Nottingham City and County City SACRE RE Syllabus: Non-statutory exemplification

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1 TITLE: Death: is it the end? YEAR GROUP: Y9 Nottingham City and County City SACRE RE Syllabus: Non-statutory exemplification 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE

2 Nottingham City and County SACRE RE Syllabus: Nonstatutory exemplification TITLE: Death: is it the end? YEAR GROUP: Y9 About this unit: Year Group: This unit enables pupils to develop knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to reasons for belief in life after death, religious teachings on death and the afterlife and the effects of these beliefs on the lives on individuals and communities. The focus is on getting pupils to consider religious and non-religious responses to death, including different Christian beliefs, Buddhist and Sikh ideas and to think for themselves about questions to do with why people believe in life after death, as well as how this affects people s lives. Pupils are encouraged to consider what can be learned from a variety of responses to the reality of death, referring to their own experiences, beliefs and values. Where this unit fits in: This unit will help teachers to implement the Nottingham City and County Agreed Syllabus for RE by providing them with well worked examples of teaching and learning about the theme of life after death that focus on Christian, Buddhist and Sikh beliefs. The unit considers the concepts of heaven, hell, purgatory, judgement, resurrection, reincarnation, rebirth, nibbana/nirvana and mukhti. This unit contributes to the continuity and progression of pupils learning by assuming some basic grasp of Christian, Buddhist and Sikh beliefs, in particular the fact that both Eastern religions grew out of Hinduism and so share a common ancestry. The unit builds upon the learning of earlier years by focusing on the impact of these beliefs on people s lives, as well as considering the variety of views within religions. The unit anticipates a further study of philosophical questions at GCSE level, such as questions of mind, soul and body, and religious teachings about death and the afterlife. Estimated teaching time for this unit: 10 hours. It is recognised that this unit provides far more teaching ideas than a class will cover in 10 hours. Teachers are invited to plan their own use of some of the learning ideas below, ensuring depth of learning rather than covering everything. KEY STRANDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT AT 1: Learning about Religion Beliefs, Values and Teachings Religious practices and ways of life Ways of expressing meaning AT 2: Learning from Religion Questions of Identity, Diversity and Belonging Questions of Meaning, Purpose and Truth Questions of Values and Commitments The core RE concepts that the unit develops are Beliefs, Values and Teachings and Questions of Meaning, Purpose and Truth 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE

3 ATTITUDES FOCUS: Pupils will explore attitudes of: (chose 1-3 of these for focus) Self awareness by becoming increasingly sensitive to the impact of talk of death and life after death. Respect for all by developing a willingness to learn from others responses to death. Open mindedness by engaging in positive discussion and debate about religious beliefs about life after death. The unit will provide these opportunities: Pupils have opportunities to consider the concepts of heaven, hell, judgement, purgatory, resurrection, nirvana, reincarnation, mukhti. Pupils have opportunities to consider a diverse range of views about questions of meaning and purposes related to life after death From the study of Christianity, Buddhism and Sikhism. Pupils will be able to think about their own experiences and views in relation to questions of meaning and purpose related to life, death and life after death. Experiences and opportunities provided by this unit include discussing, questioning and evaluating a range of ultimate questions and beliefs about life after death; reflecting upon and carefully evaluating their own belief and values; using a range of forms of expression to communicate their ideas and responses. Background information for the teacher: The key contrast between the Abrahamic traditions views of life after death and eastern religious views is to do with the different views of time. The Abrahamic traditions stress that we live once and die, to face God s judgement and then move on to some form of life after death. Eastern beliefs and ways of life stress the cyclical nature of time, with our souls living on beyond this earthly incarnation and returning to live many more times in one form or another. This cycle of life mirrors a cyclical view of the universe as one that has been created and destroyed many times. The impact of these views obviously vary, but the possibility of living more than once is a rich area of exploration with students. The value of being able to make up for one s past mistakes can be balanced by the difficult question about how this can be valuable if you do not know that it is you, since people generally do not recall past lives. It is important to make sure that students see that there is a range of views about what happens after we die among Christians. There is no single authoritative view, except agreement that this earthly life is not all that there is. The nature of the next life, and the mechanism for getting there, are areas of disagreement, although the significance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is central to these beliefs. Non-religious views in general discount talk of life after death, although exploration with young people often reveals a range of views, even amongst those who profess no religious beliefs. Some see the desire for life after death as a major reason for religious belief, but reject it and prefer to face the prospect of annihilation by making the most of this life. 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE

