Lancashire SACRE RE
Syllabus: Non-statutory
exemplification
Christianity: Jesus
TITLE: Reconciliation:
Peace between people.
Jesus and Forgiveness
YEAR GROUP: 6
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
Lancashire SACRE RE Syllabus: Non-statutory exemplification
TITLE: Reconciliation: Peace between people. Jesus and Forgiveness
YEAR GROUP: 6
About this unit:
Year 6
Year Theme: Life as a journey Unit: Jesus
This unit enables pupils to examine the Christian belief that Jesus is the perfect expression
of God; he is ‘The Christ; Son of God; Saviour’. The focus is on reconciliation and
particularly on forgiveness in the Gospels and in life, enabling pupils to see how the stories
of forgiveness in the New Testament are, for Christian people, a guide to their values and
commitments.
Pupils will be enabled to begin to understand the importance of forgiveness in Christian
theology and practice and to think for themselves about questions to do with forgiveness
reconciliation and values. Pupils are encouraged to consider what can be learned from
Christian examples and teaching referring to their own experiences, beliefs and values.
The starting point for this unit for 10 and 11 year olds is a selection of key narratives from the New
Testament Gospels that show how Jesus is seen by the Christian communities as a model of
forgiveness and reconciliation. These stories are used to generate and explore questions from
pupils about how people might deal with disagreement or wrong doing: is forgiveness always better
than revenge? What can be forgiven? Who can be reconciled? Why is forgiveness often difficult?
Why is it important to be ready to say ‘Sorry’? What is repentance? Issues and stories from the
contemporary world will illustrate the ideas and concepts in ways that relate to the teaching and
example of Jesus. Pupils will develop their understanding of key Christian beliefs about
reconciliation between humanity and God.
Where this unit fits in:
This unit will help teachers to implement the Lancashire Agreed Syllabus for RE by providing them
with well worked examples of teaching and learning about the year theme of life as a journey that
focus on Jesus as reconciler in the Christian traditions. One way the journey of life takes everyone
is through places where disagreement and wrongdoing must be dealt with. Forgiveness is one way
to treat the person who wrongs you. To be forgiven makes it possible to forgive. By using the
Christian concepts of reconciliation between God and humanity, and examples of contemporary
stories of forgiveness, pupils are to be enabled to think about their own attitudes and the
challenges they face about their own values and commitments.
The unit enables pupils to make links to foundations of Christian morality in the two great
commandments:
 Love of God (expressing responses to the teaching Jesus about repentance, forgiveness and
reconciliation)
 Love of neighbour as of self (with particular regard to how conflicts and wrong doing can be
reduced where the challenge of forgiveness and reconciliation is faced).
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
This unit and the field of enquiry: refer to section 3 of the 2006 syllabus
Shared Human Experience
 Everybody asks questions about who should
say sorry, who should be forgiven and who
should be responsible for their wrong doing.
 We all need to be able to make sense of the
occasions when we ‘fall out’ with others
 Everybody may need to ‘repent’ sometimes,
to turn from an attitude or practice that is
harmful.
 What we believe about forgiveness has an
impact on how we behave and whether we
are reconciled to others along life’s path.
 To forgive and to be forgiven may be the best
way to understand forgiveness.
Living Religious Traditions
 Christians find the answers to their questions
about how to deal with wrong doing in Jesus’
example and teaching
 Christian sacred writings influence Christians
today when they face conflict or suffering.
 To Christians, Jesus is an example to follow
on life’s journey, and also the one who
enables them to come to God and hope for
heaven.
Beliefs and Values
 In Christian belief, Jesus is God’s presence
on earth, and his mission is to reconcile
humanity and God.
 Christians believe that humanity can be
reconciled to God through Jesus’ life, death
and resurrection.
 Jesus taught and practiced forgiveness for
every wrong.
 It can be said that ‘there is no Christianity
without forgiveness’. This is a central value
to the faith community.
The Search for Personal Meaning
 What are my experiences of forgiveness
and reconciliation?
 If I value forgiveness, what difference does
it make to life?
 From whom have I learned about being
sorry and being forgiven? Is there
something I can learn from Christianity?
 On the journey of life, does everyone need
to forgive? What helps people to do this?
The unit will provide these opportunities:
 Pupils have opportunities to consider the concept of reconciliation in Christian tradition and in
their own lives.
 Pupils have opportunities to consider a diverse range of views about questions of right and
wrong, good and evil and forgiveness.
 From the study of sources of authority within Christianity pupils will be able to learn from some
stories and sayings of Jesus.
 Pupils will be able to think about their own experiences and views in relation to questions of
reconciliation and forgiveness as they are encountered on life’s journey.
 Experiences and opportunities provided by this unit include discussion and debate, dramatic
work in small groups and some global perspectives on spiritual issues.
This unit in the whole primary curriculum
As the Rose review proposes new structures for the primary curriculum, teachers need to
think about how these units connect with the big ideas of human, social and environmental
understanding. This unit connects to the big ideas in substantial ways:

Time and change: the unit shows how values like forgiveness have been
important across the ages and are still so today;

Place, space and scale: pupils develop their understanding of some global
examples of conflict and forgiveness;

Identity, community and diversity: the focus on Jesus’ teaching is matched by a
focus on its diverse applications in many diverse settings

Questions of meaning and value: pupils explore the value of forgiveness for
themselves in depth and referring to many examples;

Making connections: good teaching in this unit will enable pupils to connect their
own needs and experiences with the spiritual and moral ideas about forgiveness they
encounter.
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
Significant background ideas:
This links to faith focus: refer to the Curriculum Support materials on CD1 of the 2006
Agreed Syllabus.
 Reconciliation, forgiveness or the restoration of harmony is a significant idea in many
religious traditions. For example, the Buddhist understanding of the Middle Way seeks to
enable people to live for the well being of all through the Noble Eightfold Path, accepting other
people. In the Jewish traditions, devotion to the Torah and the Covenant with the Almighty
seeks to repair by penitence the offences of humanity against the Eternal.
 In Christian thinking, forgiveness is central to Jesus’ message and example. He calls on all
people to be forgiving, and teaches that forgiveness from God is essential for the restoration of
a lost harmony between divine and human. The life and teaching of John the Baptist, about
repentance, is a prelude to Jesus’ teaching. Many of Jesus’ parables centre on forgiveness. At
his crucifixion, Jesus prayed for his tormentors to be forgiven: an example of him ‘practicing
what he preached’. In Christian theology, the events of crucifixion and resurrection, celebrated
at Easter, are the source for understanding salvation or reconciliation between God and
humanity: God forgives human rebellion and lack of love through the cross of Jesus. This can
raise challenging questions about how any person responds to evil or wrong, and about ideas
to do with heaven and life after death.
 Among non-religious people, life throws up many occasions when forgiveness and
reconciliation are needed, in the family, at school and in wider community life. Of course, the
valuing of reconciliation is not confined to the Christian community. Everybody needs second
chances, and to be ‘let off’ sometimes. But when? And how can forgiveness, which sometimes
seems hard, be made possible?
Estimated teaching time for this unit: 7 hours. It is recognised that this unit provides more
teaching ideas than a class will cover in 7 hours. Teachers are invited to plan their own use of
some of the learning ideas below, ensuring depth of learning rather than covering everything.
Issues of continuity and progression
The unit builds upon the learning about Jesus done earlier in key stage 2 in years 3, 4 and 5,
where pupils have studied Jesus and Salvation (Y3), Jesus and Sacrifice (Y4) and Jesus and
Revelation (Y5). Good planning will check the progress of pupils in this area, and offer fresh ideas,
content and challenges to the class that builds on prior learning. The unit anticipates a further
study of the Christian community in Year 6 and 7. The unit makes a space for some fresh teaching
about the impact of Jesus’ teaching and example in the contemporary world.
KEY STRANDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT
AT 1: Learning about Religion
 Beliefs, Values and Teaching
 Ways of expressing meaning
AT 2: Learning from Religion
 Questions of Meaning, Purpose and Truth
 Questions of Values and Commitments
The core RE concepts that the unit develops are religious teachings, ways of
expressing meaning, questions of purpose and questions of values.
ATTITUDES FOCUS: Pupils will explore attitudes of:




Self awareness by becoming increasingly sensitive to the impact of their ideas and
behaviour on other people.
Respect for all by developing a willingness to learn from others, even when others’
views are different from their own
Open mindedness by engaging in positive discussion and debate and distinguishing
between opinions, viewpoints and beliefs in connection with issues of conviction and
faith
Appreciation and wonder by developing their capacity to respond to questions of
value and commitment and exploring the consequences of beliefs and values.
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
Prior learning
Vocabulary
Resources
It is helpful if
pupils have:
 Studied
some stories
in literacy
where
conflict and
reconciliation
are the
themes
 An
awareness of
the
consequence
s of actions
in
communities
(this may link
to issues
about
bullying in
PSHE)
 Recapped
earlier units
from the RE
syllabus on
Jesus,
especially
from Y3, 4
and 5.
 Text-level
skills from
the National
Literacy
strategy to
apply in their
work.
In this unit, pupils
will have an
opportunity to use
words and phrases
related to:
Teachers might use:

The film ‘The Miraclemaker’ has good dramatizations of the
Temptations of Jesus and of his last days. Details on
www.themiraclemaker.com

‘Test of Time’ from BBC / Bible Society / RE Today: includes a half
hour case study on ‘Forgiveness’ in Christianity. Teacher’s book
written by RE Today team available. This programming, made for
Year 7 and beyond, is usable with higher achieving pupils.
Specific religions:
Christianity
Jesus
Gospel
New Testament
Crucifixion
Forgiveness
Religious studies
Reconciliation
Penitence
Repentance
Redemption
Confession
The language of
shared human
experience
Conflict
Reconciling
Forgiving
Grudge
Revenge
Conflict resolution
Consequences

Picturing Easter by Lat Blaylock and Victoria Ikwuemesi, RE
Today, 2008

Developing Primary RE: stories about God edited by Joyce Mackley
from RE Today

Exploring a Theme in RE: religion and the individual edited by Joyce
Mackley, RE Today

Exploring a Theme in RE: The journey of Life and Death has some
very useful materials on this year theme applied to the Christian
tradition, edited by Joyce Mackley, RE Today

Movies pupils like such as Spy Kids, Simba’s Pride, A Bug’s Life,
Toy Story 2 or Harry Potter can all provide interesting examples of
moral choice and reconciliation for this unit.

‘Shrek’ is, in one way, a version of the parable of the Good
Samaritan.

Primary RE in Practice: Is it Fair? (2000) and Primary RE in
Practice: What Matters? (1999), ed. M. Heathcote Woodbridge (RE
Today) offer relevant planned curriculum units.

The Festival Shop (email info@festivalshop.co.uk) has a wide range
of posters – and other resources - for stimulus in thinking about
good and evil, choices and forgiveness

New Methods in RE: an experiential approach by Hammond, Hay et
al (Oliver & Boyd, 1990) provides a pedagogy and inspirational
ideas for exploring with pupils how people with spiritual or religious
belief experience the world.

Trade Rules! (Christian Aid / CAFOD): an activity which explores the
effects of unfair trading practices. Other simulations are available.
Web:

http://www.theforgivenessproject.com/stories/ is a wonderful source
for work on forgiveness.

http://www.cleo.net.uk is the main site for the Cumbria and
Lancashire Education Online, and offers access to an expanding
range of high quality resources for RE topics.

The National Association of Teachers of RE (NATRE) has two
excellent web starting points for these issues:
www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts enables pupils to view and judge
numerous works of pupil art on key Biblical stories and spiritual
ideas from young people.

www.natre.org.uk/db is a searchable database of many thopusands
of ideas and comments. Get your pupils to earch for ideas about
forgiveness from the site from young Christians, and use these to
explore their own views and ideas.

