Prayer: Who? What? Where? Why?

Prayer: Who? What? Where? Why? (3-5 years) People of Faith: insights from inside the religion and belief traditions Subject Knowledge and links to further information 'O Lord Hear My Prayer' Taizé Questions for pupils and questions pupils ask Focus for Learning & Assessment: pedagogies and areas of enquiry Learning Activities: supporting pupils progress RE:ONLINE 2013 1

RE:ONLINE Banquet Prayer: Who? What? Where? Why? (3-5 years) Subject Knowledge Here is some key vocabulary to help you prepare for using this resource: Lord's prayer: A prayer Jesus taught to his disciples when they asked him how to pray. A central prayer in many Christian denominations. Taizé: An ecumenical Christian community with a strong devotion to peace and justice through prayer and meditation. Icon: Painting or mosaic of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, a saint, or a Church feast. Used as an aid to devotion, usually in the Orthodox tradition. Ecumenical: Movement within the Church towards co-operation and eventual unity. Some of these terms are also key concepts. Here is some further background to some of these to help you prepare for the teaching and learning activities: Prayer: A request for help or an expression of thanks usually addressed to God. For many people it is a way of communicating with God about anything at anytime and anywhere. Prayers can be said alone or with a faith community, at home or as part of a religious service. Forgiveness: The act of letting go of anger and resentment against someone who has offended or hurt you in some way. In many religions, forgiveness is about showing mercy and compassion towards the person who has offended or hurt you regardless of whether they are truly sorry. Giving thanks: In this context; saying thank you to God for the world, people and events that happen in life. We think the following links related to this resource should prove useful if you would like to explore the subject further: The use of meditative singing in the Taizé community: http://www.taize.fr/en_article338.html The beginnings of Taizé: http://www.taize.fr/en_article6526.html A simple slide show about Christian prayer for young children: http://www.request.org.uk/infants/prayer/prayer00.php Basic information about Christian prayer: http://www.request.org.uk/main/dowhat/prayer/prayer01.htm British Library resource looking at the three Abrahamic faiths and prayer: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/sacred/wheel/kioskmain.html Jewish Prayer: http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer.htm Short clips about the tallit in Judaism: http://www.cleo.net.uk/resources/displayframe.php?src=464/consultants_resources%2 Freligiouseduc%2FjudaismA%2Ftandt.html RE:ONLINE 2013 2

Muslim Prayer (Salah): http://www.cleo.net.uk/resources/displayframe.php?src=195/consultants_resources%2 Fre%2Fsalahv03c%2FsalahV03c.html RE:ONLINE Banquet Prayer: Who? What? Where? Why? (3-5 years) Focus for Learning and Assessment Approaches to learning in the aims of the Learning Activities for this Resource 1. Elements of Ethnographic / interpretative RE: encouraging pupils to relate to a way of life that is different from their own, by introducing them to material from religious traditions and helping them to connect it with their own personal knowledge and experience; listening to the voices of those who follow the tradition being studied. Children will be introduced to prayer from a variety of denominations and religions from the perspective of followers. This will give them the opportunity to learn about religion and discuss their own experiences in relation to the stimuli introduced. It is anticipated that some children will also begin to interpret meanings for themselves and begin learning from religion. 2. Elements of Experiential RE: starting with either human experience of every day life (at depth) or with human experience of religion as discerned through its experiential dimension; using reflection, stilling and experiential work to open the creative imagination; encouraging pupils to build conceptual bridges between their own experiences and some of the central concepts of religion. Children will be introduced to different sensory aspects of prayer including music, physical actions, artefacts and the words of prayer itself. Learning about religion and learning from religion should take place simultaneously when using this approach. Children can reflect on their own experiences of saying sorry and saying thank you and begin to link this to the religious concepts. The example links to the following areas of learning: Prime areas: Communication and Language o ELG 01: Listening and Attention, e.g., listening to examples of prayer and responding with relevant comments and questions. o ELG 02: Understanding, e.g., responding to 'how' and 'why' questions about their own experiences and express appropriate ideas about the experiences of others. RE:ONLINE 2013 3

