This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning or revising knowledge of ‘special symbols and objects’ in RE. It contains comprehensive sections on: -Overview - What are special objects and symbols? -In Christianity - The Cross & Other Special Christian Objects and Symbols; -In Judaism - The Torah Scroll & Other Special Jewish Objects and Symbols; -In Buddhism - The Image of the Buddha & Other Special Buddhist Objects and Symbols; -Personal Spirituality - Key Questions; -Key Vocabulary. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included). It is most appropriate for KS1 and lower KS2 children.

This fun and original assembly assists children in understanding the value of peace, through: Understanding what peace is, and recognising why it is important; Looking at examples of behaviour that is peaceful and not peaceful and considering what can be done to promote peace; Learning strategies to demonstrate peacefulness in their own lives. This session is tried and tested, and has always been really well received in the past. The slides are visually engaging and well-presented, and the subject matter is tailored to the interests and needs of young people. The session also includes a link to a powerful and engaging video, showing children how their small input can help to create peace in the world. Furthermore, there are interesting scenarios (with scripts provided) that enable children to consider how to act peacefully in different situations. Various discussion prompts are also presented, to enable children to understand how peace can be a force for good in their own lives. The slides are fairly self-explanatory, but I’ve included to pages of notes to assist the speaker. Hope that you find this useful!

In this engaging lesson, students develop their understanding of Jesus Christ’s life and method of teaching. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge harvesting - gauging what children already know about Jesus’s life and teachings; -Researching to find out key facts about Jesus’ life; -Discussing Jesus’ methods of teaching; -Defining parables, and explaining how these differ from fables; -Creating their own parables, following a clear formula; -Completing a plenary activity to assess their understanding; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

In this lesson, students learn about the key features of the Bible, including: -What the Bible is comprised of; -What the Bible tells Christians; -Different versions of the Bible; -Further information about the Old Testament and the New Testament; -Different types of writing in the Bible. Children learn through collating prior knowledge of about the Bible, watching an interesting video (hyperlinked) and recording the key information, and exploring Bibles for themselves (ensure that you have enough Bibles for each group to share one). This resource pack contains a comprehensive 14-slide Powerpoint, alongside an eye-catching worksheet. Challenge activities are provided in order to enrich learning for higher-attaining learners. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with national expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide.

In this engaging and informative lesson, students learn about the structure of the Bible, and gain an understanding of how to read and apply Bible references. They learn through: -Recalling and remembering the different sections of the Bible; -Considering what is detailed in each section; -Understanding how and why Bible references are used; -Applying knowledge of Bible references to a fun ‘Find the Animal’ game; -Challenging their friends to find different details using references; -Completing a ‘Bible Bookcase’ to remember the different sections of the Bible. This resource pack contains a comprehensive and colourful 15-slide Powerpoint, alongside an eye-catching worksheet (2 different versions for different levels of learners in the class). Challenge activities are provided in order to enrich learning for higher-attaining learners. A part of the lesson includes using Bibles, so you will need enough for at least one per group in your class. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with national expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide.

In this engaging and informative lesson, students learn about the different types of writing in the Bible, consider how these different writing forms get across key messages, and apply this knowledge in creating their own thoughtful texts. They learn through: -Recalling and remembering how to reference different sections of the Bible; -Acting as ‘Bible Detectives’, follwing references in order to find different styles of writing; -Analysing how different styles of writing add to meanings/ messages; -Considering important messages and lessons that they have been given in their own lives, and applying knowledge of different writing styles to contribute to a ‘Class Bible’; -Evaluating their ‘Class Bible’ through thought-provoking reflection questions; This resource pack contains a comprehensive and colourful 17-slide Powerpoint, which guides teachers and students through the learning activities. Challenge activities are provided in order to enrich learning for higher-attaining learners. A part of the lesson includes using Bibles, so you will need enough for at least one per group in your class. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with national expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide.

