Watford Grammar School for Boys Religious Studies Scheme of Work
Title: The existence of God
Year group: 10
Term: spring 2/summer 1
Weeks: 5 weeks (9 lessons)
Key skill areas (related to levels for assessment): n/a
Resources: Student textbook, Guinness domino advert (on you tube), GCSE Christianity textbooks (in 102), Biblical versions of walking on water/feeding
of 5000
Learning
objectives
1 I will know
what we
mean by
atheist,
agnostic and
theist
Lesson
Possible activities
content
How do you
 Define proof, evidence,
prove things
reason, and experience.
exist?
 UFOs and Loch ness
How do you
monster – what is good
prove/reject
evidence
for
their
God?
existence?
What do we
 What is the difference
mean
by
between good and bad
atheist,
existence?
agnostic and
 Hot seating – each
theist?
student to explain their
view as an agnostic,
atheist and theist.
Homework ICT
Part
b
question
(3): what
does
atheist
mean?
1
SMRC
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
Literacy
Views of God
Interpretation
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Resources
Pg 8/9 of
Proof
the
Interpretation
textbook
Argument
Definitions
Key words: proof,
evidence, reason,
experience,
atheist, agonistic,
theist
2 I will know
what
the
cosmological
argument
means
What is the
first
cause
(cosmological
argument)?
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3 I will know What
is
the meaning teleological
of
the argument?
teleological
argument
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4 I will know
the
arguments
for
and
against the
cause and
design
arguments
What
are
strengths
and
weaknesses
in the first
cause
and
design
arguments?
How
does
the Big Bang
support
or

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
Watch the Guinness
domino advert.
Research the original
version of Aquinas’ view.
Strengths/weaknesses
Does
Genesis
1
support/reject
the
cosmological argument?
Show image of the
watch/hand in the GCSE
Christianity textbooks.
Explain why it is called
‘teleological’.
Students given different
objects and they are to
explain them using the
teleological argument
Compare Newton and
Paley’s arguments.
Students give ways the
Big supports and rejects
the first cause.
Debate
Hot seating – atheist to
argue against and theist
to argue in favour.
List arguments for and
against and students to
arrange them as relevant
Domino
advert
Research


Interpretation
Strengths
and
weaknesses



Research
another
version of
the design
argument
e.g.
Aquinas,
Newton

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2
Interpretation
Different views
Interpretation
Different views
Analysis,
Strengths
and
weaknesses
Key
words:
cosmological,
first cause, God
Pg 10/11
Guinness
advert (on
You tube)
Analysis,
strengths
and
weaknesses
Key
words:
teleological,
design, God
Page 12/13
GCSE
Christianity
textbooks
Debate
Pg 14/15
Key words: teleological,
first
cause,
design,
cosmological, God, Big
Bang, theist, atheist
challenge the
first cause?
How
does
evolution
challenge the
design
arguments?
What
are
theist views?
5 I will know What is a
how
miracle?
miracles
How
do
argue
for miracles
God’s
prove God’s
existence
existence?
6 I will be
able
to
argue
for
and against
miracles and
religious
experience
proving the
existence of
God
What are the
views
of
atheists and
agnostics
against
miracles?
What
are
theist
arguments
for
and
against
miracles?
What
are
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Define miracle
Define two types (pg 17)
Brainstorm how miracles
prove God exists
Use walking on water and
feeding of 5000 – how do
these
prove
God’s
existence?
Tables for and against
miracles proving God’s
existence
Hot seating as theists,
agnostics and atheists.
Silent debate
Debate
Part
c
“miracles
do
not
prove
God’s
existence”.
What do
you think?
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3
Definitions
Pg 16/17
God’s existence
Key
terms:
Miracles,
Biblical
Existence of a
existence, proof
versions of
higher being
the
feeding of
5000 and
walking on
water
Debate
Page 20/11
God’s existence
Key
terms:
religious
Existence of a
experience,
miracles,
higher being
Putting yourself theist, agnostic, atheist
in other shoes
7 I will know
how
the
morality
argument
proves the
existence of
God
8 I will know
the
arguments
for
and
against the
morality
argument
arguments
for
and
against
religious
experience?
What
are
theist
arguments in
favour
of
religious
experience?
What
is
morality?
What
is
conscience?
How
is
morality
used
to
prove God?
What are the
arguments
given
by
atheists and
agnostics
(anti)
and
theists (for)?
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Define morality
When do children begin
to have ‘morality’?
Read page 23
Using laptops brainstorm
arguments
for
and
against
Balloon debate – if you
had to choose someone
to get rid of in a balloon
debate who would you
choose and why?
Brainstorm arguments for
and against
Research Freud and his
view
Teach it! In 3’s atheist,
agnostic and theist teach
each other their view
Part
d: Lap tops
explains
the
argument
of morality
for
the
existence
of God.
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
Research
Freud
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4
God’s existence
Existence of a
higher being
When do we
become moral?
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Page 22/23
Definitions
Key
words:
Morality, God
God’s existence
Existence of a
higher being
When do we
become moral?
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Page 24/25
Debate
Key
words:
Freud, morality,
God,
theist,
agnostic, atheist
9 I will know
the
arguments
against
belief
for
the
existence of
God
Do
arguments
prove God’s
existence?
How
important is
faith to belief
in God?
Has science
replaced God
in explaining
mysteries?
How
does
evil challenge
the view of
God?
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
Produce a class survey Write up Class
survey
that
answers
these class
survey
questions.
Define faith
Part e questions: are
arguments
more
convincing than personal
experience? Does science
explain everything so that
God is no longer needed?
Debate: is God disproved
by evil and suffering?
5
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
Experience
Science
Evil and suffering
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Pg 26 - 28
Debate
Class survey
Exam questions
Key words: God,
faith,
belief,
personal
experience,
science,
mysteries, evil,
suffering