Download Topic chart Units Religious Education topics Content

Topic chart
Units
Religious Education topics
Content
Unit 1: Introduction
Messages and methods of communication
Ways of communicating important messages
Sacred books in worship
Sacred books are read in Jewish, Christian, Muslim
and Sikh worship
Sacred books and communities
The significance of sacred texts to many faiths and
religious communities
Places of worship
The interiors of a synagogue, a cathedral, a mosque
(the madrasah) and a gurdwara
The Torah
The composition and copying of the Torah
(e,g. laws, history, poetry and stories)
The Ten Commandments
Moses and the giving of the Ten Commandments:
rules for living
The Tenach: the Hebrew Bible
The composition of the Hebrew Bible
Places of worship: the synagogue
A Torah scroll read in a synagogue
Worship
Community
Synagogue worship
Jewish stories
The importance of stories, such as the Creation,
David and Goliath and Jonah
Creation
A short version of the story of the creation of
the world
God and humankind
A reading of the Shepherd’s Song (Psalm 23 in
the Christian Bible)
Forgiveness
Standing up for beliefs
The story of Jonah
The Bible
The writing of the New Testament
Jesus the Jew and the scriptures he read
The Old and New Testaments
The composition of the Christian Bible: the Old and
New Testaments
The Gospels
The life of Jesus
The life of Jesus
The Epistles/The early Church
The spread of the Early Church
The Epistles or letters written to the Early Church
Jesus the teacher/Parables
Jesus the teacher: the importance of parables
Places of worship: churches
The Bible being read in churches
Bible translation and distribution
The worldwide Church
The story of Mary Jones’ Bible
Translation in Papua New Guinea
The influence of the Bible
Beliefs about God: love and forgiveness
Christians who have made a difference
(e.g. Dr Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa)
Unit 2: Judaism
Unit 3: Christianity
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Units
Religious Education topics
Content
Unit 4: Islam
The Qur’an
Holy book of Islam revealed to Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) over 1400 years ago in
Makkah, Arabia
Allah’s words written in Arabic to guide people
Makkah
Life in Makkah at the time of Muhammad
(peace be upon him)
The Ka’bah
Previous messengers of Allah
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
the final messenger
Revelation of the Qur’an
Oral tradition
Calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy
Keeping the message accurate
Muslims show great respect for the Qur’an.
Studying the Qur’an
Contents of the Qur’an- the surahs
Mosque schools
Messages from the Qur’an on how to live
Work of a Hafiz
Ibadah
How people put Allah’s guidance
into practice
The Guru Granth Sahib
The ten human Sikh Gurus
The final and everlasting Guru
Origins of Sikhism
Written in Gurmukhi
Teachings of the Gurus
Guru Nanak
Guru Gobind Singh
Teachings
Stories of Guru Nanak
The story of the time when Guru Nanak vanished
The story of the Great Feast
Teachings from the Guru Granth Sahib
The Mool Mantra
Equality
Kirat karna
Gurdwara
Respect shown to the Guru Granth Sahib in
gurdwaras
The Guru Granth Sahib being read in services
of worship
Granthi
Akhand Path
Putting teachings into practice
Sewa
The story of Bhai Ghanaya
Khalsa Aid
Unit 5: Sikhism
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Unit 4: Islam
The Qur’an: Instructions for life
Islam is the second largest religion in the world with over
one billion followers. The UK 2001 census recorded
1 591 000 Muslims living in the UK, this is around 2.7 per
cent of the population (office for National Statistics, 2001
figures; Muslim population).
There are several different groups of Muslims, but all
of them, in every country and community, regard their
faith as a bond between them and as a major part of
their identity.
The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam and has a great
impact on the lives of the millions of Muslims across the
world. It was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) over 1400 years ago in Makkah, Arabia.
