Name of Unit: Faith: Salvation: - How Did Jesus Rescue People? Key Stage in Which This Unit Should Be Taught: EYFS: - Reception Previous Learning: This unit follows Incarnation: Why do Christians believe Jesus is special? Areas of Learning and Development: Exploring core emotions and needs (Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Managing Feelings); Learning about people who help us (Understanding The World: People and Communities); Learning and learning to retell simple Bible stories; Understanding why Christians believe Jesus is a saviour who rescues people. What this unit teaches: This unit explores six Bible stories which demonstrate the Christian belief that Jesus came to save (or rescue ) people and give them life in all its fullness. Key RE Vocabulary: Jesus, rescue, rescuer, Christian, The Bible, Disciples, charity, blind, healing, God, pray, Thank you, thankful, lonely, Zacchaeus, Tax Collector, love, Centurion, trust, believe, faith, comfort, peace, joy, hope, afraid, miracle, save / saviour. Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development: Reflecting on and exploring emotions and what we need to help us. Thinking about people who are: hungry, blind, ill, alone, sad and / or afraid and what we can do to help. Thinking about people who help us, e.g. doctors, firefighters, lifeboat rescuers, teachers, family, friends, etc. Links with projects / charities locally and around the world which support people who are hungry. Cross-Curricular Links: Lessons are planned to be cross-curricular across all Areas of Learning and Development. Children who have experienced grief, illness, disability or visual impairment themselves or who have family members / friends who have experienced this; Allergies when handling food; Children from other faiths. Any and ALL safeguarding issues must be reported to the school s Designated Safeguarding Lead. Possible Further Thinking and Extension Activities: Further thinking questions for discussion: Do Christians believe that Jesus still rescues people today? How? Why do Christians pray to God to help them? Does God answer people s prayers? How? Future Learning: (Possibly) Salvation: Easter Story; Who Cares For This Special World and Why? (Depending on where in the year this unit is taught.)
Lesson 1 How Did Jesus Rescue People Who Needed Food? RE Vocabulary: Jesus, Pupils should: think about what it s like to not have food; learn and retell a Bible story; learn that Christians believe Jesus rescued people who needed food by helping them. Introduction: Talk with the pupils about the word rescue. What does rescue mean? Who is a rescuer? What stories / television programmes / films can the pupils remember that involve someone / something being rescued? Read the pupils a story that has a rescuer in it, e.g. Rita the Rescuer by Hilda Offen. Discuss the role and actions of the rescuer. Have the pupils ever been rescued? If so, when and how? By whom? rescue, Christian, The Bible, Disciples Jesus special friends who followed him; Charity, Miracle - an act that is not humanly possible, but which Christians believe Jesus did, by the power of God. Explain that many people, (Christians) believe that Jesus is a rescuer and that he rescued many people in difficult times. Explain that over the next few weeks we are going to hear some of the stories about Jesus rescuing people who were each having a difficult time. Explain that all these stories can be found in the special book for Christians called the Bible. Main Part of The Lesson: Show the pupils an empty supermarket carrier bag and show them it has a hole in it so all the food falls out. Ask for suggestions about what I should do what will I eat this week? Have you ever been hungry? What is it like to not have food? Why is it important? Read or watch the Bible story of Jesus helping the disciples to fill their nets with fish. The disciples were Jesus special friends. They needed to catch fish so they could eat and sell some of the fish for money, but they couldn t catch any fish on this day. If you have a net, show the net empty and talk about how the disciples would have felt. When Jesus came, he told the disciples to try their net on the other side of the boat. They did this and caught 153 fish; it was a miracle. Resources: Rita the Rescuer by Hilda Offen / another story that has a rescuer in it; John 21:1-14 Children s Bible e.g. The Beginner s Bible for retelling the story, video clip of the Bible story; supermarket carrier bag with a hole in, fishing net, fishing rods, cardboard fish, magnets, water tray with plastic fish (or other objects pretending to be fish); balloons, big nets, parachute; collage materials, paper plates; recipe and ingredients for food to share, paper fish;
