Table of Contents:
1. Teacher’s background information.
The Festival of Lent celebrates when Jesus went out into the desert without food for 40 days (this is called ‘fasting’, which means going without something), and then Satan came and tried to tempt him to go against God.
The lesson plan includes a brief description of Jesus’ baptism and the Trinity.
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2. Lesson plans and resources for the Festival of Lent
[a] The Festival of Lent. The lesson plan is a downloadable PDF document to present to the children. (Opens in a new tab.)
[b] The Festival of Lent 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] The Festival of Lent lesson plan, a video with different speakers presenting the lesson. Be prepared to pause the video when a question is being asked: (Same material as the PDF above).
[d] Free videos and songs:
‘The Lent Song’ – a Simple, Fun Kid’s Song to explain what Lent is all about! See below.
For Lent: ‘What Is Fasting?’ cartoon video. See below.
3. Free children’s songs and videos about Lent, Ascension and Pentecost:
[a] ‘The Lent Song’ – a Simple, Fun Kid’s Song to explain what Lent is all about! (3 minutes long)
These songs by John Hardwick can be used in R.E. lessons, assemblies, collective worship, church children’s talks, Sunday schools, etc.
[b] ‘What Is Fasting?’ cartoon video (58 seconds long)
‘Fasting’ means going without, which is what Jesus did in the wilderness for 40 days. By the Crossroads Kids’ Club.
4. How to fulfil the locally agreed syllabus on the festival of Lent 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.