Because Islam began in an Arabic speaking country, the
Qur’an is written in the Arabic language. When Muslims
talk about God they call him Allah, the Arabic name for
God. Muslims believe that the Qur’an contains Allah’s
words, as dictated to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by
the Angel Jibril (Gabriel). For Muslims, the Qur’an is a set
of instructions and the supreme authority on how to live
life. It guides Muslims in their worship of Allah as well as
relationships between people and all aspects of life.
Muslims believe that Islam has always existed, but for
practical purposes, date their religion from the time of
the migration of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to Madinah
where he set up the first Muslim community. Muslims
base their laws on the Qur’an and the Sunnah, which is
the practical example of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Pupils are asked to consider how guidance can help
them in aspects of their life. This helps to set the scene
for consideration of teachings and authority in Islam,
considering what sacred books say about God, the world
and life.
Muslims show great respect for the Qur’an. They do not
handle it more than is necessary. Many Muslims prefer to
see it placed very high and wrapped in cloth for storage.
They would never place it on the floor or write in it. Many
Muslims believe you should be very clean yourself when
handling it.
In order to avoid anxiety about handling the Qur’an, a
non-Muslim is advised to always use a translation. Even
though a translation is not the actual Qur’an, it should
still be treated with great respect because it still conveys
the same meaning. Storage of Qur’ans, including
translated books, should always be respectful so it is
suggested you do not leave these items on displays in
classrooms or corridors. Wrap the books and store them
in a safe, clean place. Some Muslims are also very
worried about the disposal of photocopies of texts of
the Qur’an; the use of on-screen text will help you to
avoid these concerns.
The gift of the Qur’an: Part one
Muslims believe that, over time, many messengers, or
prophets, and books were given by Allah to guide people
on how to live and have the right relationship with
Allah. People did not always listen to the messages or
they forgot them. The long list of Allah’s prophets in the
Qur’an begins with Prophet Adam and includes Prophets
Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Dawud
(David) and Isa (Jesus). Muslims believe each prophet had
a message, for the time in which he lived, to bring people
back to Allah and that Muhammad (pbuh) was the final
prophet with a message to last until the end of time.
Muhammad (pbuh) lived in Makkah, a city that had a
good supply of water and was the centre of many trade
routes across the desert. Muslims believe that Makkah
was also a special city to Allah as a special building there
called the Ka’bah (an Arabic word that means ‘the cube’)
was built there. It had been built as a place to worship
Allah by Prophet Ibrahim and his son Prophet Ishmael,
many centuries before the life of Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh). However, by the time that Muhammad (pbuh)
was born, the use of the Ka’bah had been changed
by many Arab tribes who travelled through or set up
businesses in the city and had become a place to worship
their many tribal gods. Makkah was not a place based on
an Islamic way of life and was full of sinners, dishonesty,
slavery and cruelty.
Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was chosen
to be a special messenger, passing on Allah’s words to
all people because he was wise, honest and concerned
about other people and society. Every year, during the
month of Ramadan, Muhammad (pbuh) went to a
cave outside the city, on Mount Hira, to think about
the meaning of his life and what was happening in
his community.
The gift of the Qur’an: Part two
This page continues the story of the revelation of the
Qur’an. It explains that, during the month of Ramadan
while Muhammad (pbuh) was spending time in thought
and prayer in the cave, he was visited by the Angel Jibril
who began to reveal Allah’s words to him – a great and
final message that Allah wanted the prophet to take
to his people. These first special words explain that
Muslims believe Allah created the world and has helped
human beings to develop since Creation. The first
words emphasise Allah as creator of all and as
humanity’s teacher.
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‘Read in the name of your Lord who created, created
man from a clot. Read, for your Lord is most generous,
Who teaches by means of the pen, teaches man what
he does not know (sura 96, verses 1–5).
Muslims call that night, when the Angel first visited
Muhammad (pbuh), Laylat al-Qadr (the night of power),
because the power of Allah’s message was being
revealed to all people.
Muhammad (pbuh) was not unusual in being unable to
read at the time when he lived, although memorizing
the Qur’an was a huge task and a weighty responsibility.
