do, as well as evidence about Tony Bland and information about an organisation that either supports or opposes euthanasia. Resources included: PPT, lesson plan, newspaper article, mercy packs, murder packs

Lesson objectives: Understand the meaning of prejudice and discrimination. Investigate Christian and Muslim beliefs regarding the status, role and treatment of women in religion. Lesson starts with students writing and swapping a response to the statement, ‘men and women do not have equal rights’. Students consider what the terms prejudice and discrimination mean, and how women (and men) may experience both, before considering why people become prejudiced. Students learn about the Equality Act 2010, and then explore Christian views on the role and status of women, including an introduction to Feminist Theology. Muslim views are explored and students analyse an article on the role of women within the mosque to draw out arguments for and against. Students complete 4 mark question practise and are provided with guidance on how to answer the 12 mark question, before reading an example 12 mark essay and completing activities on this designed to enhance their understanding of how to answer the 12 mark question. Also includes textbook activities to complete. Resources included: PPT with guidance given in PPT slide notes, 12 mark essay guidance sheet, example 12 mark essay worksheet, mosque equality article, Equality Act 2010 hand out. Created for use with the AQA RS Islam and Christianity textbooks.