Key stage one 5-7 years
livecaringly
an RE curriculum for global citizenship
Educating for responsible global citizenship
Contents
Educating for responsible global citizenship
The ideas in this pack follow a model developed by members of the London and
Southeast group of AREIAC (the Association of Religious Education Inspectors,
Advisers and Consultants).
Introduction to The natural world
Chinese riddle song
1:1
Two stories
1:2
The units have been selected on the basis of topics that are core to both the religious
education curriculum and the guidelines for citizenship education.
Why the sky moved away
1:3
Muhammad (pbuh) at the stream
1:4
The activities are designed to be used within the framework of a locally agreed
or other syllabus and meet the QCA level indicators for attainment in religious
education. Each unit follows a structure for learning and is skills based to enable
the development of responsible global citizens.
The Dandi Gudina school
1:5
Look what we can make!
1:6
Select those units that are most relevant for your syllabus. They provide a useful tool
for ‘learning from religion’ – that part of religious education which is so often neglected.
A responsible global citizen
• has rights and responsibilities
• takes action based on their developing beliefs and values
• relates to others within interdependent local, national and global communities.
Introduction to Community
At home with Shompa
2:1
Who cares for Ahmed?
2:2
The monks and the Messiah
2:3
Bhai Ghanaiya helps wounded soldiers
2:4
Krishna and Sudama
2:5
The prophet Elijah cares for the widow
2:6
Introduction to Prejudice and stereotypes
Different badges and uniforms
3:1
My badge
3:2
Record of a visitor
3:3
Story of St Martin of Porres
3:4
Button song
3:5
The Rainbow people
3:6
© Christian Aid
A responsible global citizen
E
This model presents a continuous cycle in which the pupil is always building on
the previous stage of experience and learning.
es
r
i
u
q
n
Re
fle
s
ct
Enquires
Has knowledge and an
understanding of beliefs
and teachings, practices,
processes and lifestyles
at local, national and
global levels
Has knowledge and an
understanding of
economic and political
institutions and values
at local, national and
international levels
Reflects
Thinks about the values
and motivations that
underpin other people’s
religious and human
experiences and actions
Thinks about, discusses
and debates topical,
political, spiritual, moral,
social and cultural issues
Photo: Christian Aid
ies
tif
A
c
t
Photo: Christian Aid/Elaine Duigenan
Key
RE content
Citizenship content
I
d
en
Acts
Acts inwardly and
outwardly in response to
events and people in ways
that express personal
values and identity
Negotiates, decides and
takes part responsibly in
community activities at
local, national and global
levels
s
Photo: Christian Aid
Identifies
Develops and expresses
personal values and
commitments
Develops and justifies
personal opinions about
issues, situations and
events
Photo: Christian Aid/Elaine Duigenan
1
The natural world How can we care for and respect the natural world?
Pupils will learn to:
Activities
describe and respond to
the natural world; identify
favourite natural things;
describe why they like
these things
Observe the natural world in your local environment: go for a
walk, or stay in the classroom and look out of the window. No
talking. Concentrate on seeing and hearing. Notice the different
colours and textures. Listen to the loud and obvious sounds,
then to the fainter sounds. Touch things: the bark of different
trees, a wall with plants growing on it, moss.
Talk about what pupils observed; allow each child to say
what was interesting to them during the observation. Ask pupils to
draw pictures of what they saw. Make a class display of their work.
respond to religious
traditions – through
stories that describe the
natural world and care
for living creatures
Find out about the animals that children in the class have
experience of. How should we treat living creatures?
For younger pupils, create a play area with soft animals, food,
brushes, and so on. Ask how Allah would want people to care
for these animals.
Tell pupils the story of ‘Muhammad (pbuh) and the cat’
(resource sheet 1:2). Use a toy cat with kittens and a piece
of cloth with scissors. Place the cat and kittens on the cloth.
Pause for pupils to guess what Muhammad (pbuh) might do,
and talk about how the story might end. Tell the rest of the
story while cutting the cloth at the appropriate moment.
Use the following questions to talk about the story.
• Do they think Muhammad (pbuh) was right to cut the cloth?
• Why do they think he cut it?
• What would the pupils have done?
describe how people
in different parts of
the world care for,
and are helped by,
living creatures
Pupils look at the images on the ‘Animal care’ poster.
Talk about why people might keep animals. How would they
look after them? Consider the different types of help that we
receive from animals.
Resources
Sheet 1:1
‘Chinese riddle song’
Sing songs about nature, such as the ‘Chinese riddle song’
(resource sheet 1:1) and then invent your own ‘natural’ riddles.
Read ‘Siddhartha and the swan’ (resource sheet 1: 2).
Use the following questions to talk about the story:
• What did Devadatta want to do to the swans?
• What things did Siddhartha do for the swan?
• What words describe Siddhartha? (kind, greedy, thoughtful, sad)
• What do you think might have happened if the old man had not
asked both boys to care for the swan?
Sheet 1:2
Two stories
Story and idea for
‘Muhammad (pbuh)
and the cat’ from
Primary RE in Practice,
Christian Education
Movement, 2000
Use these stories to encourage pupils to share thoughts about
why they want to care for living creatures.
As a class, make a list of rules for what everyone needs to do to
look after animals. If they own animals, pupils could promise to:
• give their animal food every day
• give their animal water every day
• make sure their animal is kept safe
• clean out their animal’s sleeping area.
Poster
Animal care
© Christian Aid
realise how humans use
and waste the world’s
resources
recognise that many
faiths show concern
about waste and greed
Encourage pupils to collect wrappings and packaging that would
be thrown away at home during one day or a weekend, or use the
contents of a lunchbox. What were the wrappers used for? Talk
about what happens to the litter that is cleared away.