Today, in the west, little regard is given to an oral
tradition, but before people were able to learn to write
they had to memorise what they were told. Indeed, in
some parts of the world today, those who hold the oral
history of their people are held in great respect. Pupils
might investigate the West African tradition of griots
(travelling poets, musicians and storytellers), who are
still held in great regard.
The notepad pages encourage pupils to learn a short
poem or set of instructions off by heart in order to
appreciate the effort and concentration required.
They will also be able to consider how distractions can
hamper their efforts and how long they are able to hold
information in their heads.
The passing of Allah’s message
It took Muhammad (pbuh) 23 years to commit all of
Allah’s messages to his memory. Pupils might consider
how this responsibility would make him concerned to
ensure the message stayed accurate and was able to
be transmitted to the people of Makkah. The Qur’an
contains over 6000 verses making 114 surahs, or sections,
written in Arabic. Each surah is given a name. All the
surahs except for one start with, ‘In the name of Allah
the most merciful and the most kind’, the thought with
which Muslims believe they should start everything they
do. The arrangement of surahs in the Qur’an does not
correspond to the chronological order in which they
were revealed by the Angel Jibril.
In the clip, the names of some surahs are seen on the film
scrolling upwards in Arabic and in English. Pause the clip
in the appropriate places so that pupils can locate the
names for surahs 22, 29, 40, 54, 71. The names of these
are shown on notepad page two.
It is explained to pupils on notepad page three that the
narrator uses the words ‘peace be upon him’ after the
name of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Muslims often
use this phrase in Arabic or in English after the names
of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or the other Prophets of
Allah. Muslims believe Adam, Abraham (Ibrahim) and
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Jesus (Isa) were all Prophets of Allah and so these words
would be used after their names as a mark of respect to
them all.
Making Allah’s words beautiful
Qur’anic or Islamic calligraphy is a special form of
artistic writing using the Arabic script. Calligraphy
became important in many Muslim societies because
images of people and animals are not usually used by
Muslims in decorative art as many Muslims believe those
images should not be reproduced. The main difference
between Christian and Islamic illuminations is the use of
images of people and animals in Christian art.
Calligraphy designs can be found on the outside and
interiors of buildings in the Muslim world, particularly in
mosques, on coins, on vases and pots, on jewellery and
to produce beautiful books, especially the Qur’an. For
example, beautifully decorated Qur’anic verses can be
seen on the exterior walls of the Taj Mahal, a very famous
Muslim building in Agra in India, where the words of the
Qur’an have been created from jasper inlaid into white
marble panels.
Reciting the Qur’an
It is extremely important to Muslims that the message
of Allah in the Qur’an is passed on without any changes.
This is because they are the actual word of Allah and
Muslims have the responsibility to keep the words as
they were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Following the example of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),
many Muslims around the world want to learn to recite
the Qur’an from memory and this film introduces
pupils to a young Hafiz, who explains how the work of
memorising the entire Qur’an helps to keep the Qur’an
identical to the message Allah sent to the world.
The maintenance of an oral tradition in Islam is therefore
important to ensure that the words of the Qur’an do not
change. Muslims do not consider that translations of
the Qur’an into languages other than Arabic produces
an identical text as they appreciate that the language
change may change the original message, even by subtle
nuances of meaning. This is why learning Arabic is an
important part of a Muslim’s development or growth
within their faith.
Pupils might compare the importance placed on keeping
the words of a sacred book from changing in Islam
with that of Judaism. What happens when books are
translated? Do pupils think that opens up the text to a
risk of changing?
Learning the Qur’an
This clip shows Abdul, a young Muslim living in Wales,
and other young Muslims going to mosque school to
learn to read the Qur’an in Arabic. Abdul also wants to
learn the Qur’an by heart and to become a Hafiz.
