ASU Title: Lesson

What is the Nicene Creed and why Key Stage: Upper KS2 is it important for Christians today? Year Groups: 5/6 Title of lesson

Length of unit: 6 lessons

Main points of content / Bible references for Christianity units

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INTRODUCTORY LESSON Who is God?

Beliefs. What do you believe in? Christians share with Jews (and people of many other faiths) belief in God the creator of the universe Psalm 91. Christians believe in God the loving father who cares in detail for the world and the people he made.

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Jesus and God – are they the same?

Charades: What do we know about Jesus? Christians believe that when Jesus was on earth he was God in a human body Play the detective - ‘How do words from the bible lead to a belief that Jesus was God?’ What difference would it make to a Christian if they did not believe that Jesus was God?

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A rescue mission – what is that all about?

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Living, dying, rising, coming back again and being a king forever! Wow, how does that work?

Salvation - Another word for salvation that is easier to understand is ‘rescue’ Christians believe that Jesus came to earth on a rescue mission to save people from the consequences of living a selfish (sinful) life and to help them to try to live a selfless life. Christians do not believe that only Christians are selfless or that Christians will always be selfless but that a relationship with God helps them to recognise their sin and to change. This part of the Nicene Creed is to do with Jesus trial, death and resurrection in other words: the Easter story. Christians believe that Jesus Christ will come back to the earth some time and he will change the world from what it is at the moment. The wrong things will be destroyed and people will live in a place that is perfect, that goes on forever and will be a return to the perfection of the first creation before things went wrong.

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3 in 1 and 1 in 3 – how do we solve that conundrum?

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EVALUTATION LESSON What do I understand about the Nicene Creed?

This lesson is all about a Christian belief called ‘The Trinity’. Thousands of words have been written and spoken on this subject and yet there are still elements of a mystery about it. It is best to keep everything simple in trying to explain how God can be One person and also 3 people at the same time. How does this belief that God is Father as well as Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit affect the life of a Christian today? The idea of this lesson is to express some of the themes of the Nicene Creed in abstract art.

Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Notes / Background to the unit: • •

• •

At first this unit may seem like a rather daunting subject but the aim is to give opportunity to look briefly at some of the big questions of the Christian faith and to provide opportunity to discuss them. However, there is obviously much more that could be taught that is not included in the unit so do use the materials as a starting point rather than an ending if the pupils are keen to take the learning further. The ‘Nicene Creed’ was written in Nicea (today this is the city of Iznick in Turkey) in AD 325 to state the main doctrines (principles) of the Christian Church. It forms a central part of the liturgy (forms of worship) of the Church of England today although you may be familiar with another and slightly different statement which is often used called ‘The Creed’. It is felt that the original Nicene Creed is less abstract and therefore easier to understand. For a Church School this unit will help to explain the main Christian beliefs behind the foundation of your school. The unit provides a good opportunity for links with your local church and clergy so you may wish to invite them to be involved in some of the lessons. At the end of the unit you may feel that as a school it is appropriate to write your own ‘creed’ based on the learning. This would be an excellent way of developing the Christian Distinctiveness of the school and again of working with your local clergy.

Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Unit title: What is the Nicene Creed and why is it important for Christians today?

Age range: Years 5/6

Lesson: 1 of 6

Skills being developed: Reflection, Empathy, Investigation, Evaluation, Application

Lesson title: Who is God?

Learning Objectives Through the learning experiences, pupils should learn:

• That Christains (Jews and other faiths) believe that God made the whole universe (CoCo) • That Christians (Jews and other faiths) believe in one God (Co Co) • That Christians relate to God as a loving father (ECM 2) • That people of faith and people of no faith still have beliefs that influence their lives (CoCo)

Introduction: Throughout history people have always held lots of different beliefs. Even today people who do not believe in God still have many beliefs eg. touching wood to make something come true, black cats bringing good luck for exams etc, some people believe in Aliens, Avatars, Ghosts etc and it is unusual to find someone who does not believe in love even though love cannot be seen. Reflection and Empathy: Brainstorm beliefs - but ensure that this is done in an objective fashion so that no one is put in a position where others might ridicule them for a belief. Perhaps begin with the words ‘Some people today believe ….’ Main activities (including skills-based learning): Beliefs can change over time but Christians believe that there are some truths that are revealed in the Bible that do not change. These beliefs were collected together and written down in AD 325 (expanded to today’s version in AD 381) in the Nicene Creed.

Learning outcomes e.g. what am I looking for / what can pupils do better now?

