Autumn term RE 2014

Autumn Term RE 

Our Autumn term topic in Year 1 was ‘Myself’.

We began by looking at the similarities and differences between people; we thought about the variety of personalities, appearance, abilities and interests, and how we are all special. We acted out some naming ceremonies which are held to welcome new babies, in both the Sikh and Christian faiths.

Knowing that we are all different helped us to recognise that we may feel differently too. We played a miming game, guessing – from their appearance and behaviour - how someone might be feeling. We used masks to share with the class about situations which make us feel happy or sad. We listened carefully to each other, tried to understand how other people might feel, and thought of ways in which we could help others feel happy or avoid hurting their feelings.

Next we focused on our homes: why they are important to us and what we do there, including special customs. We learned about the weekly celebration of Shabbat in Jewish homes. We took part in a story-enactment of when the Israelite people travelled on their long journey to a new home. We learned how this is remembered by Jewish families in their Shabbat meal, and we acted it out, focusing on the symbols used. Jewish people spent many years without a proper home: no wonder they see their home and family as so important nowadays!

In September, Jewish people were also celebrating their New Year at Rosh Hashana. So we learned about how they say sorry for wrong things they have done, and try to make a fresh start. We studied various items which are used at Rosh Hashana, and made suggestions as to how they might help Jews to say ‘sorry’. We then found out how each of them is used. We tied a red ribbon to our (child)scape-goat and pretended to send her off into the desert, taking away all our bad things! We said ‘sorry’ for our own wrong behaviour as we threw breadcrumbs into the ‘river’ to be washed away. We made pretend ‘challah-bread’ birds and ladders, using playdough. Then, with a blow on the shofar horn, we wished each other a ‘sweet New Year’ with apple dipped in honey.

 

 

Another aspect of our ‘Myself’ topic was ‘My Day’. After considering our own daily activities, we found out how important it is for Muslims to pray five times each day. We studied a Muslim prayer mat and Qiblah compass, and learned how they are used. We then designed our own prayer mats.

Next, we focused on our friends. After hearing a Bible story about Ruth, who was a loyal friend and daughter-in-law to Naomi, we brainstormed the qualities we value in a good friend. We used these to create a chain of linked ‘hands of friendship’.

After half-term, we focused on the theme of ‘Belonging’. First, we thought about the groups to which we belong: what makes them special; activities, rules and customs we share; and how we feel being part of them. We enjoyed playing some games for small and large groups, and reviewed the ways we ensured everyone was able to feel included.

 

We then looked at signs and symbols of belonging. We played a game to help us sort out information signs from symbols with a special meaning, then designed our own personal coat of arms to represent aspects of our personality and interests. This led us on to learning about faith symbols.

Having learned, earlier in the term, about ceremonies to welcome babies, we then found out about Christian churches where adults can choose to be baptised as members of the Christian faith. Trying (unsuccessfully!) to use dirty sponges for cleaning helped us understand why some Christians choose to be immersed in water when they are baptised: they see it as a symbol of being cleansed by their faith. Once we had washed our sponges in a bowl of water, they were much more effective!  We heard a story from the Bible about when Jesus himself was baptised by John the Baptist. Then we sorted some statements which might be made by Christians who were choosing either infant or adult baptism; we shared our reasons why we thought one or other might be preferable if we were Christian parents.

As we approached the Christmas holiday, we moved to learning about the Bible story behind all the festivities. Some children in our class have recently had new baby brothers or sisters, so they were able to share their experiences of the arrival of a new baby. For Christians, the birth of Jesus was very special. When we had our own treasure hunt, we imagined how the Wise Men might have felt searching for such a precious baby. We looked at – and smelled! – gold, frankincense and myrrh, then suggested gifts which might be precious without being expensive, including actions.

In January, we will be starting our Spring Term topic, focusing on ‘New Life’

In Year 2, our Autumn term topic was ‘Special Times’.

We started by looking back over our lives to identify special ‘milestones’ so far, including stages in our growth and abilities, and special events. We wondered what the future might hold for us, and made suggestions of possible milestones we would like to have as we grow up!

 

In the RE lessons which followed, we focused on individual times which are special for people of different faiths. 

We began by learning about the Muslim month of Ramadan, which ends in the festival of Eid Ul-Fitr. We imagined what it must be like to go without food during daylight hours, and found out how Muslims use their time of fasting to help them think about those less well off than themselves. We also learned how they pray, study the Qur’an and go to the mosque. We enjoyed tasting dates, after we had checked whether it was light enough to distinguish between black and white threads! In groups, we brainstormed words for how we feel when we are waiting for a special event, such as a birthday; then we imagined how a Muslim child might feel when watching for the new moon which signifies the time to begin Eid celebrations.

