Unit 1: Beginning with God

Support material for

The Year of Faith

Unit 1: Beginning with God

First Half of Autumn Term 2012

The Diocesan Policy on Religious Education (2012) commits the Diocese to support schools in implementing the requirements of the Curriculum Directory and other norms of the Bishops’ Conference. In recent years this Diocesan support for Schools has focussed on agreeing and developing a fuller understanding of the national Levels of Attainment and in improving the teaching of Scripture.

This unit serves two purposes. First, it models the application of these two important areas and so serves as continuing the professional development of Staff in these areas. Second, its content offers explicit support of Pope Benedict’s call for a Year of Faith during 2012-13.

This unit models:

·  A Scripture process employing the principles described in the new Religious Education Curriculum Directory (RECD),

·  Content necessary for achievement of the Diocesan understanding of the Levels of Attainment up to and including Level 5,

·  Explicit links between the teaching of Religious Education and the new RECD as required by the Diocesan Inspection Framework.

·  Opportunities by which pupils are invited, in line with the Archbishop’s proposed programme, to consider the most fundamental aspect of Faith: - belief in God.

How this unit may be used:

This unit is provided as an exemplar and set of resources to be used by schools in the first part of the Advent Term and the culmination of the Ordinary Season in the Liturgical year. Schools should determine the most appropriate way to use this material.

Schools using an existing published scheme may use this unit within the scheme of work they are currently using by selecting those activities they think are appropriate.

Schools developing their own curriculum based on the liturgical year may also choose to use the activities/blocks as they feel are appropriate.

Schools wishing to choose to use this unit, and the subsequent units which follow it, as an independent programme for the year simply teach the unit as it stands. Block 1 teaches content from the RECD at Levels 1-3; Block 2 teaches content at Levels 3-5. Teachers, under the guidance of their REC should read the unit carefully and determine where to begin on the basis of pupil knowledge and ability. Once they have entered the unit you should progress as far as you can given time and ability constraints. As this unit will not be repeated next year pupils in different year groups may draw on and cover the same material. Indeed, teachers working on the same material may find it easier to talk about its content, to plan for differentiation and to moderate work samples.

Overview /

Topic Theme: Beginning with God

This first unit accompanies Archbishop Vincent Nichols’ first season, Faith, and so invites pupils to consider the most fundamental aspect of faith: belief in God.

Key Teachings from the Catholic Tradition from the RECD

Revelation:
Pupils’ teaching and learning is focussed on how through God’s Self-Revelation we come to know that God’s life is love, both given and received. Though we can know God with certainty by natural reason, there is another order of knowledge: the order of divine Revelation. Through grace, God has revealed himself and given himself to human beings. This he does by revealing the mystery, his plan of loving goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the benefit of all people. God has fully revealed this plan by sending us his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Content Areas from the RECD

Pupils will learn about:
Revelation:
·  Stories of significant people in the Old Testament (5-7)
·  Scriptural imagery which speaks of God (5-7)
·  The Sign of the Cross (5-7)
·  The Bible (7-11)
·  Key imagery that speaks of God in the Old Testament and the Gospels (7-11)
·  God’s call to people in the Old Testament (7-11)
Church:
·  The life and growth of the first Christian communities (7-11)
Celebration:
·  Prayers from Scripture and the Tradition (5-7)
·  Community prayer (7-11)
Life in Christ:
·  Scripture passages which reveal God’s love (5-7)

Dominant Strand from Levels of Attainment: AT 1 (i)

This unit has been written to model the linear teaching of AT 1 (i) to Level 5.
Block 1 teaches the Exodus 3:1-13 where Moses encounters the Burning Bush before explicitly teaching beliefs drawn from this passage, required for AT 1 (i) Level 3. Block 2 recalls beliefs drawn from Scripture (AT 1 (i) Level 3) before extending learning to make links between Scripture and Tradition.(AT 1 (i) Level 4). It then moves to teach how belief in the Trinity developed for achievement of AT 1 (i) Level 5.
Other strands covered include AT 1 (iii) Levels 1, 2 and 3 as well as AT 2 (i) and (ii), particularly Levels 3 and 5.
Teachers are reminded that completion of a ‘levelled’ activity does not automatically constitute achievement of that level and that both ongoing and summative assessment should be used to judge the levels at which pupils are working.

