Year 5 [Unit 5/d] 5 hours

This unit is about: leaders in religious communities

• What characteristics do authority figures have?
• What sort of person is a religious leader?

There are suggestions for lessons and related resources on the subject of church leaders on the Year 2 page.

What would you do?
Look at our page of scenarios about church leaders and discuss together. What would we expect a church leader to do in a situation like this? What sort of person would they need to be to do this sort of work?

Visit the website www.request.org.uk. The main site has a section called ‘Do What?’ which leads to ‘A Day in the Life..’. This looks at the work of various church leaders, such as a vicar, a bishop and a Baptist preacher and is well illustrated with photos.

Year 5 [Unit 5/e] 8 hours

This unit is about: creation stories and the ultimate questions they raise

• To which questions do religions provide answers?
• How do people think the world started?
• How do Jews celebrate the Sabbath?

1 Questions, questions

Answer the questionnaire. Which questions have a definite or certain answer?

Explain that some answers will differ because they depend on a person’s opinion. Why ones are they?

Which questions have answers that can be worked out in time?

Are religious beliefs the same as personal opinions? If not, why not?

Which questions have answers that may depend on a person’s religious beliefs?

Will any of their answers change over a period of time? Why?

Ask the pupils to think up three more questions:

1 A question with a definite answer.

2 A question that requires an answer with an opinion or a religious belief.

3 A difficult question that they would like to know the answer to.

2 Who made the world?

Who made the world? Why is our planet so different from all the others? Who is God?

All of the main faiths have creation stories.

The Christian and Hebrew Bibles describe the creation of the world by God, from nothing over a period of time (‘days’ not necessarily representing 24 hours). Many Christians believe that God caused the ‘big bang’ at the beginning of our universe.

We have two ‘big books’ on creation - available for loan to schools in the Watford area.

Watch ‘Creation’ episode (15min) on the BBC’s Pathways to Belief video. The Bible describes God as CARING, LOVING, WISE, POWERFUL, FAIR, HOLY. Listen to how the children in the video try to describe God. Look at various natural objects under a microscope or magnified in a book.

Imagine the world without any colour - just in black and white.

Look at and draw natural objects (flowers, variegated leaves, cut fruit, shells etc.) much larger than life.

Ask pupils to look for designs in nature and write a detailed description of what they can see - these designs could then be represented larger than life in art.

Ask pupils to describe the most beautiful thing that they have ever seen.

3 Who made me?

The Christian and Hebrew Bibles describe how God made humans and that each person is special to God. The Bible describes how people have been made by God for a purpose - to be his friends, to love God and to love one another and to care for his world.

Psalm 139 says that God knows each one of us. Jesus said “God knows every hair on your head” and in Isaiah it says that our names are written on the palm of God’s hand.

Read ‘You Are Very Special’ by Su Box (0 7459 4269 5 Lion £4.99 - available through our loan service.). This book introduces the concept that all of us have value as individuals. There is a mirror in the back of the book.

Discuss some amazing facts about our bodies - see Year 2 for some suggestions.

Ask children to bring in baby photographs. How are they different now from when they were born?

Read a child’s adaptation of Psalm 139. Talk about the words.

The Bible describes God as a loving Father. In Isaiah Chapter 49 verse 15 God says “I will not forget you. I have written your name on the palm of my hand” How do these words make the children feel?

Ask the children to look carefully at each other and describe similarities and differences. Provide mirrors and draw or paint self portraits.

4 Celebrating the Jewish Sabbath

The Bible says we should keep one day in seven special.

Read the big book ‘Shabbat’, given to local schools in 2002.

Look at restful paintings/pictures of people relaxing, for example Seurat’s The Bathers and discuss why it is important to rest.

5 Where do we go when we die?

Explain that all living things are changing (and will die one day). Links to life cycles, seasons etc. See ‘Sunflower’ assembly page.

Remind pupils of all the signs of new life seen in the spring. Plant beans, seeds (preferably from last years dead plants) and watch them split and grow.

Explain that Christians believe that life goes on after the death. Watch the end of the BBC’s Pathways to Belief ‘Easter’ episode which tells the story of the ‘Dragonflies and the Waterbugs’. (also available in a booklet ISBN 0 264 66904 5 for about £1.50).

Think about what the Bible says about life going on after death. In John Ch3 v16 he says “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.”

Remind pupils of the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus at the first Easter and the promises Jesus made about life in heaven.

Christians believe that the spirit of a dead person (“the invisible bit inside them”) has left their body and gone somewhere else. They believe that the old body made of skin and bones isn’t needed anymore so it can left behind.

At a Christian funeral the people are sad because they will miss the person who has died. Christians go to church to think about all the good memories they have of that person and they say thank you to God for that persons life. Flowers are often used as a symbolic reminder of the new life beginning in heaven. Explore what the Bible says about Heaven in Revelation chapter 21- that it is a wonderful place where there will be no more tears, no more pain and that God will be there. Poems about Heaven are in Cracking RE Autumn 1999 page 15.

Read the Good-bye Boat by Mary Joslin (given to Infant schools in our area Easter 2001) 0 7459 3693 8 £4.99. Use the imagery of a boat sailing over the horizon disappearing from our view but appearing to someone else in a far off distant land. We are sad but the people they go to meet are very pleased to see them.

Think about positive ways that we can remember others.

Look at the imagery of heaven used by famous artists. Ask pupils to describe in poetry or art what they think heaven might be like.
Look at the story of Arthur Stace, the Eternity Man.

NB.  Watford Schools Trust has several copies of books highly recommended by Head Teachers for use with children who are coping with bereavement. See Resources pages.

