Wiltshire RE Starter Stimulus
Starter ideas for the following key question from the 2011 Agreed Syllabus:
KS2 15 How and why do believers care for others and
the world?
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 p.63 of the syllabus:
Pupils can:
iv. Ask some questions and suggest some answers about what different
people believe about creation and the natural world, including non-religious
perspectives
v. Make links between their own values about nature and the idea of God as
creator of the world.
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
Images © RE Today Services; permission given for their use in Wiltshire schools
A story from Judaism
There are two men at sea in a boat. One takes
out a drill and begins to drill a hole in the
bottom of the boat. The other protests. “What
are you doing? Stop!”
The first replies, “Why should I stop? I’m
drilling under my own seat.”
• Individually, write a list of adjectives to describe the person
drilling under his seat.
• Compare your ideas. Which do you agree on?
• How would you sum up this man’s attitude?
• What do you think the meaning or message of the story
is? Summarise in one sentence.
• Is the message true or false? Explain your views to a
partner.
How are we connected?
Make a list of as many ways as possible in which people are
connected.
Use these words of Martin Luther King to help get a
discussion started:
‘When we arise in the morning we go to
the bathroom and reach for the soap
created by a European. At the table we
drink coffee from the South American,
or tea provided by a Chinese. Before we
leave for work we are already beholden
to more than half the world.’
Think about human impact on the
environment
Have a look at the 6 ideas on the next slide.
For each one,
• comment on why it is a good thing
• comment on how it can also cause problems
• then add a statement about taking responsibility –
“To make a better environment, we need…”
You could set it out like this:
What humans
have done
This is a good
thing because…
This can cause
To make a better
problems when… environment, we
need…
Many religious believers say that the world is a gift from God, the
Creator.
Imagine this is true. How might this creator God respond to the
way human beings have treated the earth?
Write a letter, as if from this Creator, to human beings.
What would the letter say? What
questions might the Creator ask…?
Remember, it is not all bad – humans
have done some amazing things to
use nature to support life on earth.
How do you think a religious believer should treat
the planet and its resources? In groups, come up
with a list of do’s and don’ts.
On the next slide are six comments from
individuals who follow a religion. How many of
your ideas can you find in these quotations?
Does anything surprise you about what they say?
What and why?
You cannot say that all Buddhists or Christians etc
will agree with the comments on the next slide,
but you get a flavour of a religious response to the
environment. What would it be like if more people
followed these ideas? Why don’t we treat the
earth more carefully?
I believe that God created
the world and everything in
Recognising
it. Humans have a
interdependence is an
responsibility to show their
important thing within
love for God by showing
Buddhism. Caring for the
their love for others and for
world in which we live is
the world. We in Britain
an expression of
have too much whilst other
compassion, an essential
countries don’t have
component of the Buddhist enough. There’s no justice
way of life.
in that. Christians need to
Divijata be involved in making
things fairer.
Dominic
I’m a vegetarian because
of my religion, Hinduism,
which teaches that the
divine spirit is in everything
– human, animal, even
rivers, trees and mountains.
To respect God you have to
respect the world.
Amita
I think that the beauty of
the world and the universe
shows how wonderful and
powerful Allah, the creator,
is. It is my responsibility to
do nothing that can spoil
what
the Creator has made.
The planet is a living thing
that God created for us but
also for all other species.
Our Sikh holy book says we
should live a simple life.
This puts less strain on the
environment. For example,
being vegetarian uses fewer
resources than eating meat.
The Jewish Bible tells us to
preserve the balance of
creation. Every species
was created for a purpose
and
therefore to lose a species
is to lose something of
God’s purpose for us.