FOUNDATION STAGE UNITS CHRISTMAS BIRTHDAYS Birthdays Visitors to the stable EASTER NEW LIFE New life in nature God as Creator Palm Sunday Good Friday & Easter Day GOD S WONDERFUL WORLD Looking after our school God as Creator Caring for creation RIGHT AND WRONG Respect for self and others Living & working cooperatively Loving God Loving your neighbour God s perfect world Making right choices WHAT MAKES A PLACE SPECIAL? Our own special places The Church as a special place WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL? The uniqueness of the individual God s love for everyone Special people in the Bible The importance of Jesus birth Jesus as a special storyteller Jesus could do special things
CHRISTMAS: BIRTHDAYS FOUNDATION STAGE SUGGESTED FOCUS FOR ASSESSMENT: Know that Christmas is a celebration of Jesus birthday for Christians and recall elements of the Nativity story. Respond to experiences of own and others birthdays and the school s celebration of Jesus birthday. 1 2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES RESOURCES Talk about how birthdays are celebrated at home & at school; the anticipation of To know how people celebrate birthdays counting the days. Refer to the class birthday chart, the months of the year & identify 25 December as the date when Christians celebrate Jesus birthday. To know that Christians celebrate Jesus Introduce Mary & Joseph & tell the story birthday at Christmas of the Angel Gabriel s visit to Mary & the visit of the angel to Joseph. Talk about how families prepare for the birth of a baby. Invite a pregnant mother in to tell pupils Pregnant mother! about her preparations. To know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem Tell the story of Mary & Joseph s journey to Bethlehem. Begin to assemble a crib set. Look at a variety of words used on birthday cards. Use some of them to make a birthday card for Jesus or a congratulations card for Mary & Joseph. Learn Little Donkey Vocabulary: Angel Gabriel, dream, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, birthday, celebration, Nazareth. Birthday chart, baby catalogue, rattle, soft toys, baby clothes etc Beginners Bible & Beginners Bible Video. The Story of Christmas by Jane Ray Pub: Orchard Books ISBN 1 85213 917 X Vocabulary: journey, inn, census, register, Bible, congratulations, well done, good luck, happy birthday. Crib set figures Assortment of birthday cards Little Donkey carol 3 &2 To know which visitors came to see Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the stable Talk about who comes to visit a new baby at home or in hospital. Discuss the differences between Jesus birthplace & where they were born. Continue the story of the visit of the shepherds. Add them to the crib set. Learn Away in a Manger. Read Jesus Christmas Party. Crib set figures Pictures of shepherds Away in a Manger Jesus Christmas Party by N Allen ISBN 0 09 972591 6
EASTER: NEW LIFE FOUNDATION STAGE SUGGESTED FOCUS FOR ASSESSMENT Know that Easter is the time that Christians remember that Jesus died and rose again. Handle an empty cross and think about where they have seen a cross and what the cross means to people. LEARNING OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES RESOURCES 1 To recognise the changes that occur in nature in springtime To know that Christians believe in God the Creator Have pictures or examples of spring flowers & blossom. Do a spring walk Identify flowers and trees in bud. Talk about things that seem to be dead in winter & are then transformed in spring. Look at pictures of newly born animals on a farm. Reflect on God as Creator & say a thank you prayer. Read the story or show video of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Make a spring picture/collage to show new life. Examples of spring in nature The Very Hungry Caterpillar By E Carle 2 To know the events of Palm Sunday To know that Jesus died on Good Friday and appeared to his friends again on Easter Day Read the events of Palm Sunday. Act out the journey to Jerusalem having made paper palm branches to wave. Learn a song about Palm Sunday to sing in assembly. Talk about how Jesus friends felt on Palm Sunday, Good Friday & Easter Day. Make sad & happy faces of the characters from the events e.g. Mary, Peter, John etc. Palm Cross The Beginner s Bible & video The Easter Story by Brian Wildsmith Pub OUP ISBN 0 19 272286 7 Come & Praise No 128 Junior Praise No 264 www.topmarks.co.uk/christianity/easter/easter1.htm
3 To know that Easter is the time when Christians celebrate Jesus coming back to life Use the Christian symbols of a crucifix and an empty cross to help pupils understand this difficult concept. Make an Easter Garden showing the 3 crosses on the hill & the empty tomb. Include natural flowers, buds etc in the garden to remind pupils of the new life theme. Perhaps use an egg (instead of a stone) rolled aside from the tomb. Learn an Easter song for the end of term assembly. Crucifix, empty cross Metal tray, compost, seeds, sticks, small flowers, stones etc. Come & Praise No 130