Show the children the net with fish in it. How would the disciples have felt this time? Suggested Activities: Make a fishing game with cardboard fish and magnets attached to both the fish and wooden sticks (fishing rods). How many fish can you catch? To mirror the story, try some rods with magnets and some without and talk about how it feels using each. Try catching toy fish in the water tray using nets. How many can you catch? Try catching balloons using big nets, or bouncing them on a parachute (to replicate the sea). How many can you catch? Make a collage on a paper plate showing your favourite meal. What would it be like if there were no e.g. chips, fish fingers, pizza, fruit, etc? Make some food to share. What does it feel like to make food for your friends / family? On paper fish, write down wishes / prayers you have. The disciples wished for lots of fish; what do you wish / pray for? In the story, Jesus helped the disciples. What would you like help with? Plenary: At the beginning of the story the disciples were sad and hungry because they couldn t find any fish. Jesus helped them. (This was one of many times that He helped them.) These were Jesus special friends. Who are your special friends? Lots of people around the world don t have enough food to eat. Who helps them? What could we do to help them? (Where possible link with the school s own projects, e.g. the local foodbank, the link school overseas, charity projects, etc.) Christians believe that Jesus helped people who needed food, so they wouldn t be hungry and unhappy. They believe that Jesus still wants to help hungry people today and wants his followers, (Christians) to help other people so that no one is hungry. Information about school/ local charity projects involving food / famine, etc. Please be sensitive towards any pupils who talk about missing meals due to poverty, you may need to explore that further and take supportive action. Be aware of pupils with allergies or other food issues. Be sensitive if showing any images of children starving, (e.g. in Africa) as these will be upsetting. Be aware if there are pupils in the class from these countries and be careful not to stereotype.
Lesson 2 How Did Jesus Rescue People Who Couldn t See? RE Vocabulary: Jesus, Pupils should: think about what it s like to be blind, then see; learn and retell a Bible story; understand that Christians believe Jesus rescued people who couldn t see by healing their sight. Introduction: Remind the pupils that we are learning stories about Jesus that show him being a rescuer. Ideally you need a dark setting for the next part of the lesson. Turn off the lights and ask the pupils what they can see. Is it hard to see the classroom now? What about if I light a candle or turn on a torch? Can we see everything? What would happen if we couldn t see at all? What would be hard? What would the pupils miss if they could not see? rescuer, The Bible, blind, healing when a person who is sick is made well again, Christians believe this is by the power of God, God, Christian, pray, miracle an act that is not humanly possible, but which Christians believe Jesus did, by the power of God. Main Part of the Lesson: Read or watch the Bible story of Jesus healing the blind beggar. Discuss what do you think it was like for the man to not be able to see anything? How would he know where to go? How may he have felt? Why do you think Jesus wanted to heal the man s eyes? What did the pupils think about the story? What did they feel as they listened to the story? Suggested Activities: Retell the story* using a doll as the blind beggar. Make mud outdoors and gently rub it onto the doll s eyes, then wash off in a water tray. What do you think the beggar was feeling when Jesus put mud on his eyes? How would that feel? Make a puppet of the blind man, with a slider to open / close the eyes. How would he feel when he could see again? Try to place a mouth on a face, while blindfolded, (a bit like Pin the Tail on the Donkey ). What is important about looking at other people s faces? (We can see how they feel without them telling us.) Look at different shapes a mouth can make that we don t know if we can t see. Try to draw your friend sitting opposite, but while you are wearing a blindfold on. What does it look like? Why was it hard? What other things would be hard to do if Resources: John 9:1-12, Children s Bible e.g. The Beginner s Bible for retelling the story, video clip of the Bible story; dolls, water tray, mud, lolly sticks, blindfolds, mouth shape (or pipe cleaner) large face, large blocks, Braille information, pegs, pegboards, card, cardboard rolls, clingfilm, coloured paper / beads, eye shapes;