4 Vocabulary + concepts In this unit, pupils will have an opportunity to use words and phrases related to: Specific religions: Christianity: Heaven Hell Resurrection Purgatory Judgement Salvation Buddhism Nibbana/nirvana Rebirth Sikhism Reincarnation Mukhti The language of shared human experience Death Judgement Values Consequences Resources Steve Turner s poem available on: M H Grimmitt Pedagogies of RE, 2000, McCrimmons, ISBN Lots of images available on internet; is a good source of high quality images. Chris Wright Buddhism for Today OUP ISBN Chris Wright Religion for Today Book 2: What difference does religion make? OUP, ISBN for interactive resources including Wheel of life John Polkinghorne Science & Christian Belief, SPCK, ISBN Keith Ward Christianity: a short introduction, Oneworld, Oxford Assessed RE, ed P Draycott, pub RE Today Services 2006, ISBN Christian Peacemaker Teams Web: C S Lewis The Great Divorce Rosemary Rivett ed. Life, Death & Beyond: Exploring some issues RE Today Services 2003 ISBN Lots of active tasks. The city and county of Nottingham supports this unit with some resources at Loans of artefacts and resources are easily arranged. The National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) has two excellent web starting points for these issues: enables pupils to view and judge numerous works of pupil art on key Biblical stories and spiritual ideas from young people. Online searchable sacred texts from different religions at: Try for a good general gateway to RE materials. gives searchable access to lots of different translations of the Bible. Contributions to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Opportunities for spiritual development come from contemplation of the importance of life as well as its fragility; from reflecting upon the fact that our time on earth is short and how we live is of great importance. Opportunities for moral development come from examination of how people think we should live in order to progress, either in terms of reincarnation, or to face judgement. Opportunities for social development come from reflecting upon our shared mortality but our different responses to this; the importance of justice in life and in beliefs about life after death. Opportunities for cultural development come from examining a range of responses to death and practices that have developed around death. 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE

5 EXPECTATIONS: At the end of this unit: Pupils working at level 5 will be able to: Formulate and suggest answers to questions about what happens when we die; relating these questions to their own and others lives; Explain Christian, Buddhist & Sikh beliefs about life after death, using wide religious vocabulary, expressing their own responses using argument as well as a range of creative media; Explain the impact of believing in resurrection, judgement, heaven and hell on the lives of Christian believers. Explain similarities and differences between the impact of belief in resurrection with Buddhist and/or Sikh ideas of reincarnation. Discern how others beliefs and their own beliefs about life after death affect the way they live. Express insights into why people believe in different forms of life after death, and their own responses to these reasons. Explain how religious sources, texts and authorities are used to give answers to the question about what happens when we die; express their own responses to some of these sources in a variety of ways. Pupils working at level 6 will be able to: Give an informed account of Christian, Buddhist & Sikh beliefs about life after death, using religious and philosophical vocabulary; express reasoned insights into the beliefs of others about life after death, and their own ideas; Explain why Christians have different views on what happens after we die, including ways in which sources, texts and authorities are interpreted; Explain why western and eastern religions have different views about life after death; Explain why religious believers and nonreligious people respond differently to the idea of death and afterlife; express ways in which such responses affect the way people live; Evaluate the relevance of the relationship between beliefs in life after death and world issues, e.g. Western materialism; evangelism; peace militancy; terrorism. ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS A formal assessment of each pupils is neither required nor desirable for every RE unit. Continuing use of assessment for learning methods is best. Teachers can assess this work by setting a learning task towards the end of the unit. The task aims to elicit engaged and reflective responses to the material studied throughout the unit across the ability range. Rather than doing an end of unit assessment, addressing this task before the end of the unit will allow for assessment for learning, peer assessment etc so that pupils can improve their understanding and raise their level of achievement. The following task may be useful to draw together learning from across the lessons included. A good answer will allow pupils to show that they can reach levels 6 or 7, reflecting on a range of beliefs from within and outside religions, set in a Western context. Should people live in the hope of eternal life? Are there things we should be concentrating on here on earth rather than hoping for a life after death where everything will be good? Set an essay or hold a debate: This house believes that belief in life after death is necessary for a fulfilled life. Essay question: How far is belief in life after death necessary for a fulfilled life? This will allow discussion of non-religious beliefs, atheistic and agnostic viewpoints. 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE

