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.
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 focusses on what democracy means, what parliament is and the importance of voting.
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 Parliament?
What does Parliament do?
How important is voting?
Gender and sexuality can be confusing for students (and teachers!), many of whom do not understand the idea of gender being a spectrum rather than a binary role connected to biological sex. Indeed, most do not understand that gender and sex are different things.
This presentation aims to present the different arguments around gender, varying from people who feel that their gender is different from their biological sex (transgender) or those who are biologically intersex (about 1-2% of the global population). It acknowledges that some people are very closed to the idea of transgenderism, whilst acknowledging the biological fact of intersex. It includes and article about Caster Semenya, the South African runner banned from competing in events because her testosterone is too high and told she would need to take medication to address this, as well as youtube videos, graphics, group discussion activities, opinion lines/corners, and written comprehension questions. There are also definition tasks too.
Ideal for KS3-5 students. (11-18yr old) A range of tasks that will not fit into an hour, so pick which work for you.
Learning questions include:
What is gender?
What is the difference between ‘intersex’, ‘transgender’, ‘transexual’ and ‘non-binary’?
What is a ‘patriarchy’?
Is gender a choice?
Is gender a spectrum?
This is a new resource on a tricky issue: feedback warmly, warmly welcomed.
Many thanks.
This is a lesson that focusses on the FBV of tolerance and mutual respect. It looks at worldwide variations in family structures, gender and religion. It encourages students to see their ideas of ‘normal’ (i.e. in France they drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road) as simply another way to do things. Hopefully without slipping into complete relativism, students are encouraged to question, develop and refine their opinions rather than give any opinions up all together. Learning objectives include:
Does culture affect what is ‘normal’?
How and why does culture affect religion, gender and family?
Extension: Does the information in this lesson change how you think about your own norms and values?
Tasks are differentiated by outcome, with group learning carousel, whole class discussion, and individual tasks all incuded. Questions become increasingly high level as they go on. Suitable for KS3-5. With some simplification it could work with KS2, but it would take some work to do so. It includes in the powerpoint slides to print out with the information on the case studies and a document about the many different forms of Islam in the world, and how culture affects religion. (As an aside, I could have chosen any religion. Christianity has 40 000 types!)
This lesson aims to explore the seder meal with students, and includes the necessary information to run your own mini seder meal in the classroom if you so choose. It is part of a scheme of work where students create a booklet about Judaism, and hence one of the objectives is about creating the relevant chapter of that booklet.
Objectives include:
To know what Seder is, and the main signs and symbols that are used
To prepare for Project Chapter 5
To think about the importance of Festivals in our own lives
There are differentiated activities in this KS2-3 resource, and ideally there would be some role play that the powerpoint and teacher would facilitate with groups of 6. Lesson plan, song, youtube links and powerpoint iuncluded. Enjoy!
This resource looks at Jewish identity, and is part of a scheme of work about the Shoah/Holocaust. It includes some basic beliefs about G-d (including why Jews often write G-d, instead of God) as well as a brief overview of 1000 years of anti-semitism. It puts the anti-semitism that flared into the Shoah into perspective and I’ve used it mainly with KS3 students. It includes a clip of some survivors testimonies which speak about their experience of antisemitism, and has differentiated tasks that explore quotes from the Torah and Talmud in more depth. Extension tasks also included. Easily adaptable for KS4.
Ideal for religious studies, SMSC, citizenship and PHSE.
Learning Questions (Objectives) include:
Can I imagine the possible impacts of the Holocaust on a Jewish person?
How may the Holocaust have influenced or challenged Jewish beliefs?
What are some key Jewish Beliefs?
EXTENSION: Can I evaluate how the Holocaust may effect Jewish people today?
9 seperate lesson resources which constitute an entire scheme of work. Totalling £27 separately, this quality resources include independent study tasks, documentaries, youtube clips, printable resources, worksheets and differentiated tasks (for both SEND and more able students). Can be spread out to last 9 lessons, or compressed into 6.
A whole Holocaust/Shoah scheme of work with videos, worksheets, wordsearches, youtube videos, embedded videos that include real survivors talking about their experience. I've taught and tweeked this over 6 years, teaching it perhaps 30 times, adding a real dimension of Jewish faith and how the Holocaust/Shoah challenged and strengthened different people's faiths. Excellent resource for higher achievers: level 7-8 is quite common with the scafolding here. It starts historical, and then becomes increasingly integrated with the effect on Jewish Faith.
There's really loads here, including 34 files in total, so plenty to chop and change.
Lesson 1: Introduction: 6 258 673
Lesson 2: Propaganda and Indoctrination
Lesson 3: Timeline and Gradual Change in Nazi Germany
Lesson 4: The Ghettos
Lesson 5: Jewish Identity
Lesson 6: The Concentration camps and Anne Frank
Lesson 7: What was lost? Who's to blame?
Lesson 8: Rescuers
Lesson 9: Fight Back! The Bielski Brothers
Lesson 10: Lessons from the Holocaust
Lesson 11: Assessment
9-11, ISIS and The Truth and Reconciliation Trials. Here are 3 examples of terror and a lesson about moving forward, past the cycle of retribution. A highly rated resource with over 6000 downloads in the past, and now monetized as they are a three in one pack! Includes a trimmed down version of what caused 9-11.
A resource to help explore and counter Islamophobic rhetoric in schools, which is sadly increasingly common. This lesson includes individuals and philosophies in Islam which have been profoundly positive in their influence on society, including nobel prize winners, human rights activitists, politicians, charitable donations and international charities. Differenatiated, independent learning activities and links to youtube videos all included.
