Jesus Christ. God. The Church. Our BIG Questions.

Transcription

1 Worship Jesus Christ Christmas World Christianity God Easter Living a Christian Life The Church The Bible Our BIG Questions. What are the BIG ideas, the core beliefs and concepts, which every pupil needs to engage with by the end of KS2? Where do they meet these in the current Cambridgeshire Syllabus with its combination of core enquiry units and school designed units? What happens to the jigsaw if one piece is missing?

2 What s the BIG Idea about God? Christians believe in God as the Creator and Sustainer of the world. He is understood as Trinity, three in one, that is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Trinity are in perfect relationship with each other. Think of God not as =3, but as 1x1x1=1. Christians believe that the Bible is the story of God s relationship with mankind, which begins with mankind turning its back on Him and God s desire to restore the relationship to its fullness (the salvation history ). The salvation history culminates in God being revealed to the world through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, through whom the broken relationship is restored. God is at work in the world today through the Holy Spirit and Christians believe that He also still speaks to them today through the words of the Bible. In actuality all the core Christianity units and the Christianity School Designed Units (SDUs) will contribute something to pupils understanding of God, as will collective worship (although this is technically not a curriculum area). The key enquiries which help grow this theme are shown on the jigsaw pieces opposite, but most of the units will link to more than one BIG Idea. If you are not using the Diocesan Christianity SDUs but have created your own, make sure that they contribute to understanding one of the BIG ideas shown in this booklet.

3 Who was Jesus? A great leader and teacher? (KS1 Core) Who do people say that I am? (art) Why do Christians say the Holy Spirit is so important? (KS1 SDU) God What do people believe about the creation of our world? How can people today be part of the BIG story of the Bible? KS1 SDU) Is the Bible a handbook or a story of love? (KS2 SDU) Who do people say that I am? ( I Am Sayings) (KS2 SDU) Is Easter a festival of new life or sacrifice?

4 What s the BIG Idea about Jesus? Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God who became incarnate by being born as a human child through Mary. He was brought up and lived as a Jew for about 33 years, during the last three years of which he had an itinerant teaching ministry, teaching about the Kingdom of God and demonstrating it through his actions (the miracles). His message of God s love was offered to all, regardless of age, gender and status. Jesus was executed on a cross and was raised to life three days later (now known as Easter Sunday). Christians believe that through his death Jesus took the punishment we all deserve for our sins and thereby healed the breach between God and mankind (reconciliation). Jesus is not simply an historical personage, as Christians believe that they are in relationship with him today.

5 Is Easter a festival of new life or sacrifice? (KS2 Core ) Why pray? (KS2 SDU) Who do people say that I am? ( I Am sayings) (KS2 SDU ) Who was Jesus? A great leader and teacher? (KS1 Core ) Jesus How can people today be part of the BIG story of the Bible? (KS1 SDU ) Who do people say that I am? (art) (KS2 Core ) (And Stories we have heard in collective worship..) Why is Christmas important to Christians? (KS1)Core)

6 What s the BIG Idea about Christmas and Easter? For any faith community festivals are the key moments at which they come together to celebrate the central stories and beliefs of their faith for Christians this is at Christmas and Easter. The Christmas season starts with Advent, a four week time of preparation telling the salvation story that led up to the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. The central belief here is incarnation God coming to earth in human form. Jesus name (Jeshua) means God saves and his additional titles are Immanuel (God with us) and Light of the World. Easter is the most important festival as it is the culmination of God s rescue plan for mankind through the death and resurrection of Jesus. There are also links to the Jewish Passover in the Last Supper and in Jesus title Lamb of God. Easter is preceded by the preparation time of Lent and the day by day telling of the story of Jesus last week in Holy Week. The Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter should not only be celebrated, but also taught annually in a Church school. Here it is important that there is progression in understanding from EYFS to Y6 and that classes are not all getting the same diet of RE. Older pupils should be able to work with the Biblical text itself and have an understanding of the importance of the festival to the faith community and that it is not simply about present giving or chocolate eggs!

7 What happens at a festival? (EYFS Core) Why are Ascension and Pentecost important? (Powerpoint SDU) Why is Easter important? (Powepoint SDU) Whose version of the Nativity story is the most accurate? (Powerpoint SDU) Christian Festivals Is Easter a festival of new life or sacrifice? Why is Christmas important to Christians? (KS1 Core) Who are the Saints of God and why are they important? (And annual celebrations of Christmas and Easter either in school or church)

8 What s the BIG Idea about the Bible? Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is a guidebook for faith and life. It literally is THE BIG STORY! The core message which runs through it is the salvation history, which begins with Creation and ends with the New Creation the coming of God s Kingdom. Although it is possible to trace the salvation story (God s love story) through the pages of the Bible, there are many false starts, as God s people, the Jews, fail to learn from their mistakes and fall away from the message of great leaders such as Abraham, Moses and the prophets. It is only with the Gospels (literally the Good News ) that God s rescue plan works once and for all in the life and death of Jesus. Through Jesus the salvation story becomes a story available to all peoples, not just the Jews. It is important that pupils in KS2 become familiar with how the Bible works i.e. can look up Bible references for themselves. Recommendation when sharing Bible stories in collective worship, make sure that children know it is a story from the Bible and where they can find it again.

