Religious Studies
Year 7 Curriculum plans
| Term | What are we learning? | What Knowledge, Understanding and Skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will these be assessed? |
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Autumn |
Where did it all begin? |
An introduction to the origins of Judaism.Students will become familiar with the story of the Covenant between Abraham and G-d. Through this students will be introduced to the concept of promises and their importance in Religious belief and practice.Students will gain an understanding of sacrifice, obedience,Mitzvot and the Messianic prophecies.Students will gain skills as reflective learners and citizens, engaging with ideas of belief, practice and identity.Students will become familiar with the TANAKH as a source of authority. | A student who can reflect on Jewish religious beliefs and recognise their significance in the life of the believer.A Student who is beginning to make links across different world views. | Through out Year 7 Students will be assessed through a mixture of questioning, pair work, homework tasks and quizzes.Students will be asked to complete a summative creative task at the end of the Where did it all begin? topic. |
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Autumn |
Who is God? | Students will consider the various descriptions of God across the Religious writings of Judaism and Islam.Students will build on their knowledge of Judaism.Students will learn how religious sources of authority have been recorded. Students will interogate sources of authority and reflect on what these writings tell us about the nature of God. Students will begin to understand the problems surrounding interpretation and reliability of religious sources of authority.Students will be introduced to the concept of transcendence through looking at Tawhid, Revelation and the prophet Muhummad and the 13 Principles of Maimondides. | A student who is respectful of beliefs other than their own and has begun to reflect on their own beliefs and where they come from.A student who can explain some of the difficulties surrounding interpretation of ancient sources. | Summative written assessment for AP1 with a mixture of knowledge recall and longer written answers. |
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Spring |
Who am I? |
Students will use their understanding of religious sources of authority to compile a list of what various religious beliefs say about the purpose of humanity.Students will contrast this with the humanist belief on One life now.Students will begin to reflect on their own journey and what sources of help and comfort they have relied on and might look to in the future. Students will reflect on their own worldviews.Students will reflect on how religious beliefs are a source of wonder, hope and help to a believer, developing their empathy skills. | Students who can apply their knowledge across different religious ideas and spot themes and commonalities. Students who can reflect on their learning and begin to evaluate their own worldview. | A reflective artistic piece which draws on the knowledge gained this half term. |
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Spring |
Are festivals important? |
Students will reflect on festivals as expressions of religious identity. Students will focus on the practices of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid. They will also be encouraged to reflect on the practice of Lent and Easter in the Christian Church.Students will be required to look for links across religions and find commonalities in response to festivals from a range of traditions helping them evaluate the importance of communal religious practice.Students will be encouraged to evaluate the importance of festivals to human beings. | A students who can consider a range of beliefs and see their value.A student who explainthe importance of festivals in a reflective way. | Students will be assessed through a combination of multiple choice and longer written answer meeting AP2 criteria. |
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Spring |
How do we know? |
A brief introduction to the philosophical lens for learning, beginning with the Ancient Greeks and moving towards the 21st Century.We will learn from Plato, Diogenes, Aristotle, Confucius, Rumi and Phillipa Foot.We will look at the philosophical approach to some of the big questions we have been asking – Who is God? Who am I? What is the purpose of humanity? Students will gain an understanding of the philosophical lens and be able to understand there are many ways of looking at a question.Students will build their critical and analytical skills, applying knowledge to situations. | Students who can translate their understanding of ancient philosophies and religions into the world around them, leading to a better understanding of why we have the British values of Democracy and the Rule of Law. Students who can reflect on and evaluate the the Golden Rule. | A creative writing piece that allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of philosophical thinking. This will meet AP2 Criteria. |
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Spring |
What does it mean to experience God? |
Building on their understanding of the origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, students will be invited to learn about a variety of ways in which humans claim to have experienced God.The main focus will be on prayer and other aspects of religious practice with some consideration given to various forms of meditation. Students will contemplate what it means to experience God and what this means for the believer. Experiences studied could include St. Bernadette Soubirous, Ray Calvocoressi, David Wilkerson and the prophet Muhummad.Students will be asked to reflect on their own responses to these stories.Students will continue to develop critical reponses whilst appreciating different interpretations and expressions of meaning. | Students that can articulate their own ideas about the world in a reflective and tolerant way and are developing an awareness of influences in their own lives. | The summative assessment will be a reflective written piece. |
Year 8 Curriculum plans
| Term | What are we learning? | What Knowledge, Understanding and Skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will these be assessed? |
|
Autumn |
How Did it all begin? |