Many young Muslims around the world attend mosque
school to learn Arabic, to learn the Qur’an and to learn
more about their faith. There may be members of
the school who attend your local mosque - perhaps
they would be happy to explain how their lessons are
organised, show some of their books and read some
Arabic to the class.
Following the teaching in the Qur’an
For believers of all faiths, once you have learned the
teaching of a faith, putting beliefs into practice in daily
life at all ages is an important challenge. This clip shows
three young London Muslims talking about how they put
the Muslim teaching of Ibadah into practice. For them
Ibadah means respect and is an important message of
the Qur’an that they try to follow in their lives.
There are broader and more adult definitions of Ibadah
all relating to obedience to Allah and carrying out his
commands, being mindful of his teachings in all that you
do. So worship can be Ibadah as can obedience to other
commands of Allah.
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Curriculum grid
Unit 1: Introduction
Page
Learning objective
QCA link
Sending important
messages
To stimulate thought about the variety
of ways through which people send
important messages and to consider the
sorts of message which we would think of
as important
The special books of
four religions
To know that the Torah, the Bible, the
Qur’an and the Guru Granth Sahib are
seen by Jews, Christians, Muslims and
Sikhs respectively as sacred books
containing important messages about
God and humankind
Learning about religion: a, c, e, g
Page
Learning objective
QCA link
Introducing the Torah
To learn what the Torah is and to note the
significance Torah scrolls have in Jewish
life and worship
Learning about religion: b, e, g
NC
En3 1a
Choose form and
content to suit a
particular purpose
Learning from religion: a, c, e
Themes: e, f, k, l
Experiences & opportunities: q
Unit 2: Judaism
NC
Learning from religion: a
Themes: e, f, g, k
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
The story of Creation
Moses and the Ten
Commandments
The Commandments
To become familiar with the first creation
story in the first book of the Torah and the
sense of awe it engenders in the natural
world
Learning about religion: a, e, f
En1 3a
Learning from religion: c, e
Talk effectively, make
relevant contributions
To consider whether laws and rules are
essential for humankind and to learn
that the Ten Commandments are about
people’s attitudes to God and human
beings
Learning about religion: a, b, e, f, g
En1 3a
Learning from religion: c, e
Talk effectively, make
relevant contributions
To consider which laws or rules are the
most important for human beings to l
ive by
Learning about religion: a, b, e, f
Themes: e, f, i
Experiences & opportunities: o, q
Themes: e, f, i, k
Experiences & opportunities: o, q
Learning from religion: b, c, d
Themes: f, i, k
Experiences & opportunities: o, q
The story of David
and Goliath
To understand the significance of David
as a great leader of Israel and to reflect on
the theme of his courage and faith
Learning about religion: a, g
En2 4a
Learning from religion: c, d, e
Recognise choice
use and effect of
language
Themes: f, j
Experiences & opportunities: o, p
En3 1d
Use and adapt the
features of a form of
writing
The story of Jonah
To enjoy the story and discover the
what Jonah learnt about God’s love and
forgiveness
Learning about religion: a, e, f
En1 4b, 4d
Learning from religion: c, d
To participate in
drama activities
and evaluate their
own and others’
contributions
Themes: e, f, j, k
Experiences & opportunities: o, p, q
The Shepherd Song
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To explore the message of this poem
and the reasons that is a source of
encouragement to many people at times
of difficulties
Learning about religion: a, e, f, g
En3 1a
Learning from religion: c, e
Choose form and
content to suit a
particular purpose
Themes: e, f, i, j
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
Unit 3: Christianity
Page
Learning objective
QCA link
NC
The Christian Bible: The
New Testament
To learn that for Jesus and his followers
the Hebrew scriptures, later called by
Christians the Old Testament, were
important.
Learning about religion: a, c, g
En3 1a
Learning from religion: c
Choose form and
content to suit a
particular purpose
To understand that the New Testament
is about Jesus and the first Christians
The life of Jesus
To find out about the key events in the
life of Jesus, as portrayed in the Gospels
Themes: f, j
Experiences & opportunities: q
Learning about religion: a, c, g
Learning from religion: c
Themes: f, j
Experiences & opportunities: q
The Gospels: Four
books about Jesus
To understand the nature of the four
Gospels and the way they were written.