How do pupils feel about this? Can they suggest what might be
done to reduce the amount of packaging?
Look again at the packaging. Sort it into two types – things that
can and cannot be recycled. Think of different ways to re-use the
packaging. Are we wasting the world’s resources by using so
much? Can we do something about this?
Talk about different things that we sometimes waste: food, water, • How does this show his care for the natural world?
paper, time, and so on. Read the following two stories and use the • How can we make sure that we don’t waste water?
questions to follow up each one.
Sit the pupils in a comfortable position. Ask them to close their
eyes and breathe deeply and regularly. If preferred, pupils could
‘Why the sky moved away’ (resource sheet 1:3)
• How did the greedy man feel when he could not finish the piece of sky? keep their eyes open, so long as they are sitting well spaced from
their neighbours. Read the story on resource sheet 1:5.
• How did his wife, children and neighbours feel?
Encourage pupils to imagine they are one of the Karayu (Ka-rye)
• Why do you think that the sky moved away?
people while they listen to the story.
‘Muhammad (pbuh) at the stream’ (resource sheet 1:4)
After reading the story ask:
• What are the different things you use water for?
• Does anything in the story make you feel sad?
• Do you ever waste water? What ways do you waste water?
• Does anything make you feel glad?
• What does Muhammad (pbuh) do that is so different from
• Why did the Karayu people want to build their own school?
everyone else?
• Why do you think Muhammad (pbuh) didn’t want to waste water? • Why did Christian Aid help the Karayu people?
Sheet 1:3
‘Why the sky moved
away’
Sheet 1:4
‘Muhammad (pbuh)
at the stream’
Sheet 1:5
‘The Dandi
Gudina school’
recognise that people can
spoil the natural world
Have a litter-pick in the playground. Talk about what can be used
again, or made into something new. Then ask the pupils to divide the
litter into two boxes – for recyclable and non-recyclable items. Make a
bar chart to show the most common things that people throw away.
NB Check the area first to make sure there are no dangerous
objects in it. Give the children disposable gloves to wear.
Supervise them carefully and ensure that they wash their hands
properly afterwards.
take responsibility and
accept ownership of
the natural world
Use the pictures in resource sheet 1:6 to give ideas for recycling
materials into toys and other objects. Ask pupils to design two
litter bins – one for litter that can be recycled, and one for litter
that cannot be recycled.
point, set up a permanent recycling system in the school.
Sheet 1:6
‘Look what we can make!’
Encourage pupils to think about their own eating habits and use of
resources. Keep a class diary for a week to record how much is
wasted. Look for ways to cut down on the waste, and see if it has
reduced by the end of the following week. Pupils could plan an
assembly to encourage other classes to do the same.
Further resources
Waste Watch
Europa House
13-17 Ironmonger Row
London, EC1V 3QG
tel: 0870 243 0316
www.wastewatch.org.uk
Produce posters to inform other pupils how to use the litter bins. Then
monitor the school’s use of the bins. Using the bins as the collection
© Christian Aid
1:1
The natural world Chinese riddle song
1. One,
2. Four,
3. Seven,
4.Ten,
el
Tell me
if you
can
The
The
The
A
name
name
name
flow’r
of
of
of
of
-
wer
the
the
the
the
plant
red
flow’e
hedge -
two,
five,
eight,
- e - ven,
that
flow’r that
that is
row that
three.
six.
nine.
twelve.
flowers
climbs up
used for
no-one
in
tall
mak knows
the
thin
ing
a -
mud?
sticks?
wine?
bout?
Here’s
Wat
Runner beans
Gao
Ivy
the
er
have
liang
has
ans
chest
red
flow’rs
flow’rs
-
nuts
flow’rs
are
that
I
know
that
flower
climb
used
no-
what
up
for
one
it
is
in
the
tall
thin
mak - ing
knows a
-
mud.
sticks.
wine.
bout
1:2
The natural world Two stories
Muhammad (p
buh) and the ca
t
It was a very h
ot day. Muham
Devadatta love
mad (pbuh) sa
d to shoot swa
in the shade of
t down he w
ns. One day, w
a date palm tre
a
s
o
u
hen
ts
ide with Siddha
e and began ta
to his friends. H
lk
rt
in
h
a, he saw three
g them flyin
e was wearing
g across the sk
of
a long cloak th
covered the gro
y. He shot an a
at
und when he sa
th
e
a
rr
ir
o
and hit one of
w into
t down.When h
wanted to stan
the swans.The
e
d up, he noticed
cr
sw
a
sh
a
n
in
ca
g
to the ground.
me
that a mother
had brought he
Both boys rush
cat
r kittens and p
sw
a
e
n
d
.S
to
id
d
th
h
e
a
la
rtha came to re
ced them on th
corner of his cl
sc
e
u
e
oak.The mothe
it
;D
to
ev
ki
a
d
ll
atta came
it.They argued
r cat started to
her kittens wit
about what to
feed of the b
h milk. Muham
d
o
,b
u
t neither
oys would let th
mad (pbuh) loo
them and gave
e other one win
ked at they
thanks to Allah
.In the end
decided to go to
who created a
living creature
the king to sort
ll
s.Then he aske
it
out.
d for a knife. C
he cut around
arefully At fir
his cloak where
st he decided th
the cat and her
kittens were ly
at the swan be
ing and then, w
D
longed to
ev
a
d
a
tt
a
,
it
w
h
h
o
o
u
t
w
them, he walke
disturbing
as looking forw
d quietly away,
a
rd
th
e swan. But a w
to eating
leaving them to
ise old man liste
feed. cried o
n
in
g
a
t the door
ut:‘No! That’s n
Siddhartha and
ot fair. If an anim
the swan
to you, you mu
a
l belongs
st not eat it: yo
Prince Siddhart
u
m
ha and his cou
u
st take care of
it! Both you bo
sin, Devadatta
ys must take re
the same age. Si
, were
sponsibility for
ddhartha liked
that.’
to play with th
animals that liv
e
ed near his hom
T
h
e
two boys did a
e, but his cousi
had different id
s the old man
n
eas. Siddharth
said, and they
lo
o
ke
d
a
ft
e
a
r
th
lo
ve
e
swan. Slowly, it
swans that use
d a pair of
d to swim on a
g
o
t well again.
