RE
Year 7
Unit 7A Where do we look for God?
About the unit
Expectations
In this unit pupils investigate how some religious believers discover the existence of God
through experience. Using a variety of written and visual sources they learn about and
understand the ways in which people claim God has been revealed to them in their lives.
The unit provides opportunities for pupils to examine and reflect on the nature of experiential
proof of God’s existence. They are encouraged to undertake their own search for answers to
ultimate questions using a number of sacred texts. Pupils evaluate the importance of
revelation and religious experience within religion, and consider questions about their own
belief system.
At the end of this unit
This unit is expected to take approximately 7 hours.
Where the unit fits in
This unit is to be taught at the beginning of year 7, and provides an introduction to a new
approach in RE at key stage 3. The unit builds on unit 6C ‘Why are sacred texts important?’,
in the key stage 2 scheme of work. At key stage 3 pupils should be given greater
opportunities than at key stage 2 to pose critical questions and to research responses to
ultimate questions independently. Pupils should build on earlier thinking about the nature of
God and about what it means to live a good life, as well as raising ultimate questions.
This unit serves as an introduction to pupils studying the philosophy of religion, and provides
them with a basis on which to build later in key stage 3 or at GCSE RE/RS. The unit
prepares pupils for evaluative work in GCSE.
© QCA 2000
most pupils will: describe some ways in which people seek to prove that God exists;
identify important or ultimate questions as distinct from everyday questions; consider ways
in which people might attempt to find answers to such ultimate questions; describe others’
beliefs with which they agree or disagree and select relevant information from sources to
give their reasons
some pupils will not have made so much progress and will: show their knowledge and
understanding of some ways in which people seek to prove that God exists; identify some
important or ultimate questions and suggest ways in which some people might try to
answer them; identify the beliefs of others and state their own views in simple terms,
giving reasons
some pupils will have progressed further and will: describe some ways in which theists
draw upon personal experience as justification for believing that God exists and
understand that this experience can take many forms; explain clearly their responses to
questions about religious experience, and the authority underlying their responses;
describe different responses to the question How do we know if God exists?; express
some of their own ideas about the nature of truth and proof, and consider how these relate
to religion
Prior learning
It is helpful if pupils have:
• been taught something about why people believe in God
• learnt that beliefs about God can be personal to them
• learnt how some people experience God in the world around them
• had opportunities to develop skills of empathy, interpretation and reflection
• had opportunities to debate
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RE-Unit 7A Where do we look for God?
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Language for learning
Through the activities in this unit pupils will be able to understand, use and spell correctly
words relating to the study of:
• religion, eg theism, atheism, pantheism, agnosticism, truth, God, faith
• proof, eg evidence, experience, justification, probability, belief
Speaking and listening – through the activities pupils could:
• answer questions using relevant evidence or reasons
Writing – through the activities pupils could:
• plan and develop ideas and lines of thinking in continuous text
• join ideas within sentences using links of time, eg then, later, meanwhile and cause,
eg so, because, since
• make notes, summaries, etc to clarify ideas and thinking which can be used later
Resources
As well as a range of textbooks and published resources, this unit will be enhanced by the
use of ancient and modern materials from believers’ sources, including:
• resources from a variety of media – visual, video and poetic resources that exemplify
ideas within the unit, eg CD-ROMs containing great works of literature
• religious artefacts including posters
• sources illustrating theist, atheist and agnostic viewpoints
• relevant religious scriptures that describe and explain revelatory experience
• a classroom visit from a member of a religious community
• websites, eg www.re-xs.ucsm.ac.uk; www.theresite.org.uk
Out-of-school learning
Pupils could:
• read about the philosophy of religion, eg ‘Philosophy for beginners’ cartoon books
• visit websites and use the conference facility to discuss evidence for the existence of God
or do a search for the word ‘God’. These searches will need to be limited to key stage 3 to
get appropriate resources
• put questions about the nature of proof to teachers, family and friends
• read stories and novels that raise ultimate questions
Future learning
Pupils could go on to:
• consider the diversity of belief within religions when they argue for the existence of God
• compare and contrast theist, atheist and agnostic views about God/God’s existence
• evaluate contradictions within arguments for and against the existence of God
© QCA 2000
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RE-Unit 7A Where do we look for God?