Content of Blocks 1 and 2

Block 1 introduces the notion of a single God drawn from the account of Moses and the burning bush. It then introduces a variety of images for God drawn from Old Testament Biblical metaphors for God. An introduction to belief in God as Trinity concludes this section. Block 1 also explains the Sign of the Cross and teaches pupils the ‘Glory Be’.
Block 2 recalls belief in one God and in the nature of God as Trinity. It connects Scripture passages from which these beliefs are drawn to aspects of the Tradition. Block 2 concludes by teaching how belief in the Trinity developed through study of Paul’s letters and the Nicene Constantinopolitan Creed.

Outcomes of Blocks 1 and 2

Block 1: Pupils will…
a.  Retell the story of Moses and the Burning Bush (AT 1 (i) Level 2)
b.  Use First Testament images of God
c.  Make links between Scripture and belief in the nature of God (AT 1 (i) Level 3)
d.  Become familiar with the concept of God as Trinity
e.  Make, describe or explain the Sign of the Cross (AT 1 (iii) Levels 1-3)
f.  Know the prayer the ‘Glory Be’.
Block 2: Pupils will…
a.  Use First Testament images of God
b.  Explore Gospel passages which present Jesus as the Son of God
c.  Make links between the sources of revelation (AT 1 (i) Level 4)
d.  Make links between Scripture and belief in the nature of the Trinity (AT 1 (i) Level 3)
e.  Make connections between Scripture and the Nicene Creed (AT 1 (i) Level 4)
f.  Show how belief in God as Trinity developed across time (AT 1 (i) Level 5)
g.  Participate in a liturgy celebrating the Trinity.

