R.E.
FS. Autumn 1
TITLE OF UNIT
I’m Special / Myself
KEY THEME
Personal, social and emotional development
KEY CONCEPT
God / Creation
Early Learning Goals
PSED
 Have a developing awareness of their own needs, views and feelings, and be sensitive to the needs, views
and feelings of others.
 Have a developing respect for their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people.
 Understand that people have different needs, views, cultures and beliefs that need to be treated with
respect.
 Understand that they can expect others to treat their needs, views, cultures and beliefs with respect.
CLL
 Sustain attentive listening, responding to what they have heard with relevant comments, questions or
actions.
 Speak clearly and audibly with confidence and control and show awareness of the listener.
 Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events.
KUW
 Look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.
 Ask questions about why things happen and how things work.
 Find out about past and present events in their own lives, and in those of their families and other people
they know.
 Begin to know about their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people.
CD
 Express and communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings by using a widening range of materials,
suitable tools, imaginative and role-play, movement, designing and making, and a variety of songs and
musical instruments.
Learning Outcomes
 Be able to talk about themselves and what makes them special.
 Be able to talk about their good/not so good qualities.
 Begin to identify similarities/differences between people.
 Begin to identify similarities/differences between races/cultures and peoples beliefs.
 Begin to talk about qualities in others that are special and important.
 Be able to talk about their feelings and emotions.
Expectations – Levels of Attainment—In line with Locally Agreed Syllabus and ELG’s
Nearly all can:
Talk about what makes people different and special.
Many can:Identify similarities/differences between people and describe what makes them special.
Some children have progressed further and can:Be able to talk about qualities in others that are special and important.
Skills
 Reflection
 Communication
Key attitudes and values
 Self awareness
 Respect / sensitivity for all
 Appreciation and wonder
Opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
 Studying a range of moral issues, promoting racial and religious respect and the importance of personal
integrity.
 Valuing relationships and developing a sense of belonging.
 Articulating their own and others’ ideas on a range of contemporary social issues.
 Promoting racial and inter-faith harmony and respect for all.
 Exploring the similarities/ differences between people i.e. physical features e.g. eye colour / qualities e.g.
honest / characteristics e.g. kindness etc.
 Use a mirror to explore themselves as a special person.
Every child matters
Cross curricular links
Social Cohesion
Being Healthy
Speaking and listening
Promoting respect
Staying Safe
Circle time / PSED
The idea that everyone is unique and
Enjoy and Achieve
Knowledge and Understanding of
special
the World
Creative Development
Prior learning
Children’s own experiences at pre school / home.
Key questions for the teacher to ask:
E.g. Why are we special?
Why am I special?
Key vocabulary
Feelings: happy/sad etc
Descriptive words: tall/short/long
Spiritual qualities: trust/honesty/kind/love/care etc
Parts of the body: eyes/nose/hair/skin colour etc
Race/culture
Similarities/differences
Key questions the children wish to explore:
Possible teaching activities
Using different characteristics play a game with the children e.g. Stand up all of those with blue eyes, stand up
those with blond hair etc.
Discuss with the children the ways in which some people have similar characteristics e.g. blue eyes.
Use multi-cultural dolls / puppets/ persona dolls like those in the picture below to discuss different skin colours and
cultures from around the world.
Using one box with a mirror at the bottom ask the children to pass it around and they will see someone very
special.
Using mirrors ask the children to look at themselves and identify three of their own visible characteristics.
Then using photographs move on to talk about what sort of people the people in the photograph might be. How do
we know?
Choose someone who is special to you. It could be mum, dad, brother sister. Talk about the qualities that make that
person special.
Choose a puppet and discuss feelings of the puppet in different situations e.g. first day at school / playground
Choose a friend /partner in the class and give one quality that makes that person special. (You could use a phrase
such as I like (name) He/she is special because…….)
Make a list of good characteristics. Introduce the idea of outer and visible and inner and personal qualities.
Introduce some the spiritual qualities e.g. love
Discuss the idea of whether the outside appearance is really important or are these other characteristics and
qualities even more important.
Read a suitable story e.g. Arthur by Amanda Graham and Donna Gynell .Discuss the story.
NB Please ensure you are politically correct when discussing terminology of skin colour etc
Task
Using a basket of pebbles 6- 10 children to choose one that they like. Ask the children to look very carefully at
their pebble and get to know it well. Place the pebbles back in the basket. Shuffle them and ask the children to find
their pebble. Explain that for Christians and several other faiths believe that God knows each one of us in that
special way.
Assessment Opportunity
Using a large blank outline of a person / child as a class ask the children to write around the outside a person’s
characteristics that are visible to others yet not important e.g. hair colour.
Then focus on key religious values and write inside the outline a person’s qualities that aren’t visible but make
them special e.g. Loving, caring, forgiving
Pupils might fill in one for themselves and one for someone who is special to them e.g. A friend / relative
Resources
1 large blank outline of a person/ child.
Smaller outlines for individual work
Arthur by Amanda Graham and Donna Gynell. Picture Puffin
You are Very Special by Su Box , Lion( or some other story about self-esteem)
Mirrors
Multi-cultural dolls / puppets/ Persona Dolls
www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/re/ks1_2/.../persona_dolls_re.doc
Inspire-to-learn.co.uk