Table of Contents:
1. Teacher’s background information.
In just three years, Jesus taught people about the Kingdom of Heaven, performed miracles, spoke out against the religious leaders and lived such a perfect life that his accusers could find nothing wrong in his life.
Christians believe that Jesus was sent by God for a very special mission to basically stand in for the whole of humankind and take upon himself all the wrongs, hatred and cruelty so that we could be declared ‘not guilty’.
The Bible puts it like this:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 NIV
The Crucifixion is explained in an easy-to-teach way.
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2 Lesson plans and resources for: Why did Jesus Die on the Cross? Lesson Plan
[a] Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross? – Crucifixion Explained. The lesson plan is a downloadable PDF document to present to the children. (Opens in a new tab.)
[b] Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross? – Crucifixion Explained lesson plan, a PowerPoint presentation 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] Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross? – Crucifixion Explained – Primary RE 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 PowerPoint above).
[d] Free videos and songs: (See below).
The Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin explained.
John the Baptist. Part 1: John’s life.
John the Baptist. Part 2, including Jesus’ baptism.
Jesus Never Turned Anyone Away – Never, Never, Never! Song.
For God So Loved the World Song.
3. Cartoon Bible Story videos:
[a] The Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin explained – a children’s Bible story. (3.37 minutes long).
[b] John the Baptist. Part 1: John’s life. Kid’s cartoon Bible story (2.33 minutes long)
John the Baptist was the man God chose to prepare the way for Jesus.
[c] John the Baptist Kids Cartoon Bible Story part 2, including Jesus’ baptism. (4.04 minutes long)
John the Baptist preached fearlessly, calling people to repent, to turn their lives around. He then recognised Jesus as the Lamb of God and saw the Holy Spirit descending upon him…
4. Two free children’s songs.
These songs by John Hardwick can be used in R.E. lessons, assemblies, collective worship, church children’s talks, Sunday schools, etc.
[a] Jesus Never Turned Anyone Away – Never, Never, Never!
[b] For God So Loved the World Song – John 3:16
5. How to fulfil the locally agreed syllabus for ‘Why did Jesus Die on the Cross?’ 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.