RE GCSE Short Course 1 - Belief in God

Subject: Religious Education / Philosophy
Level: Secondary
Age Group: 14 - 16
Order Number: 14003

Many pupils are now following a short GCSE course in R.E.. Written by practising teachers, these photocopiable masters are designed to supplement the several excellent text books available. They have been designed especially with special needs children (reading age of 8-12) in mind, however they can also be used by mainstream pupils.

The resources, which include information and activities, cover topics from the non-religious, Christian and other religions points of view. Each resource can be used independently, which makes them useful for a wider range of subjects, including PSHE and English, as well as Religious Studies.

Topics covered include:

Pack 1 - Belief in God

The idea of presenting 'God' as a topic is very daunting. The aim of this unit is not to make the pupils believe in God, or vice versa, but to explore some issues linked to this concept.

The unit takes a very western view of 'God' but it was felt to be appropriate in this context. Although this unit is essentially about 'God' it tackles one of the most important issues associated with a belief in God, ie the problem of suffering.

Pack 2 - Life and Death

This unit is designed particularly to enable students to express their own opinions and ideas about 'life and death' as well as learn about the issues.

The unit assumes a certain degree of knowledge. The emphasis being on the issues and the debates behind the issues rather than explaining technical processes. Obviously if processes are unknown they do need to be explained and it will be necessary to check what sex education pupils have had in schools.

Running through the whole unit, therefore is the theme of life; the nature purpose and meaning of life and the sacredness of life. Reflection on life is essential no matter what syllabus you are following. It may be difficult to measure, but the pupils will reflect and consider it simply by looking at some of the ethical and religious issues concerning life in this unit.

Pack 3 - Relationships and Family Life

This unit could easily be part of a larger unit on relationships - such as friendship, family and getting to know people. It covers such themes as:

• Personal relationships
• marriage
• divorce

Pack 4 - World Issues

• The environment
• wealth & poverty
• world development
• war and violence

The unit is meant as a starting point to the wealth of material available on these issues.

Pack 5 - Social Issues

There is a lot of material available on social issues and the themes covered in this unit include:

• Prejudice
• racism & sexism
• women in religion
• homelessness

The unit attempts to link these issues to Religious Studies

Each pack consists of:

• 20 photocopiable masters on each topic, plus suggestions for homework, extension work and project activities
• A set of 15 unique photocopiable resources for use by teachers with special needs pupils
• Examples of record keeping for special needs students
• Suggestions for teachers on teaching special needs and less able students at KS4 in mixed ability classes

ALSO AVAILABLE:

Teacher's Notes

SPECIAL OFFER - Buy all five RE GCSE Short Course books for only £59.99 and receive the Teacher's Notes FREE!