In this engaging and informative lesson, students learn about the different ways in which Christians interpret the Bible, with a particular focus on the Ten Commandments. They learn through: -Recalling and remembering foundation contextual facts about the Bible; -Predicting, reading, interpreting and sequencing the Ten Commandments; -Analysing how different Christians may read the commandments, depending upon if they are fundamentalist or liberal; -Considering important rules and procedures that should be followed at school, to create their own 'School Commandments’; -Evaluating their School Commandments through thought-provoking reflection questions; This resource pack contains a comprehensive and colourful 16-slide Powerpoint, which guides teachers and students through the learning activities. Challenge activities are provided in order to enrich learning for higher-attaining learners. A template worksheet is also provided (in Word and PDF) for the students to scribe their school commandments. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with national expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. This lesson is suitable for remote learning. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide.

In this engaging and informative lesson, students learn about the different ways in which the Bible influences our daily lives. They also learn how different Christian denominations look after the Bible. They learn through: -Recalling and remembering foundation contextual facts about the Bible; -Understanding how the Bible has affected different parts of our lives, including laws, the arts, celebrations and events, and our perception of meaning and purpose; -Learning about how Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox Christians look after the Bible in their churches; -Considering books that are important to them in their lives, thinking about how they look after them, and what they learn from them; -Challenging themselves to consider a world without books, and the impact that this might have on society; This resource pack contains a comprehensive and colourful 16-slide Powerpoint, which guides teachers and students through the learning activities. Challenge activities are provided in order to enrich learning for higher-attaining learners. A worksheet is also provided (in Word and PDF) for the students to consider they respect their favourite books. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with national expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. The resource is also suitable for home learning All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide.

In this engaging and informative lesson, students learn how Christians may interpret the Bible differently. They learn about the meaning of ‘liberal’ and ‘fundamentalist’ Christians, and understand how these two viewpoints influence interpretations of different Bible stories. They learn through: -Recalling and remembering foundation contextual facts about the Bible; -Defining the word ‘interpretation’ and understanding that people can interpret the same things differently; -Learning about the differences in beliefs between fundamentalist Christians and liberal Christians; -Watching the story of Jesus’ baptism (link included) and establishing how fundamentalist and liberal Christians may interpret different sections of the story; -Considering how their work on different interpretations may influence the way that they see and behave towards other people with different ideas to themselves. This resource pack contains a comprehensive and colourful 15-slide Powerpoint, which guides teachers and students through the learning activities. Challenge activities are provided in order to enrich learning for higher-attaining learners. A link to the video is also included (slide 9). In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with national expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. The resource is also suitable for home learning All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide.

In this engaging and informative lesson, students learn about the Creation Story and how it is interpreted by Christians. They learn through: -Recalling and remembering foundation contextual facts about the Bible; -Defining the term ‘natural world’ and differentiating between natural and man-made phenomena; -Watching a clear and engaging video about the Creation Story from Genesis 1; -Answering comprehension questions about the story and completing a storyboard to show what happens at each stage; -Examining the aspects of the story that appear to inconsistent scientifically, and questioning why this may be; -Considering how fundamentalist Christians and liberal Christians may interpret the story in different ways. This resource pack contains a comprehensive and colourful 23-slide Powerpoint, which guides teachers and students through the learning activities. Challenge activities are provided in order to enrich learning for higher-attaining learners. A link to the video is also included (slide 14), as is a helpful storyboarding template (both in Word and PDF format). In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with national expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. The resource is also suitable for home learning All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide.

In this engaging and informative lesson, students learn about how the Bible teaches of humans’ responsibility for looking after the Earth. They consider how humans are faring with this responsibility at present, before exploring ways that we can look after our planet going forwards. They learn through: -Recalling and remembering foundation contextual facts about the Bible; -Defining the term ‘responsibility’ and learning how God gave humans responsibility for looking after planet Earth (Creation Story - Genesis 1 and 2); -Using research skills to explore given websites and find out how humans are treating the planet at present; -Considering their own roles in fulfilling the human responsibility; -Designing posters to enable other people to save our planet as a part of our human responsibility. This resource pack contains a comprehensive and colourful 17-slide Powerpoint, which guides teachers and students through the learning activities. Challenge activities are provided in order to enrich learning for higher-attaining learners. An eye-catching and helpful research template (in both Word and PDF) is also included. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with national expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. The resource is also suitable for home learning All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide.

