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KS3 RE – “What is Religion?”
Engaging, detailed plan for an 8-lesson KS3 Religious Education unit exploring the core question: “What is a religion?”

This dynamic and thought-provoking scheme introduces Year 7 students to the nature of religion through philosophical, theological, and sociological enquiry. Rooted in Ninian Smart’s ‘Seven Dimensions of Religion’, the unit enables students to investigate worldviews (religious and non-religious) while developing their understanding of belief, community, stories, rules, and rituals. Students throughout the scheme build their own desert island ‘religion’, applying their knowledge to a creative example.

What’s Included:
Learning objectives, suggested activities and lesson outcomes for the SoW.
Differentiated activities and outcomes for Emerging, Expected, and Exceeding learners, aligned with KS3 outcomes.
Engaging starter tasks, paired/group work, debates, and creative projects
Integrated assessment preparation and feedback tasks
An overview of the key ways of knowing, personal reflection and substantive knowledge covered in the topic.

Lessons Cover:
What is religion?
Comparative definitions, Smart’s dimensions, and the “Island Religion” project launch.
Why is community important?
Ummah, Sangha, Shabbat, and the importance of shared identity.
What do people believe and why?
Exploring key beliefs from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Paganism.
What role do stories play in religion?
The significance of sacred stories and artefacts, including the crucifixion narrative.
What are religious rules for?
Ten Commandments, the Eightfold Path, Hadiths, and personal morality.
How is religion expressed through ritual?
Ritual practices from Christianity and Islam, and their symbolic meanings.
Assessment & Feedback
Pupils design and present their own religion, applying key concepts and receiving feedback.

Ideal For:
Year 7 RE teachers introducing religion as a human and cultural phenomenon
Departments embedding philosophical and sociological enquiry into KS3
Lessons designed to support the Principal Aim of RE and meet the Ofsted RE research review recommendations

Give your students the tools to ask life’s big questions—and build the foundations for informed, respectful worldview exploration.

For the ppt lessons to accompany this plan, see my profile!