Who were the Sikh Gurus?
Learning objective – to be able to
evaluate the role of the Gurus in the Sikh
faith.
I can describe the
most
important
Gurus and know what
they did.
Level 3
I can explain the
significance of some
of the Sikh Gurus
and able to justify
my ideas.
Level 5
I can evaluate the work
of the Sikh Gurus and
make judgements about
how important their
work is to the Sikh faith.
Level 6
Starter – What makes a great
teacher?
Who was the Guru Nanak Sahib Ji?
Guru Nanak Sahib Ji founded Sikhism
and wrote many of the teachings in the
Guru Granth Sahib.
He was born in 1469 into a Hindu family
but did not want to get tied down in the
Hindu faith. He argued that it was
internal factors that were more
important than external ones in
influencing someone’s beliefs.
How did Guru Nanak Sahib Ji
experience at the river change him?
Guru Nanak Sahib Ji went with a friend
to bathe and relax by the river near his
home. However, Guru Nanak went
missing and no one could find him.
However, after three days, Guru Nanak
emerged out of the river unharmed. He
explained while he was in the river, he
had a powerful feeling of being swept
into God’s presence and that he realised
that the only important thing was to
follow the One God and religious labels
had no significance or meaning.
What did Guru Nanak Sahib Ji after his
river experience?
Guru Nanak Sahib Ji travelled 30,000
miles across India spreading the
message of One God and worshipping in
simple ways.
Many of his teachings are recorded in
the Guru Granth Sahib.
Who are the Gurus?
Guru Nanak Sahib Ji nominated his best
student to be the next Guru to follow
him.
This set a tradition of Gurus nominating
their best student to follow them. There
were ten Gurus in all lasting right up to
1708.
Each Guru followed Guru Nanak’s
teachings but added something new to
the Sikh faith.
Main Task
The ten Gurus are all trapped on an island. On the island is a volcano, which
has erupted and lava is threatening to cover the entire island. You have a
chance to save some of the Gurus. However, there is a catch, your boat is
too small to save all the Gurus, there is room for only 5 Gurus – any more
the boat will sink.
Which 5 Gurus would you save? Base your judgements on who are the most
important and what they have offered to the Sikh faith. Explain each of your
judgements based on the information sheet provided.
Extension Task
Design a job description for an ‘Eleventh Guru’.
• What qualities would you be looking for?
• What teachings would you look for the Guru to lead?
• What kind of leadership do you want your ‘Eleventh Guru’ to
show?
Plenary
To summarise your learning this lesson, create
an acrostic using the words – GURU NANAK