GOD S WONDERFUL WORLD FOUNDATION STAGE SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT FOCUS Know that Christians believe God loves and cares for the world he made. Show personal awareness of the importance of caring for all living things. LEARNING OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES RESOURCES 1 To know the importance of looking after our school Go on a tour of the school to look for areas that should be looked after. Discuss who does this. What needs to be looked after in the classroom? Who does this? Talk about shared responsibilities & being proactive. Invite the school keeper to talk about ways the children can help look after the school. www.dottieanddbuzz.co.uk/prog2 School garden, playground Plants, animals, displays, pupils work Rubbish Foreman Pub Puffin 0140500987 2 To know that Christians believe that God made the world To appreciate the wonder of creation To be thankful for the world around us Sing songs and hear stories about God s Wonderful World. Look out of the window. What can you see that hasn t been made by people? Draw things to thank God for and make a class book for reference. Make up verses for a thank you song. God s Wonderful World M Inkpen The World that Jack built by R Brown Pub Anderson Press 0 86264 269 8 All the colours of the Earth Hamanaka Pub Morrow ISBN 0 688 11131 9 The Creation Story B Wildsmith Posters from the Festival Shop catalogue 3 To know that all living things need to be looked after To know that God loves everyone Use the story of the Very Worried Sparrow. Talk about how God looks after everything all the time. Talk about how you must look after pets. Talk with pupils about who looks after them. Make a class book of I love my pet because The Very Worried Sparrow by M Doney Pub Scripture Union 0 7459 23445 Pictures of pets, babies, children.
4 To experience seeing someone caring for a baby Invite a mother or father in with a new baby or a pet. Ask questions about how they need to be cared for when they can t care for themselves. Draw the parent with the baby. Collect and display photographs of the pupils as babies. Invitation to parent to bring in a baby. 5 & To understand the variety of creation Make a composite picture of things God has created. Talk about the variety of shapes, sizes, colour, uses & where they can be seen. Examples of things from the natural world Songs: God who made the earth Come & Praise No 10 Who put the colours in the rainbow? Come & Praise No 12
RIGHT AND WRONG FOUNDATION STAGE SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT FOCUS Communicate what is meant by Jesus saying that people should love one another Show an understanding of the importance of making a right choice. LEARNING OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES RESOURCES 1 Pupils to develop respect for themselves and one another To begin to learn about different rules To know how to live and work together To understand that doing something wrong affects other people Create opportunities for sharing and taking turns. When playing games encourage an acceptance that they won t always win. Reinforce everyday rules made at school and in the street. Establish reasons why they are important. Role-play playing happily with a friend, when an argument spoils the game. Explain your feelings to each other. What makes you do bad things? How do you make things better? Read Jamaica s Find & talk about what the story teaches us. www.dottieanddbuzz.co.uk/prog2 The Grumpy Day. A Teddy Horsley Big Book,ISBN0-7197-0977-6 and resource book Ready, Teddy, God, ISBN 0-7197- 0899-0A Good Start www.brf.org.uk The Bad Tempered Ladybird by Eric Carle Picture Puffin 0 14 050398 6 Jamaica s Find by Juanita Havill Little Mammoth 0 7497 0190 0 Angry Arthur by H Oram Pub Red Fox ISBN 0 992 9001 4 This is the Bear by S Hayes & H Craig Walker Books 0 7445 3621 9 2 To know what Jesus meant by loving God & to know that God loves us Talk about ways Christians can show they love God. Parallel loving a friend. What makes a friend happy/sad? Draw a picture of you & your best friend. Make a friendship bracelet/badge for a friend. How can we talk to God like a friend? Guess how much I love you by Sam McBratney Titch by Pat Hutchings Puffin 0 14 050096 0 My Very First Prayers and All about Prayer, Lois Rock and Anne Lepar, Lion, www.lion-publishing.co.uk
3 &2 To know what Jesus meant by loving your neighbour Tell the story of the Good Samaritan. Act out the story. In circle time talk about who our different neighbours might be and share times when they have helped someone. Read A good neighbour from Beginners Bible/ watch video Neighbours, Teddy Horsley Big Book, ISBN0-7197-0976-8 4 To know that God made a perfect world but that Adam & Eve spoilt it by being disobedient Read the story of The Creation from a children s Bible. Paint/draw the sequence of creation for an RE display. Look for signs of creation in the school grounds, local park etc The Creation Story by Brian Wildsmith The Beginner s Bible The Blessing Seed by Caitlin Matthews Barefoot Books 9 7811901 223521 5 To begin to understand about making right choices Give children some scenarios where they need to decide on a right or wrong choice and opportunities to show their decision. Use role play, ICT games, word/picture matching activities, road layouts, play mats
