Name of Unit: Faith: Why Is Easter The Most Important Festival For Christians? Christian Concept: Salvation Key Stage in which this unit should be taught: Key Stage 1 Previous Learning: Recommended Year Group (if specified): Year 1 Foundation Units on Salvation: - Easter Story; Special People AT1 Learning About Religion AT2 Learning From Religion Beliefs, teachings and sources. Meaning, purpose and truth. What This Unit Teaches: The Easter Story. In these four lessons the children will learn about the events of the Easter story, as told in the Bible. Lesson 1 - Palm Sunday - Jesus entry into Jerusalem; Lesson 2 Maundy Thursday - The Last Supper; Lesson 3 - Good Friday - Jesus death; Lesson 4 - Easter Day - Jesus resurrection, Looking at the complete story of Easter and using what has been learnt to answer the enquiry question for this unit Why is Easter the most important festival for Christians? Key RE Vocabulary: Easter; Christian; Holy Week; Palm Sunday; Good Friday; Easter Sunday; celebrate; festival; Jesus; disciples; Pharisees, Mary Magdalene; anoint; tomb; resurrection. Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development: Developing an understanding as to why the events of Easter are so important to Christians; Developing an understanding of how people s faith affect the way they behave. To reflect on own beliefs and what is important to self and others. Possible Further Thinking and Extension Activities: Presenting the pupils learning about this key Christian festival in a whole school Collective Worship. Gives a context to school Easter activities. Cross-Curricular Links: English - Drama activities; Art and Design - Studying the painting The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, Creating an Easter tree. Sensitivities: This unit will cover the events of Jesus death and resurrection, as told in the Easter story. Some pupils may find this upsetting due to the cruel treatment of Jesus and / or they may have experienced the death of a loved one. Also be aware that some pupils may be worried about dying themselves. Although the story and message of Easter is integral to the Christian faith, be aware of pupils of other faiths in the class and make links, as appropriate. Future Learning: Each year group within Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 have a four lesson Unit focussing on Easter and the Christian concept of Salvation.
Session 1 What Happened on Palm Sunday and What Does it Teach About Jesus? Pupils should: AT1: Know the events of Jesus entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as told in the Bible, to understand that people thought Jesus was very special; AT2: Share how they feel when they meet someone famous / special, to make links between their experiences / feelings and those found in the stories of Holy Week. Introduction: What is it like to be part of a crowd, celebrating a special occasion? Watch a video clip / look at pictures of famous people, e.g. the Queen or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate, etc. being greeted by crowds at a formal event. Why is there a crowd? (They want to see the person that is important to them;) What is the feeling of the crowd? (anticipation, excitement, joy, etc.) How does the crowd respond? (cheer, wave, shout, etc.) Compare other situations where people wave things, e.g. flags at a royal occasion or at Last Night of the Proms, etc. Ask the pupils if they have ever been part of a crowd? How did it feel? Ask the pupils if they have ever met anyone famous / special? How did they feel? Pupils share their experiences. Main Part of the Lesson: Discuss with the pupils that we are approaching a very important festival for Christians called Easter. Over the next week(s) we are going to be learning about the story of this festival. Where do we find this story? Today we are going to be learning about what happened on the first Palm Sunday and what does it teach us about Jesus? Read from the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem (e.g. using the Jesus Storybook Bible ) or use a video clip which tells the Bible story. Discuss Jesus entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and what it tells You may want to take pictures of the Palm Sunday procession and save the palm branches for recapping in future lessons. Specific RE Vocabulary: Palm Sunday the name Christians give to the day at the start of Holy Week when they remember Jesus entering Jerusalem; Hosanna a Hebrew word meaning Save us! Disciples Jesus special friends who followed him. Resources: The Bible, appropriate versions such as Jesus Storybook Bible; Video clip of the first Palm Sunday; Books of The Easter Story; Palm crosses; Materials for making palm branches, palm crosses and / or banners; Palm crosses, (real ones!) Suggested hymns / songs: All Glory Laud and Honour,
us about who people thought Jesus was: Sing Hosanna! Why were there so many people? Hosanna, Hosanna! (They had heard about Jesus and what he had been doing - miracles, You are the King of teaching about God, etc. or had met Jesus before.) Glory! Who did the people think Jesus was? Blessed be the Name of (They thought he might be the new King, the person who was going the Lord! to save them, the Son of God, they knew he was special because of etc. his miracles and teachings, etc.) Why would some people not have been happy about Jesus arrival? (Jealous, threatened, scared of change, etc.) Retell the story either as a class, or in small groups, using a series of images and / or props to support story telling. Use freeze frames with spoken comments / feelings and thoughts to explore what different people in the story might be feeling, (e.g. the crowd, the disciples, Jesus, the Pharisees, even the donkey!) Explain how