6 Key questions What questions are raised by death? Take 2 or 3 lessons to explore this area. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Ask and suggest answers to questions about what happens when we die. TEACHING AND LEARNING Select ideas from the following: Use a piece of A4 paper. In the centre, print a small image of a journey of life cartoon ( e.g. as in Robert Kirkwood s Looking for Happiness; similar available on clipart). Ask students to write either side of the cartoon on the sheet the possibilities for what happened to this person before life began and after it ends. Include their own views. Discuss what we mean by spirit and soul. In groups, imagine that there is life after death and you can ask questions to a spirit who has been allowed to return to life on earth. What questions do you ask her? Evaluate these questions. Are they important? Why/why not? Each group must evaluate questions and identify their two most important ones. Whole class must evaluate these and identify the most important question to ask. Why is this so important? E.g. is it important because it has some impact on how we should live now? (What difference would it make if God were there to answer your questions rather than simply a spirit..?) Compare the questions you have raised with those in Steve Turner s poem Heaven. Does he have more important questions? Are his more interesting? How seriously does he take the idea of heaven? What are the advantages and disadvantages of immortality i.e. not dying? a) if everyone is immortal or b) if you are immortal e.g. Nicholas Flamel in Harry Potter and the Philosopher s Stone (p215). Produce a piece of art work or a poem expressing student s own beliefs and ideas about life after death. Hang on to it to see if it needs to be changed later in the light of their learning about different religious beliefs. LEARNING OUTCOMES (can be written as success criteria) I can reflect on the possibilities of life after death, giving 3 different ideas and expressing my own views as to which is most likely. L4 I can think up 3 good questions about what happens when we die. L4 I can express my own beliefs using at least one form of expression other than argument. L5 Points to note This is clearly a sensitive topic and care needs to be taken. This introductory section should help students to begin to think more carefully about their ideas of life after death, giving them the chance to articulate their own ideas and give reasons for their beliefs. 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE 6

7 What are the similarities and differences between Christian, Sikh and Buddhist beliefs about life after death? This section is likely to take more than one lesson Interpret and evaluate a range of sources, texts and authorities exploring the nature of life after death from different traditions, expressing their own beliefs and ideas using a variety of forms of expression. Draw a Venn diagram, two circles overlapping. In left hand one, write Birth, in the other, Death. Ask students to explore the possible links between birth and death, being born and dying. (Use task in M H Grimmitt Pedagogies of RE, p 217ff). Allow students to raise the possibilities of a cyclical view as well as a linear view, in preparation for next task. Give students a range of images, without titles, expressing beliefs about life after death from Christianity and Buddhism and/or Sikhism. Students to interpret the key features of the images and try to explain some of the key beliefs being expressed. E.g. select from Angelico Last Judgement; Bosch Garden of Earthly Delights; Petrus Christus Last Judgement; Gustav Doré s illustrations of Dante s Divine Comedy; Van Eyck Last Judgement; various images of reincarnation via Google image search, e.g. Setowski; Buddhist paradise images eastern and western paradise of Abhirati, Tusita, Amita Sutra, Sukhavati; Buddhist wheel of life image e.g. in Buddhism: a new approach pub. Hodder; Give students a range of texts from Christian, Buddhist and/or Sikh scriptures/authorities, without saying where they are from. Students try to match the text to the image and then explain the belief expressed, if it is different from their interpretation of the images. Identify any similarities (e.g. idea of judgement; consequences of actions in this life on next life). Explain the key differences between western and eastern approaches (e.g. cyclical vs linear ideas.) Compare the images with their own expression of their ideas/beliefs. What are the significant differences? What would they say is missing from theirs or these images? Why do the Christian ones emphasise the element of punishment and hell so much? Why do some Christians prefer to believe in the idea of annihilation that those who do not get into heaven (i.e. who choose to reject God) are wiped out after death? I can interpret at least two key beliefs about life after death, as expressed in various pieces of art. L4/5 I can explain some similarities and differences between western and eastern beliefs about life after death, and give at least one reason for these differences. L5 This section requires students to be able to interpret art work and symbolism, as well as texts. It is worth exploring the idea that there can be different interpretations of symbols and texts. Deciding which interpretations have authority is the key. 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE 7