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
PUPILS SHOULD LEARN
POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES
LEARNING OUTCOMES
PUPILS
POINTS TO NOTE
Looking for God – where do we start?
• what is meant by an
experience of God and the
many forms that an
experience might take
• that truth is interpreted in
different ways, each of which
may be valid
© QCA 2000
• List statements that pupils believe to be true, and ask them to explain why
they believe them to be true.
• Look at statements of people’s varying experiences of God, eg in nature, in
events, in others, within themselves, in mysteries, in pictures. Discuss the
causes and effects of such experiences.
• Identify differences between fact, opinion and belief. How important is each?
How true may each be?
• Investigate the many types of truth people believe in, eg moral, religious,
scientific, mathematical, historical, personal, linguistic, musical. Ask pupils to
do a matching activity, taking an example of a truth and matching it from the
list of types of truth in word or image.
• Rank the types of truth in different ways, eg in order of credibility, evidence
and value. Ask pupils to explain what they put at the top and bottom of their
lists and why. Discuss their choices as a class, focusing their thoughts on
religious truth.
• If you were to look for proof of God’s existence where would you look? Ask
pupils to draw a spider diagram or mind map of their responses as a class.
• Teach (and reinforce) key terms that describe belief and non-belief and their
meanings related to their roots and word families. Practise using these
terms in sentences.
• describe different types of
• This unit provides an excellent
truth
opportunity for pupils to be taught the
• explain what is meant by
skills of:
religious truth
– formulating and presenting a
• suggest ways in which
reasoned argument supported by
believers believe God’s
sound research
existence could be proved
– debating, listening and responding
• use a spider diagram/mind
to the views of others
map to make a clear summary • There is opportunity for pupils to
of class thinking
design a questionnaire to ask others
• understand and use
in their class or at home about
appropriately the terms
different types of truth.
‘theist/m’, ‘atheist/m’ and
• When looking at different types of
‘agnostic/ism’
truth, other subject teachers could be
asked about topics they are covering;
examples from them could then be
used in the matching exercise.
• Language for learning: key vocabulary
and definitions can be written in RE
books or displayed to form a class
word bank of key terms and their
meanings.
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RE-Unit 7A Where do we look for God?
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
PUPILS SHOULD LEARN
POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES
LEARNING OUTCOMES
PUPILS
POINTS TO NOTE
Can the natural world reveal God?
• about the argument from
• Ask pupils to bring poems, pictures or pieces of art which convey to them a • write about the main
design
‘sense of wonder’. Provide additional resources if necessary. In small
arguments to prove God’s
• to think of their own illustration
groups, pupils discuss their examples and also talk about any moments
existence from the design of
for the argument from design
when they have experienced a feeling of awe when surrounded by nature.
the world
• to reflect on their own
Groups then contribute one or two anecdotes and artistic experiences to the • exemplify the argument for
experience of creation
whole class and offer some thoughts on what these experiences might
themselves
mean to them. Introduce the concept of creation as a type of truth proving
• read biblical text with
the existence of God. Groups could read together Psalm 19 1–4 and identify
understanding
how the psalmist is using the evidence of the natural world.
• In pairs, pupils talk about the design argument and think of their own
examples of it. They make notes together, then write at least two sentences
summarising the argument, one saying what an atheist might say to
challenge the argument, and one saying what they themselves feel at the
moment. Ask them to consider the questions What do you think about this
argument? What arguments can you think of to disprove the argument from
design?
• Teachers from other subjects may be
able to provide additional resources.
• English: there is opportunity here for
cross-curricular links with the English
department. Pupils will have already
been taught how to understand a
poem, so it would be helpful for them
to use the same framework. Perhaps
a suitable poem by a particular poet
they have studied or are going to
study could be used.
• Language for learning: remind pupils
of how written arguments use link
words of cause, eg so, because,
since, in sentences.
What about natural disasters?