Christians receive a palm cross which is a cross made out of a palm branch in church on Palm Sunday and then many churches have a Palm Sunday procession to remember the events of the beginning of Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter. Look at some real palm crosses. Sensitivities: Children having worries / negative memories of being part of a big crowd. Other religions will not view Jesus in the same way that Christians do and some children may find it uncomfortable to welcome Jesus as part of a drama scenario. Activity: Explain to the pupils that we are going to act out our own Palm Sunday procession at the end of the lesson, and so they need to make palm leaves, palm crosses and / or banners to act out welcoming Jesus with. Why would people have done this on the first Palm Sunday? What does it tell us about Jesus? (N.B. It is important to note that Jesus came from a Jewish background and wasn t a Christian, the people waving palms were
probably all Jewish. This is a common misconception for primary aged children.) Pupils could respond with a phrase in writing and drawing on an outline of a palm leaf to the question What would it have felt like to be in the crowd on Palm Sunday? Act out a Palm Sunday procession using the palm leaves, palm crosses and / or banners they have made. A Palm Sunday hymn / song could be played during the procession (e.g. All Glory Laud and Honour, Sing Hosanna! Hosanna, Hosanna! You are the King of Glory! or Blessed be the Name of the Lord, etc.) Plenary: Remind pupils of the key question for the lesson: What happened on Palm Sunday and what does it teach about Jesus? Discuss their answers to the question. Draw out ideas about Jesus as a leader and king, (but not the sort of king people expected) humble, (on a donkey not a grand horse or chariot;) and saviour, ( Hosanna means Save us! )
Session 2 What Happened at The Last Supper and What Does it Teach About Jesus? Pupils should: AT1: Know the events of the Last Supper as told in the Bible and say some things that Christians believe from it; AT2: Ask interesting and puzzling questions about why Jesus did what he did at the Last Supper. Introduction: Have you ever had a special meal? When did you have it? Why? What was it like and who did you share it with? Why? What do you remember about it? Discuss with the pupils what made their meal particularly special. Was it a celebration of some kind, or did it mark a special occasion? Explain that today we are going to learn about a very special meal that Jesus had with his disciples (special friends,) which people call the Last Supper. Recap with the pupils about Jesus entry into Jerusalem and the Palm Sunday procession at the beginning of Holy Week. This meal took place a few days later, on the Thursday of that week. Main Part of the Lesson: Introduce the key question of this lesson: What happened at the Last Supper and what does it teach about Jesus? Recap: Palm Sunday was a time when people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem like a king. Look back at any evidence gathered in the previous lesson, e.g. photographs of freeze frames, palm branches / palm crosses / banners. How did people feel about Jesus on Palm Sunday? However, after only a few days (count the days on a calendar Sunday to Thursday) people had started to turn against Jesus. The religious leaders (Pharisees) didn t like how popular Jesus was and they were worried that he might become more powerful than them, they felt threatened. Specific RE Vocabulary: The Last Supper The last meal Jesus had with his disciples before He was taken to be crucified; Holy Communion what Christians do to remember Jesus death, by eating bread and drinking wine, like the disciples at the Last Supper; Remembrance Remembering someone or something through a special activity; Servant King How Jesus is sometimes described because he acted as a servant and humbly. Christians believe He is the king of everything. Resources: The Bible; Video clip: Maundy Thursday - Good Friday (e.g. The Servant King from Jesus Storybook Bible); The Last Supper painting by Leonardo Da Vinci; Templates of The Last Supper painting; (A4) Speech bubbles;
Explain that Christians remember The Last Supper in Thursday of Water jug, water bowel, water Holy Week each year, this day is called Maundy Thursday. and towel. Read the events of the Last Supper from The Bible or watch a video clip showing the same events. Discuss with the pupils: Sensitivities: What did Jesus do? If washing feet: Be aware of Why? health and cultural issues with Bread and wine: have you ever heard the words Do this in this, be sensitive to anyone remembrance of me before? who has health or religious If so, where and when? reasons for not wanting to do Washing the disciples feet: why was this a strange thing for Jesus this. to do? How do you think the disciples felt at each of the different parts of The Last Supper? Why? This event is called The Last Supper, why? Look at Leonardo Da Vinci s painting of The Last Supper, referring back to the Bible story. Discuss with the pupils: What can you see? What is on the table? Who is there? What are the facial expressions of the people there? What are they doing? Why is Jesus in the middle of the picture? Try not to end the lesson on sadness, being aware some children may be scared of dying and death. It is important to point out that there is a very happy part of the Easter story to come, (the hope that the resurrection brings to Christians.) Activities: Provide a copy for each child (or large copy for a group) of The Last Supper painting, and use speech bubbles for them to write what the different characters are saying, (e.g. I wonder what will happen? I feel a bit worried, I will remember Jesus, etc.)
