Expressions of Religious Identity: Topic Intro and Baptism (AQA A Level Year 12 RS)

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