• about the problems posed by
the argument from design
• to evaluate the strengths and
weaknesses of the argument
© QCA 2000
• Ask the pupils in groups to share their thoughts on what problems this
• talk about the main arguments • It is helpful to use real illustrations
argument might have. Display summaries of their responses to the whole
disproving God’s existence
when looking at these topics, but they
class, using a flip chart.
from the design of the world
need to be used with sensitivity.
• Read material that shows that the world is not always wonderful and
• identify the strengths and
• Language for learning: pupils can be
beautiful, eg a report of an earthquake. Ask pupils, in small groups, to think
weaknesses of the argument
supported by advice on how to
about what these things mean for the argument from design, and to produce
in discussion and in writing
develop their ideas and lines of
two ideas which weaken it and two which support it. Come back together
thinking into continuous text, and on
and discuss the groups’ thoughts.
useful link words and phrases. For
• What do you think about the argument from design? Ask pupils to answer
example, a tasksheet might note ‘The
this question in writing, making use of their notes, diagrams, etc, and
opening sentence explains whether
explaining the reasons for their views.
you agree or disagree with the
argument, and the last paragraph
sums up the reasons for your views.’
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RE-Unit 7A Where do we look for God?
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
PUPILS SHOULD LEARN
POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES
LEARNING OUTCOMES
PUPILS
POINTS TO NOTE
Can the universe reveal God?
• Set up an experiment which will show cause and effect, eg dominoes in a
• the concept of cause and
• state characteristics of the
line, or the game board for ‘Mousetrap’. Ask pupils to predict what will
effect
cosmological argument
• to explain the cosmological
happen during the experiment. Watch the experiment and then talk about
• identify and evaluate
argument
examples of cause and effect in the world around them.
strengths and weaknesses of
• to evaluate strengths and
• Ask pupils how they think the earth came to be here. Introduce the argument
the design and cosmological
weaknesses of the design and
that God is the first mover: God started everything off, just like someone had
arguments
cosmological arguments
to in the experiment. Look at the cosmological argument in more detail and
ask pupils to answer the questions How would some theists argue that the
way in which the universe operates reveals God? What are your own views
about this argument for God’s existence? Why do you think some people
would say this argument doesn’t prove God’s existence?
• Ask pupils which argument they think is most convincing – design or
cosmological – and why. Hold a class vote and display the results in a bar
graph along with an explanation.
• The science department may be able
to assist in setting up a simple
experiment for this lesson.
• ICT: there is opportunity for pupils to
use their ICT skills to record and
display the data from the results the
class gets at the end of the lesson.
• Language for learning: the activity
provides the opportunity for pupils to
answer questions using relevant
evidence or reasons.
Can God be experienced?
• about different forms of
religious experience
• how to present information
• to reflect on questions of
meaning and purpose
© QCA 2000
• Ask pupils to think of any examples of religious experience they know about • identify and classify different
• There is enough material in this unit to
from their studies at key stage 1 and 2 or from their own experiences.
types of religious experience
last two or three lessons. Teachers
Produce a large spider diagram displaying all their thoughts.
• describe their own and others’
will have to decide which types of
• Investigate a number of different forms of religious experience, eg vision,
views about the existence and
religious experience they wish to
dream, conversion, prayer, meditation, worship, through a variety of different
nature of God, and evaluate
focus on in this unit.
media, eg video, newspaper article, tape a song, sacred writings, textbooks.
them
• It is important to emphasise how
Ensure that each of the different types of religious experience is looked at
personal experience informs our world
philosophically, so that pupils ask questions about whether these
view and therefore our beliefs about
experiences may be true.
truth, meaning and purpose.
• Having investigated religious truth in this unit, ask pupils to explain why
• While investigating different forms of
theists believe in God. Give pupils a ‘belief line’ (5 = I believe in God;
religious experience teachers should
0 = I’m not sure; – 5 = I don’t believe in God) and ask them to put
ensure that sacred texts and religious
themselves on it, recording the reasons for their decision.
traditions are included.
• Ask pupils to reflect on the reasons for their decision. Ask them to imagine
what it would take to change their decision; discuss their ideas, showing
respect for everyone’s thoughts and views on the notion that without God
there is no meaning or purpose.
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RE-Unit 7A Where do we look for God?
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