8 Does death matter to Buddhists? Do we only live once? What do Sikhs believe? Outline Buddhist ideas about rebirth and nibbana. Use story about the foolishness of wanting to stay on the overnight train to Edinburgh once it has reached its destination similarly, we fight death and hold on to life. Buddhist response is that we shouldn t cling on to it so much. (Chris Wright Buddhism for Today p59). Explore the idea of impermanence. Complete this statement: life is like. See if any of your class s ideas reflect this Buddhist belief. (Some other ideas and illustrations in Chris Wright Religion for Today Book 2: What difference does religion make? p92-3). Look at wheel of life image. Identify the symbols of greed, ignorance and hatred. Give students a list of cravings and blessings arising from the image (e.g. attachment, hatred, delusion, greed, ignorance, ill-will, laziness, agitation; joy, happiness, insight, detachment, loving kindness, compassion, equanimity). Students to give themselves a rating marks out of ten for each quality they possess. Given their score, what might their disposition be in their next life, if Buddhists are right? Which realm might they return to, if not the human realm? Why? Explore idea of nibbana, using quotations from Buddhist scriptures. Write a haiku to express Buddhist belief. Explore Sikh ideas that each individual has a divine spark, an immortal soul which is part of God and is returns to union with God once liberated from cycle of life, death & rebirth. Karma determines whether soul is ready to be united with God and achieve mukhti. Various barriers to attaining mukhti include maya (illusion), hankar (pride), manmukh (self-willed, self-reliant rather than God-centred - gurmukh), kam (lust), moh (worldliness), lobh (greed), karodh (anger). Sewa (selfless service) is the route to good karma and thus mukhti. Devise board game to illustrate these beliefs. Ensure that it reveals understanding of Sikh beliefs by making it explicit what might lead to bad karma and good karma, e.g. sewa can be divided into three aspects: tan (physical), man (mental) and dhan (material). I can relate Buddhist ideas about rebirth to my life.l4 I can express Buddhist belief in nibbana. L4 Basic; L6 informed I can explain Sikh ideas about reincarnation and mukhti. L4 basic; L6 informed There are lots of examples of the wheel of life image, e.g. uk/resources/index.p hp?ks=2&cur=15 Rather than focusing on the difference between reincarnation and rebirth, this section concentrates on the ethical impact of believing in karma. 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE 8