Students will focus on the Genesis story as the basis for three of the major world religions. They will also learn one of the Hindu creation stories and investigate interpretations.Students will evaluate a Darwinian interpretation of creation stories.Students will build on their analytical, critical and evaluative skills.Students will be encouraged to wonder at the meaning of stories that express ideas about truth. | A student who can reflect on both their own and others religious practices and recognise that everyone has their own belief systems and appreciate the processes of how these are shaped. A student who can consider and articulate more than one way of looking at the world and see its value. | Throughout Year 8 students will be formatively assessed through questionning, homework tasks, short and long written answers.Students will produce a choice of creative pieces (either a poem of an image) to express one of the worldviews discussed this half term these will be entered into a Departmental competition. |
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Autumn |
Is life important? |
Building on students knowledge of religious ideas of human pupose and creation stories we will consider different beliefs about identity and meaning across religious traditions. The key focus will be on Christianity and Hinduism.We will discuss the idea of sanctity of life and where this argument might be important.We will refer back to the philosophical ideas and Who am I? topics in year 7.We will consider either capital punishment or euthanaisa as a case study.Students will be able to explore a range of beliefs and apply these beliefs to issues. | Students that can articulate why life is important based on a range of arguments.Students who can reflect on the meaning and impact of a belief. | Students will be asked to apply their knowledge to a range of case study type questions for their summative assessmen in line with AP1. |
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Spring |
What happens when we die? |
Students will investigate a range of beliefs about what happens after death. They will evaluate the impact of these beliefs on religious practice.Students will focus on Islamic, Jewish, Hindu and Christian beliefs but will also consider Humanist views about death.Concepts will include: Akhirah, Jihad, Repentance & forgiveness and death rituals.Students will work together to explore a range of beliefs and values.Students will interrogate and scrutinise sources of authority and appreciate religious debate.Students will reflect on their own ideas. | Students will be able to apply their knowledge and skills to sources of authority and work as a team to discover information. | Students will respond reflectiveely to a question about the impact of beliefs about life after death as evidence for AP2. |
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Spring |
What is atonement? |
Beginning with the Jewish idea of atonement in the story of Passover and moving on to the Christian idea of atonement in Jesus’ sacrifice.Students will discover how Christians have come to interpret Jewish writings.Students will explore the symbolism of the Eucharist and baptismStudents will practice their critical responses and apply their learning to questions about life and death.Students will begin to explore the connection between faith and morality. | A students who appreciates that there is more than one way of looking at a belief.A student who can see wisdom and meaning in beliefs other than their own and evaluate that belief in a believer’s everyday life. | Summative assessment through a longer written answer for AP2. |
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Summer |
Is God One? |
Building on our learning from year 7, students will investigate the concept of a Triune God in both Christianity and Hinduism.Students will consider the impact of this belief on religious practice and identity. Students will analyse a number of responses to these key beliefs and respond critcally.Students will reflect on what these beliefs mean for the individual believer.Students will begin to develop the skill of discernment. | A student who can explain different views about the nature of God and understand some of the theological arguments surrounding this issue. | Students will be invited to create a short drama which illustrates one of the beliefs about God. |
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Summer |
Is Pilgrimage important? |
Focusing on the Hajj pilgrimage and the importance of unity and submission for the Ummah.Students will also consider at least one other form of pilgrimage from the Christian or Hindu perspective.Students to appreciate different expressions of meaning by looking at the symbolism of the Hajj. Students to interrogate sources of authority and develop crticial responses.Students to hone their empathy skills though understanding the impact of pilgrimage on a believer’s life. | A student able to articulate their own ideas about the importance of pilgrimage. | A reflective written answer as evidence for AP2. |
Year 9 Curriculum plans
| Term | What are we learning? | What Knowledge, Understanding and Skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will these be assessed? |
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Autumn |
What does religion say about the environment? | Students will learn about the concepts of stewardship and ahimsa. They will apply this knowledge to modern situations and produce a short project about how these beliefs are put into practice. | Students will be able to articulate balanced arguments whilst showing an understanding that their view will not be shared by everyone. Students will be able to reflect on other peoples beliefs and understand the reasons for them, being able to reference and recognise the religious sources for these beliefs. | Throughout Year 9 students will be assessed through formative questioning and short written response in class, developing into longer written responses.Summative project on practical applicatin of Ahimsa or Stewardship. |
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Autumn |
Is it ever right to go to war? |
Students will learn about the concepts of Jihad and Pacificism based on religious sources of authority and their interpretationss.Students will encounter the stories of Desmond Doss and Gandhi as case studies.Students will evaluate the concept of Jihad.Students will begin to understand the role of the media in generating particular views of religious doctine. | Students that can relate at least two religious views about going to war.Students that can reflect on their past learning when encountering a new subject. | Summative assessment will be a short written reflective article for AP1.We will prepare for this final piece in class. |
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Spring |
Is marriage an outdated tradition? |
