How to find a Bible verse RE resources
1. Teacher’s background information. The children will look at using a grid reference to find a place on a map, then they will try to find a sentence in a book, and lastly find several Bible verses.The children will be shown that Bible apps are available. Attention – by clicking ‘play’ on any of the…
The Festival of Lent. RE resources
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.…
Visit to a local Church KS1. RE resources
1. Teacher’s background information. The most important point is that a local church is much more than just a building. The children need to understand that the local church they are visiting is part of the Church worldwide – it is a community of Christians from all races and nationalities. To see where the local…
Belonging to a faith community RE resources
1. Teacher’s background information. Belonging to a faith community involves attending a church, which is more than just a building.The people are important – the Church should be a community of Christians from all races and nationalities.Why do Christians go to church? To worship, pray, listen to Bible teachings and make friends.Who or what influences…
Is Jesus a historical figure? RE resources
Jesus is a proven historical person.He was different; he spoke about God in a real way, and he loved people. 1. Teacher’s background information. Is Jesus a historical figure like Napoleon Bonaparte or Julius Caesar? Yes, he is proven to be a real historical person according to ancient secular records as well as Christian writings.…
Christmas simply explained. RE resources
Christmas can be a difficult subject in Christian Religious Education; here, it is broken down into an easy-to-use lesson plan. 1. Teacher’s background information. Here, the children can discover the real, tough story of Christmas – a poor girl heavily pregnant, having to travel 90 miles [145 km] on a donkey over rough country. Then…
What is the Bible in more detail? RE resources
1. Teacher’s background information. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book – it does not appear in the ‘book charts’ because the other books do not stand a chance!20 million Bibles sold each year, that’s 54,945 Bibles sold every day (as at the time of writing). Take a look at the figures for book sales…
Big Bible stories. RE resources
Everyone likes a good story, and the Bible is full of them! 1. Teacher’s background information. At the moment, there is no specific lesson plan for this, but I have included some videos of some well-known Bible stories. Attention – by clicking ‘play’ on any of the videos, your browser will load all of the…
Does Christianity change lives? RE resources
When someone truly becomes a Christian, people should see a change in their behaviour. For example, no more cheating, bullying, aggressive attitudes and more peace and fulfilment. These things may not come immediately, though they can when someone is ‘converted’ – that is, they decide to follow Jesus. 1. Teacher’s background information. To mark this…
The Harvest festival. RE resources
It is so easy to get detached from the thought that we rely upon farmers to provide us with food, because many children, and some adults, think no further than their nearest supermarket. 1. Teacher’s background information. Here the young children (keystage one) can discover what a Harvest Festival is all about. Christians believe that…
Famous Christians. RE resources
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. 1. Teacher’s background information. The lesson plan has three parts: The young girl was not great at sports, she did not invent something wonderful,…
Christian festivals through the year RE resources
The children will be given an overview of the Church Calendar with the mainstream Christian seasons and festivals, plus some lesser-known and also specific ones to the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. 1. Teacher’s background information. Many churches, like the Anglican Church (Church of England), Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church, follow the…
Christian festival of Advent. RE resources
The word Advent means ‘arrival’ or ‘coming’.The Festival of Advent celebrates two things: firstly, the time when Jesus came from heaven and was born as a baby.Secondly, Christians believe that Advent looks forward to when Jesus will return to the Earth. 1. Teacher’s background information. Advent celebrates Jesus’s coming to this Earth as a man…
Christian festival of Holy Week. RE resources
Holy Week looks at the events that lead up to and include Jesus’ unlawful trial. 1. Teacher’s background information. In this lesson plan, the children learn how Jesus, knowing that the religious leaders were jealous of him and wanted to kill him, continued to go to Jerusalem to teach the crowds about God and the…
Christian festival of Easter. RE resources
The Easter break may signify Easter eggs, Easter bunnies and an Easter hunt, but why is it so important for Christians? 1. Teacher’s background information. The festival of Easter tells the story of how Jesus was unlawfully treated, beaten, whipped and crucified and yet Christians rejoice at the outcome 3 days later. Attention – by…
What is Christian baptism? RE resources
1. Teacher’s background information. Some people believe that baptism is baptising a young baby and then later there can be a Confirmation Service to ‘confirm’ the promises that were given at baptism. Others believe that baptism should only be done when a person turns to God and believes in Jesus. Simon Peter, one of Jesus’…