One day the sw
lake near where
an’s friends ca
lived. Siddharth
he
m
e
a would visit th
b
a
sw
ck to find the
an and they all
e swans and ch
that they were
fl
ew
o
ff
to
e
ck
th
e North togeth
safe. Each year,
Devadatta turn
er.
at around the
ed to his cousi
time, he notice
same and th
n
d that they wo
a
n
d
sa
id
e old man were
,‘You
uld fly away, bu
always returne
right. I should
t they hurt
d the next yea
n
’t
th
h
a
e
ve
sw
r.
an.Thank you
for letting me
care of it with
take
you.’
1:3
An ancient story from
Nigeria. Storytelling is a
social event; use eye
contact, gestures and
actions to engage your
listeners. Children always
respond well to this.
The natural world Why the sky moved away
Once upon a time, there were no farmers. But nobody went
hungry. Because whenever a person was hungry, they used to
reach up and break off a piece of sky and eat it! The sky was
much lower then than it is today.
So his wife started to eat. She ate from lunch time until tea time,
until she was too full to eat anymore. But there was still lots of sky
left. Now both of them were desperate. ‘Let’s call our children,
and neighbours’, said the man. ‘They’ll be able to eat it up.’
The sky tasted delicious. Life was very easy. No one had to work
hard on a farm, no one had to sell food, and no one had to do
any shopping. Everyone was happy, apart from the sky. The sky
was getting very cross. So cross that one day it started
shouting.
The children and neighbours came to help, but they were
shocked at the man’s waste. And now he was ashamed of his
greed. They ate from tea time until bedtime, but then they began
to feel ill, and they became angry with the greedy man. ‘You get
rid of it’, they said.
‘Now listen!’ it roared. ‘I don’t mind you people eating me, but
I do mind when you break off big chunks, take a little nibble,
and throw the rest on the rubbish heap. From now on, if anyone
throws away a piece of sky, there is going to be big trouble!’
The man was very unhappy. He picked up the piece of sky,
tiptoed over to the rubbish heap, and tried to put it down. But
there was a great roar from the sky. ‘You bad man! I told you
there would be trouble if anyone threw away any sky again!’
Nobody wanted to get into trouble. So for a long time people only
took what they needed, and everyone was happy. But one day, a
huge man with a huge tummy decided he was very hungry. He
said: ‘Today I’m so hungry that I’m going to break off a really big
piece of sky, and then I’m going to eat it all until I’m full.’ So he
reached up and broke off an enormous piece of sky. He began to
eat and eat. And eat and eat. Then he was so full that he couldn’t
eat another bite.
And do you know what happened? The sky started to go up and
up, far away. The man jumped onto a chair, but he couldn’t
touch the sky any more. He climbed onto the roof of his house.
He ran to the top of a high hill, but he still could not reach the sky.
Then his wife came by and saw the huge piece of sky.
‘Who broke off that enormous piece of sky?’ she cried,
‘You know we must not throw any away.’
‘I did,’ said the man. ‘And now I need your help to eat it up.’
Adapted from: Talking Drum, pp18-21, Christian Aid, SCIAF, 1996
Since then, nobody has ever been able to take a piece of sky to
eat. That’s why farmers have had to grow crops, and look after
cows and chickens, to feed us all.
© Christian Aid
1:4
The natural world Muhammad (pbuh) at the stream
One day the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was on a long journey.
He and his friends reached a stream and decided to stop for a rest. Because the day was
so hot, the group of friends jumped into the stream to wash and cool down.
His friends splashed around stirring up the mud from the bottom of the stream. But then
they noticed that the Prophet took a small bowl from his bag and dipped it in the stream.
Then he used the water in the bowl to wash his hands and face. Afterwards, using the
same water, he washed his feet.
The friends stopped their splashing and asked the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),‘Why are
you doing this? There is plenty of water but you act as if that bowl of water is all there is.’
The Prophet replied,‘Allah gives us good gifts, enough for all. But even when there is
plenty, we should never waste even the tiniest part of what Allah has provided.’
Based on a translation from Teaching RE, Islam 5-11,
Christian Education Movement, 1997
1:5
The Dandi Gudina school
was built, with help from
Christian Aid, by its
partner in Ethiopia the
Gudina Tumsa
Foundation. Christian
Aid believes that God
made the world a
wonderful place that
everyone should share.
The natural world The Dandi Gudina school
The Karayu people live in Ethiopia, a country in
Africa. Their animals wander all through the land
to find grass to eat. For years and years the
Karayu owned sheep, cattle, goats, donkeys
and camels. They moved from place to place,
from valley to hill, from river bank to forest so
that the animals always had enough to eat and
drink. The animals were fat and healthy and the
people loved wandering the land. They loved to
step out through the damp grass covered in
morning dew. They sang with joy at the warm
sun and laughed with the chattering birds.
But then things began to change. People came
and built fences all over the open land. Machines
ploughed up acres of beautiful grasses. The new
people said they owned the land. But the Karayu
people asked ‘How can you own the warmth of
the land, the freshness of the air and the sparkle
of the water?’ But the new people planted a
huge sugar plantation that used litres of water.
They stopped the Karayu people from using the
river water for their animals.
Then the new people closed off another huge
piece of land – to make a national park. They
stopped the Karayu people from going there to
feed their animals.
