Everybody is unique.
Some people do not drift along with the crowd; they push through on things they believe are right.
Because of this, some are remembered throughout history for what they achieved.
Table of Contents:
1. Teacher’s background information.
The lesson plan has three parts:
- We look briefly at some famous Christians from history.
- Some recent Christian sportspeople (with videos).
- And a young girl from history (with a complete lesson plan on PDF, PowerPoint and video).
The young girl was not great at sports, she did not invent something wonderful, but she did go to extraordinary lengths to get a Bible.
This made her famous in history; her name was Mary Jones.
[a] Some famous Christians from history.
There have been hundreds of famous Christians, but here is just a handful that might appeal, especially to adults:
- J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750) A great musical composer.
- William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833) campaigner for the abolition of slavery.
- Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910) raised the standards of nursing and hospitals.
- J.R.R. Tolkien (1892 – 1993) Best-selling author of The Lord of the Rings, etc.
- C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963), author of the Narnia Chronicles, etc.
- Eric Liddell (1902 – 1945) Olympic 400m champion.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945) was an influential critic of Hitler and Nazism and was executed in 1945.
- Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997) – Devoted her life to the care and service of the poor.
- Abbe Pierre (1912 – 2007) founded the Emmaüs movement, which helps the poor, homeless and refugees.
- Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968) was a pioneering leader of the US civil rights movement.
- Desmond Tutu (1931 – ) campaigned against apartheid during the 1970s and 1980s.
- Cliff Richard (1940 – ) British rock and pop star over the past 50 years.
- Simone Biles Won five medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics – the most decorated American gymnast in history.
- DeVon Franklin (1978- ) is a movie producer, including Miracles From Heaven, The Karate Kid, Hancock, etc.
- Tom Hanks (1956- ) Actor.
- Denzel Washington (1954-) Actor.
- Carrie Underwood (1983-) Actor.
- Karrueche Tran (1988-) Actor.
[b] More recent famous Christian sportsmen and women.
Here are some Christians from the sporting world:
- Usain Bolt (1986- ) Athlete. The world’s fastest man.
- David Wise (1990- ), Olympic gold medallist snowboarder.
- Daniel Sturridge (1989- ) Liverpool and England striker.
- Christine Ohuruogu (1984- ) Athlete.
- Gerry Lester ‘Bubba’ Watson Jr. (1978- ) Professional golfer.
- Lewis Hamilton (1985- ), Formula One world champion.
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2. Lesson plans and resources for Famous Christians.
[a] A famous Christian who did not play sports:
Not everyone likes playing or watching sports!
Mary Jones lived a long time ago in history. She was very poor, and yet she became famous!
[a] Famous Christians Mary Jones The lesson plan is a downloadable PDF document to present to the children. (Opens in a new tab.)
[b] Famous Christians – Mary Jones lesson plan is a PowerPoint slideshow viewable or downloadable for teachers to show the children. (Opens in a new tab on www.slideshare.net) (Same material as the PDF above).
[c] Famous Christians – Mary Jones lesson plan video based on a PowerPoint presentation. Created with 5-second slides, so pause the video to enable the children to study each slide: (Same material as the PDF above).
[d] Videos of Christian sportsmen and women are shown below.
[e] A song called ‘Nobody’s a nobody’, see below.
[b] Videos of famous Christians known for their sporting abilities:
Here are some videos of Christians in sports:
[a] An overview of Christians who play sports professionally.
[b] Jenny Tait, an international volleyball player, speaks briefly about her faith.
[c] A Welsh Rugby World Cup player shares a piece of his faith.
[d] Ultramarathon athlete Donnie Campbell answers a question about his faith.
[e] Peter Browne, a professional rugby player, says how Christianity shaped his life.
3. A free children’s song about us being unique.
This song by John Hardwick can be used in R.E. lessons, assemblies, collective worship, church children’s talks, Sunday schools, etc.
Nobody’s A Nobody – Kid’s Praise Song.
This song has a simple message: ‘Nobody is a Nobody – Everybody is a ‘Somebody’.
Every single one of us is unique; there has never been another you and never will be another you, and you are loved by God.
It’s a fun action song that the children enjoy because it gradually gets faster and faster.
4. How to fulfil the locally agreed syllabus on ‘Famous Christians lesson plan’
Hopefully, you will be able to match your local agreed syllabus with what is here.
This lesson plan is based on the UK RE Attainment Targets.
Here is the Mapping Grid for the Attainment Target Categories:
- Sacred Texts – stories, scriptures, parables, teachings
- Beliefs – ideas about God, truth, meaning, purpose
- Practices – worship, prayer, festivals, rituals, lifestyle
- Identity – belonging, community, worldview, personal reflection
- Values – moral ideas, attitudes, virtues
- Living – how beliefs affect actions and everyday life
🎯 Why This Grid Works for UK Schools
✔ Matches Agreed Syllabus expectations
✔ Supports progression from KS1 to KS2
✔ Aligns with Ofsted language (knowledge, understanding, impact)
✔ Works for lesson planning, assessment, and inspection evidence
✔ Non-political, non-denominational, UK-appropriate
For many local syllabi, in KS1, Christianity plus at least one other major religion is studied.
Effective RE should combine:
- knowledge (stories, beliefs, practices)
- understanding (why people believe/do what they do)
- reflection (personal response, values, empathy).
Typical Key Questions for KS1
Here are common “core/enquiry” questions or themes that appear in most KS1 agreed syllabi:
- “Who am I?” (Identity).
- “What does it mean to belong?” (Belonging).
- “What makes some people so important?” (Important people).
- “Where did we come from / how did the world begin?” (Simple beliefs).
- “What makes some stories so important to different people?” (Sacred books).
- “Why are festivals, symbols or special stories important?” (Stories & moral values).
- “Why are some places so important?” (Important places).
These then required merging within the Assessment Aims, but as can be seen, there had to be some overlapping of the themes/core questions:
- ASSESSMENT AIM: 1. SACRED TEXTS (Stories, Scriptures, parables & teachings) – [SACRED TEXTS & WHO AM I?]
- ASSESSMENT AIMS: 2. BELIEFS (Ideas about God, truth, meaning & purpose) – CREATION & IMPORTANT PEOPLE]
- ASSESSMENT AIM: 3. PRACTICES (worship, prayer, festivals, rituals & lifestyle) – [FESTIVALS & PLACES]
- ASSESSMENT AIM: 4. IDENTITY (belonging, community, worldview & personal reflection) – [BELONGING & IDENTITY]
- ASSESSMENT AIMS: 5. VALUES (moral ideas, attitudes, virtues, right & wrong) – [FESTIVALS & BELONGING]
- ASSESSMENT AIMS: 6. LIVING (how beliefs affect actions and everyday life) – [IMPORTANT PEOPLE & FESTIVALS]
Each assessment had its own set of questions to answer. These are included in each lesson plan, which is suitable for that particular subject.