you were blind? Make a blindfold trail using large blocks for children to try in pairs (one blindfolded, the other leading.) What does it feel like not to see? What is hard? What do you need? Draw out from the pupils the concept and value of trust. Story, e.g. You Choose by Nick Sharatt to discuss all the different things we can see and therefore choose. Learn to make the first letter of your name in Braille, using pegs and pegboards. What does it feel like? Why do people need Braille? How might Braille help blind people? Make a kaleidoscope, using coloured beads and paper in a cardboard roll. Think about all the different colours you can see and how amazing that is. Think really deeply and on eye shapes, record what you would miss about the world if you could not see. Be aware of children with visual impairments who might feel sensitive about their eyesight. Be clear that everyone is special and unique. Plenary: In the story, people were amazed that the blind man was able to see again; it was a miracle. What is the most amazing thing you have ever seen? Use a book like You Choose by Nick Sharratt to show that when we can see, we can choose from lots of amazing choices. * If acting out the story, be aware of asking children of different faiths to play Jesus as this may be offensive to their faith. Christians believe that Jesus healed people who were blind, so they could see again and have a better life. They believe that Jesus, as God s son, is all-powerful and able to do amazing things and wants people to have amazing lives. People continue to pray to God today for healing for themselves and for other people.
Lesson 3 How Did Jesus Rescue People Who Were Ill? Pupils should: think about what it s like to be sick, then better; learn and retell a Bible story; learn that Christians believe Jesus rescued people from illness and healed them; think about why it is important to be thankful. Introduction: Remind the pupils of how, in the last lesson, we listened to a story from the Bible about how Jesus healed a blind beggar, he rescued the man. Introduce that today we are going to hear about another time when Jesus rescued people, a time when he healed people who were ill. Main Part of the Lesson: Talk with the pupils about times when they have been ill and then when they have felt better. How did they feel? Who helped them throughout their illness and then to recover? Show the pupils a soft toy from the class with spots or bandages on, (e.g. Pudsey Bear). Explain the toy cannot be in the class until he / she is better. What will it be like for the toy? How will he / she feel? Who / what can help him / her? Read or watch the Bible story of The 10 Lepers. These people had an illness that meant they had to live far away so that no one else caught it and became ill themselves. Most illnesses that we have now we can get better from, but these people never got better. What would it be like to be sick all the time and never get better? What about if you had to be away from everyone else because of your illness? You wouldn t be able to play with your friends, see your family, go to school, etc. Suggested Activities: Play The Mummy Game with pupils (or adults) wrapped up in toilet roll as far as possible in a time limit. Talk about how the lepers would have been covered in bandages and how hard that would make their lives. Create a hospital in the role play area, (either indoors or outdoors) and talk about who helps sick people and why doctors, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, etc. Dress up cuddly toys in plasters and / or bandages, etc. and take care of them. Cut out a person shape and on one side, colour red dots to show the illness and on the other side, no dots. Attach to a stick and use the figure to retell the story, RE Vocabulary: Jesus, rescue, The Bible, Leper a person suffering from a disease called Leprosy, (now treatable, but terminal in biblical times), Healing when a person who was sick is made well again, Christians believe this is by the power of God, Thank you, Thankful, Christian, God, pray, miracle an act that is not humanly possible, but which Christians believe Jesus did, by the power of God. Resources: Luke 17:11-19 Children s Bible e.g. The Beginner s Bible for retelling the story, video clip of the Bible story; toilet roll, hospital role play materials - plasters, bandages, etc. cuddly toys, person shape, red
turning the figure when finding out he is healed! Talk about how he felt when he was sick and then when he was healed. Make hand prints with paint and count the 10 lepers Jesus healed. Which one went back to say thank you? Can you count 10 things on your fingers and thumbs that you are thankful for? Make a concertina book with pictures of different things we are thankful for, (either drawn, or cut out from magazine pictures, e.g. home, food, family, friends, school, doctors, good health, etc.) pen sticks, paint, card, magazine pictures, etc. Be aware of any children with long-term illnesses themselves, or any in their family. Plenary: In the story, Jesus healed / rescued all 10 of the Lepers, but only one said Thank you. Why is it important to say Thank you when someone helps you? Who are you thankful for? What are you thankful for? Share some of the ideas and create a Thankful Display with them. Christians believe that Jesus healed people who were sick, so they could have a better life. They also believe that people should remember to say Thank you to God for helping them, like the one leper did. People continue to pray to God today for healing for themselves and for other people. If acting out the story, be aware of asking children of different faiths to play Jesus as this may be offensive to their faith. Similarly Muslims are not permitted to represent Jesus or people through art and crafts.