So the Karayu people were squeezed into a tiny,
narrow strip of land. Now there isn’t enough
grass for all the animals and there is only one
well for water. The Karayu and their animals are
dying of thirst. And they can’t sell their animals
at the market because they are too skinny.
The Karayu believe this happened to them
because they had never been to school, and so
they didn’t know how to protest and protect
themselves. They decided they needed a
school. If their children go to school and learn,
they will be able to stand up for themselves in
future. So they built the Dandi Gudina school.
It’s their hope for the future.
Children at the Dandi Gudina school learn to
read and write. But they also learn to plant
crops, vegetables and fruit. This means that the
children can feed everyone else in the
community. Now no one needs to die because
they don’t have enough food.
© Christian Aid
1:6
Christian Aid/Kim Naylor
Christian Aid/Kim Naylor
Christian Aid/Adrian Arbib
Natural world Look what we can make!
Children sing to the beat of
empty oil drums, Rwanda
Mkokhele plays his home
made guitar, Zimbabwe
It’s great to drive a home
made car! Rwanda
Christian Aid/Kim Naylor
Christian Aid/Adrian Arbib
Christian Aid/Adrian Arbib
Nquabutho Ncube
has made a tyre into
a toy, Zimbabwe
This toy lorry is made from
scrap materials, Rwanda
Bhekutando has
made a toy car from
wire, Zimbabwe
© Christian Aid
2
Community How am I cared for? How do I care for others?
Pupils will learn to:
Activities
recognise that their class
is a community made up
of different individuals
Give everyone a paper ‘brick’. Ask each pupil to write down their
name on the brick.
realise who cares for
them, and how they
respond to that care
Use circle time to encourage pupils to think about their special place
in class. As they sit in the circle, ask them to hold up their bricks and
introduce themselves – saying something special about themselves,
such as their favourite colour, or something nice that has happened
to them. Then ask each pupil to decorate their bricks with pictures or
words that illustrate their statements of being special.
As a class, talk about those people who help the pupils
(family, carer, friends, a kind person living nearby). Ask in
what way they are helped by these people.
Read ‘At home with Shompa’ (resource sheet 2:1) together.
Talk about the similarities and differences between the life of
Shompa and pupils in class.
Ask the pupils to imagine Shompa is in their class. Suggest
answers that Shompa might give to the following questions:
What is it like to be part of a family?
How many people do you have in your family?
What are their names?
Where do you live?
How do the people in your family help each other?
Be sensitive to the particular circumstances of different families.
Explore the ways in which the types of caring that take place in
Shompa’s family are similar to, and different from, the experiences
of the pupils in the class. Ask who Shompa might care for.
Resources
Paste the bricks into a ‘wall’ display. Talk about the beautiful and
interesting wall, made up of lots of different and special bricks –
because each member of the class is different and special.
Ask the class to stand in a line around the classroom and hold
hands. Explain that each of them is like a brick in the ‘class wall’.
Each brick is different, but each is important. If any one drops hands
they will break the wall. Look up and down the wall and see how
strong it is when everyone stands together, linked to each other.
Show word cards with words for different feelings on them:
happy, sad, pleased, excited, cross, puzzled, clever,
comfortable, safe, loved, angry, silly, peaceful.
Using the word cards for ideas, ask how pupils feel when
somebody helps or cares for them. Draw out specific examples
given by pupils and help them to think about how they felt before
they were helped, and what it feels like afterwards.
Sheet 2:1
‘At home with Shompa’
Shompa lives in India
Christian Aid, 2000
ISBN 0 904379 40 X
Give each pupil a paper circle, or paper plate, and tell them that
this represents their face. On one side they should draw
a face to show how they felt before somebody cared for them.
On the other side they should draw a face showing how they
felt after they had been helped or cared for. Each pupil could
then decorate their face, add hair or hats as appropriate. Put
these faces onto strings and make them into mobiles or a
wall decoration – contrasting the ‘before’ and ‘after’ faces.
Now that pupils have thought of someone special who cares for
them, and the effect of that care, talk about saying thank you. It
may help to comment that saying ‘thank you’ makes everyone
feel good – both the person caring and those receiving care.
© Christian Aid
realise that they can care
for others, and how they
may do this
Talk about ways that pupils care for other people. As in the
activities above, draw out pupils’ specific examples. Who do
they care for? In what way? Help pupils to think about how they
felt before caring for that person, and how they felt afterwards.
Round up by making and sending caring messages or cards to
those people pupils have mentioned. Pupils may like to express
how special these people are to them.
recognise that there are
many different kinds of
people in the community
Talk about other people who may not be so close to pupils as
those they have just described, but who are also part of the
community. For example, on the journey to school pupils may
have contact with taxi and bus drivers or lollipop people; they
may occasionally see a doctor, or meet shopkeepers. What other
people in the community do pupils know and sometimes meet?
Read the story of Ahmed to the class (resource sheet 2:2)
Together make a list of the problems Ahmed has to live with (he
has spina bifida, it is difficult to travel where he lives, there is a
shortage of water). Alongside your list, make a list of the different
people who help Ahmed (mother, doctors, YMCA centre).
Use the poster to talk about Ahmed. Brainstorm with pupils
about being ill, or about times when they have had problems.
What did they feel? Who cared for them? What was the most
difficult thing to do at that time?
describe other
communities, and
how people in religious
communities show care
Find out about the different religions, cultures and countries that are
represented in the class. On a world map, mark places where class
members have connections (relatives, friends, faith roots, family
roots). Share experiences of belonging to these wider communities.
identify and respond to
values about caring,
expressed through faith
stories
Tell pupils stories that draw out values about caring. You could
use the stories from different faiths shown on resource sheets
2:3, 2:4, 2:5 and 2:6. Explore with the pupils the different
aspects of caring revealed in each story. You could ask pupils:
• to identify who is caring for whom;
• what they feel about the person or people being cared for;
• what they think should be done for those people;
Sheet 2:2
‘Who cares for Ahmed?’