ALL: • recognise that the Christianity shares with other faiths a belief in one God (AT1 L3) MOST: • describe that different beliefs influence their and others’ lives (AT1 L4)

Display the opening line of the Creed so that everyone can see it clearly: ‘We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that SOME: • express their own beliefs and is, seen and unseen’ recognise the challenge of Christians share a belief with other faiths that God made the whole universe. For Jews and relating to people holding Christians this faith comes from Genesis 1:1 different beliefs (AT2 L5) Look at a YouTube clip on Psalm 19 by Danny Groff which has fabulous photographs of the Resources / Background universe, supernova, stars, the sun etc or read Psalm 19:1-6 in The Message translation • When talking about Christian belief that God made the universe and everything in it you may www.biblegateway.com well find that the pupils will want to debate this Investigation: and discuss big bangs, evolution etc. This is Research amazing facts about the universe and create an awesome display. Ensure that the obviously an important area but in the context display reflects the RE focus of belief in one creator God. of the unit and to ensure that the pupils learn Evaluation: the Christian thinking a useful distinction to make between science and faith is that science Discuss: Some people believe that God created the universe. Some people believe that the teaches the ‘how’ of ‘creation’ while faith universe just happened. Both are beliefs. Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

teaches the ‘why’ of ‘creation’. Christians believe that God created people to reflect his (God’s) image (Genesis 1:26) and to demonstrate his (God’s) qualities of love and wisdom in friendship with him (God). In Church Schools science and faith should not be taught as opposites but complimentary even if we cannot fully understand how.

• YouTube clip on Psalm 19 by DannyGroff • www.biblegateway.com

What do you think about these contrasting beliefs? How should you treat people who have a different belief from yourself? Application: Plenary/Extending the thinking: Christians believe that God not only made the universe but that he also knows how many hairs there are on each of our heads! Look up Matthew 10:30 and Luke 12:7b. Christians believe that God is also a loving Father to his children – see the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9 which begins ‘Our Father in Heaven….’ Being sensitive to the fact that many children will not have a father at home, use some thought bubbles to invite the pupils to think about the objective qualities of a loving father. ‘If I was a loving father I would …… (put my children first/make time for my children/make sacrifices for my children etc…)’ Perhaps these could be written in the pupils’ RE journals if your school uses this idea. Christian belief holds extremes in tension together – The belief in One God who is both awesome in creating the universe and intimately interested in individual lives. Reflection: Sing or listen to: ‘God created them all …’ from Sunday’s Cool Volume 1 Out of the Ark

Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Unit title: What is the Nicene Creed and why is it important for

Age range: Years 5/6

Christians today?

Lesson: 2 of 6

Skills being developed: Investigation, Interpretation, Evaluation

Lesson title: Jesus and God – are they the same?

Learning Objectives Through the learning experiences, pupils should learn:

• that Christians believe that Jesus was and is God • that Christians believe that because Jesus is God the world was created through Him

Resources / Background

• The Message translation of the bible or

use bible gateway www.biblegateway.com where you will find many different translations of the bible including The Message • Pre-written cards with bible verses • This lesson looks at a core belief of Christian understanding that Jesus was God eg ‘God from God’. The investigation is to find evidence for this Christian belief rather than debate whether people of nonChristian faith believe it. Although that may be a by product of the investigation it should not detract from the main investigation. • The bible story of the virgin birth is

Introduction: Charades: What do we know about Jesus? Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 people. Give each group a word, story or action that is from the life of Jesus and ask them to prepare a mime for the others to guess. Be aware that some of the suggestions are more difficult than others to ‘perform’. Some examples: • Making a blind man see (Bartimeus) • Bringing a dead child back to life (Jairus’ daughter) • Forgiveness • The good Samaritan story • Being angry at injustice (Jesus overturning tables in temple) • Loving enemies • A great teacher • Being mocked and not answering back • Making delicious new wine out of water • Calming a ferocious storm on the sea • Being a great friend to children Main activities (including skills-based learning):

Display the next section of the Creed for everyone to see clearly: We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.’ Christians believe that when Jesus was on earth he was God in a human body – ‘God incarnate’. (This is probably the most important Christian belief. Lesson 5 looks in more detail at the Christian belief of The Trinity) Investigation and Interpretation: Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Learning outcomes e.g. what am I looking for / what can pupils do better now?

ALL: • Can begin to indentify the impact that faith in Jesus as God will have on the lives of Christians (AT1 L3) MOST: • Suggest answers to what it means for Christians to believe that Jesus was God (AT2 L4) SOME: • Will explain how a religious source (in this case the bible) provides answers to ultimate questions of life (AT1 L5)

included and the teacher may need to be prepared to explain very briefly what the word means eg a virgin is a woman who has never ‘slept with a man’ and therefore could not have a baby. The story of Jesus’ birth is therefore ‘miraculous’.