Specific Areas: Understanding of the World o ELG 13: People and Communities, e.g., exploring similarities and differences between how different religions and individuals approach prayer. The lesson activities could be included in the following teaching themes: Celebrations or Special Times Saying thanks. Belonging. Belonging What do you do with the groups you belong to? Myself/Who am I? Quiet times. Who do I ask for help? In terms of assessing pupils progress in RE, the focus for this example is on the following Areas of Enquiry: Area B (Practices and ways of life) and Area E (Questions of meaning, purpose and truth). Pupils participating in the investigation of this resource might be expected to make progress within the following range of expectations which are focussed around the relevant Early Learning Goals (ELGs) for 'Emerging' and 'Expected' and on Level 1 for 'Exceeding'. Expectations: The areas of enquiry span across the ELGs and become more specific at Level 1. By the end of this sequence of learning: All pupils can: (Emerging) Communication and Language: ELG 01: Listening and attention: listen with increasing attention to the Taizé music and will contribute to the discussion when the subject interests them. Communication and Language: ELG 02 Understanding: begin to understand 'how' and 'why questions. Will listen and respond to ideas expressed by others about prayer. Understanding of the World: ELG 13: People and Communities: Most pupils (majority class expectation) can: (Expected) Communication and Language: ELG 01: Listening and attention: listen attentively to the Taizé music and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions. They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately. Communication and Language: ELG 02 Understanding: answer how and why questions about their experiences of prayer and in response to the Taizé music. Understanding of the World: ELG 13 People and communities: talk about past and present events Some pupils can: (Exceeding) B Practices and ways of life: Level 1: use some religious words and phrases to recognise and name features of prayer. E Meaning, purpose and truth: Level 1: talk about their own experiences and feelings in relation to prayer and what they may find interesting or puzzling about others experiences. B Practices and ways of life: Level 2: talk about some of the RE:ONLINE 2013 4

show an interest in prayer as part of the lives of people who are familiar to them. They can talk about some of the similarities and differences in relation to friends or family. in their own lives and in the lives of family members in relation to prayer. They recognise about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions in relation to prayer. things that that are the same for different religious people. RE:ONLINE 2013 5

RE:ONLINE Banquet Prayer: Who? What? Where? Why? (3-5 years) Questions As well as the key question, this example can be built around questions that pupils ask about the resource. How to develop pupils thinking skills, e.g., http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/publications/tsk01/tsk01_home.cfm?publicationid=278&title= Thinking%20skills%20in%20the%20early%20years:%20a%20literature%20review How to build pupils enquiries into the assessment scheme, e.g., http://amv.somerset.gov.uk/syllabus/standards-and-assessment/assessment-guide/ Here are some examples of questions pupils might ask, based on this resource: Who is singing? Why do they keep saying the same words? Where are they singing? Why are they singing? What is Taizé? Can the Lord (God) hear their prayer? Does the Lord (God) answer? Why does it get louder? Why are they sad? What instruments are playing? Here are some more questions to ask the pupils, some that may provoke learning about religion and belief, and some that may inspire learning from religion and belief: Why do you think they are singing this? How does it make you feel? Why do you think they say the same words over and over again? Can you think about what the people are doing as they sing this? Are they standing, sitting? etc.. Where do you think they are? Do you think anyone can sing this? Second (shortened version) version: How is this different? Does it make you feel different? RE:ONLINE 2013 6

