Boredom is the enemy of education. These resources aim to give students an engaging, fun way into topics that are relevant to their lives, including awkward ones like sex education, and informing about issues that are shaping the world and their future. My hope is that they help be an effective tool to the teacher to wake up a hunger for knowledge in students, and that everyone in the classroom would have a more enjoyable and enriching experience because of their use.
Boredom is the enemy of education. These resources aim to give students an engaging, fun way into topics that are relevant to their lives, including awkward ones like sex education, and informing about issues that are shaping the world and their future. My hope is that they help be an effective tool to the teacher to wake up a hunger for knowledge in students, and that everyone in the classroom would have a more enjoyable and enriching experience because of their use.
A powerpoint which includes differentiation activities, a worksheet (with different activities for KS3 or 4 which we print on double sided A3, and there is enough here for at least 2 lessons.
Youtube links, treasure hunts, a debate, TPS activity and more. Easily personalisable to suit your own needs, and included here is the SMSC objectives met with this lesson.
The Powerpoint itself has some instructions on how to use the resource, although most of it is quite self explanatory.
Enjoy!
An introductory lesson to medical ethics focussing on embryology. This powerpoint explains what embryology is, as well as giving an introduction to one of the key questions behind most medical ethics issues: when does life begin?
It includes high definition photographs of embryos in development and an embedded video which shows these stages. It also includes a case study, a research homework, plenty of information (including some religious opinions). These are developed more in the second lesson. Information can be printed out and
Learning Questions include:
What is Embryo Research?
What are some potential problems and positives of Embryo Research?
What are some religious opinions?
What is my opinion?
All feedback welcome! :)
A lesson that explores what Humanism is, including descriptions, embedded videos, exploration of controversy surrounding Richard Dawkins and independent learning activities and discussions. Also, for the creatives out there, an extension which involves writing a rap.
Learning questions include:
What is Humanism?
What do Humanists believe?
What are the challenges of believing in Humanism?
Extension: Is Humanism a religion?
This is intended to help students explore and think with nuance about Humanism, the role of religion in the modern world (if indeed it has any), and is differentiated in its tasks: each question gets increasingly difficult and there are differentiated targets for video clips and activities.
This is a set of resources for year 9 and up, and should not be used for students any younger. The objectives are to describe a case study of evil (the largest powerpoint focusses mainly of Jamie Bulger, but the resources can be adapted to look at any of the topics). There are 13 resources here, with evidence students can evaluate from each example.
There are also 'Must, should, could' guidance as well as plenty of opportunity for extension of gifted and talented students.
Good links to Citizenship, religious studies, Sociology, and the activities are pretty self explanatory.
Radio show links, videos included.
This is a pretty harrowing subject to teach, but sometimes students seem to be particularly interested in real life examples and applications. When discussing things like Capital Punishment it seems particularly helpful to bring into relief the truly horrible things people do sometimes, and how a responsible society should respond.
A bundle of 8 lessons which includes: embryology, IVF, surrogacy, cloning, transplants and transfusions and human experimentation. these include case studies, embedded videos, youtube links, articles, current updated statistics and a variety of activities for students to get stuck into. This also includes some extenstion activities, some key word tasks and a revision session to really embed your students learning.
50% reduction on indivual lessons.
This is a PPT about pornography. Awkward.
On average, young men are exposed to it before they're 10.
It can lead to all kinds of personal problems, let alone drastic effects on the social way sex is perceived.
Tis is an attempt to educate young people about the health and social effects of pornography, and how drastically in can improve people's lives if they give it up.
It has been designed in a way that is flexible to your teaching: print off slides, do presentations, information treasure hunts...up to you!
Where do you stand is an activity where each corner of the room is a different opinion (Strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree) and students move to the corner and discuss.
WARNING: DEFINITELY WATCH THE VIDEOS BEFORE YOU SHOW IT TO THE KIDS! Some of this material may be suitable only for sixth form.
A lesson which explores and explains genetic engineering, looking at some specific examples (such as glow in the dark mice) as well as a case study activity. It builds on previous lessons on religious attitudes to medical ethics particularly well, but also stands alone.
Learning Objectives are:
To know the difference between:
Genetic Screening & Genetic Engineering
To evaluate religious arguments about genetic screening and engineering
To develop my own opinion on these technologies.
Starters and plenaries included with activities differentiated by outcome.
This comprehensive lesson exploring the facts, benefits and religious responses to organ transplants and blood transfusions will need trimming to fit in one hour. There are plenty of case studies, youtube clips, embedded short videos about ‘cellular memory’, and comparative religious arguments from the six major religions. Activities are differentiated by outcome, with discussion or learning pyramid plenaries available. Went all out on this one.
Learning Objectives:
To know the possible benefits about organ transplants.
To know some religious attitudes to blood transfusions and organ transplants.
To evaluate and compare religious attitudes to medical ethics.
It also includes a particularly close look at Jehovah’s witnesses opinions on blood transfusions.
This lesson is part of a scheme of work on Judaism, aimed at KS2-3 students. The objectives it covers are:
To know and understand the main symbols of prayer in the home
To think about what is most important in my life, and write a short prayer or poem about it and create a symbol for it
It includes the main symbols used by Jews in prayer, including the Tefillin, Mezuzah, Kippah and Tallit. Ideally you would have these in the classroom and be able to dress up a student in them. There’s also a song including of the Shema, the main prayer of Judaism.
Differentiated comprehension questions, a range of activities, and information slides to help students get to grips with how Jews may worship in the home. Worksheets also included.
This lesson is an exploration of the incredible human beings who risked (and sometimes lost) their lives working to rescue Jews from the Holocaust. It is an inspiration from Philip Zimbardo who encourages us to educate children about the psychology of heroism. This powerpoint and collected resources aims to help students understand and be inspired by the incredible acts of bravery these people engaged with. I greatly encourage you to play the video linked to this lesson to students: it moves me to tears every time!
