Religious Education
Year 8
Half Term 1
Buddhism
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In year 8, students develop their knowledge and understanding of Eastern religions. Buddhism is the first of the eastern religions that we study. Students will look at the life of Prince Siddhartha Gotama and other key individuals. They will also learn about festivals, key beliefs about life after death and key practices. Students will have an opportunity to compare and contrast with the Abrahamic religions.
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Karma – The idea that the universe gives back to the individual whatever actions are put out there
The 5 Precepts - Rules that Buddhist live by
The Eightfold Path – Guidance on how to be a good Buddhist
Reincarnation – The idea that life is a cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth
Enlightenment – A state of understanding the universe
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Students will receive a homework once every three weeks through Teams/Sharepoint. You can support your child by making sure that this is completed. You can also support your child by discussing what they have been learning about during the lesson and by discussing current affairs that link to religion. Encourage your child to come to school with any questions that they have and if they follow a religion, encourage your child to talk about it in lessons.
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Half Term 2
Hinduism
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In year 8, students develop their knowledge and understanding of Eastern religions. Hinduism is the second of the eastern religions that students will study. They will learn about the creation of Hinduism, whilst it has no singular founder, it came about through a fusion of beliefs from around the Indus Valley. Student's will also learn about Polytheism and the many different gods that Hindu’s worship, looking at their various attributes.
Students will also learn about key festivals and compare beliefs about the afterlife and reincarnation to Buddhism.
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Polytheism – The belief in many Gods
Atman – The belief in the soul
Samsara – the endless cycle of life and death
Moksha – the goal which ends Samsara
Karma – actions in one lie determine their current and future lives
Dharma – A code of living that emphasises good living
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Students will receive a homework once every three weeks through Teams/Sharepoint. You can support your child by making sure that this is completed. You can also support your child by discussing what they have been learning about during the lesson and by discussing current affairs that link to religion. Encourage your child to come to school with any questions that they have and if they follow a religion, encourage your child to talk about it in lessons.
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Half Term 3
Sikhism
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In year 8, students develop their knowledge and understanding of Eastern religions. Sikhism is the third of the eastern religions. Students will study the life of Guru Nanak – the founder of Sikhism, key religious festivals and key individuals and stories from Sikhism. There will be the opportunity to compare and contrast the different beliefs with the other five religions that have now been studied.
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Guru – Teacher
Guru Granth Sahib – Holy Book
Sewa – Service to others
Langar – the community kitchen
The 5 K’s - Five items of clothing that Sikhs must wear
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Students will receive a homework once every three weeks through Teams/Sharepoint. You can support your child by making sure that this is completed. You can also support your child by discussing current affairs that link to religion. Encourage your child to come to school with any questions that they have and if they follow a religion, encourage your child to talk about it in lessons.
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Half Term 4
Believing in God
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Year 8 students now move into their philosophical section of key stage 3 where we look at bigger picture questions that incorporate the belief of all the 6 main world religions that we have already studied. Key concepts for this unit include a variety of different reasons as to why people do believe in God, as well as the scientific explanation of the existence of us.
We also tackle the problem of evil and suffering as a reason not to believe in God. Students are encouraged to explore their own ideas about this topic as well as religious ideas. They are also encouraged to develop their skills of discussion and debate as well as evaluation and reasoning.
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Religious Upbring - Key events that will happen in child's life as they grow up in a religion
Religious experience – this could be a dream or a vision or an answered prayer
Miracles – something that breaks the laws of science
Design Argument – The idea that the universe is so intricate and complex, yet works perfectly – it must have an intelligent designer
Causation Argument – The idea that nothing can happen spontaneously, the universe was caused to exist
The Big Bang Theory – The scientific explanation for the existence of the universe
The Inconsistent Triad – The question that if God exists and is all powerful, all knowing and all loving, then why does he allow evil and suffering to exist.
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Students will receive a homework once every three weeks through Teams/Sharepoint. You can support your child by making sure that this is completed. You can also support your child by discussing what they have been learning about during the lesson and by discussing current affairs that link to religion. Encourage your child to come to school with any questions that they have and if they follow a religion, encourage your child to talk about it in lessons.
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Half Term 5
Religion Ethics, and Philosophy
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This unit introduces the idea of Ethical topics and philosophical approaches to life. They will look at a variety of philosophers and apply their theories to real life situations. Students are encouraged to explore their own theories and beliefs and reflect on the ideas of others. The unit includes theories on law, situation ethics, the environment and animal rights.
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Morality – What is right and wrong according to one’s conscience
Ethics – This links to Morality in term of doing the right thing in different situations
Utilitarianism – Actions should provide the greatest good for the greatest number
Stewardship – The responsibility of others to look after the earth
Dominion- The idea that man has authority over the animal world
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Students will receive a homework once every three weeks through Teams/Sharepoint. You can support your child by making sure that this is completed. You can also support your child by discussing what they have been learning about during the lesson and by discussing current affairs that link to religion. Encourage your child to come to school with any questions that they have and if they follow a religion, encourage your child to talk about it in lessons.
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Half Term 6
Matters of Life and Death
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In this unit, students explore the different religious and non-religious views about what happens after death. This topic explores near deal experiences, the supernatural and psychic encounters as well as more sensitive topics like euthanasia and abortion, include the law, morality and ethics. Students are encouraged to explore their own views and to develop their debate and discussion skills.
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Afterlife – What happens when we die
Heaven – Religious idea of a reward for a good life
Hell – Religious idea of a punishment for a bad life
Near Death Experience – Some people feel that they have had contact with the afterlife
Euthanasia – A gentle painless death
Abortion – The removal of a foetus before it can survive outside the womb
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Students will receive a homework once every three weeks through Teams/Sharepoint. You can support your child by making sure that this is completed. You can also support your child by discussing what they have been learning about during the lesson and by discussing current affairs that link to religion. Encourage your child to come to school with any questions that they have and if they follow a religion, encourage your child to talk about it in lessons.
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