WHAT MAKES A PLACE SPECIAL? FOUNDATION STAGE SUGGESSTED ASSESSMERNT FOCUS Communicate things that are special about the local church, including names and activities associated with church. Talk about how what they saw, felt, heard, and smelt on the church visit and how it made them feel LEARNING OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES RESOURCES 1 s 2 &3 To learn that some people have places that are special to them To communicate about a place special to them To know that the church is a special building where people go to think & learn about God To recognise that people can feel close to God anywhere Use story material about special places. In pairs listen to each other describing their special place. Make a list of words of feelings when in a special place. Arrange role play area to make a special quiet area. Pupils decide on special things to put there. Arrange a visit to the church. Make it a sensory experience touching surfaces of wood, stone, marble or material; listening to themselves singing, someone playing the organ or piano; listening to someone reading a well known story from the Bible; looking for Christian symbols; looking for messages in stained glass; smelling flowers, polish, incense, mustiness!! Include some tasting- share bread or sweets to represent church family coming together to share.make time for sitting & thinking about being in a place where people have worshipped God for many years. Light a candle as a focus for children to think about someone who needs their prayers. Make a photographic record of the visit. Out & About by Shirley Hughes Plan sensory activity visit to local church with Incumbent or other representative. Question to ask Food/drink to share Digital camera
4 Communicate things that are special about the local church, including names and activities associated with church. Talk about how what they saw, felt, heard, and smelt on the church visit. made them feel Show photos of visit on computer. Talk about own memories and feelings of being in the church. Ask and answer questions. Use various media- draw, write, paint, modelling materials,tape recording, ICT (using one of the pictures taken) to communicate learning. Read The Church Mouse by Oakley
WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL? FOUNDATION STAGE SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT FOCUS Recall a bible story in which Christians learn that people are all special to God and Jesus. Talk about people who are special to them and why. LEARNING OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES RESOURCES 1 2 &2 3 &4 To know that each person is unique and special To reflect on who is special to each of us and why To know that God loved everyone so much he sent Jesus to tell us about him To know that God loves everyone and we are all special to God & Jesus To learn about some of the special people we read about in the Bible To recognise that they had a special relationship with God. We are all unique Paint/draw portraits of themselves. Look at photos of each other as babies and discuss ways they have changed. Identify similarities and differences. Make a zigzag book about themselves, their friends & who cares for them. Explain why people who care for them are special. Make a book about people who care for us. Jesus tells us that God loves everyone Tell the story of the Lost Sheep. Emphasise the importance of the one sheep and people are all equally important to God & Jesus. Do lost and found games/activities to make the point. Talk about how we know God loves us and where we can learn that God loves us. A special person in the Bible Introduce a bible character eg. Moses or Joshua (choose one that will not to be covered in KS1) Use video, story, role play to teach about the character. www.dottieanddbuzz.co.uk/prog2 Key questions: Who are you? What makes you the same as other people? What makes you different? Who are your friends? What makes a good friend? Can you think of someone who is special to someone else? Beginners Bible The Lost Sheep by Butterworth & Inkpen ISBN 055102873 4 Beginners Bible/videos Who Dared? Joshua dared, Ellen Shepard Big Book, Abingdon
5 To know Jesus was able to do wonderful things because he was the Son of God Talk about people who are special to them and why. Jesus could do special things Show storm pictures & play some music that evokes a storm. Read the account of Jesus calming the storm. Imagine you were in the boat with Jesus would you have been as frightened as his friends were? Choose colours to create stormy pictures. Use circle time to sit & reflect on being frightened by something and what made you feel better. Introduce peaceful words and make up a class poem. Talk about times when we need to be quiet. Beginners Bible/video Luke 8:22-26 Key questions: When have you been frightened? What stops your fear? Why was Jesus able to stop the storm? How can we be peaceful people? How can God help us when we are going through stormy times? Is God special to you? How? Why?