BBC Religion & Ethics: www.bbc.co.uk/religion often carries stories
of reconciliation

Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance:
www.religioustolerance.org/welcome.htm

See the learnzone on Christian Aid’s web site: www.christianaid.org.uk

Online searchable sacred texts: www.ishwar.com
Contributions to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

Opportunities for spiritual development come from exploring the ideas of the unit such as
reconciliation, forgiveness, generosity and grace.

Opportunities for moral development come from applying ideas about right and wrong to
scenarios from their own lives

Opportunities for social development come from tackling issues in a group.
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
EXPECTATIONS: At the end of this unit
Pupils working at level 3 will be Pupils working at level 4 will be
able to:
able to
 Use religious or spiritual
 Use a widening religious
vocabulary such as ‘forgive;’
vocabulary to show that they
‘be reconciled’ to explore
understand some different
questions about what is good
perspectives on repentance,
and evil, right and wrong
forgiveness and reconciliation
(AT1).
(AT1).
 Describe the teaching and
 Use the vocabulary learned in
example of Jesus about
RE, such as reconciliation or
forgiving people (AT1).
forgiveness to show their
understanding of conflict and
 Make links between the
its resolution. (AT1)
teachings they study and
their own views and
 Apply ideas from the stories
behaviour (AT2).
and teachings of Jesus to
some contemporary
questions about forgiveness
and reconciliation (AT2).
Pupils working at level 5 will be
able to:
 Explain the impact of Jesus’
teaching and example on
some contemporary
Christians (AT1)
 Explain some ways in which
they have faced the
challenges of reconciliation or
forgiveness in the light of
religious teachings (AT2)
 Use accurately and
thoughtfully the language of
spirituality and morality to
explain their responses (AT2)
ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS
Scenarios for forgiveness or reconciliation
A formal assessment of each pupils is neither required nor desirable for every RE unit. Continuing use of
assessment for learning methods is best. Teachers can assess this work by setting a learning task
towards the end of the unit. The task aims to elicit engaged and reflective responses to the material
studied throughout the unit across the ability range.
Pupils look at some scenarios in which someone has done something wrong. They identify (and may
record on a writing frame):
 What is wrong here?
 Who started it? Whose fault is it? Is there more than one person at fault?
 Who has been hurt? Who is a victim?
 What would be your advice in this situation?
 Where might forgiveness lead to reconciliation?
 How could Jesus’ teaching or example be applied?
To extend this work, ask pupils in pairs to devise some situations of their own where things have
gone wrong, or to research some from the news. They might then apply the questions above to
situations devised by their peers.
‘Conscience Alley’ or ‘Reflection Alley’, adapted from the Literacy strategy is a powerful strategy in helping
pupils to explore alternative advice and ideas in this work. Set up the classroom as in the illustration so that
someone can walk along Reflection Alley and receive advice,
ideas or points of view from their peers as they walk.
Split the class into three large groups and give one person in
each group, the ‘walker’, a big question or a dilemma about
repentance, saying sorry or forgiveness.
The rest of the group should split into two roughly equal ‘sides’
and spend 6–7 minutes preparing advice, ideas and opinions.
They can write down what they want to say if it helps.
The walk is done as a performance for the rest of the class. The
walker begins by describing the question, then asks the