Poster
Ahmed with his family
From the second list, identify family members caring for
Ahmed, and then identify members of the wider community
who also care for him. Encourage pupils to make comparisons
with people in their own wider community who help them.
Who are they? What sort of care do they give?
Choose a local religious community and find out how they care
for their own worshippers, and for people in the wider community.
Invite a visitor from a religious group, or another country, to talk
about the community they are from and how people in that faith
or community care for each other.
• how the caring person cares for the person in need;
• what the stories say about how to treat other people;
• what the effect of our behaviour is on all the people we meet.
Together with the pupils, devise a code to show what they need to
do to build a community – both in the classroom and further afield.
In circle time, reflect on how much of the time people show care,
openness and appreciation for each other.
Sheet 2:3
‘The monks and the
Messiah’ (Christian)
Sheet 2:4
‘Bhai Ghanaiya helps
wounded soldiers’ (Sikh)
Sheet 2:5
‘Krishna and Sudama’
(Hindu)
Sheet 2:6
Elijah cares for the
widow(Jewish)
© Christian Aid
2:1
Community At home with Shompa
Shompa is seven years old. She lives in India, with
her mum and dad and her brother Shurajit. Shompa
wants to tell you about herself. Listen to what
Shompa says:
‘We are a Hindu family.We have a shrine to the
goddess Lakshmi at home.Every morning we give
her fresh food and water.Then we pray that she will
look after us.Do you pray?
‘We used to live in a small house with mud walls and
a thatched roof,which let the rain in.But now my dad
has built a new house for us.We have to climb up
three steps to reach the door.Dad built the floor
much higher than the ground so that we don't get
flooded when it rains during the monsoon.Our
kitchen is where mum cooks our food on a charcoal
stove.Shurajit and I both like chicken best.We also like
sweets.What do you like best to eat?
‘My grannie lives next door. She's old now, so uncle
Dulal lives with her.Grannie has a white cow called
Shumitra and a goat called Mongola. Do you have
any animals?
‘There is one more room in our house, which is the
bedroom.The bed takes up most of the space, and it
is big enough for us all to sleep in. In the evenings we
watch television there. I like cartoons.What's your
favourite TV programme? We have electricity in our
house for lights and the television. But we collect
clean water to drink from the water pump in the
street. And that's where I wash too.’
‘Uncle Shuklal and Auntie Pushpa and my three
cousins live next door to my grannie.What is your
family like? Do they all live close to you? We like
living close to all the family because then we can all
help each other.’
‘Grannie looks after the animals very carefully.
Shumitra gives us fresh milk to drink every day.
Then we mix her dung with straw and let it dry.
We use it for the fire when we cook our food.
© Christian Aid
2:2
Use the poster and this
story to introduce Ahmed.
Talk about how Ahmed
relies on other people to
help him achieve things,
such as being able to
walk, go to school and
learn to read and write.
Community Who cares for Ahmed?
I’m 12 years old and a Palestinian. I live with
my family on Sha’ab Musalam (mountain) just
outside the village of Il Izziriyeh (Bethany). This
is my home – we’ve lived here all my life. It’s
only a few miles from Jerusalem.
My Dad earns some money by looking after
sheep. But we don’t have running water, so
my older brothers have to travel 3km to collect
water from a standpipe.
The Israeli government is trying to move us
off our mountain because they want to build
houses here for Israeli people.
I was born with spina bifida. I couldn’t walk.
Even when I was nine years old I could only
get around by crawling. Imagine what it’s like to
crawl everywhere! And because I couldn’t walk,
I couldn’t go to school.
My mother, Sabiha, was determined to get me
to a doctor who could help me. But we had a
problem: We didn’t have the travel permits that
let us go to Jerusalem.
So in secret Mum took me along the back roads.
We went some of the way by bus, and we had to
walk the rest. Mum carried me when we had to
walk. We kept away from the main roads to miss
the Israeli army checkpoints. But I was still scared.
What if they stopped us? What would they do to
us if they found out we didn’t have a permit?
Eventually we reached doctors in Jerusalem.
They gave me crutches, braces and special
shoes to help me walk. It was wonderful! At last
I could walk. They also suggested I go to the
YMCA Rehabilitation Centre in Beit Sahour so I
could learn new things.
People at the centre in Beit Sahour are
helping me find out what I am good at. I’ve
just started painting, and they’re teaching
me to read and write.
I stay at the centre, and go home for two nights
every fortnight. When I first arrived I felt strange,
but I’m much happier now. I like being here, it is
good to share jokes with my friends, but I miss
my family.
© Christian Aid
2:3
Use this story to talk
about how individuals
within a group treat
each other; and how
this affects the whole
community.
Community The monks and the Messiah
There was once a beautiful, enormous monastery.
It used to be full of monks and the sounds of
praying and singing. But then it became quiet
and empty. Only a few monks shuffled through
the rooms, and only a few people came to visit.
At the edge of the monastery woods, an old
rabbi sometimes visited a little hut. He stayed
there to fast, pray and read the scriptures. No
one ever spoke to him, but when he came to
visit, the few monks left in the monastery knew
he was in the woods. They all felt stronger
because they knew the rabbi was nearby.
One day the abbot of the monastery decided
to visit the rabbi. He walked up to the hut and
saw the rabbi standing at the door with open
arms. They hugged each other like old friends.
The rabbi smiled kindly and the abbot felt loved.
He began to cry. He had never cried so much;
he cried his heart out.