Lesson 4 How Did Jesus Rescue People Who Were Lonely? RE Vocabulary: Jesus, Pupils should: think about what it is like to be lonely; learn and retell a Bible story; learn that Christians believe Jesus can rescue people from being lonely. Introduction: Display images of different groups of people, starting with groups of friends who are playing, chatting, etc. together. Then, show an image of someone who is alone. How do you think they are feeling? Have you ever felt like this? What is it like when you don t have friends to play with? Who would you like to come and help you when you are feeling lonely? How could they help you? How can you help people who are feeling lonely? rescue, lonely, The Bible, Zacchaeus, Tax Collector a person who collected people s money, who was generally not wellliked, Christian, God, love, miracle an act that is not humanly possible, but which Christians believe Jesus did, by the power of God. Main Part of the Lesson: Read or watch the Bible story of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a lonely man who didn t have any friends. This was he was mean to people and also because he was a tax collector who collected money from people. But when Jesus came to his town, of all the people whom He could have visited, he asked to go to Zacchaeus house! How special do you think that was for Zacchaeus? Why do you think that Jesus wanted to visit Zacchaeus? Who would you like to have come to your home? Suggested Activities: Make masks using paper plates to pretend to be the different characters and act out the story* Make a tree picture, using paper, crayons, paint etc, then make a small hole in the tree and thread through a string with a picture of Zacchaeus attached. The children can then make Zacchaeus go up and down the tree to act out the story. Jesus knew Zacchaeus name, which surprised everyone! Use large speech bubbles to create a collage or painting of the pupils own names, to show how Christians believe that God knows everyone s name and loves all people. Use blocks or Lego to make a tree for Zacchaeus to climb up. How high can you make the tree? Talk about why Zacchaeus needed to climb the tree he wanted to see Jesus, but he couldn t because he was too short. What activities do you need Resources: Luke 19:1-10 Children s Bible, e.g. The Beginner s Bible for retelling the story, video clip of the Bible story; paper plates; string, collage materials, card; blocks, Lego; role play area with tea party equipment; The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle - for discussing loneliness and wanting to be with others.