Learning Questions include:
How did some people act heroically in the Holocaust?
How did these heroes’ beliefs affect their actions?
Can you evaluate the motivations for people’s actions?
EXT: What is the psychology of Heroism? What can we do to help ourselves become more heroic?
Great for PHSE, Citizenship, Religious Studies and History. Extension tasks and differentiated activities included.
A lesson that explores the learning questions:
What causes war?
Is war ever justified?
Using a game students explore in teams of 6 the possible causes of war, and evaluate if they are worthwhile. Differentiated learning outcomes and links to youtube videos included, this lesson has been tweaked over a course of 5 years into something that works for me in the classroom. It includes guided discussion and debate topics, as well as some religious opinions in the form of Augustine’s just war theory.
Any necessary instructions included in the powerpoint notes.
This is an ambitious project to cover the entire UK citizenship government framework in 26 lessons of increasing difficulty over 5 age groups (11-16). It uses a range of teaching strategies, including individual and team work, developing public speaking skills and active citizenship engagement in the year 8 section of the course. It focuses on students having a keen idea of their own background whilst also being able to ‘sonder’ (appreciate the realness of others) and truly empathise, as well as having a historical understanding of why we are where we are in the world.
This lesson starts with the students own identity, before moving on to consider the South African concept of Ubuntu: I am because we are. This lesson Can be bought as part of a package.
These schemes use key questions instead of learning objectives which are then used as mini plenaries throughout.
Videos and worksheets included as powerpoint slides for ease of access and printing where necessary.
Key questions
What is identity?
What is culture?
Is there an ‘us’ and a ‘them’?
Challenge:
Evaluate the idea of Ubuntu.
Feedback always welcome.
This lesson aims to cover 3 objectives, and is lesson 4 in a series about Judaism and the key beliefs, symbols and practices within it. It is part of a Judaism booklet project.
These objectives are:
To know what the Passover is, and understand the importance of it for Jewish people.
To prepare for Project – chapter 4 (of a booklet)
To reflect on the value of freedom.
Differentiation by task (comprehension questions), video links embedded, and team work tasks (T-P-S) are all included, as well as a cover lesson with a couple of options for the cover teacher. The presentation itself is in a prezi, the link for which can be found in the lesson plan, which is also included.
The video clips are from the Disney film: the prince of Egypt, and students always enjoy this zooming presentation. The presentation can be downloaded onto your hard drive if you wish to.
This is a marketplace activity which aims to give students some introductory knowledge about four key aspects of Jewish life. The four aspects included here are:
Beliefs about G-d
The Shema
Shabbat
The Ten Commandments
What are some key Jewish beliefs and practices?
What are their benefits for Jewish people?
EXT: What are their challenges for Jewish people?
Good lesson for Religious Studies, PHSE, Citizenship, SMSC and improving community understanding.
A lesson to help students understand and develop their relationship with their own values. It includes activities, youtube videos and some disciplinary literacy around the word value, and where it comes from. A must for any PHSE, citizenship or relationships teacher trying to help students get a grip on their own values in a world which is changing at an increasing pace.
A lesson for KS3 students to get their heads around the Big Bang and if it is compatible with religious beliefs. Can one believe in God and the Big Bang? This includes videos about the big bang, the size of the universe and a short powerpoint with pictures of earth to play while students enter to create that SMSC 'awe and wonder' feeling. Also included are instructions in the PPT on how to teach and youtube links.
Learning Questions:
What is the Big Bang theory?
What is my opinion about how the universe was created?
Is it possible to believe in religion AND science?
Great for SMSC, Religious Studies, and Science and Religion modules.
This lesson has been a few years in the making. I have been struggling to get together decent resources that inform, without shame or judgement, a generation of young people for whom porn is highly accesible, in huge quantities and ubiquitous (25% of all internet searches are for pornography).
I hope this goes some way towards that ambition.
The lesson covers:
What is pornography?
Why is it so addictive?
Is pornography having a negative effect on society?
Should all, or some pornography, be illegal?
It includes research tasks about fightthenewdrug.org, and then goes on to deconstruct that website to try and encourage critical thought, infographics, group tasks, debates and discussions. It aims to inform students of the dangers of porn addiction.
I have included here some controversial material for KS5 if you want to have a more nuanced discussion. The research done in the article ‘the sunny side of smut’ is quite problematic, and students should be directed to deconstruct it whilst also considering the points it makes.
Feedback really, really welcome.
A 7 lesson Scheme of work on Poverty in the UK, including powerpoints, youtube clips, images, worksheets, booklets, and revision resources to help for KS3 or 4 work. Designed around the AQA Religious Studies B Spec.
1) What is Wealth and Poverty
2) Religious Attitudes to Wealth and Poverty
3) How do people get rich or poor
4) Poverty in the UK
5) Charitable Solutions to Poverty
6) Poverty: Solutions and Responsibility for Poverty
7) Revision/Consolidation lesson (with a 20 question competitive comprehension activity)
The idea of this PPT is to print out the pages of the Gurus and a story about their lives so students can convert the information into a poster, or put it onto a timeline, or create a marketplace activity.
Hopefully this is some useful raw material for you to work your creative magic on. It's supposed to show how Sikhism developed from a spontaneous vision of the first Guru (Nanak) into a world religion heavily shaped by oppression and military necessity (Gobindh Singh).
Hope it&'s helpful!
Be well,
d
A PPT with a variety of extensions to give students an idea about what all the fuss is about. The PPT itself is pretty self explanatory, and contains links to a variety of youtube videos (some are animations) as well as the Specials 'Free Nelson Mandela&' single. What a legend!