Religion and Ethics SAS 2014
Sample unit of work
Sacred stories
The sample unit of work provides teaching strategies and learning experiences that facilitate
students’ demonstration of the dimensions and objectives of Religion and Ethics SAS 2014.
This sample demonstrates:
 organisation and development of a unit that could be used within a course of study
 aspects of the underpinning factors particular to this unit
 learning experiences that support the achievement of the objectives described in the
dimensions of this syllabus
141185
 alignment between core subject matter, learning experiences and assessment.
Unit overview
Title of unit: Sacred stories
The unit description includes a title and a
paragraph that outlines the intent of the unit.
Unit description:
The purpose of this unit is to help students recognise and explore sacred stories, their nature,
content and purpose. In this unit, sacred stories are seen as those stories that have an enduring
place in religious communities, e.g. the Quran, the Tanakh, and the New Testament.
Students will have opportunity to appreciate the difference between influential and sacred stories.
Influential stories are personal experiences (e.g. a car accident), family experiences (e.g. about
great grandpa’s disposition), national and international events (settlement of Australia, ANZAC, the
Holocaust) that have shaped individuals, nations and eras. Sacred stories are stories that people
turn to, to glimpse the transcendent, to conserve a faith tradition, to be authoritatively guided, or to
address life’s big questions.
Time allocation:
Semester 1, 2, 3 or 4; 55 hours
A time requirement for the unit is indicated.
Content to be taught
Concepts and ideas
Sacred stories shape and guide lives and are often ‘revealed’.
Sacred stories bind communities.
In the telling and retelling of significant stories, people find meaning and purpose in life.
Influential stories, such as experiences of individuals, families, communities or nations, can be the
catalyst for change, can hold people back, or inspire people to do great things.
Knowledge, understanding and skills
The knowledge, understanding and skills listed should be developed, showing integration of the core
areas.
Personal
 how sacred stories shape and inform the individual
 how sacred stories express meaning for individuals
 influential figures, events from the past and present who have influenced my life
Relational
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sacred stories that inform relationships with others
the importance of sacred stories for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples in
connecting with ancestors, community and country/place, and in maintaining family relationships
family, community and/or national events/incidents that generate ideas
Spiritual
 the ‘grand’ religious stories that have shaped our world, e.g. Abraham and Moses, Buddha, Jesus,
Muhammad
 stories of founders and followers of different religious groups
 the importance of sacred stories for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the
protocols for engaging with and sharing these stories
 the contributions of Aboriginal stories and Torres Strait Islander stories to the Australian identity
Note: There are protocols for sharing that must
be observed, as some stories may be secret
men’s or secret women’s stories. Permission
from Elders must be sought.
Learning experiences show coverage of the core and
elective and support the assessment possibilities
indicated.
Religion and Ethics SAS 2014
Sample unit of work — Sacred stories
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
February 2015
Page 2 of 5
Learning experiences
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Syllabus dimensions and objectives are delivered
recognising and describing concepts, ideas and
through learning experiences throughout the unit
terminology contained in sacred and influential stories
of work.
and explain how they shape and inspire people
and reinforce common beliefs
identifying and explaining the ways sacred stories shape and guide lives by surveying community
members to identify the way/s sacred stories express meaning for individuals
organising information and material about the ways Christianity, Judaism and Islam express and
interpret their creation stories
explaining viewpoints and practices contained in sacred stories to determine what makes them
‘sacred’, e.g. their (said) origins, (said) nature, function, scope, effects and influences
listening to members of different religious traditions speak about their sacred stories and analysing
perspectives, viewpoints and practices
applying concepts and ideas to make decisions about the way individual experiences shape future
lives, habits, dispositions and character
using language conventions and features to communicate ideas and information, e.g. by relating
sacred stories to children or adolescents
recognising and explaining how influential stories might shape individuals
viewing episodes of the ABC program Australian Story, e.g. ‘Saving Trooper Gebhardt’ or ‘Wayne
Bennett’, and Compass, e.g. ‘Lifers’, ‘Life, Hope, Dreams’, ‘Archie Roach’
visiting a religious community to interview members about their viewpoints and practices relating to
sacred stories, e.g. how they are used and understood, their effects and influence, their nature and
origins
inviting a guest speaker from the local community to tell their influential story and to discuss how their
personal experiences have influenced and shaped their life
interviewing a close family member about their personal story or family stories to reflecton the
influence these storyies have or have had on personal/family values and beliefs
retelling a personal family story in a medium of choice, such as visual artwork, song or role play, to
highlight aspects of the story that have shaped your own life
inviting a local Aboriginal Elder or Torres Strait Islander Elder or community member to tell their
sacred stories and to speak about the importance of sacred stories for Aboriginal peoples and Torres
Strait Islander peoples, and, with permission, the protocols for sharing such stories
listening to relevant episodes of ABC Radio National podcasts, e.g. The Spirit of Things, to hear
insiders of religious traditions talk about the sacred stories of their traditions
examining different interpretations of sacred stories depicted in and through creative and performing
arts
reading chapters or acting out scenes from sacred stories to assist in recognising and describing
concepts, ideas and identifying how they express meaning for individuals
planning and undertaking inquiries into sacred stories, e.g. by discussing the appropriateness of
certain sacred stories for children
communicating the outcomes of inquiries, e.g. explaining how Aboriginal artists and/or Torres Strait
Islander artists use symbols in their artworks to pass down traditional knowledges or practices within a
family
exploring sacred stories in depth, such as the story of Paul the Apostle of the New Testament (his life,
his letters, his message and its effects and influence), or stories of founders and followers of different
religious groups, to identify how these stories have impacted upon religious communities
comparing different interpretations of the same sacred story, e. g. the birth of Jesus, the story of
creation, the exodus, or the story of a significant figure, e.g. Abraham, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed,
Moses, Noah
appraising inquiry processes and the outcomes of inquiries into the value of sacred stories for
children, adolescents and/or adults, or explaining the process of rewriting a sacred story for a
particular audience
Religion and Ethics SAS 2014
Sample unit of work — Sacred stories
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
February 2015
Page 3 of 5
Assessment
The following assessment tasks are suggestions only. Teachers may choose from techniques and the
options that follow, or devise alternate instruments, to suit their students’ needs and school context.