Year 5 [Unit 5/a] 7 hours

This unit is about: rules for living

• What rules do I follow?
• How can religious codes of conduct affect everyday lives?
• How do Jewish rules of living affect everyday Jewish lives?

Discuss with pupils why we need rules, for example, the highway code or football rules.

Discuss the difference between state/home/school rules. Who makes the rules? What are the consequences of breaking the rules. Look through (selected!) newspapers for evidence of people breaking the rules today. Make a newspaper collage with headlines.

Jews and Christians believe that God gave people rules to live by, to help them live safe and happy lives. They believe that God created people to be is friends and to live in a way that pleases him. The rules he has given are designed to help us do that.

The book of Exodus (Chapter 20) records how Moses was given the 10 Commandments by God. These rules for living were unique and set the Jews apart from other tribes. The rules concerned the worship of God and rules about daily living. Being a Christian country, the British legal system was founded on these principles (marriage laws, not stealing, not murdering etc.).

In plain English, the rules are as follows (NB. great sensitivity will be needed when discussing the 7th commandment with the class) :-

1. Worship only One God

2. Do not worship any idols

3. Keep Gods name very special

4. Keep one day a week holy

5. Respect your parents

6. Do not murder

7. Do not take another persons husband/wife

8. Do not steal

9. Do not tell lies

10. Do not want what other people have

Ask pupils to watch clip of ‘Moses’ Testament video or ‘Who is this Jesus?’ video part 1 or read a Children’s Bible to gain understanding of where/when/to whom the rules were given. What rules are mentioned here? Are any of them part of our country’s laws today?

Discuss the appropriateness of the 10 commandments for our society in the 21st century. Have things changed? Which are the hardest rules to keep? This may lead on to discussion about the power of advertising and materialism.

Imagine you are stranded on a desert island with plenty of food, water and safe habitats. Write a list of 10 rules for a happy and peaceful life. Together compare any similarities.
Think about ‘If I ruled the world what would my most important rule be?’

‘The Golden Rule’ Luke Chapter 10 v 25-37

Explain that someone once asked Jesus which were the two most important rules (as Jewish rules had multiplied and by the time of Jesus they even had rules for keeping rules). Jesus said we need to follow only two important rules- ‘Love God’ and ‘Love your neighbour’. Christian belief is that by following these two rules, all the other commandments will be kept - ie if you really care for other people you wouldn’t steal from them or murder or take their husband/wife etc.

Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. Ask the pupils to act out a modern day version of the parable. What reasons might someone have for NOT stopping to help a victim of a mugging today? Point out that these reasons shouldn’t stop anyone from going to fetch help.

See also our assembly on Forgiveness and Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year for a lesson idea on learning from our mistakes.

Year 5 [Unit 5/b] 4 hours

This unit is about: light as a symbol in some religious celebrations

• How does light make people feel?
• How is light symbolic in some religious celebrations?
• What does light signify for me?

Additional material on our Year 1 lesson page.

Hanukkah
The events celebrated at Hanukkah are described in 2 Maccabees.

N.B. The Books of the Maccabees are not found in all English Bibles as they form part of the ‘Apocrypha’ which is a set of 15 books, written by Greek speaking Jews. The list of books included in the Jewish canon of Scripture was not explicitly fixed until the 2 century CE and these extra 15 books are not universally regarded as belonging to the authentic canon of Scripture. If an English Bible does include the ‘Apocrypha’ the books will be found between the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament.

In 165 BCE Judas Maccabee was able to defeat the Syrian/Greek invaders who had desecrated the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The temple was cleansed, reconsecrated and the seven branched Menorah was re-lit to signify Gods presence. Although only enough oil was found to normally keep the Menorah lit for one day, the oil lasted and the flames burned for 8 days.
Today Jewish children play with brightly coloured spinning tops (dreidles) and light candles and lamps in their homes to remind them of the temple Menorah that miraculously burned for eight days. They eat special fried potato cakes called Latkes.

The Light of the World
Look at the painting The Nativity at Night by Geertgen tot Sint Jans. Use the National Gallery’s ‘Zoom’ feature on this page to explore the picture in detail. There are two lights sources. How has the artist made the light look so bright? What other scene can you see through the window? The artist contrast the darkness with the bright light of the angel and the baby. What reactions are the onlookers showing by the position of their hands?

Explore the symbolism in The Light of the World painting by Holman Hunt. A colour acetate and background information about the painting has been sent to all schools in the Watford area but we have copies available on request. The Rejesus website has further information about the painting.

To think about: Why did Jesus describe himself as the Light of the World? Look at the Bible reference in John 8:12. Explain how important light was in the days before gas and electricity. No work could be done after dark. Today we use light so much that we cause light pollution. We take it for granted. Perhaps only the idea of the importance of a lighthouse for a ship conveys this sense of dependence.
What would Jesus say about himself today?
Challenge: Write an ‘I am...’ saying, using a modern idea such as ‘I am the electricity which powers the world’.

Explore the concept of light in the Bible, looking at the following reference:

Matthew 5:14-16.
Christians are described as the light for the whole world. What does this mean? If all Christians followed this teaching today, would others be able to see the difference?
Look at the lives of some Christian reformers of the past such as Dr Barnado, Elizabeth Fry, Lord Shaftesbury and William Wilberforce (information available on the Spartacus website). We have a relatively good standard in our education system, welfare provision and prison service that it is hard to imagine what conditions were like when these reformers began their work. The Jesus video, which was given to all local primary schools for the Millenium, has a clip at the beginning that describes the way some of these Christian reformers changed our society.
Let the children explore what Christian charities are doing today (using the Request website).

Christingles
Find out where Christingles began and explore the symbolism of the different elements through the Why Christmas? website. There is a lovely story on this site about why the first Christingle may have been made.
The Request website has information on making a Christingle.