Detectives look at written statements to try to work out how to solve a puzzle. Let’s play the detective and search the written statements for evidence of the belief that Jesus was God. The following verses are all from the Message translation of the bible. They need to be presented on separate cards and given to groups of 4 or 5 pupils to analyse. The question to ask about all the statements is ‘How do these words from the bible lead to a belief that Jesus was God?’ The pupils need to discuss the statements and prepare an answer to this question to be shared with the whole class. 1.

Matthew 1:23 “Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; they will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").”

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Luke 2:8-12 “There were sheepherders camping in the neighbourhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Saviour has just been born in David's town, a Saviour who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." Matthew 7:18, 23-26 “a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, "My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live." Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along…… By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbours bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: "Clear out! This girl isn't dead. She's sleeping." They told him he didn't know what he was talking about. But when Jesus had got rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl's hand, and pulled her to her feet—alive. The news was soon out, and travelled throughout the region.” Luke 5:20-26 “Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins." 21That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins." 22-26Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, "Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say 'I forgive your sins,' or to say 'Get up and start walking'? Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either or both. . . ." He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: "Get up. Take your bedroll and go home." Without a moment's hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We've never seen anything like that!" Matthew 28:1-10 “After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned; Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move. 5-6The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed. 7"Now, get

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Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message." 8-10The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."

Share the evidence that you found in your detective work for the Christian belief that Jesus was God. (Ideas to look for are: being born to a virgin, having angels announce the birth, amazing authority, miracles, power over death, forgiveness of sins which only God can do, coming back to life)

Plenary/Extending the thinking: Evaluation: Remember the last line of this section of the Creed which is talking about Jesus: • ‘Through him all things were made’ Talk to your neighbour about what you now think this line might mean. • Talk with your neighbour about what difference it would make to a Christian if they did not believe that Jesus was God

Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Unit title: What is the Nicene Creed and why is it important for

Age range: Years 5/6

Christians today?

Lesson: 3 of 6

Skills being developed: Reflection, Empathy, Interpretation, Expression

Lesson title: A rescue mission – what is that all about?

Learning Objectives Through the learning experiences, pupils should learn:

• That the word ‘salvation’ can be understood as ‘rescue’ (ECM 2) • That Christians believe that Jesus paid for the consequences of other people’s wrong doing (CoCo)

Learning outcomes

Introduction: ‘Salvation’ – What do you think that word means? Dictionary definition ‘Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil’ Another word for salvation that is easier to understand is ‘rescue’ Look at or read some amazing rescue stories – find some clips or written accounts via google ‘amazing rescues’ e.g. story of dolphins rescuing surfer Todd Endris from a great white shark

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21689083/ns/today-today_people

Reflection , Empathy, Interpretation: Discuss – A rescue makes a great theme for a film, book or TV programme. What do people need to be rescued from? Do you know anyone who has had to be rescued from a dangerous situation? Main activities (including skills-based learning):

Resources / Background

• Stories of amazing rescues can be found via a google search - ‘amazing rescues’

• It is important that the learners understand

that Christians do not believe that they are perfect but that because they are not perfect they recognise a need to be rescued from the consequences of not living a perfect life and helped to lead a better one. • ‘Incarnate’ means ‘took on a human body’ • ‘Virgin Mary’ - look back to resources/background of previous lesson for a simple explanation.

Display the next section of the Creed for everyone to see clearly ‘For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.’ Expression: Christians believe that Jesus came to earth on a rescue mission to save people from the consequences of living a selfish (sinful) life and to help them to try to live a selfless life. (NB Christians are NOT perfect people but they recognise that just like everyone else they sometimes get things wrong and need to be rescued. They believe that a relationship with God helps them to recognise their sin and to change) In pairs: demonstrate the differences between a selfish life and a selfless life by using the sculpture drama technique: one person is the sculptor and one is the lump of stone. The sculptor pretends to chisel the stone into the shape of the concept. Make sure that each person has equal turns at being the sculptor and the lump of stone and the selfish and Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

e.g. what am I looking for / what can pupils do better now?

