Topic Title: Leaders and Texts (CU3)
Religions: Christianity and Hinduism
Key Stage 3
Engaging with fundamental
questions
Why is religious authority important?
Exploring religious beliefs, teachings and practices
Expressing personal responses
Why is the Bible important for Christians?
In what ways have you experienced
authority in your life?
In what ways do religious teachings
relate to modern day life?
Why is Jesus important for Christians?
What responsibilities go with authority?
How and why do Hindu texts hold authority for Hindus?
Why are religious leaders of faith
communities important?
What are the main beliefs of Hindus that arise from the
teachings of holy books?
How do religious teachings impact on belief and practice
today?
How can the work of one religious person make a
difference to society?
Examine who or what influences your
life?
In what ways does belief influence
behaviour?
Evaluate the impact of one religious
person on society.
Aspects of the Range Covered
Origin and purpose of life
Natural world and living things
Human Identity
Meaning &purpose of life
Belonging


Authority & Influence
Relationships & responsibilities
Journey of life
Non material/ spiritual
Knowledge & experience of non-material/ spiritual


Religious Education: Scheme of Work for Secondary Schools
Key Stage: 3
Title of Unit: Leaders and Texts (CU3)
Learning objectives
Key Questions
To discuss pupils’ own
experiences of authority
Duration of Unit:
Learning Activities
Term:
Resources
Discuss the term ‘authority’
Discuss personal responsibility -e.g. school
council, captain of teams and roles in their
families.
To consider the
importance of religious
authority
Why is religious
authority
important?
Discuss the picture stimulus showing people in
authority. Who are they? What authority do they
have? What qualities do they need?
Pictures of people in
authority
Group work. Diamond 9 activity. Create nine
qualities of leadership. Rank these in order of
importance. Discuss findings and different
opinions within the classroom
Think RE Book1 pp7477
Explain the term ‘religious authority’
Discuss a picture stimulus showing religious
people in authority (Pope, Archbishop, Imam,
Vicar) Who are they? What authority do they
have? What qualities do they need?
Assessment
Choose a person
who has had an
influence on your life,
describe and
evaluate the ways in
which they have
influenced you.
Snowball activity. Identify those who have
authority in their lives, share ideas and make
comparisons with partners/ groups.
To consider the
responsibilities that people
in authority hold
Year:
Think RE Book1 pp7879
To understand and
evaluate the importance of
the Bible as a source of
authority for Christians
What does
‘religious authority’
mean?
Think, pair, share activity. Name as many sacred
writings as possible. Identify the religion they are
associated with.
Why is religious
authority
important?
Identify different types of writings found in the
Bible. Explain how they would be used by
Christians e.g. psalms, laws
Why is the Bible
important for
Christians?
Ranking exercise of statements regarding the
importance of the Bible.
Discuss and evaluate the statement ‘The Bible is
not important today’ Follow up with a Continuum
Line for pupils to stand according to their
viewpoint. Discuss and justify their decision with
others.
RE Today - ranking
activity
To understand and
evaluate the importance of
Jesus to Christians
Why are religious
leaders important?
Placemat or snowball strategy - ‘What do you
know about Jesus’?
Placemat template
Why is Jesus
important for
Christians?
Time line activity on key events in the life of
Jesus.
Time Line template
Transfer key events to a fortune Line and discuss
feelings and emotions at these key events.
Fortune line
Group activity. Select three key events in the life
of Jesus and explain why they are important to
Christians.
Freeze frame activity on a key event or teaching
from the life of Jesus.
Newspaper report/ diary entry on an event in the
life of Jesus.
Newspaper writing
frame
Group work. Each group researches a particular
event in the life of Jesus. Write a short play or
script of the event, choose suitable music and
perform them to the class.
This is RE Book 2
pp44-45
Compose a rap on an event or teaching in the life
of Jesus
Reading images. Examine how Jesus is
portrayed in art.
Picturing Jesus pack RE Today
Exploring Questions in
RE (TB) p 341
To explore the continuing
influence of Jesus on
believers and society
today
In what ways do
religious teachings
relate to modern
day life?
How can the work
of one religious
person make a
difference to
society?
Create a TV interview entitled ‘Jesus. This is your
Life’.
Select a teaching of Jesus and show how it is still
relevant to society today e.g. love your
neighbour, non-violence.
Biblical text
Evaluate the impact
of one religious
person on society
Research and examine a case study of a
Christian individual or organisation that puts into
practice the teachings of Jesus.
How do religious
teachings impact
upon belief and
practice?
To consider the role
played by contemporary
religious leaders in the
Christian faith community
Interview a Christian minister/ vicar/ priest
Write an article entitled ‘A day in the life of a
Christian minister’.
Hot seating activity. Ask questions of a person
who has taken on the role of a religious leader.
To consider the Hindu
texts as a source of
authority for Hindus
How and why do
Hindu texts hold
authority for
Hindus?
Storytelling using pictures / props/ artefacts of
stories found in Hindu sacred texts e.g. Rama
and Sita.
Speech bubbles/ thought bubbles on the
Mahabarata (Story flow charts)
Design a poster on
Hindu murtisimages, key beliefs
and teachings.
To consider the roles
played by contemporary
religious leaders in the
Hindu faith community
Why are religious
leaders of faith
communities
necessary?
Group activity - Jigsaw strategy: Pupils to
research in expert groups one of the Hindu gods
(murti) and evaluate key beliefs about them and
their importance. Feedback to their home group.
Create a poster of their findings.
Exploring Questions in
RE Book 1pp 66-67
Interview a Hindu priest
Visitors
Write an article entitled ‘A day in the life of……’
Write a diary entry for a Hindu priest
Advert for Hindu priest/minister
Hot seating activity. Ask questions of a person
who has taken on the role of a religious leader.
Key Words
Authority, responsibility, Bible, Christian, belief, Jesus, God, minister, vicar, priest
Brahman, trimurti, murti, Hindu, Brahmin/ priest, Mahabarata, Bhagavad Gita
Mind map on
religious authority