The next ‘special time’ we learned about was the regular shared meal at a Sikh langar. We started with a challenge: two children were given marshmallows to eat, but there were some difficult rules! They had to use long-handled cutlery held at the very ends! It seemed as though they would never get to taste the marshmallows, but then one child suggested that they should feed each other – and it worked! This helped us understand the importance of sharing. Four of our class were then invited to sit at a beautifully set-out meal table, while the rest of us had to sit on the floor with old beakers and boring serviettes. We discussed how we felt about this and concluded that it wasn’t fair! One of the children sitting at the table offered to sit on the floor, as he felt uncomfortable being spoiled while his friends were being so unfairly treated. We learned that Sikhs all sit on the floor for meals at their langar, and everyone is welcome to share in a free meal there. Everyone is considered equal, whatever their race, religion, wealth or position.

 

This theme of ‘sharing’ helped us make links with the Christian festival of Harvest. Some children shared their own experiences of taking part in Harvest Festivals. Christians use Harvest as a special time of saying ‘thank you’ so, in groups, we brainstormed ideas of things, in addition to food, for which we are grateful. We heard the Bible story of the Ten Lepers whom Jesus healed, but then only one said ‘thank you’. We learned from this that Christians believe God wants them to remember to thank him for good gifts. We decided that one way of showing we are grateful is by sharing what we have with others, just as Christians share the food from their Harvest Festivals.

Our next ‘special time’ was the Jewish festival of Sukkot. First, we played Kim’s Game to help us consider our strategies for remembering things. We told each other about mementoes we have at home, and discussed how celebrations and times of commemoration can help us. Outside in the playground, we went on a memory walk, noting down significant items which would serve as mementoes later. We transferred these to a diagram of our ‘memory rooms’ and explained to each other how they would remind us of Crabtree Infants’ School, in years to come. We learned how Jewish people eat their meals in a sukkah, during the festival of Sukkot, to help them remember how God looked after their ancestors when they lived in tents during their long journey to their new homeland.

We also learned about the very important time of remembering which takes place each November, on Remembrance Day. Having discussed the background and customs of Remembrance Day, we focused on the hope for peace. We looked carefully at a selection of pictures illustrating some words of the prophet Isaiah, from the Bible. We learned about an artist, Edward Hicks, who included Isaiah’s hopes in his paintings. We then made our own pictures, based on the same ideas, and discussed what we could do to help create peace in our world.

During Autumn, there are several Festivals of Light, when different faiths use the symbol of light to represent ideas about God, goodness and hope.

The first one we focused on was the Hindu and Sikh festival of Divali. We heard the story of Rama and Sita, discussed how the characters and events symbolise the victory of good over evil, and learned about Divali customs. We thought of good and bad things which happen nowadays, and thought about how we could help to bring ‘light’.

Our next Festival of Light was Hanukkah. We related what we had learned about the symbolism of light to the Hanukkah story, and suggested meanings for the various customs - such as the 9-branched hanukiah and the eating of latkes cooked in oil. We then made our own dreidl spinners, so that we too could play the game enjoyed by Jewish children during Hanukkah. 

Following Year 2’s class lesson, the whole school had a day when we focused on Hanukkah. It started with a special assembly, led by Myriam (Nina Leigh), who shared her own experiences of celebrating Hanukkah, and facilitated a dramatisation of the story. We then had workshops when, in groups, we created our own hanukiah. In addition, some classes cooked latkes, others made Jewish stars using a range of different methods and materials.

 

 

 

  

 

Next, Year 2 learned about the Christian time of Advent. We thought about how we get ready for important events, then looked at some Advent calendars and a notched advent candle and talked about how they might be used by Christians. We thought about people who might have looked forward to Jesus’ coming, and guessed which of these might be represented by the four red candles on an Advent ring. We then lit the four candles, one by one, as we heard about each of the people remembered by Christians on the four Sundays in Advent. We weren’t able to light the white candle in the centre, though, as we weren’t in school on Christmas Day!

To help us think about the importance of Jesus’ birth to Christians, we looked at a painting by an artist called Geertgen tot Sint Jans called ‘The Nativity at Night’. We shared our ideas about what the painter was trying to say about Jesus, especially by his use of light and dark. We also looked at another painting, ‘The Light of the World’ by Holman Hunt, which used the symbols of light and dark in a similar way. We then lit a candle and found we couldn’t blow it out: it must have been 'magic'! It reminded us of the Christian belief that Jesus’ love is like a strong light in the darkness that can never be put out.

Lots of celebrations take place in school when it’s nearly Christmas but, in our final RE session before Christmas itself, we asked ourselves the question: “What would it be like if Jesus were born in Harpenden in December 2014?” We looked at some pictures showing the sort of village where Jesus’ parents might have lived, and contrasted that with ours. We wondered where exactly Jesus might have been born if it had been nowadays, who might have come to see him and what people might have done and said. We then played out a TV interview with an eye-witness, an interviewer and a studio audience, discussing the amazing event!

In January, we will be starting our Spring Term topic, focusing on Special People.

Each week this term, Reception classes have been hearing a story with an RE-linked theme. Our Autumn term focus for these has been ‘Celebration’: these have included stories and books about the Jewish festivals of Rosh Hashana, Sukkot and Hanukkah, Christian Harvest, the Hindu and Sikh festival of Divali, and Christmas. 

Take a look at the October Reception Blog to see more photos of the diva pots, mehndi hand patterns, rangoli patterns and flower garlands we made when we were learning about Divali.