Assessment instrument 1: Project — creating a children’s story
Dimensions assessed:
Knowing and understanding
Applying and examining
Producing and evaluating
Assessment technique:
Project
Assessment conditions:
Semester 1–2
Semester 3–4
Written component:
400–700 words
500–900 words
Spoken component:
1½ – 3½ minutes
2½ – 3½ minutes
Multimodal component:
2–4 minutes
3–6 minutes
Performance component:
Schools provide students with some continuous class time to develop the
performance components of the collection of work.
The length of this component will depend upon the nature of the task.
Product component:
Schools provide students with some continuous class time to develop the
product components of the collection of work.
The length of this component will depend upon the nature of the task.
The different components within a project can be
Part A (product component)
delivered at different times throughout a unit of
Students create a children’s story book
work. However, one overall result is given for the
that re-presents a sacred story in a contemporary way
completed project.
for primary school children.
Part B (spoken component)
Students deliver a presentation explaining the process of writing the story book and an appraisal of the
outcome. This may take the form of a panel discussion, Q & A session or ‘Book Club’ presentation.
Assessment instrument 2: Investigation
Dimensions assessed:
Knowing and understanding
Applying and examining
Producing and evaluating
Assessment technique:
Investigation
Assessment conditions:
Semester 1–2
Semester 3–4
Written component:
500–800 words
600–1000 words
Spoken component:
2–4 minutes
3–4 minutes
Multimodal component:
3–5 minutes
4–7 minutes
Students interview a significant person in their life and analyse how that person’s life experiences have
influenced and shaped the student’s own life, habits, character and dispositions. Students develop a
written transcript of the interview and provide a presentation, focusing on the impact of the significant
person on their life.
Religion and Ethics SAS 2014
Sample unit of work — Sacred stories
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
February 2015
Page 4 of 5
Assessment instrument 3: Extended response to stimulus (choice of response mode)
Dimensions assessed:
Knowing and understanding
Applying and examining
Producing and evaluating
Assessment technique:
Extended response to stimulus
Assessment conditions:
Semester 1–2
Semester 3–4
Written component:
500–800 words
600–1000 words
Spoken component:
2–4 minutes
3–4 minutes
Multimodal component:
3–5 minutes
4–7 minutes
Stimulus materials: a selection of Christmas cards depicting the birth of Jesus.
Students examine the different interpretations of the story of the birth of Jesus through the various
depictions on the cards and present an analysis in a written mode of their choice.
Assessment instrument 4: Examination — short responses
Dimensions assessed:
Knowing and understanding
Applying and examining
Assessment technique:
Examination
Assessment conditions:
Semester 1–2
Semester 3–4
Recommended duration
60–90 minutes
60–90 minutes
Short response test
50–150 words per item
(diagrams and workings not included
in word count)
50–250 words per item
(diagrams and workings not included
in word count)
The examination consists of a number of items that could require students to:
 recognise, describe and explain concepts, ideas, issues and viewpoints contained in sacred and
influential stories
 analyse, interpret and apply ideas and information about the nature, content and purpose of sacred
and influential stories
 respond to stimulus materials, for example:
 an unfamiliar sacred story that students analyse in terms of its setting, structure, characters,
context, message etc., and its ability or potential to influence the ways by which people behave
towards each other
 an artwork depicting a sacred story that students have to identify and discuss
 a comparison of two versions/interpretations of the same sacred story.
Religion and Ethics SAS 2014
Sample unit of work — Sacred stories
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
February 2015
Page 5 of 5