Wiltshire RE Starter Stimulus
Starter ideas for the following key question from the 2011 Agreed Syllabus:
KS2 12 Can religious teachings help us decide what is the best
way to live?
This resource aims to provide some stimulus images and ideas to help pupils begin to
address the above question.
It links to the following learning outcomes from p60 of the syllabus:
Pupils can:
• Identify personal, family, school values/codes for living which influence their own
behaviour
• Describe similarities and differences between the codes for living used by Christians
and at least one other religion or non-religious belief system
Many of the slides have notes to give suggestions for use. Look at the slide show in
Normal mode and look for the notes at the bottom of the page.
© Wiltshire Council /RE Today Services 2012
Images © RE Today Services. Permission given for their use in Wiltshire schools
Do you know any rules people should obey?
What kinds of rules are in…
• The Firework Code?
• The Highway Code?
• Rules for Football or Netball or Hockey or
Conkers?
• Your School Code?
Why do we have these rules?
Why is it good that we have them?
BIG
Book
Of
RULES
You are going to see four codes for living from
different religions.
Read them through carefully.
1. Try and work out what people must have been
doing, if their God or religious leader gave
them these rules.
2. Compare two different codes for living.
Identify at least three similarities and two
differences.
Judaism: The Ten Commandments
1. Put God first in your life.
2. Don’t love anything else more than you love God.
3. Respect God’s name.
4. Keep one day a week for rest and worship.
5. Have respect for your parents.
6. Don’t kill anyone.
7. When you’re married, don’t cheat on your partner.
8. Don’t steal.
9. Don’t tell lies.
10.Don’t be jealous of what other people have got.
Exodus Chapter 20
Christianity
Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments are:
Love God with all your heart, mind and strength.
Love your neighbour.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapters 5-7) he
also said that his followers should:
• Forgive others
• Treat people fairly
• Not judge others
• Be generous
• Love their enemies
• Speak honestly
• Not worry
Islam
The Holy Qur’an teaches Muslims to…
• Always love Allah first.
• Think about what Allah expects when
making decisions about what to do and
what not to do.
• Believe in God
• Keep on praying
• Give regularly to charity
• Keep your promises
• Be patient in times of suffering and
difficulty.
Chapter 2 v177
Sikhism
The teachings of Guru Nanak say:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
There is only one God
Worship and pray to the one God and to no one else
Remember God, work hard and help others.
God is pleased with honest work and true living.
Before God, there is not rich, no poor, no black or white.
Men and women are all equal before God.
Be kind to people, animals and birds.
Do not fear.
Do not frighten.
Always speak the truth.
Be simple in your food, dress and habits.
Suggestions for further activities:
1. Put all the rules onto separate cards and see if pupils can sort
them to the correct religion. This will help to show some of
the similarities and differences.
2. Ask pupils to consider the place of God in these rules. Why is
respect for God and worship of God so important in these
codes? What does it show about what matters to believers?
3. Many people think that rules for living are negative and
restrictive – “Don’t do this… Don’t do that”, as if God is some
kind of kill-joy. Most religious believers do not see it like this.
Can pupils think of any reasons why believers find the rules
helpful, even liberating, in their everyday lives? [Think about
how the rules of the road are not restrictive but helpful; think
about what it means if there is a creator God who loves
people, and who gives some guidelines for life.]
4. Imagine a world where everyone lies. Ask pupils to
write a diary entry for The Day Everybody Lied, starting
from the moment their alarm clock woke them up –
with the wrong time…. What would it be like?
5. Give out a selection of rules (from one religion or
several). Ask pairs of pupils to consider what would
happen if a) everybody kept that rule and b) everybody
broke the rule. Ask pupils to give concrete examples of
what might happen.
6. Ask pupils to put together and perform a Good News
report where people obey the kinds of rules reflected in
the religious codes for living. How would it affect
people?
7. Give groups of pupils nine rules on card; ask
them to sort them into a “Diamond 9”, with
the most important at the top and the least
important at the bottom. They need to take
turns in placing the rules, asking the person
next to them where they think it should go,
explaining why they think it is important or
not. They can move someone else’s card as
long as they say why.
8. Ask pupils to agree the top 4 rules for society.
Why are these important? What would you do
with people who do not obey the rules? Does
your idea for punishment fit in with your rules?
(i.e. if you talk about loving others or being fair,
is your punishment loving or fair?)