Jesus shows his love by serving his disciples, (friends). Have you ever served your friends? What did you do? Describe these times in RE books. Plenary: Display The Last Supper painting again and ask the pupils to share some of the ideas they had about what the disciples were thinking. What do they think Jesus was thinking? Explain that it is called The Last Supper because it was the last time Jesus shared a meal with his friends before He died. However, Christians believe that Jesus rose again from the dead and came back to see his friends, so this is not really the end of the story. Christians believe that they can still be friends with Jesus now. Explain that many Christians re-enact the events of that Thursday before Jesus death each year on Maundy Thursday in Church, as well as sharing The Last Supper at many other times throughout the year, especially on Sundays. Ask what happened at The Last Supper and what does it teach us about Jesus? (Jesus loves his disciples, He wanted to have a special meal with them before He died, He was humble and He served others, He wanted them to do to others like He was doing to them, he wanted them to always remember him, etc.) Give the pupils the opportunity to wash each other s feet. How does it feel to wash, or to be washed? Illustrate what was the message that Jesus was leaving His disciples with at The Last Supper.
Session 3 What Happened on Good Friday and What Does it Teach About Jesus? Pupils should: AT1: Know the events of Good Friday as told in the Bible and some things that Christians believe from it; AT2: Talk about how people felt when Jesus died, Recall sad times in our own lives and what / who helped us, Talk about how people show love. Introduction: Have you ever had a hot cross bun? What was it like? Do you know why they have crosses on them? Look at a hot cross bun with the class and point out the cross shape on the top. Explain that Christians have made these for hundreds of years to help them remember Good Friday. Have they ever heard of Good Friday? Do they know what happened on the first Good Friday? Main Part of The Lesson: Introduce the key question of this lesson: What happened on Good Friday and what does it teach about Jesus? Recap: On Palm Sunday, many people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem like a king, but by Thursday, many people had been turned against Jesus by the religious leaders, (Pharisees). Remember the events of The Last Supper. Read the story of Good Friday. You could also watch an appropriate video clip of this, (but be very careful that it is suitable for your pupils and not too upsetting for them to watch.) Explain that after Jesus special meal with his disciples, The Last Supper, He went out into a garden called The Garden of Gethsemane with 3 of his friends to pray. However He was arrested, taken to stand trial and finally put on a Specific RE Vocabulary: The Garden of Gethsemane A garden in Jerusalem where Jesus went to pray at the end of The Last Supper; Good Friday The day on which Jesus was crucified; Crucifixion A form of execution used by the Romans, nailing someone on a wooden cross to die; Burial Jewish people put their dead in stone tombs, wrapped in cloth and embalmed with spices; Tomb The place a dead person would be buried in; Salvation What Christians believe Jesus came to earth to do to rescue humans and enable them to be friends with God. Resources: The Bible; Children s Bible to tell the story of Good Friday; Video clip: Good Friday e.g. The Sun Stops Shining from Jesus Storybook Bible;