ALL: • Will identify with the concept of rescue (AT2 L3) MOST: • Will describe how belief in being ‘saved’ will influence a Christian’s life (AT1 L4) SOME: • Will explain how the religious source (the bible) provides answers to ultimate questions of life (AT1 L5)

selfless concept and draw attention to the contrasts between the concepts. Selfish Selfless Anger at not getting own way Peaceful Irritable and whiney Patient Greedy Generous Feeling sorry for self Caring for others Pride and thinking of self Serving others In small groups now ‘sculpt’ the playground at school: • If everyone behaved in a selfish way what would the playground look like? • If everyone behaved in a selfless way what would the playground look like? Christians believe that because Jesus was God he was able to live a perfect and selfless life unlike humans. Jesus was and is therefore in a position to rescue people from the consequences of their selfish lives by taking the consequences of their selfishness on himself. Christians believe that is what happened when Jesus died on the cross and rose again and that a ‘rescue’ is available for anyone who wants ‘rescuing’. Plenary/ Extending the thinking: Reflection:

A story to think about: A criminal was in court being tried for stealing a huge amount of money. When the judge looked at the criminal he recognised his own son. The judge listened to the case and realised that his son was guilty of all that he was accused of, so the judge announced the guilty verdict and ordered the criminal to pay back all the money or face prison. When the case was over the judge got down from the bench and took off his judge’s robes and wig, got out his cheque book and wrote a cheque for the full amount of the money that had been stolen and paid the price that the thief owed. He bought his son’s freedom and rescued him from the penalty of his actions. All that his son had to do was to decide whether or not to accept his father’s gift with gratitude and to honour his father’s action by asking him to help him lead a changed life. How does this story link with Christian belief about God, Jesus and human beings?

Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Unit title: What is the Nicene Creed and why is it important for

Age range: Years 5/6

Christians today?

Lesson: 4 of 6

Skills being developed: Reflection, Investigation, Interpretation, Evaluation, Expression

Lesson title: Living, dying, rising, coming back again and being a king forever! Wow, how does that work?

Learning Objectives Through the learning experiences, pupils should learn:

• That Christians believe that Jesus died and rose again • That Christians believe that Jesus will come again to the earth as a King and reign for ever

Resources / Background

• This lesson contains some ‘and/or’ ideas

depending on whether you have already used the Easter Pause Day materials from the Diocesan website. If you choose to use the Easter Pause Day materials you will need to allow time for at least 2 lessons • The Miracle Maker DVD (cheaply available via Amazon or can be borrowed from the Resources Centre, Guildford Diocese)

• Sunday’s Cool Volumes 1 and 2 Out of the Ark (These are the books generously given to Church Schools in Guildford Diocese by Out of the Ark) • Space to sit in large circle

Introduction:

Learning outcomes

The Miracle Maker – If you have not used this film recently with the learners this is a good opportunity to look at the relevant section on the trial, death and resurrection of Jesus. (note to teacher please check film first before delivering material)

e.g. what am I looking for / what can pupils do better now?

Main activities (including skills-based learning):

Display the next section of the Creed for everyone to see clearly: “For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” Investigation and Evaluation: Years 5 and 6 Easter Pause Day Material www.cofeguildford.org.uk/go/pause If you have not used this material already there is masses of excellent ‘stuff’ here to help learn about the story in this part of the Creed to do with Jesus trial, death and resurrection. However, do check with your RE subject leader first to find out if there is a plan to use the material for an Easter Pause Day. OR If you have previously used all of the above material then a brief recap with the pupils about Jesus’ death and resurrection would be good to ensure the learning before moving on to the focus on the last line – ‘He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.’ Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

ALL: • Begin to indentify the impact that Christian belief in Jesus’ return to earth will have on believers (AT1 L3) MOST: • Will show understanding of the Christian belief in Jesus’ return and the impact that will have on believers (AT1 L4) SOME: • Will express their own views on the Christian belief in Jesus’ return to earth (AT2 L5)

• Youtube DVD clips for Plenary

Christians believe that Jesus will come again but that unlike the first time that he came as a human being he will come in such a way that everyone in the whole world will recognise who he is, He will destroy the wrong things and that he will reign as a King for the rest of time. Reflection: Sing or listen to: ‘Hallelujah!’ from Sunday’s Cool Volume 2 Out of the Ark Interpretation and Expression: Game All sit in a circle: Spend a moment or two silently thinking about the world. Now image a world that is perfect for everyone. What would be in the perfect world? What would NOT be in a perfect world? What colours would be there? What changes would have to take place? How would people behave in a perfect world? Remember that this is to be a perfect world for everyone not just for you so someone might choose to disagree politely with a previous statement as long as they explain why. Perhaps the statement could begin with ‘In a perfect world…… (eg no one would be ill)’ Or ‘In a perfect world there wouldn’t be….. because…’ One person begins by running into the middle of the circle and says ‘In a perfect world ….’ If someone else has thought of something similar then they then run into the circle to replace the first person and they say ‘In a perfect world……’ and so on until you have run out of ideas. Plenary/ Extending the thinking:

Reflection: Christians believe that Jesus Christ will come back to the earth some time and he will change the world from what it is at the moment by destroying the wrong things and recreating a place that is perfect and goes on forever.