help with? Who helps you? Who can you help who needs help? How can you help them? Role play a tea party in the role play area / mud kitchen and talk about who we would like to invite to our homes for tea. Who would surprise you? Who would make you feel special? How do you think that they would make you feel by visiting you at home? Plenary: How did Jesus make Zacchaeus feel when he visited his house? How do you feel when someone asks you to play with them, or invites you to their house? Read The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle and talk about how the firefly isn t looking for lights, candles or other animals he wants to be with other fireflies so he won t be lonely any more. * If acting out the story, be aware of asking children of different faiths to play Jesus as this may be offensive. Similarly Muslims are not permitted to represent Jesus or people through art and crafts. Be aware of any incidents which could indicate any kind of neglect. We all want to have people to play with and spend time with. Christians believe that we should look after each other which can show God s love for each person. They also believe that God loves everyone and wants to spend time with everyone, so they never have to be alone. If a pupil discloses anything of a child protection nature, this must be reported to the school s Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Lesson 5 How Did Jesus Rescue People Who Were Sad? RE Vocabulary: Jesus, Pupils should: think about what it is like to be sad when you lose something / someone; learn and retell a Bible story; understand that Christians believe Jesus can rescue people from being sad by giving them comfort, peace, joy and hope. Introduction: Recap with the pupils about the last lesson in which we learnt about Jesus rescuing people who were lonely. Talk about how when people are lonely they feel sad. Jesus often helped people who were sad and today we are going to hear a story from the Bible about when Jesus did just that. Main Part of the Lesson: Show an empty bag and / or empty pockets and tell the pupils to imagine that you have lost your wallet / travelcard / keys. Explain that this has made you very sad because now you can t get home / get into your home. It feels horrible when we lose things. Explain that you were only pretending, but we can probably all remember when we have really lost something or someone precious. Have you ever lost anything? What / who did you lose? How did it feel? What do you do when you are sad about losing something or someone precious? Who do you talk to? What / who makes you feel better? Read or watch the Bible story of the Centurion s servant. The Centurion (army captain s) servant was sick and he was very worried and sad because he thought that he might lose him, so he asked Jesus to help. Jesus was very impressed with the Centurion because the Centurion believed that Jesus could heal his servant without even going to his house! Why do you think that Jesus was impressed? Why did the Centurion think this? The Centurion trusted Jesus; he believed in Him and had faith in Him. rescue, The Bible, Centurion a Roman army captain, trust, believe, faith, healing when a person who was sick is made well again, Christians believe this is by the power of God, God, comfort, peace, joy, hope, Christian, pray, miracle an act that is not humanly possible, but which Christians believe Jesus did, by the power of God. Suggested Activities: Play Kim s Game what is lost each time? (i.e. which item has been taken away and hidden?) Role play the story* using a soft toy as the sick servant who is in bed. When the Centurion returns home, the servant is well again! Make a Centurion s shield from cardboard and decorate it with shiny paper and foil. The Centurion was an important man, but he still asked Jesus to help him. Talk Resources: Matthew 8:5-13 Children s Bible, e.g. The Beginner s Bible for retelling the story, video clip of the Bible story; Kim s Game items; role play
about how even kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers need help! Write on a stone something that you feel sad about and bury it in sand. Share how it is good to talk about the things that make us sad together, so that we can help each other. If the Centurion hadn t talked to Jesus, he would have lost his servant, his servant would have died. Plant a seed and place a lolly stick in the pot / ground showing the name of who / what was lost. When the seed grows it will show the hope for new life. Draw a picture of something or someone whom you miss and you would like to see again. Plenary: What made the Centurion feel better? What makes you feel better when you are sad about something? Watch: Inside Out Sadness comforts Bing Bong and talk about sadness. Sometimes we just want to talk and have a hug when we are sad. Christians believe that Jesus loves everyone and wants to comfort all people when they are sad. They also believe that Jesus healed people who were sick, which made people very happy. Christians believe that Jesus still heals people today in different ways; all Christians believe that God can make people feel better when they are sad, He can give them comfort, peace, joy, hope. People continue to pray to God today for healing from sadness for themselves and for other people. area with bed and soft toys; cardboard, shiny paper, foil; stones, sand, seeds, lolly sticks, pots, drawing materials; Inside Out clip for discussing