students on either side, ‘What should I do?’ – first one on the
left, then one on the right, and so on.
The walker can ask supplementary questions and have a
dialogue with each person. At the end of the walk, they have half a minute in silence, and then say what
decision they would make. This is a good starting-point for written work, but is also a good activity by itself.
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
Key
questions
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
TEACHING AND LEARNING
LEARNING
OUTCOMES
Links and
points to
note
What is
reconciliat
ion?
Begin to
understand the
concept of
forgiveness.
Identify how
people say
sorry.
[SHU]
Consider ways
people can try
to put wrongs
right.
Reconciliation and forgiveness: what do
these mean?
 Examine, dramatise and discuss two
given scenarios as a story or drama
activity. In one forgiveness is given or
there is a change of heart or mind, and
the other shows the opposite. What is the
response of the characters? Is it for better
or worse? How can people show they
have forgiven someone?
 Explore ways people say sorry verbally,
with body language and through action
taken. Examine ‘sorry’ cards and their
purpose, e.g. sympathy, late birthday,
making up after an argument.
 Ask pupils to make a list of what happens
when there is no forgiveness. Note that
this list will include sensitive issues such
as divorce and fighting for some children.
 ‘Sorry seems to be the hardest word’
(Elton John / Blue ~ play the song if you
like). Why is it hard to say this word? And
why is it important?
What did Jesus think and say about
forgiveness and reconciliation?
 Read or watch video of one or more
stories Jesus told about forgiveness e.g.
The Lost Sheep, The Lost Son, The
Pharisee and the Tax Collector, The
Unforgiving Servant,
 Who was wrong? What might have
happened to end the story? Who was
forgiven? What effect did that have on
their life? What was the response of the
person? Of others nearby?
 Explore one of the stories about Jesus
forgiving people himself: Zacchaeus
(Luke 19:1-10), the Paralysed man let
through the roof (Mark 2: 1-12), Peter’s
denials (Mark 14: 66-73). What do these
stories show about Jesus’ beliefs about
forgiveness?
 Look carefully at the account of Jesus
being crucified, and his saying ‘Father,
forgive them, they don’t know what they
are doing’ What did people crucified
usually say to those who killed them?
What does it mean to ‘practice what you
preach’? Did Jesus do this?
 Write a short poem about forgiveness or
about one of the stories.
As often in
RE,
teachers
need to
handle the
personal
aspects of
this work
with
sensitivity.
Where they
do, a real
break
through in
pastorally
supporting
a child with
problems
can occur
What did
Jesus
teach
about
forgivenes
s and
reconciliat
ion?
[LRT]
Become
familiar with
stories and
teachings from
the New
Testament that
give examples
of Jesus
teaching on
forgiveness
and
reconciliation
Show
understanding
of some
reasons
people might
feel sorry.
Show
understanding
of some
reasons why it
is hard to
‘make up’ or
apologise in a
conflict.
Understand
what Jesus
did and why.
Empathise
with someone
who has
suffered or
who might
need or desire
forgiveness.
Apply ideas
about the
consequence
s of
forgiveness
for
themselves
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
Sometimes
RE uses
too much
‘textbook’
and not
enough
‘text’. It’s
good
practice to
give pupils
these
biblical
texts to
work on in
ways that
relate to
their
narrative
work in
literacy.
This often
raises
standards
in RE.
7
Saying
sorry: how
much does
it matter?
[SHU]
What
spoils a
relationship? Is it
going
wrong, or
is it not
saying
sorry when
you do?
[SHU /
B&V]
Know that
Christians
believe the
act of
confession
helps them to
receive God’s
forgiveness.
Consider
behaviour
that can spoil
their
relationship
with
someone.
How do
Christians