To help, the rabbi told the abbot a very special
teaching. He said: ‘The Messiah is with you.’
Then the abbot left. He went back to the
monastery and told all the monks this special
teaching: ‘The rabbi said that one of us is the
Messiah.’
The monks were surprised. Who could this be?
Could one of them really be God’s chosen one?
Then, as time went by they forgot this special
teaching. But things changed in the monastery.
Slowly, slowly, the monks began to treat each
other differently. Now they really cared for each
other, they helped each other, and often gave
gifts to each other. All of them behaved more
cheerfully, warmly and caringly.
Then, more people came to visit the monastery.
After the monks prayed and read the scriptures,
the visitors left feeling much better. And more
people asked to become monks. Once again
the monastery became beautiful; full of people,
with lovely singing and rich prayers.
Adapted from
Storytelling, Imagination and Faith, William J. Bausch
Twenty Third Publications, Mystic, Connecticut, 1985
2:4
This story features Guru
Gobind Singh, 1666-1708.
He was the tenth and last
of the human Gurus of
Sikhism. In Sikh tradition,
Gobind Singh combines
all the best qualities of the
preceding nine Gurus.
He was well educated,
a skilled horseman and
warrior, and of a generous
and compassionate
nature.
Community Bhai Ghanaiya helps wounded soldiers
Once there was a fierce battle between Sikhs
and Mughals. The army of Sikhs fought bravely
and beat the enemy Mughals. But many men on
both sides died and many more were wounded.
The wounded lay in great pain on the battlefield,
hot and thirsty.
Then a man appeared, quietly walking through
the battlefield. His name was Bhai Ghanaiya.
He carried water and ointment and bandages.
Whenever he came across a soldier with
injuries, he knelt down and gave him a drink of
water. He gently rubbed soothing ointment onto
the man’s wounds and then bandaged him up.
Bhai Ghanaiya was a Sikh, but he was helping
anyone who was injured – whatever army they
belonged to! He helped wounded Sikh soldiers,
and he helped wounded Mughal soldiers. That
made some of the Sikhs angry. They complained
to their leader, the Guru Gobind Singh.
The Guru asked Bhai Ghanaiya if it was true
that he was caring for the enemy. Bhai Ghanaiya
replied, ‘I have been helping neither Sikhs nor
Mughals. I have been serving God.’‘What do
you mean?’ asked Guru Gobind Singh.
‘As I walk across the battlefield I do not see any
enemy. I just see God. In every wounded solder,
whether Sikh or Mughal, I see God.’
‘You are right,’ said Guru Gobind Singh. ‘God
is to be found in every person. When we fight
against the Mughal army, the Mughal soldiers
are our enemies. But now we need to remember
that just like us they are children of God. We
must give them our help.’
Adapted from
A long time ago, in a far away land:
Stories from world religions re-told for Key Stage 1
Essex County Council, 1996, p52,
ISBN 0904428664
2:5
Community Krishna and Sudama
Krishna, King of Dwarka, had many friends when he
was a boy. But as they grew up, the friends moved
away. Krishna often wondered what had happened
to them. One of the friends was Sudama. He was
married and had one daughter, whom he loved very
much. He became a teacher, but he was a poor man,
and his family sometimes had to go without food.
Then Sudama’s wife suggested that he visit Krishna,
and ask him for help. Sudama was shocked. How
could he ask the King of Dwarka for money? Would
the king recognise Sudama after all these years?
How could he go to the king empty-handed?
Sudama's wife had an idea: 'I know! I have some
puffed rice.Take that.You always said how much
Krishna loved puffed rice.' So Sudama set off to see
the King of Dwarka with a small bag of puffed rice.
He walked and walked until he reached the palace.
Then he collapsed on the palace steps, exhausted.
Krishna rushed to him and carried him indoors. He
laid him on his own bed to sleep.What a joy to see
Krishna when Sudama woke up! The king gave his
friend all he could eat, while they talked about old
times. Sudama stayed with Krishna for some days.
But he never dared to give Krishna his small bag of
rice, nor tell about his hungry family. But Krishna
saw the rice and snatched it from Sudama with
excitement. 'How wonderful! You remembered how I
love puffed rice!' And he found out where Sudama
lived.
Then, in secret, Krishna told his workers to go to
Sudama's village. He instructed them to build a new
house for Sudama, and to give food to Sudama's
wife and daughter.When he was better, Sudama had
to go back to his family. He said goodbye to his
friend and left the palace feeling sad, because he had
not told Krishna about his hungry family. But what a
surprise lay in store for him at home!
Adapted from The story of Krishna, retold by Bani Roy Chowdhury
Hemkunt Press, New Delhi
2:6
Community The prophet Elijah cares for the widow
A long time ago, in the land of the Israelites, there was a drought. No rain fell on the ground for many
years.The rivers dried up and the grass went brown. Animals became hungry, and thirsty, and died.
The people had nothing to eat.
There was a prophet called Elijah. During this time of famine God looked after Elijah. God sent the ravens
to bring him food and he drank from a stream. But then because of the drought, Elijah's stream dried up.
Like the rest of the people, he was thirsty.What should he do? God told Elijah to travel on.
Elijah went to the town of Zarepath. Here, he met a widow, gathering sticks to make a fire. Elijah asked the
widow for some water. Even though water was scarce, she wanted to be kind to the great prophet. So she
went to fetch some water. After his journey Elijah was hungry, too, and he asked for some bread. But the
widow looked sad and replied: ‘I don’t have any bread– only a little flour in a jar and a drop of oil in a jug.
I was making a fire to cook a final meal for myself and my son– we planned to eat these last bits of food
and then wait to die.’