In this engaging and informative lesson, children learn what symbols are, and begin to interpret and reflect on the meaning of symbols. They apply this knowledge in creating their own symbols, considering what the objects/ animals, colours and shapes that they select represent. I used this as an introductory lesson, before then going into more depth about different religious symbols in the subsequent lessons. Children enjoyed it and it gave them a solid understanding of symbols to build on in the next steps of their learning. This resource pack contains a comprehensive and colourful 15-slide Powerpoint, which guides teachers and students through the learning activities. A template worksheet is also provided (in Word and PDF) for the students to create and describe their symbol. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in both Years 1 and 2 - the key learning is aligned with national expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide.

In this engaging lesson, students gain a deeper understanding of Buddhist stories that influence the ways in which Buddhists treat animals. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Watching video clips telling the story of Siddhartha and the Swan and The Monkey King (link provided); -Answering comprehension questions to demonstrate understanding of the stories; -Understanding the key messages that these stories give Buddhists to take on in their lives; -Thinking about how they can apply these principles to their own lives; -Creating a poster for Buddhists about treatment of animals, using their learning from across the lesson; -Completing a plenary to assess their understanding. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from lower Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

In this engaging lesson, students gain a deeper understanding of the Noble Eightfold Path - the eight practices governing the lives of Buddhists. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Defining what the Eightfold Path is; -Breaking down the different practices that make up the Eightfold Path; -Establishing why Buddhists follow the Eightfold Path; -Thinking about how they can apply the principles of the Eightfold Path to their own lives; -Considering a deeper thinking extension question; -Completing a plenary to assess their understanding. This resource pack contains a comprehensive Powerpoint, alongside an eye-catching worksheet. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

In this engaging lesson, students are introduced to who Siddhartha Gautama was, and learn how he became the Buddha. They also begin to discuss the ‘Middle Way’, and consider how these ideas can be applied to modern life. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge harvesting - gauging what children already know about the Buddha; -Watching a short video (hyperlinked) about the life of Siddhartha Gautama; -Explaining the key events in his life, using a storyboard template; -Discussing what is meant by the ‘Middle Way’, and how this helped Gautama to find enlightenment; -Thinking about how they can apply the ideas of the ‘Middle Way’ to their own lives; -Considering a deeper thinking extension question; -Completing a plenary to assess their understanding. This resource pack contains a comprehensive Powerpoint, alongside an eye-catching worksheet. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

In this engaging lesson, students gain a deeper understanding of the early part of the Buddha’s life. They also consider the idea of suffering, and contemplate how Siddhartha Gautama aimed to find an end to suffering. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Inferring - looking at a picture of the Buddha and reading between the lines to understand what it shows us; -Considering the concept of suffering by answering key questions; -Reading and discussing the key events of Siddhartha Gautama’s early life; -Writing two diary entries from the perspective of Siddhartha Gautama - before and after he witnesses suffering - using a helpful diary success criteria sheet; -Thinking about how they can apply the idea of the suffering to their own lives; -Considering a deeper thinking extension question; -Completing a plenary to assess their understanding. This resource pack contains a comprehensive Powerpoint, alongside an eye-catching worksheet. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 2 - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This interesting session aims to introduce children to some key images of the Buddha, providing them with an opportunity to decode some of the key meanings within pictures and sculptures. Children learn that there are many different representations of the Buddha, aiming to portray different aspects of Siddhartha Gautama’s life and character. Children learn through: -Acting as detectives, inferring and deducing the hidden meanings within pictures; -Considering the key concept of ‘balance’, and understanding how this is a key feature of the Buddhist religion; -Applying some of the key concepts to their own lives. Included is a PowerPoint presentation, differentiated group activity sheets, and a comprehensive lesson plan. Images are cited in the final slide of the presentation. Word documents (in the zip file) are also included in PDF to ensure no issues with formatting between computers.

This informative and engaging whole class reading session deepens children’s understanding of the Nativity Story, whilst also developing vital reading comprehension skills such as retrieving, interpreting, inferring and sequencing. I have used these resources as an adaptation to our usual whole class reading provision throughout the lead-up to Christmas. The resource pack includes the link to the version of the story needed, which is most suitable for children in lower KS2 (although some higher attaining KS1 children may also be able to access it successfully). This is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The resources have been received well by teachers and children, with a number of collegues choosing to split the content over two sessions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through a reading of the story of how Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha. The resource pack includes the story text and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. This is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in KS2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through a reading of Buddhist stories teaching moral messages about anger and patience. The resource pack includes both short stories and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. This is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in KS2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly older year groups.