9 How far do Christians agree about life after death? This section is likely to take more than one lesson. Students to note the similarities and differences between Christian ideas of immortality of the soul and the more commonly held Christian belief in resurrection. Consider why most Christians want to claim that resurrection is better than immortality. (Immortality of soul seen as coming from the influence of Plato on early Christian community, suggesting a disembodied existence; biblical picture talks of resurrection of body to new life into new heavens and new earth.) (Use article from George Carey in Flexi-RE 3 p53-4; also summary of this view from John Polkinghorne in Science & Christian Belief, p163). Explore the New Testament images of life after death, e.g. John 5:24; John 14:2; 1 Timothy 6:7; Revelation 21: 3-4; Luke 24; 1 Corinthians 15: 35ff; Students to use art, video, poem, music to express Paul s idea of life after death from 1Corinthians 15. What difference does it make if Christians say Paul s idea fits in with the description of Jesus after his resurrection in the Gospels? (i.e. some say spiritual body in Paul doesn t mean a ghostly body of a spirit, but a transformed incorruptible body, like Jesus resurrection body.) Explain the Roman Catholic belief in Purgatory. Students to prepare a talk/presentation/pamphlet to persuade a Protestant of the value of, and justification for, belief in Purgatory. Consider the following questions: what are the benefits of this idea of the soul being purged and prepared for eternity with God? Would it be just and fair if people were simply forgiven and get straight in to heaven? How does belief in Purgatory help Roman Catholics cope with death? Is the idea of Purgatory more to comfort relatives of the deceased? Would you actually be you if your soul was cleaned up and free from sin? How might it help believers to think that they will be cleansed in preparation for meeting with God? I can explain the difference between immortality of the soul and resurrection in Christian belief. L4 I can explain how Biblical texts answer some of the questions about the nature of life after death. L5 I can explain the Roman Catholic belief in Purgatory L4/6 and its impact on believers lives. L5 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE 9

10 So what? What does it matter if there is life after death? What effect does it have? This section is likely to take more than one lesson. Select as appropriate. Explain how, using appropriate vocabulary, religious beliefs and teachings about life after death help believers to make sense of life, expressing their own reasoned insights. The impact of beliefs in life after death Give a selection of reasons why people believe in life after death. Sort them and rank them. Students explain which would be most /least persuasive for them. Give range of responses to death. In groups/pairs, sort them into categories. individually, which one(s) do you most identify with and why? Select 5, including at least one from each category. What difference would it make to a person s life if they believe this? Give specific examples of how this person would a) treat others b) act day to day c) make choices about career / life direction. Compare Shakespeare s Cymbeline Act 4 Scene 2 (in RE in Practice: Living with Change, CEM, p26-7) with Auden s poem Stop all the clocks (found in Flexi-RE 3; as recited in Four Weddings and a Funeral ). What different responses to death do they reveal? What might explain the differences? Rewrite either from the perspective of a Christian, Buddhist and/or Sikh. (Living with Change has several good tasks on this.) Explore the impact of the idea of facing Judgement on a person s life. Read Matthew 25: 32ff The parable of the sheep and the goats. What effect do the promises of rewards or punishments have on people? What would a literal and a metaphorical interpretation of this parable say? What difference would it make to a Christian? (See Assessed RE, ed P Draycott p12-15 for a very good series of tasks on judgement based on the parable of the sheep and the goats.) Compare similarities and differences between Christian ideas of personal life after death and eastern (Sikh/Buddhist) ideas of impersonal life after death with no awareness of personhood but being blown out or reabsorbed into the Divine. Which view may have a more significant impact on how believers live in this world? What do they say about the differences between eastern and western cultures? Do Christian ideas of life after death encourage a materialistic view of life? Is the idea of maintaining one s personhood after death responsible for the perceived selfishness and image-conscious culture of 21 st C West? Which view might encourage a more moral way of life for its adherents? Go back to your piece of artwork or poem about your beliefs in life after death. Write a commentary on it, explaining any changes you would make if you were to do it again after studying religious beliefs. Should people live in the hope of eternal life? Are there things we should be concentrating on here on earth rather than hoping for a life after death where everything will be good? Set an essay or hold a debate: This house believes that belief in life after death is necessary for a fulfilled life. Essay question: How far is belief in life after death necessary for a fulfilled life? This will allow discussion of non-religious beliefs, atheistic and agnostic viewpoints. Only the fact of death poses the question about the meaning of life in all its depth. Discuss. I can express insights into why people believe in different forms of life after death, and my own responses to these reasons. L6 I can discern how others beliefs about life after death may affect the way they live. L5 I can explain the impact of believing in resurrection, judgement, heaven and hell on the lives of Christian believers. L5 I can explain similarities and differences between the impact of belief in resurrection with Buddhist and/or Sikh ideas of reincarnation. L6 I can consider the challenges presented by the idea that only the fact of death poses the question about the meaning of life in all its depth. L6 30/05/2009 Stephen Pett/ Nottingham City and County SACRE / Units of Work in RE 10