Comparative Study
Religion: Enquiry Grid
National Curriculum: Key Stage 2: Programme of Study
Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past:
2d) to describe and make links between the main events, situations and changes
within and across the different periods and societies studied.
National Curriculum: Key Stage 3: Programme of Study
Knowledge and understanding of events, people and changes in the past:
2d) to identify trends, both within and across different periods, and links between
local, British, European and world history.
Learning Objective:
For children to be able to identify similarities and differences between the religious
practices of two different cultures.
Activity:
Children will look at the content of Religion/Anglo-Saxon and Religion/Ancient China.
They will then complete the grid below with their observations.
Differentiation:
To provide support for a less able child at the computer, the teacher may wish to pair
them with a more able child.
Variations:
The Ancient China content could be replaced with content from Ancient Egypt,
providing an opportunity for interesting contrasts to be made between the burial
practices of these two societies.
For Key Stage 3 teachers, Ancient China is an appropriate topic for unit 12: a world
study before 1900. An alternative comparative study for this theme could look at
religious iconography. Teachers could use the Religion/Byzantium and
Religion/Meroe pockets for this purpose.
Anglo-Saxon Britain
Does the burial contain
objects?
Do any of the objects
give us clues about the
status of the person
buried? If yes, which
ones?
How do these objects
suggest the status of the
person buried?
Do you think that the
burial is for a person of
high or low status?
Do any of the objects
give us clues about the
particular beliefs of the
person buried? If yes,
which ones?
What do the objects tell
us about the life of the
person buried?
Are there similarities
between the two burials?
If yes, what are they?
What are the differences
between the two burials?
Ancient China