RE:ONLINE Banquet Prayer: Who? What? Where? Why? (3-5 years) People of Faith Here are some links to what Christians say that may be relevant to this resource: Do you pray? Where and how often? http://pof.reonline.org.uk/ Here are some links to what Christian, Jewish and Muslim children say that may be relevant to this resource: Prayer makes me feel... Christian, Jewish and Muslim children talking: http://www.natre.org.uk/db/results.php A clip showing a multi-faith perspective on prayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/rough-guide-to-prayer/2871.html You can also find a selection of clips about prayer in religion on the following site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/ > Religious Education > Search Prayer or email a Christian, Jew or Muslim or an RE Expert to find out an answer to your own question(s). RE:ONLINE 2013 7

RE:ONLINE Banquet Prayer: Who? What? Where? Why? (3-5 years) Learning Activities This resource can be accessed at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/o-lord-hear-my- Prayer/dp/B001NJXVWG (This is a specific version chosen for this resource.) Here is a shortened version with some useful images to use AFTER the children have listened and discussed it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ddy6-ek5r4 Here are some ideas to use in the classroom to make the most of the Resource. Assessment opportunities are given to show where you need to watch for pupils participation and contribution to the lesson. At key points you may wish to make a record of individual responses. Each activity is designed to have 10-15 minutes of teacher led input either as a whole class or in small groups, followed by children engaging in related activities. Before embarking on this topic you may want to create a reflection area for children where they can go to think, to reflect, or, if appropriate, to pray. Stage 1: O Lord Hear My Prayer: Create a calm and quiet environment before listening to this music. Some ideas: o Have the music playing before the children enter the room. Explain that they are going to listen to some very special music and they have to be super quiet and sit down on the carpet. o Sit the children in a circle and light a candle (adhering to the schools health and safety requirements). Ask children to close their eyes and listen to the music. When the music has ended ask them to think of one question they want to ask. Children share their questions and they are written down (organise into Who, What, Where, Why). [It is important not to answer the questions at this point]. (10mins) Invite the children to select an activity to do while they think about the questions. Choose activities that allow children to reflect. Avoid having small world and role play things available for example. [Have the instrumental version playing while the children are active]: o Colouring patterns rather than pictures; o Modelling clay, e.g., Play-Doh; o Selection of books and cushions (reading area); o Threading activities; o Painting; o Collage and making materials. Bring the children back together and think about the questions as a group. [They may RE:ONLINE 2013 8

have made something which relates to the music.] [During Stage 1, the following assessment opportunities arise: ELG13 Emerging: Children show an interest in prayer as part of the lives of people who are familiar to them. They can talk about some of the similarities and differences in relation to friends or family. ELG 01 Emerging: Children listen with increasing attention to the Taizé music and will contribute to discussions when the subject interests them. ELG 02 Emerging: Beginning to understand 'how' and 'why questions. Will listen and respond to ideas expressed by others about prayer.] Stage 2: O Lord Hear My Prayer Listen to 'O Lord Hear My Prayer' again and remind the children of the previous discussion. Ask the children the following questions if they haven't already been covered: o Why do you think they are singing this? o How does it make you feel? o Why do you think they say the same words over and over again? o Can you think about what the people are doing as they sing this? Are they standing, sitting? etc... o Where do you think they are? o Do you think anyone can sing this? Show the children some Taizé photographs: http://www.taize.fr/en_article11156.html and explain that Taizé is an ecumenical Christian community in France. The music is an example of prayers used during meetings. In the Taizé community, short songs repeated over and over create a meditative atmosphere and it is believed that this allows people to find and listen to God in prayer. It is also a way of joining everyone together in prayer. Meetings usually take place in a church or other welcoming space. Let the children know that some Christians like to pray or meditate in this way. There are often icons, candles, a cross, an open Bible, flowers in the church or prayer space. People can usually choose whether to sit on the floor, a bench or chair, stand or kneel during prayer. Ask the children to suggest ways of making a quiet space in the classroom for them to go and think, reflect, pray: o What would they put there? o What would it look like? o When could they use it? o What would they use it for? [During Stage 2, the following assessment opportunities arise: ELG 13 Expected: Children talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members in relation to prayer. They recognise about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions in relation to prayer. ELG 01 Expected: Children listen attentively to the Taizé music and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions. They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately. RE:ONLINE 2013 9