cross to die. Hot Cross Buns; Explain how when Jesus had died, His body was placed into a tomb Art materials. with a large stone rolled in front to close it. Look again at the hot cross bun. How, then, does it remind us about what Christians believe happened on the first ever Good Friday? Where else might you see crosses? Show some examples on the board, and get the children to share some of their own ideas. Sensitivities: Try not to end the lesson on sadness, being aware some children may be scared of dying and death. Ask the pupils what questions they have and other people might have about what happened on Good Friday? The most obvious questions will be about why Jesus was killed and had to die. Explain that this is something difficult to understand but that Christians believe from The Bible that this was salvation. It was part of God s plan for the world, to rescue the world from badness and sin. It was God showing love for the world. He let His son be killed on the cross by people to help the world to be a better place afterwards. By His power he was going to make things better afterwards and was going to show that He was much stronger than death and that there was and always will be hope. Activity: Talk about the scene of the crucifixion and the 3 crosses. Talk about who the three crosses were for, (Jesus, with 2 criminals either side.) Explain how the other two crosses were for thieves who had done wrong things, but Jesus had never done anything wrong. Christians believe He died on the cross to show people how much He loves them, so people can always be friends with God. Ask the pupils to each create a silhouette picture of the three crosses, with a dramatic sky behind. Ensure that 1 cross stands out a little more than the other 2 crosses. It is Important to point out that there is a very happy part of the Easter story to come, (the hope that the resurrection brings to Christians and how Jesus death is a sign of love, hope and peace). Other faiths will not believe the same interpretation of the death of Jesus, so it is important to point out that this is what Christians believe.
While the pupils are making their pictures, appropriate reflective music can be played, e.g. Christian hymns such as There Is a Green Hill Far Away, When I Survey The Wondrous Cross, or There Is A Redeemer, etc. Extension: Add in different characters that were there when Jesus died. Talk about how sad Mary, his mother, must have been. Who comforted her? Who comforts you when sad things happen? Other Possible Activities: Make a cross from two sticks / twigs and use modelling clay to fix them to a base to create a class display. Add figures to show who was there when Jesus died, e.g. soldiers, some of Jesus friends, Jesus mother, etc. Consider the thoughts, feelings and words of each character at Jesus crucifixion. Make hot cross buns and talk about the meaning of the cross on the top. Extension: Talk about the spices used to flavour the buns. In Jesus time, people put spices on the bodies of people who had died to keep them sweet-smelling. Plenary: Look at a picture of a person wearing a cross. Talk about how the Good Friday part of the Easter Story is a very sad story and ask why someone would want to wear a cross. Discuss how, for Christians, Jesus death shows how much God loves people and wants to be their friend. Ask the pupils: How have people shown you love? How can you show love to others?
Revisit and answer the key question of the lesson from today s learning: What happened on Good Friday and what does it teach us about Jesus? (Christians believe that God loves people so much that He gave His son to die, Jesus was willing to die to show that love and to help people to be friends with God. Jesus hadn t done anything wrong, but was still willing to die. This was God rescuing the world from its sin; Jesus was bringing salvation to the world.)