We will focus on the symbolism of marriage across a number of religious traditions culminating on the Christian marriage tradition and what it means in the New Testament.Students will further explore the role of the media in our understanding of these issues. | Students will be able to apply their critical and analytical skills to a key passage of Pauline Scripture.Students will evaluate how this fits in with modern ideas of patriarchy and marriage equality. | Students will write an evaluative article responding to an issue surrounding marriage. |
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Spring |
Has science replaced religion? |
Students will be given the opportunity to revisit work on Darwinism and Creation theory but also to consider how Science and Religion approach issues.Students will be given the opportunity to create their own research based arguments. | Students will be able to evaluate the consequences of religious belief on society. Students will be able to articulate their ideas in a reflective and respectful manner. | Written answer and student debate for AP2. |
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Summer |
How does belief change people? |
Students will learn about each persons personal religious ideas as well as the influence they have had on the world.Students will be able to bring their own knowledge of religious ideas and media representation, gained this year, to evaluate why and how each person has acted according to religious convictions. | Students who can discuss the actions and beliefs of people of faith in an articulate and empathetic way.Students who understand that religious beliefs have influenced and changed our world throughout history. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate the impact of religion on their own everyday lives. | Each student will produce a speech on their own chosen religious person of influence which will evaluate how their faith has driven them. Students will discuss their ideas in class and be assessed through questioning. |
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Summer |
How does society change belief? |
Students will consider aspects of religious practice that have changed over time.Building on the Year 9 History curriculum students will have the opportunity to study how Shoah has impacted on religious beliefs. | Students will be able to evaluate how religious belief changes over time and how culture and society is impactful. | Each student will produce a reflective essay on this topic. |
Year 10 Curriculum plans
| Term | What are we learning? | What Knowledge, Understanding and Skills will we gain? | What will excellence look like? | How will these be assessed? |
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Autumn |
Christianity: Key Beliefs and PracticesChristianity: The Role of the Church |
Understanding key Christian beliefs and practices by studying the incarnation and life of Jesus Christ and engaging with key sources of authority including the Bible.Students will also study Christian beliefs about the nature and existence of God.Students will investigate the rile of the church in the international and local community. | A reflective and empathetic student who can articulate their own thoughts and feelings whilst accepting that these are not shared by everyone. A student who is able to give a balanced argument on religious issues and also feels confident in their own opinion. | Students will be monitored throughout KS4 by questioning, a range of homework tasks, short quizzes and reflective written pieces to develop exam style skills.Summative written assessment every half term.Summative assessments will be a mixture of reflective writing and opinion pieces and exam answers towards the end of KS4. |
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Spring |
BuddhismKey beliefs and Practices |
Exploring Buddhist beliefs through the Life & teachings of the Buddha. Students will use the life of the Buddha as the basis for their understanding of his teachings.Students will engage with fundamental Buddhist sources of wisdom and authority Students will be encouraged to evaluate and reflect on Buddhist doctrines including dependant arising, the Eightfold Path and the Three marks of ExistenceEvaluating and reflecting on the diverse ways in which the Buddha’s teachings have been celebrated and interpreted. They will learn about Theravada, Mahayana and Pure Land Buddhism, the importance of Buddhist places of worship, puja and the significance of meditation within Buddhist practice.Exploring the impact of time and culture on religious beliefsExploring the impact of religion on culture and societyResponding imaginativelyUnderstanding identity and belongingIndependent learning | Students who can discuss ideas of faith and belief in a respectful way, whilst understanding that these ideas permeate the way we live everyday. | NULL |
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Spring |
The Buddhist Path |
Evaluating and reflecting on the diverse ways in which the Buddha’s teachings have been celebrated and interpreted. They will learn about Theravada, Mahayana and Pure Land Buddhism, the importance of Buddhist places of worship, puja and the significance of meditation within Buddhist practice.Exploring the impact of time and culture on religious beliefsExploring the impact of religion on culture and societyResponding imaginativelyUnderstanding identity and belongingIndependent learning | Students will be able to articulate the reasons behind particular Buddhist practices and reference sources in religious scriptures for these practices. Students will be able to reflect on the impact of these beliefs and evaluate their importance. | NULL |
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Summer |
Theme Choice 1 & 2 |
This will be a thematic approach to RS based on Student Voice in conversation with the teacher.Students will choose 4 from the following 6:Theme A: Relationships and families.Theme B: Religion and life.Theme C: The existence of God and revelation.Theme D: Religion, peace and conflict.Theme E: Religion, crime and punishment.Theme F: Religion, human rights and social justice.Students will be aware of ethical and philosophical approaches to these themes and a range of religious view points including a humanistic and atheistic view.Skills developed will include:Exploring a range of values and beliefsDeveloping EmpathyDeveloping Critical ResponsesExploring the connection between moral values and faithUnderstanding diversityResponding imaginativelySelf Reflection | A student who can clearly verbalise and write a balanced analysis of a range of religious viewpoints on their theme of choice. | Assessment will be through a mixture of presentation and exam question practice. |
