Wiltshire RE Syllabus
Medium Term planner
Year: 3 and 4
Term: Autumn
Theme
Religion: Christianity/Hinduism
Key Question: What are the deeper meanings of festivals?
Learning Objectives:
 Identify the differences between religious festivals and other types of
celebrations
 Ask and respond to questions raised by the stories behind religious festivals.
 Connect stories, symbols and beliefs with what happens at Harvest, Divali,
Advent and Christmas.
 Identify similarities and differences in the way festivals are celebrated.
 Use religious vocabulary, symbols, art, music, dance, drama, ICT to express
their understanding of the meaning of religious festivals for believers.
 Express their own responses to the values and beliefs at the heart of each
festival studied, using a variety of media.
Step 1: Engagement AT2 (1 lesson)
 Show a Photo Story 3 film; photos of Harvest, Divali, Advent and Christmas.
Discuss what we will be learning.
What are the festivals we celebrate and why?
 Talk about the times we celebrate in personal life and also in the community.
Why do we celebrate these times? Discuss the festival as those of
Christianity and Hinduism.
 What questions do the children have about these festivals?
Step 2: Investigation AT1 (3 lessons)
What are the meanings behind the key festivals?
 Look at the stories behind key religious festivals: Christmas, Harvest, Advent,
Divali (Hinduism Festival of light). How believers express the meaning of
religious festivals through symbols, sounds, actions, story and rituals. (2
lessons) Groups to create presentations about a given festival. Children must
include the use of ICT, Drama, Music and Art.
What are the Similarities and differences of the key festivals?
 Children to show presentations and discuss the similarities and differences
between the way festivals are celebrated. Study key elements of festival:
shared values, story, beliefs, hopes and commitments. Record this through
photos and annotate pictures with speech bubbles to show differences.
Step 3: Evaluation AT 2 (1 lesson)
What do I now know about festivals?
 Recap the details about the festivals and the similarities and differences
between them. On candle shaped paper ask children to write 5 facts of
information that they have learnt during the unit.
 Ask children to begin to explore how they value these festivals and how
important they are in their lives and community.
Step 4 Expression AT 2 (1 lesson)
 What celebrations are important to me, and why?
 Children to create a piece of art or music to portray festivals/celebrations in
their lives which are significant to them. Keep session open in terms of
children given the rights to express their own ideas creatively.
Evidence: personal explanations, presentations of the festivals, photos, annotations,
speaking and listening records, candles, recordings or photos of children’s
expressions.
Step 1
Engagement
Skills:
Skills and Attitudes focus in this enquiry
Step 2
Step 3
Investigation
Evaluation
Skills:
Skills:
Step 4
Expression
Skills:
Interpretation
Empathy
Investigation
Application
Analysis
Evaluation
Creativity
Imagination
Reflection
Attitudes:
Attitudes:
Attitudes:
Attitudes:
Curiosity
Appreciation
Awe & Wonder
Critical awareness
Open-mindedness
Self-awareness
AT1 Levelled Learning Outcomes
AT2 Levelled Outcomes
Level 2: use some religious words and
phrases; to recognise and name features
of religious life and practice; can recall
religious stories and recognise symbols,
and other verbal and visual forms of
religious expression.
Level 2: their own experiences and
feelings, in relation to religion and belief;
what they find interesting or puzzling in
relation to religion and belief; what is of
value and concern to themselves and to
others.
Level 3: use religious words and
phrases; to identify some features of
religion and its importance for some
people; begin to show awareness of
similarities in religions; retell religious
stories and suggest meanings for
religious actions and symbols; identify
how religion is expressed in different
ways.
Level 3: ask, and respond sensitively to,
questions about their own and others’
experiences and feelings, in relation to
religion and belief; recognise that some
questions cause people to wonder and
are difficult to answer in relation to
matters of right and wrong; recognise
their own values and those of others.
Level 4: use a developing religious
vocabulary to describe some key
features of religions; recognising
similarities and differences; make links
between beliefs and sources, including
religious stories and sacred texts; begin
to identify the impact religion has on
believers’ lives describe some forms of
religious expression.
Level 4: identify what influences them,
making links between aspects of their
own and others’ experiences, in relation
to religion and belief; ask important
questions about religion and beliefs,
making links between their own and
others’ responses; make links between
religious and non-religious values and
commitments, and their own attitudes
and behaviour.
Resources:
Photo Story 3 presentation, books and artefacts about festivals, ICT (laptops and
computers for powerpoints), camera, paper to mount, speech bubbles, candle
shaped paper, art resources, musical instruments.
Teacher Reflection:
Author: E Drag