Incarnation: How Would Christians Advertise Christmas To Show What Christmas Means Today?

Transcription

1 Name of Unit: How Would Christians Advertise Christmas To Show What Christmas Means Today? Key Stage In Which This Unit Should Be Taught: KS2 Previous Learning: All Incarnation units in Key Stage 1and some Incarnation units in Key Stage 2 (depending on where they are placed by the school in their RE Curriculum Map) AT1 Learning About Religion Focus: Forms of Expression. Faith: Recommended Year Group (if specified): Upper KS2 AT2 Learning From Religion Focus: Meaning, Purpose and Truth. What This Unit Teaches: How the meaning and central belief of Christmas is shown in secular advertising, the Biblical narrative and in the life of the church. Key RE Vocabulary: secular, religious message meaning, purpose, truth Gospel good news narrative Nativity Christian values belief, concept, Incarnation Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development: Analysis of an ancient text and considering what it means for Christian believers. Opportunities for reflection. Pupils have an understanding of sharing ideas and discussing issues in a safe and conducive environment and of working collaboratively. Awareness of the impact advertisements may have on the viewer. Cross-Curricular Links: Literacy Drama Art and Design Music Computing Sensitivities: Please be aware of pupils backgrounds when choosing charity adverts to view. Also be aware that not all Christmas slogans and resources may be appropriate for pupils, so consider carefully before using them.

2 Possible Further Thinking and Extension Activities: Advertisements produced in the final session could be shared with the rest of the school community. Key Christian Concept: Incarnation. Future Learning: Any KS2 Incarnation units not already taught (depending on where they are placed by the school in their RE Curriculum Map) KS2 Salvation units not already taught (depending on where they are placed by the school in their RE Curriculum Map)

3 Lesson 1 What Meaning Do Different Advertisements Give To Christmas? and Helpful to build up a bank of printed advertisements to Pupils should: How Might Christians Feel About That Meaning? support this work. Consider how the meaning of Christmas is expressed in a variety of advertisements, using a wide religious vocabulary to discuss reasons for the similarities and differences. (AT1) Ask questions about the values that different Christmas advertisements promote and suggest answers about what they might encourage in different people. Introduction: Explain the focus of this unit which is to explore how Christmas is shown in different ways through advertisements and to think about how well they really show the meaning of Christmas. Main Part of the Lesson: Show a Christmas advertisement e.g. last year s John Lewis advert. Why has this advertisement been produced? What is it trying to communicate? Re-watch the advertisement. In pairs encourage children to record their responses as to how the music, voice-over, captions / taglines, images and the story convey a message about Christmas. What is this message? Start to record a whole class list of key words generated for future learning e.g. love, giving and family, etc. Main Activity: Pupils view a range of Christmas advertisements including posters, produced by both companies and charities. Pupils to critique each advert with regard to it being a Christmas advertisement. What message does each advertisement give about the meaning of Christmas? How is this being conveyed? Are some giving a religious message / some just giving a secular message? How might Christians feel about these outcomes? Why? Resources: Bank of television / film Christmas advertisements Laptops Posters / flyers from various companies / charities Sensitivities: Be aware of the family/ home circumstances and backgrounds of pupils when choosing Christmas adverts from companies and charities e.g. Shelter.

4 Plenary: In pairs are there common messages / key words that appear in these adverts? Group feedback and extend the class list of key words and themes from the beginning of the lesson. How might Christians feel about these outcomes? Why? Are there any other words that they might add to the list? Are there any key words that Christians might want to add to the list so that the advertisements convey a more accurate meaning of Christmas?

5 Lesson 2 What Meaning Do The Different Gospel Narratives Give To Christmas? Pupils should: Compare different Christian beliefs about the birth of Jesus, drawing upon the different Gospel accounts and being aware of how different accounts have come about. (AT1) Ask questions about the real meaning of Christmas and suggest what this says to people about the purpose of life. (AT2) Introduction: Display the image of Father Christmas in the manger or play a secular Christmas song. How do the pupils think this represents Christmas? How might Christians feel about this representation of Christmas? Main Activity: Display the words and themes generated in the previous session. Where do Christians find their ideas and beliefs about what Christmas is about? Introduce the Gospels and explain that the word means good news. Groups to examine different Gospel narratives that tell the story of the first Christmas. Differentiation can happen by lower attainers focusing on characters and events, higher attainers focusing on the themes and values found in the narratives. Discuss similarities and differences between the Gospel accounts of the Christmas story, why are there differences? Does it matter that there are differences between the Gospel writers? What is the important message(s) in the Gospels? Which of the characters, events, themes and values of the Nativity narrative from the Gospels appear in the advertisements seen? If they do appear, what is different or what has been added? Which don't appear? Why might this be? What do the pupils think the Gospel narratives teach about the purpose of life, how to live life? Do any of the advertisements give a matching message? The Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and are found in the New Testament. They are the books from the Bible that give an account of Jesus life, death and resurrection. Only Matthew and Luke give an account of Jesus birth although the other gospels cover other aspects of the Christmas story in various forms. Differentiation could also be included by different amounts of the Nativity narrative being given to different groups of pupils to compare. Resources: Father Christmas in the Manger image: cs/christmas/ /most- Britons-do-not-believe-in-thenativity-survey-shows.html Gospels: Matthew 1:18 2:15 Mark Luke 2: 1-21 John Sensitivities:

6 If so, which ones and how? If not, how could they speak to today s world about what the meaning of Christmas really is? Plenary: Each pupil to choose one piece of learning from this lesson that they feel is the most important. Record individually and teacher invites pupils to come and put their learning into a box representing one of the magi s gifts or a manger for a class display. Teacher chooses comments / records to discuss in relation to the main activity. Pupils / teacher can add new words / themes from the pupils learning onto the original class list, after the lesson. Be aware of the family/ home circumstances and backgrounds of pupils when choosing Christmas adverts from companies and charities e.g. Shelter.

7 Lesson 3 How and Why Does The Church Advertise Christmas? Wayside pulpits are notices outside churches to attract Pupils should: attention. They are often catchy slogans or puns. Analyse and express Christian beliefs about Christmas in a range of styles of Church advertisements. (AT1) Ask questions about Christmas and evaluate how they are answered and how Christmas is presented through church advertisements of Christmas. (AT2) Introduction: What is an advertisement? In what forms are advertisements? Where do we see advertisements? Why do people / organisations / companies advertise? Main Part of the Lesson: Is Christmas advertised? By who? Who should advertise Christmas? Should The Church advertise Christmas? Why? / Why not? How do the pupils think that the church should advertise Christmas? Just a diary / content of what is happening at the church over Christmas or something about the actual meaning and core belief of Christmas? Display image of Wayside Pulpits. Main Activities: You could select from the following possible activities: Invite a visitor from the parish church team to explain to the pupils. how the local church is advertising Christmas and what activities take place to draw people in from the wider community and why. Visit the church and look for Christmas advertising and activities. Examine the church website for evidence of Christmas advertising and activities. Create a wayside pulpit about Christmas for outside the parish church. Create an advertisement about Christmas to be given to all parishioners in the parish. Resources: Examples of wayside pulpits link. Sensitivities: Choose the wayside pulpit with care as some can be flippant.

8 Plenary: Discuss the findings of the main part of the lesson. Play a Christmas carol and give the pupils a chance to reflect on: Why do you think that the church has this advertising and holds these activities? How can Christians be personal advertisements for Christmas?

9 Lesson 4 What Should An Advertisement Include To Show the Meaning and Christian Belief of Christmas? Pupils should: Express the Christian festival of Christmas to share the meaning, central beliefs and concept of it. (AT1) Ask questions about the aspects of Christmas that their Christmas advertisement features, thinking about what these might teach someone about meaning, purpose and truth in life. (AT2) Introduction: Explain the task which is to create an advertisement which shows the Christian meaning and belief of Christmas. Main Part of the Lesson: Display all the class words previously generated. Recap with the pupils their learning through this unit. Activity: In groups or individually, pupils can: Create an advertisement about Christmas in their choice of format e.g. posters with a slogan, Christmas card / leaflet, radio advert, song or jingle, television / video advert with a story and / or voiceover etc. Encourage the pupils think about the elements needed in the advertisement to show the meaning and Christian belief of Christmas. Pupils should also consider what they are trying to achieve with their advertisement, the effect that they would like it to have on the people who will experience it. Plenary: Share advertisements with the rest of the class. Use the list of Christian key words/ themes about the meaning and concept of Christmas to help evaluate them. This work could be shared with the rest of the school as part of its Christmas celebrations. The pupils Christmas advertisements can be put on the school s website, as a Church school, to advertise Christmas and also to celebrate the pupils RE work as well. The Christmas Starts With Christ resources are designed for church-use so some may not be appropriate for using with pupils. Resources: Christian Christmas video advertisement link and other advert resources: com/