Year 6 Worldviews. What does it mean to live in a religiously diverse world? (Autumn 1)
Session 1 - What is religious diversity?
This lesson is based on a lesson plan from Equal Rights, Equal Respect by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Looking at a small bowl of jelly babies all in the same colour and a bowl of jelly babies in different flavours.
Question(s) - Which do you prefer to have? Why did most of you pick to have greater variety?
Today we are looking at what diversity means and that we are going to start with a survey about our personal choices.
We are going to be appreciating the benefits of diversity.
Using the slides from Equal Rights, Equal Respect to explore immigration to the UK and some of the reasons why.
Discuss - the impact of immigration of the food, music, sports of Great Britain.
Can you decide on the origin.
Look at religious diversity in the UK.
Can you name as many different religions as you can?
Do they think these religions have followers in the UK? Where did the religion originate?
Look at a world map coded according to religion. Where does atheism and non-religious views fit in?
Think about the places you have visited on holidays. What is showing on the map as the majority faith?
Think about our international partnership schools and the diversity of faiths there. What assumptions did we have about their faiths of the children there?
Session 2 - What is my identity and what is a stereotype? What can I do about discrimination?
What makes up your individual identity? Imagine yourself in the middle of an onion. The peel closet to you is what you consider to be your most important identity.
TASK - Draw an onion in your book. Draw yourself inside.
Think about how you have many different identities first and make a list of them before ranking them. Your identity could include your role within your family, your friends, hobbies, where born, where live, a faith or cultural identity, likes, strengths.
Compare pictures, is there anything unknown about each other?
What is a stereotype?
Look at what an onion may look like about a child from a faith background, explain that these are fictional individuals
What stereotypes do people have associated with being from another country? Why are these stereotypes? Stereotypes may have been formed by images which we have seen in the past. Sometimes images may be used to create stereotypes by someone who wants you to agree with their beliefs, then stereotypes may lead to discrimination.
Look at some images through history which have been used for antisemitism and Islamophobia.
DISCUSSION - Why do you need to be critical thinkers when looking at images around you?
Discussion about discrimination. Time to reflect about a time when you may have discriminated. What could do to celebrate individual identities and to challenge perceptions. Role play bullying of a religions nature and how an individual could combat this. Role play talking to another child who is expressing views which you don’t like or agree with, how can you unpack, open up and challenge those views? Discuss what should you do if someone talks to you who you think has an extremist view or a point of view which makes you feel really uncomfortable.
Session 3 - How do different religions celebrate the birth of a child? Can I identify diversity within a religion?
DISCUSS - how their families celebrated their birth having discussed it at home. Make a list of the different and similar ways which your birth was celebrated. Were there any traditions which were specific to your family which have been passed down?
In groups decide on what aspects they would want to include if they were designing a celebration for a new baby born on their street. Think about the cultural background of the family they are thinking about, is there anything in particular which should be included to mark this.
Children to work in teams to research on iPad and then present how those with different worldviews celebrate the birth of a child. Select countries from current immigration statistics both high and low to give different responses. Include a Humanist / non-religious family. Consider diversity within a religion.
Baptism - Do you think everyone celebrates the same way as your family may have done?
TASK - create a bunting or banner for your chosen celebration
Session 4 - Golden Rule
How is the Golden Rule similar between different religions?
What is my vision for the Golden Rule and how can I persuade others to follow it?
Key Words: Values and perceptions; Golden Rule
Part 1 Discussion A - What is a value? What values do we hold.
Explain that we are looking at a value today which many people believe to be an important one. Pick a value from the value cards which is most important to you.
Looking at these guidelines from different worldviews about how people should act. Unpack each one with your group without knowing which worldview they are from.
Discussion B - The similarities and differences.
Explain that these are known as the Golden Rule as they are part of each religion. Do you think is easy to follow the golden rule? Should the golden rule apply to everyone whether religious or not?
The video below shows even more worldviews and what they say about the Golden Rule. It is by the International Inter-Faith Coalition.
What do children think that organisation represents?
Re-discuss, Discussion B and answer using the Belief Lines about the Golden Rule before the full enquiry to develop views.
Part 2
Could you create your own Golden Rule to "try" and live by?
What is the Golden Rule?
How could you create this vision as a work of art for display.
Discussion A What is a value? What values do we hold.
Explain that we are looking at a value today which many people believe to be an important one.
Look at these guidelines from different worldviews about how people should act.
Which do you most associate with?
Christianity – Treat others as you would like them to treat you.
Jewish faith – What is harmful to you, do not do to other people.
Islam - None of you ‘truly’ believe, until you wish for your brothers and sisters what you wish for yourself.
Hindu Dharma- Do nothing to others, which if done to you, could cause you pain.
Buddhism - I will act towards others exactly as I would towards myself.
Sikhism - As you wish for yourself, so wish for others.
Humanism - Treat other people as you’d want to be treated in their situation. Do not treat others in a way you would not like to be treated yourself.
Discussion B The similarities and differences.
Explain that these are known as the Golden Rule as they are part of each religion.
Do you think it is easy to follow the golden rule?
Should the golden rule apply to everyone whether religious or not?
This video shows even more worldviews and what they say about the Golden Rule. It is by the International Inter-Faith Coalition.
What would the world be like if everyone lived according to the golden rule?
Session 5 - What diversity of religion and within a religion is to be found in my local community?
My role in the world around me
Look at a diagram of a fictional community with different religious places of worship marked on.
Can the children identify which religion is which and explain why?
Discuss what range of religions there are in our local community. Even if no world faiths present you could discuss diversity within Christianity through your local denominations. Possibly set up a Christianity panel to see how views can differ.
Make sure children know where the local places of worship are using google or Digi maps.
Children to work in teams to create a community pledge for how they can demonstrate global citizenship to those around them.
Think about all the different lessons over the last few weeks and what messages they would like to give others about them.
Make these into poster formats
Optional – An event to celebrate diversity / guest workshop leader etc.
What worldviews do we know about in our local community?
TEACHERS NOTES
Week 4&5 - Texts used can be different to that listed above.
This video shows even more worldviews and what they say about the Golden Rule. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX8RIXal2Ng
It is by the International Inter-Faith Coalition.
Belief line is when children stand in different places across the room according to strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree. They then discuss with those they are standing near and those across the room.