ELG 02 Expected: They answer how and why questions about their experiences of prayer and in response to the Taizé music.] Stage 3: Prayer Show the first two slides in this presentation: http://www.request.org.uk/infants/prayer/prayer01.php Explain that this is about Christian prayer but many people who belong to many religions around the world also pray. Many Christians believe that you can pray anywhere and at any time. There are lots of different ways to pray too: http://www.request.org.uk/infants/prayer/prayer16.php An important prayer to many Christians is the Lord's Prayer: e.g., http://www.request.org.uk/infants/prayer/prayer13.php. Display and say the prayer and ask children if they recognise it. [It may be that you say it in school.] Explain that when some people pray to God the prayers say: I'm sorry or I love you or Thank you or Please help me. Ask the children who they say these things to? [This may be related to family, friends and /or religion.] Ask the children to imagine they could speak to that person now, what would they say? [Relate to the four areas above I'm sorry etc. Children can write/draw in a large speech bubble.] [During Stage 3, the following assessment opportunities arise: B1 Exceeding: Pupils use some religious words and phrases to recognise and name features of prayer. E1 Exceeding: Pupils talk about their own experiences and feelings in relation to prayer and what they may find interesting or puzzling about others experiences.] Stage 4: Reflecting Explain that people also pray for others around the world and show the children a selection of photos to illustrate different things people may pray for, e.g: o people who are ill; o people who may not have enough to eat or drink; o countries involved in war. Ask the children to say why they think people pray for these people. Set up an area where children can look at the photos, take a pebble and drop it into an imaginary river (blue material etc) with their thought, wish or prayer for these people. [Assessment opportunity: E1 Exceeding: Pupils talk about their own experiences and feelings in relation to prayer and what they may find interesting or puzzling about others experiences.] Stage 5: Prayer and music Introduce children to some more examples of music being used in prayer. Music is also used to prepare people for worship and can range from chants to rock music. o Happy Day Ladysmith Black Mambazo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mckrzzm3lt4 o Hear My Prayer O Lord (Psalm 143): RE:ONLINE 2013 10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywydk1uhdxa o Britt Nicole (Christian 'pop' music): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nncx209-vra o The Adhan The Muslim call to prayer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic63pmyibaa (just listen to the Adhan rather than having the image on screen) Allow children to sit and listen to some of these examples. Stage 6: Exploring...introducing prayer in Judaism and Islam Explain that when people pray they sometimes use things to help them. Show some images of icons in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, e.g., from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/easternorthodox_1.shtm l#h5 Ask the children sit in a circle and pass a tambourine around: but to do it so that it doesn't make a noise! Talk to them about taking care of important objects and that they are going to pass some special objects to each other that are used in prayer. Show the children some information about the Tallit (Jewish prayer shawl): http://www.ngflcymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/re/m_parry_carmarthenshire/arteffactau/tallit%20kippah%20a%2 0mez.htm and explain that this is used by Jewish people in prayer. Now pass the artefacts around carefully [This can be done in small groups], e.g., the tallit, Hajj robe, an Islamic prayer mat, cushion (hassock), prayer beads (selection), rosary, icons, cross, prayer hats from Muslim and Jewish traditions. Ask children how they think these things are used in prayer. Can they say which things appear to be similar for different religious people? What questions do they want to ask about these objects? Use stories to put prayer in context, e.g., Goodnight Sh'ma by Jacqueline Jules or I am a Muslim by AGGARWAL and M. Ask the children to say what helps / would help them to sit and think? (or pray if appropriate). [During Stage 6, the following assessment opportunities arise: B1 Exceeding: Pupils use some religious words and phrases to recognise and name features of prayer. B2 Exceeding: Pupils talk about some of the things that that are the same for different religious people.] RE:ONLINE 2013 11