sadness; https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=qt6fdhkrib8 Dogger by Shirley Hughes or Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers for talking about feelings when something is lost and found again. * If acting out the story, be aware of asking children of different faiths to play Jesus as this may be offensive. Similarly Muslims are not permitted to represent Jesus or people through art and crafts. Be aware of any incidents which could indicate any kind of neglect. If a pupil discloses anything of a child protection nature, this must be reported to the school s Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Lesson 6 How Did Jesus Rescue People Who Were Afraid? RE Vocabulary: Jesus, Pupils should: think about what it s like to be afraid; learn and retell a Bible story; learn that Christians believe Jesus can rescue people when they are afraid. Introduction: Have you ever been afraid? Or lost? Have you ever been rescued? Who rescued you? Today we are going to learn about a time when Jesus friends were scared and afraid and needed someone to rescue them. Main Part of the Lesson: Read or watch the story of Jesus Calming the Storm when his disciples were out on a lake. Show a video clip of a thunderstorm. Have you ever been in a storm? How did it feel? How do you think Jesus friends were feeling? What else are you afraid of? What / who do you want when you are afraid? What did Jesus friends want when they were afraid of the storm? How did it all end? Who helped bring the storm to an end? Who rescued the disciples? How? rescue, rescuer, afraid, The Bible, Disciples Jesus special friends who followed Him, Christian, pray, God, miracle an act that is not humanly possible, but which Christians believe Jesus did, by the power of God, Saviour someone who saves others from danger, (Christians believe Jesus saves people from the consequences of their sins and brings them life in all its fullness ). Suggested Activities: Draw storm pictures on black paper, using chalk. How does it feel to be in a storm? What would you like to happen next? Record on speech bubbles. Make / draw lifeboats and talk about how they and their crew rescue people today. Use large blocks to recreate a boat and act* out the story, with ribbons / parachute / fabric used to create waves. Have someone come along to rescue, (it could be the adult who is scaffolding the activity). How does it feel to be in the storm? How does it feel to be rescued? Recreate a rough sea using a water bottle filled half with water, half with oil and added blue food colouring. Explore what happens to a toy boat or figure inside the bottle when you shake it and when you let it rest. Talk about how Jesus friends would have felt during the storm and when it was calm again. Make boats to put in the water tray and fill them with e.g. Lego figures, soft toys Resources: John 6:16-21 Children s Bible, e.g. The Beginner s Bible for retelling the story; video clip of a thunderstorm; black paper, chalk, speech bubbles; lifeboat images; large blocks, ribbons / parachute / fabric;
etc. What happens when the water is stirred up? How do you think the toys are feeling? How would you feel if you were in the boat? *Retell the story of Jesus Calming the Storm through dance. Pupils can show how they feel in different parts of the story through dance; Share ideas of things we might be afraid of and blow them into bubbles, then watch them pop. Talk about how Christians pray when they are afraid for God to take their fears away. Plenary: Read: Emergency by Margaret Mayo or a similar book to talk about rescuers. How does it feel to be rescued? Who rescues us? (Talk about different people who help us, e.g. police, firefighters, ambulance crews, etc.) How do our family / friends / teachers / other classmates, etc. rescue us in difficult times? How do they do this? Why do they do this? In the Bible story of The Calming of the Storm, Jesus saw how frightened his friends were and so he came and rescued them. Why did He do this? Christians believe that God doesn t want us to be afraid and so He sent His son, Jesus, to earth to rescue everyone. A few weeks ago, we learnt about how the disciples were in a boat and were hungry because they couldn t find any fish. Here they are in a boat again and are afraid because there is a tremendous storm. Both times, Jesus helped them (and lots of other times as well). Remind the pupils of all the different stories from the Bible that we have learnt about during this teaching unit which have shown Jesus rescuing people in lots of different ways. Answer with the pupils the enquiry question of this unit, How did Jesus rescue people? Many Christians call Jesus a rescuer or saviour. They believe that God is always with them and will rescue people in His way when they pray to Him. empty water bottles, water, oil, blue colouring, tiny boats / figures, e.g. Lego; Toy boats and characters, water tray; music for dance; bubbles; Emergency by Margaret Mayo / a similar book for discussing people who help and rescue us. Be aware of pupils fears and anxieties and discuss ways of getting help if they are afraid. *If acting out the story, be aware of asking children of different faiths to play Jesus as this may be offensive. Similarly Muslims are not permitted to represent Jesus or people through dance. If a pupil discloses anything of a child protection nature, this must be reported to the school s Designated Safeguarding Lead.