‘How sad!’ cried Elijah. He felt sorry for the widow, but he knew she would not die. God had told Elijah
that if the widow went home and baked a cake for him out of her last handful of flour, then she would have
enough for herself. Elijah told the widow what God said,‘The jar of flour will not run out and the jug of oil
will not run dry – not before the drought ends.’
‘How can this be?’ thought the widow. But she listened to Elijah, and went home, and baked what she
thought was her last cake.
Did the flour and oil run out? Was this the widow’s last meal? No! The flour did not run out! The widow had
plenty of flour and oil! So she was able to feed herself, her son and Elijah every day for months and months
until the rains came again.
Adapted from 1 Kings 17:5-16
© Christian Aid
3
Prejudice and stereotypes How much do someone’s clothes tell you about them?
Pupils will learn to:
Activities
describe and analyse
messages communicated
by badges and uniforms
Hold up a school badge or part of a recognised uniform, for
example a fire officer’s helmet. Ask pupils to describe the sort
of information the uniform conveys. Use resource sheet 3:1 for
ideas. Ask pupils to make a list of other badges and symbols
that they know, such as Beavers, Rainbows, swimming, ballet or
gym clubs.
Talk about coats of arms and how they give more information
about a person or an organisation. If appropriate, talk about the
school badge or the town coat of arms, and what it shows.
recognise the ‘uniforms’
used by people and by
religious leaders
Look at items of religious dress, such as a clerical shirt (Christian),
a turban (Sikh), a tallith (Jewish Prayer shawl), and discuss who
wears them.
Use the poster of people from around the world to think about
what other people’s clothes say about them. For each one,
always round up by reflecting on what led pupils to their views.
Identify which people are religious and which are non-religious
from the clothes they are wearing; explain to the class which religion
the people belong to, and which country they are from; ask what
else would the pupils would like to know about these people.
Organise a visit from a local religious leader, and let pupils ask
appropriate prepared questions about the visitor and their work.
Pupils could ask the following questions.
What job do you do?
Do you have to wear an item of religious dress? Why?
What does it mean?
Resources
Hand out copies of the outline badge, resource sheet 3:2.
Explain to the pupils that they will be creating their own badges
that will show people something about who they are.
Sheet 3:1
‘Different uniforms’
Sheet 3:2
‘My badge’
In pairs, ask children to talk about something they are good
at,something they like about themselves, or something they
enjoy. Encourage pupils to think of a symbol to represent
themselves. Pupils can then draw this symbol on their badge.
Spend time discussing some of the different badges and what they
show about individuals. Talk about the things that badges and
uniforms don’t show, for example feelings, characters, and so on.
Does [item of clothing] help you do your job?
Where do you work?
Who do you work with?
What do you like about your job?
What do you dislike about your job?
What are all the different things that you do in your job?
What kind of person do you have to be to do your job?
Sheet 3:3
‘Record of a visitor’
Poster
‘What do their clothes
say about them?’
Use resource sheet 3:3 for pupils to record the visit and draw
the visitor in the space provided.
Look again at the images of other religious leaders, and talk about
the clothes they are wearing. Find out what the clothing signifies.
Conclude by talking about how we may know a little about
people’s beliefs because of the way they dress, but clothes
don’t always tell the whole story about a person.
© Christian Aid
compare their own
experiences with those
of a faith tradition
Read the ‘Story of St Martin of Porres’, on resource sheet 3:4.
Allow pupils to give their initial responses to the story, then use
the questions for further class discussion.
1. Are you a member of a group?
What’s good about being together with other people?
Can you remember a time when other people didn’t let you join
their group? How did it feel?
2. What plans did Martin have for his life? Suggest some other
ideas of what Martin might have wanted to do.
What stopped Martin’s plans?
Why did the monks treat Martin so differently?
How do you think Martin felt after being told he couldn’t be a monk?
develop positive
responses to others,
and apply them
Act out the story of ‘The Rainbow people’ (resource sheet 3:6).
Preparation
You will need:
1 brightly coloured streamers or strips of material – blue, red,
green and yellow
2 a large number of boxes with which to build walls – painted or
covered in the above colours.
3. How did Martin behave towards people?
Who are the people who still think of Martin today?
Why is he so special to them?
Who might be the unwanted people today?
What can people do to help them?
Why are some people ‘unwanted’?
What would Martin do?
Sheet 3:4
‘Story of St Martin of
Porres’
Sheet 3:5
‘Button song’
4. Ask whether pupils have ever thought about people who are
‘unwanted’ before. What could they do for them, or for these
people? Allow time for reflection.
Close the discussion by singing the ‘Button song’ about Martin
finding a mouse (resource sheet 3:5).
The stranger
Talk about who the stranger might represent – our own
conscience, friends, parents, teachers?
Talk about people in religious stories who act like the stranger
(Jesus, St Martin of Porres, Bhai Ghanaiya, Elijah).
Pupils should be dressed in dull clothes.
Pupils begin curled up and very still.
Narrate the story while pupils act out what is happening.
Pupils may speak some of the words.
Friendships
Ask the pupils to think of times when friendships have been
broken.
What caused the break-up?
How did they make friends again?
Did someone help them to make friends again? Was that person
like the stranger?
Follow-up
What did pupils feel as they acted out this story?
How did they feel when they split into their colour groups?
What did they think of the stranger? How did they feel when
they got back together again?
As a class decide how you could work together to ‘bring some
colour to’, that is, make a difference to, another person’s life.
For example, think about who the children would like to reach
out to; work out what they can do for that person; decide how to
make contact with them.
Sheet 3:6
‘The Rainbow people’
© Christian Aid
3:1
Prejudice and stereotypes Different uniforms
© Christian Aid
3:2
Prejudice and stereotypes My badge
Your badge
Look at the example of a badge
below.Think of a symbol that
represents yourself, and draw
this symbol on your own
badge opposite.