Rich Assessment Opportunities

Block 1: Construction of a 3 dimensional Trinity pyramid. Response to questions in conversation or writing. On-going observation.
Block 2: Development of a ‘tool kit’ to talk about God. On-going observation.
The Year of Faith / Beginning with God / Overview
The Year of Faith / Insert school
logo here /
Religious Education
Key Idea: Beginning with God
This first unit supports Archbishop Vincent Nichols’ first season, Faith, and so invites pupils to consider the most fundamental aspect of faith: belief in God.
Unit Content
Pupils aged 5-7 will be taught Christian belief in one God through learning about Moses and the Burning Bush. They will then explore a variety of images for God drawn from the Old Testament. An introduction to belief in God as Trinity concludes this section. Pupils in this age group will also learn about the Sign of the Cross and be taught the ‘Glory Be’.
Pupils aged 7-11 will recall belief in one God and explore more fully the nature of God as Trinity. They then make connections between Scripture and aspects of the Tradition. Pupils in this age group also learn about how belief in the Trinity developed through study of Paul’s letters and the Nicene Creed. They too will pray the ‘Glory Be’.
Attitudes and Spiritual Dispositions
It is hoped that pupils will develop:
·  An appreciation of the nature of God as greater than what we can imagine or know
·  A sense of the presence of God in their lives
·  Respect for relationships of love received and given
Activities to try at home
You are the first educator of your child in faith. Your child’s learning in religious education will be much higher if you and the school are engaged in talking about the same ideas and beliefs. Help your child by trying one or more of these activities while this unit is being taught:
·  Become conscious that young children will gain their first understanding of God through observing you! Talk about how you are like God, and different from God and how your child is like and different from God. Take an interest in their school work.
·  Talk about people who have helped you come to know God. If appropriate, make a special effort to go to Mass. Look for items in the Church which remind us of the Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit.
An idea for prayer at home
/ Prayer Activity
Pray the ‘Glory Be’ before meals and at bedtime.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.
The Year of Faith / Beginning with God / Family – Parish – School Links
The Year of Faith / Beginning with God
Block 1 – What do Christians believe about God? /
Suggested duration: 5-6 weeks
Cognitive Outcomes / Assessment Opportunities
Students will:
Block 1:
a.  Retell the story of Moses and the Burning Bush (AT 1 (i) Level 2)
b.  Use First Testament images of God
c.  Make links between Scripture and belief in the nature of God (AT 1 (i) Level 3)
d.  Become familiar with the concept of God as Trinity
e.  Make, describe or explain the Sign of the Cross (AT 1 (iii) Levels 1-3)
f.  Know the prayer the ‘Glory Be’ / Include:
Outcomes a, b, c, d.
·  Construction of a 3 dimensional Trinity pyramid
·  Response to questions in conversation or writing
Outcomes e, f.
·  Ongoing observation of pupils
Attitudes and Spiritual Dimensions
It is hoped that pupils will develop:
·  An appreciation of the nature of God as greater than what we can imagine or know
·  A sense of the presence of God in their lives
·  Respect for relationships of love received and given
Key Language
·  Monotheism, Trinity
Other Curriculum links
English: The teaching of Metaphors; The prefix ‘Tri’
Geography: Mapping
Maths: ‘Tri’ – Triangles, pyramids
Art: Moulding and Construction in clay
Teaching and Learning Strategies / Resources
Focus Question: What is monotheism?
·  Begin with a prayer in which you make the Sign of the Cross. Ask students why they think Catholics make the Sign of the Cross. Explain that the Sign of the Cross is a very visible sign of someone who has faith – in particular it says something about Christian belief in God: that God is our creator (Father), that God took on human form in Jesus (Son) and that God remains with us as the spirit or breath of God (Holy Spirit).
/ Explicit Teaching Point
Although Christians speak of God as Father, Son and Spirit, Christians believe in only one God – Christianity is a monotheistic religion. Monotheism, which literally means ‘one God’, is the practice of believing in one God.
Belief in one God is drawn from the Exodus story during which Moses encounters the Burning Bush.
·  Introduce the term Monotheism: believing in one God. Explain that belief in one God comes from an ancient Jewish story. Explore the story of the Burning Bush to develop understanding of this belief.
Prepare to Hear the Word:
·  Explain that this story is a narrative which we find in the Old Testament in the Book of Exodus. Show pupils the book within the Bible or let them find it themselves. Explain that this story was written down hundreds of years after it happened; for many generations it was passed on orally between members of families and communities. This is a story Jesus would have learned and known well. This story teaches one of the most basic beliefs of Jews, Christians and Muslims: that there is only one God.
·  Use a map and find Egypt and ancient Palestine. Explain that the event you are going to read about happened when the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt. Gather pupils existing knowledge about Moses. Contextualise the passage you are going to read by explaining the bigger story if necessary: the birth of Moses, his life in the Pharaohs palace, his killing of an Egyptian soldier who was beating an Israelite and his escape into the desert. See Exodus 1 and 2.
Hear and Encounter the Word:
·  Read or tell the story: Exodus 3:1-15.
·  Learn the story by engaging in the following activities:
o  Divide the text into five scenes and write a sentence for each. Sequence these.
o  Draw the events as a filmstrip.
o  Play ‘And then’ (web link).
·  Focus on Moses
o  What do we know about Moses? Make a fact file about Moses drawn from the larger story of his life.
o  What does the burning bush story tell us about Moses as a person? Make a list of the words the passages use to describe him and the words we might add, drawn from our interpretation of the passage.
o  Examine the passage to determine what Moses is concerned about. What questions does he have? Find evidence in the text.
o  Copy the dialogue from the text and have pupils act out the conversation between God and Moses.
o  Draw Moses at the Burning Bush speaking with God. Prompt pupils to think about how they will represent God in their drawing.
·  Focus on God