try to serve
their
neighbours?
Make the link
between the
teaching of
Jesus and
Christian
action today
[LRT]
Suggest
possible
interpretation
s of some
biblical texts
Why is ‘sorry’ a word that should be said
more often?
 Explore the idea of repenting through acts
of confession found within Christian
traditions such as Roman Catholic, CofE.
 Examine the actions, words and intent.
Why does the person confess? Does this
only require words? Who does the person
confess to? Why? Interpret the practice
studied using visual representation eg
exploding picture, spider diagram,
calligram.
“No one’s perfect, so ‘sorry’ is essential”
True or false?
 Through a poetic interpretation or writing
frame, illustrate an example of a time
when they have fallen out with someone
or done something that damaged a
relationship.
 How / was it repaired? How did they feel
before / after? Did they find forgiving /
saying sorry difficult? How might it change
how they would behave in future?
 Consider the different ways of responding
to offences: which ways make peace, and
which make conflict worse?
Suggest
reason for
importance of
confession to
Christians.
What do Christians do about Jesus’
teaching?
 Show the class materials from Christian
agencies that help others, e.g. Christian
Aid, CAFOD, Tear Fund. Materials from
local church magazines and notices can
also be shown. Brainstorm why Christians
are involved in this type of work, and keep
a note of the children’s responses.
 Read to the class the traditional Russian
tale of Papa Panov, including the words of
Christ in the vision, ‘whatever you did for
one of the least of these, you did for me’.
There are several versions of this story
available on the web: search ‘Papa
Panov’.
 Ask the children to read the story of the
sheep and the goats from Matthew 25:
31– 40. In pairs, ask them to write down
the similarities between the story of Jesus
and the Russian tale. As a class, compare
the similarities. Ask the children to work in
pairs to decide what the words of Jesus in
verse 40 mean. Refer to the Christian
materials, and the results of the
brainstorm to support this activity.
 Drawing on the biblical and other material
used in this unit, ask the children to write
an answer to the questions: Why and how
do Christians help others? How do
Christians try to follow Jesus’ example of
reconciliation?
Describe
examples of
ways in which
Christians
help others
Link to
SEAL and
to
narratives
in literacy
that include
‘turn
arounds’ or
apologies.
Reflect on
their
behaviour and
how they
might act to
resolve
conflict or
separation.
Identify the
challenges of
trying to be a
reconciler or a
forgiver.
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
Papa
Panov’s
story could
be used as
a traditional
tale in the
literacy
context.
Teachers
may wish
to continue
beyond
Matthew
25: 40.
However,
this section
needs
careful,
sensitive
handling
and raises
difficult
questions.
8
What examples of reconciliation in action can be studied?
Understand
the example of
Christian
reconciliation
from Coventry
Cathedral
[LRT]
Understand
the example of
Christian
reconciliation
from the
forgiveness
project
Example 1
Why did the people of Coventry forgive
those who bombed their city and
cathedral?
 Pupils learn about Coventry Cathedral
and its destruction during the war
 Use www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/history
as a starting point. There is a nice virtual
tour.
 Pupils examine the ways the community
practiced reconciliation
 How does the modern cathedral express
the teaching of Jesus about forgiveness>
Example 2
How do people who suffer wrong manage
to forgive their enemies?
 Pupils learn about the Forgiveness
Project
 Select – carefully – some of the inspiring
stories of forgiveness from
http://www.theforgivenessproject.com/stories/
It is a wonderful source for work on
forgiveness.
[LRT]