9 How can people today be part of the BIG story of the Bible? (KS1 SDU ) Who do people say that I am? ( I Am sayings) (KS2 SDU ) What happens when we die? (KS2 SDU) Is the Bible a handbook or a story of love? (KS2 SDU) The Bible What can we learn from stories from different religions? (EYFS Core) (And Stories we have heard in collective worship..) Who was Jesus? A great leader and teacher? (KS1 Core) What do people believe about the creation of our world?

10 What s the BIG Idea about Living a Christian Life? The word Christian is first found in the Acts of the Apostles when it was used as a mocking expression by other people in Antioch who realised the Christians were different. Christians follow Jesus teaching and are in relationship with Him, as they have accepted Him as their Saviour. Christianity is the largest faith in the world and Christians share the same core beliefs although these may be expressed in many culturally diverse ways. There are certain rites of passage which are common to all people (marriage and funerals) and these have associated Christian beliefs and teachings. The specifically Christian rite is baptism (which can take place at any age) and this is the rite of entry into the company of Christian believers. Christians should also be at work in the world continuing God s mission, this includes demonstrating God s love through supporting the poor and downtrodden.

11 What difference does belonging to a faith make to a family? (KS1 Core) What key beliefs influence people s faith and how do people of faith live out their lives? What is it like to be a Christian in Vellore? What happens when we die? (KS2 SDU) Living a Christian Life Is religion what you say or what you do? What happens at a wedding, or when a baby is born? (EYFS Core) Is it Fair? (KS2 SDU) Why do people go on special journeys or pilgrimages? KS2 SDU)

12 What s the BIG Idea about the Church? The original word for church in Greek is ekklesia which means called out thus the Church is the called out people of God. However, for centuries the word has a dual meaning (just like the word school ), as it is used both of the people and the building in which they meet. The word saint should also technically be used of all Christian believers, not just the super ones. The church building (and its associated halls) is often the centre of community and family activities. The Church is a worldwide community with different styles of buildings, different forms of worship and different practices. There is, however, a common core of belief. The school s link to its parish church is an important part of it s life and ethos, and visits to the church building and talking with church people should be a particular feature of the enquiries related to this theme. Any investigation of a building needs to ask not only the what is this? question, but also the why is this? question (beliefs).

13 How and why are Churches different? Who are the Saints of God and why are they important? What is Christian Worship? (KS1 SDU) What makes a church a special place for Christian people? (KS1 Core) The Church Where do we belong? (EYFS Core) What is it like to be a Christian in Vellore? Why do people go on special journeys or pilgrimages? KS2 SDU) What difference does belonging to a faith make to a family? (KS1 Core)

14 What s the BIG Idea about Worship? Christians connect /communicate with God through worship and prayer, this may be formal or informal, in a church building or any other place, in a group or entirely alone. The heart of prayer is a Christian s relationship with God they are having a conversation with their friend. Worship can take many forms from focussed quiet times to noisy exuberance, and it is important to realise the rich variety of possibilities from throughout the world, not just concentrate on the school s immediate locality, to get a full view of Christian worship. A key act of worship in which most Christians participate is the Holy Communion / Eucharist / Mass / Lord s Supper which is based on the Last Supper and the words of Jesus himself. Almost all Christians will also use regularly the prayer Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer.

15 What is it like to be a Christian in Vellore? (And our experiences in collective worship..) How and why are Churches different? What is Christian Worship? (KS1 SDU) Christian Worship What happens at a festival? (EYFS Core) Why pray? (KS2 SDU) What makes a church a special place for Christian people? (KS1 Core) What difference does belonging to a faith make to a family? (KS1 Core)

16 Does your Church school have a complete jigsaw or are there pieces missing? This very simple booklet is a reminder of the core Christian beliefs and practices which all primary school children should encounter in their RE. As the jigsaw device is meant to show, over the years these mesh together to form an understanding of the faith at an appropriate level. In Cambridgeshire half of the materials needed to teach about Christianity in school are provided as core units, but if only the core units are taught then the jigsaw is incomplete. Schools have been given the responsibility of covering the other half of the Christian materials through School Designed Units (SDUs). A group of RE co ordinators has worked with the Diocesan Board of Education to produce and trial detailed recommendations for these SDUs which can be found on the third of the Cambridgeshire Agreed Syllabus CDs where they are called the Stir up Units (these are the ones shown as SDUs on the jigsaw). If you have created your own SDUs to use instead of the ones provided do please use this booklet to determine whether your school is covering the BIG themes effectively.