Year 3 and 4
How do people show a commitment to a faith?
ATT 1: Learning about religion and belief
What happens in faith commitment ceremonies?
Engage
(Week 1)
What does it
mean to make a
commitment?
What
commitments do
we make?
ATT 2: Learning from religion and belief
What does commitment mean to me and what commitments have I
made?
Choose a whole class reward/fun activity that your class would enjoy/ you’re happy with.
Set a challenge in which the class will need to work together to achieve the goal. It should be something which will
require them to persevere. Ask the children if they would like ‘the reward’ and say they can have it if they complete
the challenge.
T- Would you like the reward? Well you can if you complete the challenge. It will need all of you to be committed to
achieving the goal and gaining the reward.
Possible challenge: to build a lego/similar model following instructions. Both the parts of the model and the
instructions will be split up and spread out so each child holds a part of the ‘puzzle’ and they must work together to
complete it.
After the challenge, start a class discussion about what commitment means.
T - So, thinking about the challenge, what does commitment mean? Brainstorm the ideas to keep as a reminder.
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Overcoming difficulties
Keep going
Working together
T - What sort of things are you committed to? Sport, dancing, clubs (brownies/cubs), family, friends, schoolwork.
What things do you have to do to show you are committed?
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Make promises
Practice in your own time
Turn up to practice/lessons
Avoid temptation to not keep it a priority (eg. miss an important session because your mates invited to hang
out)
Introduce the key question: How do people show a commitment to a faith?
Enquire
Re-introduce the key question by showing the class brainstorm on the meaning of commitment.
(Week 2)
T – do any of you know a way in which a person shows commitment to a faith/religion? If not, do you think there
might be any similarities to the way you show commitment to your clubs etc (brownie/cub ceremonies).
Develop questions
with the children
that will help
them answer the
key question.
Explore
( End of week 2
and weeks 3 & 4)
Investigate
religious
commitment
ceremonies:
Introduce the three focus religious ceremonies; Amrit, Bar Mitzvah, Confirmation.
What would we like to find out about these ceremonies?
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Who takes part in the ceremony
What happens? Why do they do it that way?
Are promises made?
Does it change the person?
Do they have to wear anything special?
Use internet and books to investigate what happens in each ceremony. You may find it easier to dedicate sessions to a
certain ceremony eg. Today we will investigate – Amrit.
It might help focus the research if pupils are given a template research sheet to fill in.
Online sources:
Bar Mitzvah
(Judaism)
Amrit (Sikhism)
Confirmation
(Christianity)
Evaluate
(Week 5)
Responding to,
analysing and
evaluating what
they have learned
– have we
answered our
Refer back to the enquiry stage. Have we answered our questions? As a class, discuss what we have learnt about the
ceremonies. This could be done through basic Q & A. Refer back to the classes ideas from lesson 2 about what
commitment means (Overcoming difficulties, Keep going, Working together)
Create a large table (on sugar paper?) with two columns. One headed similarities and the other differences. As a
class, discuss what the ceremonies have in common and fill in the column appropriately. Now do the same for the
differences.
questions?
REFLECT: Children to think of a club or similar (could be Homefield community or their own family) that they are
part of and what responsibilities they have to that club. Children could write one ‘promise’ that they would like to
keep as part of their commitment to that group.
Express
The final task is introduced.
(Week 5 &6)
Expressing
knowledge and
understanding –
children answer
the key question
Give the children an imaginary set of beliefs (for possible ideas see below). In a small group, children create their
own ‘commitment ceremony ’ for people who follow the imaginary set of beliefs. They should have some reasoning
behind what they choose to include and how it links to the beliefs.
Create a poster for the school to promote being committed to aiming high. The poster could include a catchphrase
and should highlight some of the meaning of commitment and how it can be shown.
Assessment - Using the level descriptors below, level each child using a best fit method over the whole of this unit.
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
The following level descriptors are covered within this
unit if work:
The following level descriptors are covered within this unit if
work:
The following level descriptors are covered within this unit if
work:
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Use religious words and phrases to identify
some aspects of religion and say why they are
important to their followers.
Talk about things that some religious people
have in common and things that are different.
Talk about what some religious words or
symbols mean.
Give a simple reason to say why they have a
particular belief.
Talk about the questions a story from a religion
or worldview might make them ask.
Talk about what is important to them and
others with respect for their feelings.
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Describe simply what a believer might learn from
religious stories, practices and worldviews.
Describe simply some things that are the same and
different for people who follow religions and
worldviews.
Use some words and symbols from religions and
beliefs appropriately and independently.
Give a reason to say why their affect their lives
and compare with other people’s experience.
Ask questions about religion and belief and explore
different answers to them.
Identify similarities and differences about things
that influence them and others.
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Describe the impact of religion and belief on peoples’
lives.
Through their own lines of enquiry, describe and
compare what it is like to belong to different religious
groups and worldviews.
Use words and symbols from religions and beliefs
correctly when providing descriptions and explanations.
Use more than one reason to support their view and
begin to make use of principles to support their view
about religion or belief.
Provide and be open to a simple challenge to their own
views.
Ask questions about the meaning of life, and moral
decisions and suggest answers which take into account
the views of religious believers and those who hold a
worldview.
Give reasons why some people inspire or influence them
or others.