Learning about religion: a, e, g
En3 1a
Learning from religion: c, d, e
Choose form and
content to suit a
particular purpose
Themes: f, i, j
Experiences & opportunities: o, p
The Parable of the Lost
Son
To find out about parables and the
message of God’s love expressed in this
parable
Learning about religion: a, e, g
En1 3a
Learning from religion: c, d, e
Make contributions
relevant to the topic
Themes: f, i, j
Experiences & opportunities: o, p
Versions of the Bible
The first Christians
Mary Jones’ Bible
To compare different language
expressions of a biblical story in order
to understand why translations are
updated
Learning about religion: a, d, e
To learn how the early Church grew
throughout the Roman empire and the
letters (epistles) which were circulated
in Christian communities
Learning about religion: a
En3 1a
Learning from religion: a, e
Choose form and
content to suit a
particular purpose
To recognise that it has been important
for Christians to obtain translations of
the Bible written in their own languages
Learning about religion: a, e, g
En1 3a
Learning from religion: b, c, d, e
Themes: f, i, j, k
Make contributions
relevant to the topic
Experiences & opportunities: o, p
En2 5g
Learning from religion: a, b
Themes: f, l
Experiences & opportunities: s
Themes: f, i, j
Experiences & opportunities: o, p
Engage with
challenging and
demanding subject
matter
Translating the Bible
today
The influence of the
Bible
To discover how Bible translation in
Papua New Guinea has enabled one
group of people to have their language
written down for the first time
Learning about religion: a, b, d, e, g
To consider the impact which Jesus and
the teaching of the Bible has had on
individuals such as Thomas Barnado,
Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and
Dame Cecily Saunders
Learning about religion: a, b, d, e, g
En1 2b
Learning from religion: a, b, c, e
Ask relevant
questions to clarify
and follow up ideas
Learning from religion: a, b, c, e
Themes: e, f, i, j
Experiences & opportunities: o, p
Themes: e, f, i, j
Experiences & opportunities: o, p
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Unit 4: Islam
Page
Learning objective
QCA link
NC
The Qur’an:
Instructions for life
To learn that the Qur’an provides Muslims
with a set of instructions for life.
Learning about religion: a, b, d, e, g
En1 3a
Learning from religion: a, c, e
To learn that the Qur’an is written in Arabic
Themes: e, f, h, i, l, m
To understand why Muslims treat the
Qur’an with respect
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
Make contributions
relevant to the topic
and take turns in
discussion
To reflect on the sources of support and
authority pupils have in their lives
The gift of the Qur’an:
Part one
To learn that Muslims believe Allah sent
messages to the world before Muhammad
Learning about religion: a, c, g
To understand that Makkah was a special
city and the Ka’bah was a place built to
worship Allah before Muhammad.
