Jewish beliefs and practice

YEAR 8: SPRING 1+2
	Judaism	Seder Meal	Jewish Fesitvals	Jewish Family

About the unit

In this unit pupils learn about key beliefs and practices of Judaism. Using a variety of written and visual sources they learn about and understand some ways in which religious belief informs religious practice today. The unit offers opportunities for pupils to examine and reflect on issues of faith. Pupils encounter Judaism’s teachings at first hand, and develop their understanding of the Torah. They evaluate the relationship between religious beliefs and practice in society today. It contributes to the study of citizenship.

This unit is expected to take approximately 7 hours.

Where the unit fits in

This unit may be taught in year 8. It builds on unit 1D ‘Beliefs and practice’ in the key stage 2 scheme of work by looking in greater depth at the nature of faith and how it informs what religious people believe and do.

This unit prepares pupils for GCSE RE/RS by developing their understanding of the relationship between scripture and modern practice, ethics and belief.

Expectations

At the end of this unit

most pupils will: explain what is meant by the term ‘God’ in different religions and how God may be known and worshipped within Judaism; understand how the use of symbols in Judaism is a help to the believer; understand ways in which Jews express their belief in God through the way that they live their lives, eg through prayer, taking part in festivals and community action; compare and contrast thoughtfully some responses to ways in which Jews serve their community; identify beliefs of others that they agree or disagree with, explaining their reasons, and make informed responses to questions about other people’s values and commitments in the light of their own learning; reflect on questions about the purpose of human existence, formulating their own responses

some pupils will not have made so much progress and will: show their knowledge and understanding of the main beliefs and practices within Judaism; have an understanding of what belonging to a religious community involves, eg prayer and community action; understand the meaning of some religious symbols and use some religious technical language correctly; identify beliefs of others that they agree or disagree with, and explain at least one reason for doing so; reflect on questions about the purpose of human existence

some pupils will have progressed further and will: use their knowledge and understanding of principal beliefs and teachings in Judaism to explain in detail what it means to belong to a faith community; illustrate their answers with modern examples of religious belief and practice; evaluate information that they learn about, showing an appreciation for detail and clear thinking; be able to make informed decisions about questions of meaning and purpose encountered in their course of study

Prior learning

It is helpful if pupils have:

• been taught about religious beliefs and practices
• learnt to explain that belief in God affects the way people behave
• understood some of the ways in which religious people try to serve others in their local community
• had opportunities to develop skills of empathy, interpretation and reflection
• had opportunities to agree and disagree with others in a constructive way

Language for learning

Through the activities in this unit pupils will be able to understand, use and spell correctly words relating to the study of:

• religion, eg festival, prayer and pilgrimage

Speaking and listening – through the activities pupils could:

• discuss and respond to initial ideas and information, carry out the task and then review and refine ideas

Reading – through the activities pupils could

• select relevant information and link to new information, from a range of sources

Writing – through the activities pupils could

• organise facts/ideas/information in an appropriate sequence
• show relationships between ideas by links which show purpose (in order to, so that) and reservations (although, unless, if)

Resources

As well as a range of textbooks and other published resources, this unit will be enhanced by the use of original ancient and modern materials from religious sources, including:

• resources from a variety of media – visual, musical, video and poetic – which exemplify ideas within the units
• religious artefacts
• websites, eg www.re-xs.ucsm.ac.uk; www.religioustolerance.org; www.theresite.org.uk
• a classroom visit from a member of a religious community

Out of school learning

Pupils could:

• visit a religious community and ask questions about the central beliefs and practices of the members
• read more widely around the religion
• visit some sites on the internet about or linked to a particular religion
• look out for current stories from newspapers involving the religion

Future learning

Pupils could go on to:

• develop further their knowledge of primary religious sources, as a means of deepening their understanding of concepts of God, prayer and meditation and religious duty
• consider more the diversity of belief and practice within religions globally
• make reasoned judgements about the nature of faith and practice
• consider possible contradictions in belief and practice within Judaism