OCR Natural Law

This PowerPoint is a full teaching sequence for OCR A Level Religious Studies (Religion and Ethics), covering the theme of Natural Law. Designed for Year 12, it offers clear explanations, thoughtful activities, and strong exam preparation — perfect for both new and experienced teachers. It provides a structured, lesson-by-lesson approach designed to build student understanding of key thinkers, scholarly debates, and exam-level evaluative skills. Although designed for the OCR specification, the content is fully transferable to Eduqas or other exam boards that study Religion and Ethics.

Across the sequence, students explore the full development of Natural Law through Aquinas, incorporating the influence of Aristotle and engaging with key concepts such as telos, the four tiers of law, and the role of reason. The lesson also integrates wider evaluative perspectives including critiques from modern scholars which, although not explicitly required by OCR, provide valuable wider-reading material that strengthens student evaluation and synoptic understanding.

Included in this resource:

• Fully resourced PowerPoint lesson

• High-quality explanations of every key concept

• Retrieval practice and DO NOW starters

• Student activities and discussion tasks

• Real-world examples (ethical scenarios, biblical links, cultural references)

• AO1 knowledge-building tasks and AO2 evaluation frames, success criteria & model paragraphs.

• Application to moral issues (euthanasia, sexuality, education, etc.)

• Challenge questions for stretch and extension

• Summary tasks and exit tickets