Session 4 What Happened on The First Easter Day and What Does it Teach About Jesus? Pupils should: AT1: Know the events of Easter Sunday as told in the Bible and what Christians believe from the Easter Story; AT2: Recall joyful times in their own lives and how they felt. Talk about some things in the Easter Story that make people ask questions. Introduction: Recall the events that we are told in the Bible happened on Good Friday. Why do Christians remember / celebrate such a sad event? What good things does it show them about Jesus? Main Part of the Lesson: Introduce the key question of this lesson: What happened on the first Easter Day and what does it teach about Jesus? With the pupils sitting in a circle, retell the story of Good Friday and then move onto the Easter Day (Sunday) part of the Easter Story and start building an Easter Garden as the story progresses (using a simple tray of soil). Remind pupils about the 3 crosses and talk about who these were for. What did Jesus say about the other people who were being put to death on the crosses either side of him? What does this tell us about Jesus? Talk about when Jesus had died, what happened with the sky? Where was Jesus body placed when He had died? Add a path of pebbles which shows the path that Jesus was taken on by Joseph of Arimathea, (an important Jewish man who offered to bury Jesus in his own family tomb). Use larger stones to create a tomb the place where Jesus body was put after He died, with a large stone over its entrance to stop anyone getting in or out. Specific RE Vocabulary: Tomb The place a dead person would be buried in; Sabbath The Jewish day of rest (Sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday); Easter Day The Sunday after Good Friday; Resurrection When Jesus, who had died, comes back to life; Holy Communion What Christians do to remember Jesus death, by eating bread and drinking wine, like the disciples at the Last Supper. Resources: Easter Garden materials soil tray, stones (large and small), grass seed, twigs / lolly sticks, small figures to represent the characters; The Bible including Children s Bible to tell the story; Easter hymns / songs, (each school will have their own selection which is familiar from their use in the school s style
Explain that Jesus friends including Mary Magdalene, visited His tomb 3 days later, early on the Sunday. They needed to anoint His body for burial, but were worried how they would get into the tomb with the huge stone that had been placed in front of it. Explain why Jesus friends couldn t have gone to the tomb earlier, (Saturday was the Sabbath and anointing a body was not allowed on the Sabbath). Then show how the tomb was empty with the stone rolled away. How would Jesus friends have felt to see the empty tomb? What might they have said to each other? Introduce the gardener Mary Magdalene asked the gardener why the tomb was empty and who had rolled away the stone. Share what the gardener said to them. Why did Mary think he was a gardener? (She thought Jesus was dead, so it had to be someone else.) Who did the gardener turn out to be? When did Mary realise it was Jesus? (When He spoke she recognised His voice.) How would Mary have felt? of Collective Worship.) Optional: Easter egg shapes on card; Concertina booklets; images from the Easter Story; Large pictures of characters from story + Post-It Notes. Sensitivities: Some children will have experienced loss themselves. They are likely to find it hard to understand that their relative / friend / pet did not rise again on Earth. Explain that Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead. This is called resurrection. They believe this was all part of God s plan for the World. Christians believe that God made this happen to show that goodness is stronger and better than badness. They believe that Jesus is still alive today, now living in Heaven with God. Sprinkle the soil of the garden with grass seed and water it. (Over time, the grass seed will grow: a sign of new life.) Christians believe everyone can have a fresh start like the soil with the new grass because of Jesus and can be friends with God. It is Important to point out the hope that the resurrection brings to Christians and how Jesus death is a sign of love, hope and peace. Other religions will have a different understanding of why Jesus body was not in the tomb.
Activity: Make individual Easter gardens using them as a visual aid to retell and explain the Easter Story to others. Other Possible Activities: Decorate card Easter egg shapes with a picture from the Easter story, to hang on a class Easter tree. To cover the whole story, different groups could be allocated different days and events from Holy Week. Sequence pictures telling the whole Easter story and retell the story, (either in RE books, or in a concertina book of Easter). Give out large images of different characters from the story and work in groups to think of questions to ask the character. Record on post-it notes and stick on to the picture. Other pupils could answer the questions as the characters. Plenary: Ask pupils to look at the class Easter Garden and the individual Easter Gardens and share what they find most interesting or surprising from the whole Easter Story. Ask: How important do you think Easter is for Christians? (It is the most important festival for Christians.) Why do Christians feel it is important to remember the events of the first Easter each year? Discuss the enquiry question for this teaching unit and answer the question from our learning: Why do you think Easter is the most important festival for Christians? What does it teach about Jesus / God? Christians believe that when Jesus died he helped people to be friends
with God and showed how much God loves everyone. They also believe that people can have a relationship with Jesus now, because he rose from the dead. They believe that Jesus death and resurrection gives the promise of everlasting life in Heaven for people when they die on Earth. This is called Salvation. Christians remember Jesus death every time they take Holy Communion and by wearing and displaying crosses. They celebrate Jesus new life, his resurrection, hope, with Easter Eggs, a sign of new life and with joyful hymns and songs. You could also listen to and reflect on an Easter hymn or song, e.g. Jesus Christ Is Risen Today, Thine Be The Glory, The Servant King, This Is My Body, There is a Redeemer, Mighty to Save, Here is Love Vast as the Ocean, In Christ Alone, Blessed be the Name of the Lord, Sing out an Easter Song, Halle, Halle, Halle or The Hallelujah Chorus by Handel.