Understand an
example of
Christian
reconciliation
from South
Africa
[LRT]
Understand
the example of
Christian
reconciliation
from the death
of Jesus
[LRT]
Choose two or more relevant case studies
and share them with children
Example 3
How and why did Desmond Tutu follow the
teaching of Jesus for those who were
racist against him?
 Pupils learn about the life and work of
Desmond Tutu in South Africa.
 There is an interesting interview with
Desmond Tutu, conducted by KS2 pupils,
on the NATRE / RE Today website.
www.retoday.org.uk
 They learn about the damage racism can
do and the healing potential of
reconciliation
Example 4
What do Christians believe about
reconciliation between God and humanity?
 Pupils learn about the idea of
reconciliation between God and humanity,
central to the Christian tradition
 Show the class the Flash presentation on
Christian forgiveness at
www.interviewwithgod.com/forgiven
Discuss its meaning with them – what
does it show about Christian beliefs? How
far do the pupils agree with it? What do
they not understand?
 Remind pupils of work form earlier in key
stage two on Jesus as saviour and on
Jesus and sacrifice.
 Extension: Consider the question: did
Jesus reconcile humans to God?
Describe how
the people of
Coventry
practiced
forgiveness
when their
cathedral was
bombed.
Make a link to
the teaching
and example
of Jesus.
Describe how
some modern
individuals
have faced
the challenge
of
forgiveness.
Make a link to
the teaching
and example
of Jesus.
Describe how
Desmond
Tutu practiced
forgiveness
Teachers
might
choose 2
or three of
these
examples,
or ask
groups of
pupils to
look at one,
and share
their work
with the
class.
There’s no
expectation
that all will
be covered
by the
whole
class, for
reasons of
time.
Make a link to
the teaching
and example
of Jesus.
Describe the
ways Jesus
embodied his
own teaching
about
forgiveness.
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
9
Could
Jesus’
teaching
about
forgivene
ss make
a
differenc
e in our
school?
Understan
d that
elements
from within
religion
could be
applied to
situations
they
experience
in their
own lives
[SHU /
LRT]
What
would I do
if I was
faced with
the need
for
reconciliat
ion?
[PS]
The task
aims to
elicit
engaged
and
reflective
responses
to the
material
studied
throughout
the unit
across the
ability
range.
What difference might Jesus’ teaching about
reconciliation make in practice?
 Recap on teachings of Jesus about
reconciliation dealt with so far.
 Group the children for role play. Hand out four
or five scenarios to the groups, e.g. using
another person’s belongings without
permission; an unpopular child is bullied; you
have something another child, who is not your
friend, would like to borrow; someone the
class dislikes wants to join in your game; your
close friends decide to do something you do
not agree with.
 Ask each group to create a short role play to
enact the scene without considering the words
of Jesus. Then ask the groups to create a
short role play on the same theme, with the
same beginning, but this time plan an ending
giving thought to the teachings of Jesus.
 After the role play, ask the groups to discuss
the main differences between the scenes.
Explore how the characters felt in each role
play, considering the feelings and thoughts of
the victims as well as those of the
protagonists.
 Discuss, in the groups, the difficulties faced in
making a moral decision, and perhaps going
against their peer group. What difference
does it make if you apply the teachings of
Jesus?
 In a whole-class discussion consider which of
the two contrasting scenarios is most likely to
lead to happiness and concord. Discuss the
difficulties of following a moral principle and
how to apply a moral principle to a ‘real-life’
situation.
Scenarios for forgiveness or reconciliation
Teachers can assess this work by setting a
learning task towards the end of the unit. Pupils
look at some scenarios in which someone has
done something wrong. They identify (and may
record on a writing frame):
 What is wrong here?
 Who started it? Whose fault is it? Is there
more than one person at fault?
 Who has been hurt? Who is a victim?
 What would be your advice in this
situation?
 Where might forgiveness lead to
reconciliation?
 How could Jesus’ teaching or example be
applied?
To extend this work, ask pupils in pairs to devise
some situations of their own where things have
gone wrong, or to research some from the news.
They might then apply the questions above to
situations devised by their peers.
The strategy ‘Conscience Alley’ or ‘Reflection
Alley’, adapted from the National Literacy Strategy
is very powerful in helping pupils to explore
alternative advice and ideas in this work, though
and easy-to organise drama approach.
Make links
between Jesus’
ideas and
Christian
teaching and
situations faced
by 10 – 11 year
olds today
Consider the
challenges of
forgiveness and
the problems of
confllct.
Pupils working
at level 3 will be
able to:
 Use religious or
spiritual
vocabulary
such as
‘forgive’ ‘be
reconciled’ to
explore
questions
about what is
good, evil,
right & wrong.
 Describe the
teaching and
example of
Jesus about
forgiveness
 Make links
between the
teachings they
study and their
own views and
behaviour
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
This
lesson
gives the
opportuni
ty to
apply
some
learning
in a ‘reallife’
situation.
It takes
Christian
moral
principles
out of the
theoretic
al area of
stories
and
words
into how
these
principles
may be
applied in
life.
Another
resource
from the
Bible
here is
Luke
chapter
15’s
parable
of the
Prodigal
Son. It
may also
be
familiar
to pupils
from
earlier
units of
work.
10
Lancashire SACRE RE Units: Guidance and support for teaching the Agreed Syllabus 2/17/2016
11