© Christian Aid
3:3
Prejudice and stereotypes Record of a visitor
My job is
The place I work at is
The people I work with are
The time I have to go to work is
I finish my work at this time
I like my job because
Something I don't like about my job is
One thing I have to do in my job is
I think I am good at my job because
The kind of person who can do my job is
© Christian Aid
3:4
Martin (1579-1639)
worked all his life as a lay
brother at the Dominican
friary. He was canonised
in 1962. The day of his
death, 3 November, is
his feast day.
Prejudice and stereotypes Story of St Martin of Porres
Long ago a poor boy called Martin lived in Lima,
the capital of Peru. His mother came from Africa
and his father was Spanish. Martin was very
special, and very beautiful. He was a serious
little boy who enjoyed helping his mother, but he
also liked to pray.
He went to see the monks in the monastery in
Lima, because he wanted to become a monk.
But the monks wouldn’t let him join them,
because his skin was black. That made Martin
sad. They said they wouldn’t allow someone from
Martin’s background to be a monk. Instead, they
only let him become a servant in the monastery.
So Martin worked very hard as a servant. He
swept and swept the monastery floors. He
scrubbed and cleaned and cooked for all the
monks. But he also loved animals and looked
after all the animals near the monastery. He
made special friends with a pigeon, a mouse,
a cat and a dog. Martin loved the animals so
much that he shared his food with them.
But Martin had special powers. People said that
he healed them with miracles. Martin cared for
all sorts of people; he helped many people who
were sick. He also spent time with people who
nobody else cared about.
Martin had been rejected, so he knew what it
was like to be unwanted. This is why, long after
his death, Martin was made into a saint: Saint
Martin of Porres. Today people in Peru love
to remember Martin. Poor people follow him
because, like them, he grew up so poor.
People treated badly by others follow St
Martin because he also had a tough life. He
was unfairly treated because he was black.
Today, if you see a picture of St Martin you will
know who he is because of his clothes. He is
wearing monk’s robes! He is also carrying a
broom and is surrounded by the animals he
loved. What do all these things mean? Martin
was made a saint because people realised he
was such a good man. Today, monks would love
Martin to join them.
That’s why in the pictures he looks like a monk.
And he carries a broom to help us remember all
the hard work he did. The animals in the pictures
of St Martin are there to remind us how much he
cared for them.
© Christian Aid
3:5
Prejudice and stereotypes Button song
De - ba - jo
He
lifted
Un
Ti -
d’un
up
ra - ton ton
ny
lit - tle
bo
a
-
ton
ton ton
small but - ton
ton
ton
ton
mouse mouse mouse
En - con - tro MarWhat did Mar - tin
Hay
Ev-
que
er
chi see
qui
a
F
C1
-
tin
see
tin
see
tin
see?
tin
thing
tin
so
tin
wee?
Accompaniment
G
C
F
G
C1
C
F
C1
F
C1
G
G
D
G
F
C1
D
F
G
C1
D
G
D
C
C
G
G
C
G
C
3:6
This story can be acted
out or mimed by the class
with a few props. It can
also be used as a
presentation.
Prejudice and stereotypes The Rainbow people
In the beginning the world was very still and quiet. The ground
seemed to be covered with dull coloured rocks and stones. But
if you took a closer look you could see that they were not stones,
but were tiny people who were not moving at all.
One day a wind blew over the land. It warmed the people and
filled them with life and with love. They began to move... to look
at each other... to touch each other... to speak to each other... to
care about each other.
As they explored their world they found coloured ribbons lying
on the ground. They were excited and ran about collecting them.
Some chose blue, some red, some green, some yellow.
They enjoyed tying the ribbons round each other and laughing at
the bright colours.
Suddenly another wind blew. This time it made the people shiver
with cold. They looked at each other, realised they looked
different... and stopped trusting each other.
The reds gathered together and ran into a corner.
The blues gathered together and ran into a corner.
The greens gathered together and ran into a corner.
The yellows gathered together and ran into a corner.
They forgot that they had been friends and had cared for each
other. The other colours just seemed different and strange. They
built walls to separate themselves and keep the others out. (Use
boxes or mime.) But they found that: the reds had water but no
food (mime feeling hungry), the blues had food but no water
(mime feeling thirsty), the greens had twigs to make fire but no
shelter (mime looking for shelter), the yellows had shelter but
nothing to keep them warm (mime shivering with cold).
Suddenly a stranger appeared and stood in the centre of the
land. He looked at the people, and the walls separating them
in amazement, and said loudly, ‘Come on out everybody.
What are you afraid of?Let’s talk to each other!’
The people peeped out at him and slowly came out of their
corners into the centre. The stranger said, ‘Why don’t you put
together what you have and share it? Then you can all have
enough to eat and drink, keep warm and have shelter.’
They talked and the feeling of love returned. They remembered
that they had been friends. They knocked down the walls and
welcomed each other as old friends. When they realised that the
colours had divided them they wanted to throw them away. But
they knew that they would miss the richness of the bright
colours. So instead they mixed the colours to make a beautiful
rainbow ribbon. They called themselves the Rainbow people.
The rainbow ribbon became their symbol of peace.
Based on The Rainbow People, © Carolyn Askar
The Rainbow People is part of The Swans’ Secret by Carolyn
Askar, published by Terracotta Press and available from
Terracotta Press, 11-b Deacons Heights, Elstree, Herts WD6
3QU tel: 0207 953 7030 e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.terracottapress.co.uk
Key stage one 5-7 years
Live Caringly uses topics core to both the RE curriculum and the Citizenship guidelines.
It encourages and enables pupils to develop as active and responsible citizens,
recognising their role within a global community.
Christian Aid
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working with people of all
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The Department for
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promotes development
and the reduction of poverty