Judaism | KS3 RE Unit

A complete, no-prep KS3 Religious Education enquiry: "What are the sources of authority in Judaism, and how do they shape belief, identity and action?"

A six-lesson KS3 enquiry into how authority works in Judaism and how it shapes Jewish life. Pupils investigate the Tanakh and the Talmud as sources of authority, analyse the idea of covenant and mitzvot, examine the diversity of Jewish movements, and evaluate how belief shapes ethics such as tikkun olam and tzedakah. The enquiry works across two disciplinary lenses — theology (the internal logic of belief) and the human and social sciences (how a diverse community lives and organises itself). Beliefs are always attributed (‘Jews believe…’, ‘Orthodox Jews hold…’), following a ‘religion and worldviews’ approach designed to slot into your locally agreed syllabus. The Jewish scriptures are called the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible (never the ‘Old Testament’), and are described and referenced accurately, never fabricated.

What is included

• Teacher guide — a full teaching plan for all six lessons, with image credits.
• Six projectable teaching decks (PowerPoint) — child-facing, with teacher script in the speaker notes.
• Six differentiated pupil worksheets — Support, Core and Stretch on every sheet.
• Sources & Artefacts pack — every image with provenance and enquiry questions.
• Knowledge organiser and a baseline + end-of-unit assessment with an answer key.

Lessons

1. The Tanakh and the Torah as authority
2. The Talmud: interpreting the tradition
3. Covenant and mitzvot
4. Unity and diversity: Orthodox and Reform Judaism
5. Belief in action: tikkun olam and tzedakah
6. Jewish identity and life today