Themes: e, f, j, k
Learning from religion: c, d, e
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
To understand that the people had
turned against worship of Allah and
Allah’s teachings
To appreciate that Muslims believe
Muhammad was chosen to be Allah’s
messenger because he was good
The gift of the Qur’an:
Part two
To learn that the Angel Jibril brought
Muhammad a special message from Allah
to give to all people
To appreciate that because Muhammad
was not able to read and write he had to
learn the message
Learning about religion: a, g
En2 8c
Learning from religion: c, d, e
Read good quality
modern poetry
Themes: e, f, j, k
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
To know that this night is called ‘Laylat
al-Qadr’, the night of power
The passing of Allah’s
message
To learn that it took many years for all
Allah’s messages to be collected and that
these are organised in the Qur’an into
‘surahs’
To understand that Muslims get guidance
from the Qur’an for their lives
Making Allah’s words
beautiful
Reciting the Qur’an
Learning the Qur’an
Learning about religion: a, e, g
Learning from religion: a, b, c, e
Themes: e, f, i, j, k, m
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
To learn about the use of calligraphy in
the Muslim world
Learning about religion: a, b, c, e, g
En3 1e
Learning from religion: a, c, e
To know some Islamic art conventions
Themes: e, f, i, k, l
To appreciate the work of the calligrapher
Experiences & opportunities: p, q, r
Use features of layout
and presentation
effectively
To know about the work of a Hafiz
Learning about religion: a, e, g
To reflect on the importance of keeping
the message of a sacred book unchanged
Learning from religion: a, b, c, e
To appreciate and respect an oral tradition
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
To understand the importance to Muslims
around the world of learning to read and
write Arabic
Learning about religion: a, b, c, e, g
Themes: e, f, i, j, k, m
Learning from religion: a, c, e
Themes: e, f, i, k, l
Experiences & opportunities: p, q, r
Following the
teaching in the
Qur’an
To know that putting Allah’s teaching
from the Qur’an into practice in daily life
is important to Muslims
To learn about the teaching Ibadah
To understand how Muslims put the
teachings into practice in daily life
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Learning about religion: a, b, c, e, g
En1 3a
Learning from religion: a, c, e
Make contributions
relevant to the topic
and take turns in
discussion
Themes: e, f, i, k, l
Experiences & opportunities: p, q, r
Unit 5: Sikhism
Page
Learning objective
QCA link
NC
The final and
everlasting Guru
To know there were 10 human Gurus and
that the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy
book, is the last Guru
Learning about religion: a, e, f, g
En2 4f
Learning from religion: a, e
Consider poetic forms
and their effects
To know Guru Nanak’s teachings about
God and the Mool Mantra
Themes: e, f, i, j, k
Experiences & opportunities: p, q,
To understand that Sikhs treat the Guru
Granth Sahib with great respect
Sikh teachings about
God
Guru Nanak and the
Great Feast
To appreciate that equality is important
to Sikhs
Learning about religion: a, b, e, g
En1 3a
Learning from religion: a, b, c
To know that this story explores Sikhs
teachings about God
Themes: e, f, h, i, j
Make contributions
relevant to the topic
and take turns in
discussion
To learn how this story demonstrates
Sikh teachings of Kirat Karna
Learning about religion: a, b, e, g
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
Learning from religion: a, b, c
Themes: e, f, h, i, j
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
Teaching how to live
your life
To reflect on some core teachings of
Sikhism from the Guru Granth Sahib
Learning about religion: a, b, e, g
En1 3a
Learning from religion: a, b, c, d, e
Make contributions
relevant to the topic
and take turns in
discussion
Themes: e, f, i, j, k, l
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
En3 2
Develop their writing
Respecting the Guru
Granth Sahib
Following the Guru’s
teaching
The story of Bhai
Ghanaya
To learn about the respect shown to the
Guru Granth Sahib in a gurdwara
Learning about religion: a, e, f, g
En1 3a
Learning from religion: a, e
To know the central place of the Guru
Granth Sahib in worship
Themes: e, f, i, j, k
Make contributions
relevant to the topic
and take turns in
discussion
To understand that Sewa is an important
Sikh practice
Learning about religion: a, b, e, g
To know about the work of Khalsa Aid
Themes: e, f, i, j, k, l, m
To reflect on how Sikhs can put their
beliefs into practice in the world today
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
To know how this story exemplifies
putting Sikh beliefs into practice
Learning about religion: a, b, e
Experiences & opportunities: p, q
Learning from religion: a, b, c, d, e
Learning from religion: a, b, c, d
Themes: e, f, j, k, m
Experiences & opportunities: o, p, q
What have we
learned?
To recall, reinforce and assess
understanding of information covered
across all four sacred books
Learning about religion: a, b, c, g
Learning from religion: a, c, e
Themes: e, f, g, i, k
Experiences & opportunities: q
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