Learning questions are as follows:
Does Islam make any positive contributions to the world? (Level 4)
What are some of the reasons Muslims contribute positively to the world? (Level 5-6)
“Islam a force for good in the world†Do you agree? (Level 5-6)
This lesson has a look at the truth and reconciliation trials in S. Africa and how those principles can be applied in everyday life, as well as solving more international issues such as ISIS. A bit of a labour of love, this one, as teaching about terrorism and extremism is always a bit depressing. It's a lesson to really help students connect to hope, and the Citizenship, SMSC and PHSE targets of self-awareness, other cultures and moral values.
Learning Questions include:
What was Apartheid?
What were the truth and reconciliation trials?
What was their aim?
How might Religious Believers respond?
What is your opinion on them?
Youtube clips, miniplenaries, differentiated activities and group creative tasks included following a blooms taxonomy structure, influenced by Kagan's learning cycle.
A powerpoint, worsearch, timeline, video and youtube video about how Nazi Germany gradually slid into more and more extreme versions of anti-semitism. It chronicles the dates of some of the 2000 laws passed against Jews in the years following Hitler's election in 1933, and attempts to answer the question HOW did normal people allow, and participate, in the Holocaust. It attempts to answer this to help students understand how vigilance in any society, and the trends within it, are something any healthy citizen should take part in.
The Key Learning Question is:
How did the Holocaust happen?
Activities are differentiated, and extension activities are included. Resources suited for yr.6 (10yo) and up.
A small bundle of resources that explore the life and work of Thich Nhat Hanh using a marketplace, with a factfile on his life including quotes and history. Enough here for a few lessons.
Learning Questions include:
Who is Thich Naht Hanh?
How does he interpret Buddhism?
What is my opinion of ‘Engaged Buddhism’?
A video included which is an interview between him and Oprah which is quite powerful and insightful for understanding the man behind the religious robes.
Activities differentiated by outcome, especially if Kagan seating plans are used.
This powerpoint and worksheets provide a range of differentiated activities as well as video clips that explore how propaganda and indoctrination was used in the Holocaust to Brainwash people. It includes embedded videos, youtube links, examples of propaganda posters, team work and independent work activities as well as discussion topics.
Fine for use from yr. 6 (10 yo up)
The learning questions are as follows:
How did people let the holocaust happen? (Level 4-5)
Explain why is it important to think for yourself. (Level 5-6)
Can you evaluate the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda? (Level 6-7)
There are also a myriad of extension tasks, including examples of modern day propaganda around Islamophobia and Immigration.
This is a resource, with scaffolding options for SEND, for students to understand Muslim and Christian Attitudes to Justice. It involves an independent study task, built around the concept of co-operative teamwork filling in a 'beehive' as bees do when filling in cells of honey. There are also scaffolded paragraph tasks.
The objectives addressed are:
Why is Justice important to Muslims and Christians?
What are some examples of Islamic and Christian teachings about justice?
What is your opinion of Muslim attitudes to Justice?
EXT: Why might someone disagree with you?
Teachers should aim to really push evaluation, examining why different people believe different things and the benefits and pitfalls of different beliefs.
An introductory lesson, including a debate ("Capital Punishment should be reintroduced to the UK"), about Capital Punishment. It covers the following objectives, mainly from a secular viewpoint although including some Christian views:
What is Capital Punishment?
What are the arguments for and against it?
What do YOU think?
It includes a youtube video, gap fill exercise, debate and evaluation writing exercise. Students are always engaged with this topic area.
A lesson to explore the six aims of punishment: protection, retribution, vindication, deterrence, reformation and reparation. It includes discussions on what crimes should receive what punishment, learning walks and written exercises which increase in difficulty. Writing scaffolding for paragraphs are included on the powerpoint, and it will help students studying religious studies, history and citizenship.
Learning questions:
What are the six aims of punishment?
Which is the most important?
A resource with embedded video clips, group tasks, differentiated activities and resources as well as mini plenaries. Plenty for students to get their intellectual/philosophical teeth into. There are also a range of miracles to look at: if you would like to explore the miracles of Jesus more then there are resources which look specifically at those, whilst there are also a range of more 'modern' Miracles, like crying statues, floating brooms lambs with 'allah' appearing in their coat and people being cured of cancer. From the sublime to the ridiculous, I know.
Learning Objectives:
To understand what a miracle is
To know some examples of Miracles
To think about if I believe miracles can happen
Links well to religious studies GCSE and KS3 groups, as well as compulsory GCSE sets. I use it in conjunction with my science and religion module to exemplify that much of what we do today with science would have once been considered miraculous.
There is a prezi that comes with this lesson plan, the link for which can be found as a hyperlink in the lesson plan itself.
Or copy and paste:
http://prezi.com/m8egb_g7wt1d/religious-revolutionaries/
Religious leaders often seem able to draw on a well of internal strength that allows them to fight for - and sometimes die for - social justice. This resource is designed with an independent study phase so students can choose who they wish to study, which can be found in the PDF file.
Enjoy!
A selection of resources to help your school become a school of sanctuary: a place of safety and welcome for asylum seekers. The resources and activities will produce evidence you can use in your application to your local city of sanctuary group.
https://schools.cityofsanctuary.org/
:)
4 lessons, board games, role plays, documentaries, collated from City of Sanctuary, Resources made by me, Amnesty International, Oxfam and online reports. What more do you want? Free? Ok, free.
A second draft of a lesson attempting to explain and help students understand the unexplainable and shocking violence over the past couple of weeks in the UK.
As news unfolds about the london attack I'll add another update about the London attackers: for me understanding the nuanced reasons for these attacks is very important to prevent Islamophobia.
There are hyperlinks to videos etc. on many of the photos, and too much for an hour but plenty for you to pick and choose from depending on the needs of your students.
I hope it helps your students understand what has happened, even if it can never be justified, and help them figure out positive ways to respond.
Feedback GREATLY appreciated.