Find youtube clips of the following songs which put the ideas of this part of the creed into song. As there are several options try to find clips that have the words on screen with pictures or film in the background rather than any that show the singers: • ‘In Christ alone’ Stuart Townend • ‘All hail the power of Jesus name let angels prostrate fall’ (this is a traditional hymn with beautiful, poetic words which clearly show Christian belief of Jesus being King) While the clips are playing ask yourself – ‘What do I think about these words?’

Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Unit title: What is the Nicene Creed and why is it important for

Age range: Years 5/6

Christians today?

Lesson: 5 of 6

Skills being developed: Reflection, Investigation, Interpretation, Expression

Lesson title: 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 – how do we solve that conundrum?

Learning Objectives Through the learning experiences, pupils should learn:

• That The Trinity is a core Christian belief • That Christians believe that God is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and yet 3 persons in 1 person

Introduction:

Experiment 1: Reflection, Investigation You will need some blocks of ice, a container to collect the water when the ice melts and a kettle. (Run a Risk assessment and check your health and safety policy before hand) Place the ice in a warm and sunny spot and during the course of the lesson allow it to melt. Return to this 1st experiment after you have completed the 2 nd experiment. and then pour the melt water into the kettle and boil it. Watch the steam come out of the kettle. Main activities (including skills-based learning):

Display the next section of the Creed for everyone to see clearly:

“We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.”

Resources / Background

• Water, ice and kettle • Risk assessment and Health and Safety policy for boiling water in the classroom • Dotty isometric paper • Sharp pencils, rulers, sharp coloured pencils • Quiet music

This is all about a Christian belief called ‘The Trinity’. Thousands of words have been written and spoken on this subject and yet there are still elements of a mystery about it. It is best to keep everything simple in trying to explain how God can be One person and also 3 people at the same time. Try this experiment: Experiment 2: Reflection, Investigation Sit in a large circle. Ask the learners in the circle to stand up if they are a son or daughter to someone. (Of course everyone will stand up) Now ask them to stay standing if they are a brother or a sister to someone ( Most of the learners will stay standing) Now ask the learners to stay standing if they are a cousin to someone (Again most will stay standing)

Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Learning outcomes e.g. what am I looking for / what can pupils do better now?

ALL: • Will begin to identify ways that belief in The Trinity will impact believers lives (AT1 L3) MOST: • Apply their own ideas about God to their lives (AT2 L4) SOME: • Explain their own view of the challenge of belief in The Trinity (AT2 L5)

What is the connection between this experiment and the Christian belief in God being 1 person while also being 3 people? Explain that all the learners still standing are obviously only one person but they have 3 different roles and relationships i.e. son/daughter as well as brother/sister as well as cousin. So the Christian belief that God is Father as well as Son as well as Holy Spirit is reflected in a small way in ordinary human relationships. Return to the 1st experiment and now boil the melt water and watch the steam. Ask the learners what has changed and what has stayed the same. You have been looking at one substance but in three different forms i.e. water, ice and steam) Plenary /Extending the thinking : Interpretation: So Christians believe that God is 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit: • God is Jesus and the Holy Spirit • Jesus is the Holy Spirit and God • The Holy Spirit is God and Jesus Reflection and Expression: Use dotty isometric paper available to print free from http://www.mathsphere.co.uk/resources/documents/dot1cmiso.pdf

In silence or with very quiet music playing - create triangular patterns while thinking about these questions (Triangles are made up of 3 lines but are 1 shape so they provide a simple reminder that the pattern of 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 is not unusual) Gently remind the learners to think about the questions as they draw and colour: Questions: Where was Jesus when God was creating the world? Where was the Holy Spirit when God was creating the world? Where was God when Jesus was born? Where was the Holy Spirit when Jesus was on earth? Where was God when Jesus forgave people’s sin in the bible stories? Where was God when Jesus was on the cross? Where is Jesus when God forgives people’s sin today? Where is God now? Where is Jesus now? Where is the Holy Spirit now? What do I think about this God?

How does this belief that God is Father as well as Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit affect the life of a Christian today? Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Unit title: What is the Nicene Creed and why is it important for

Age range: Years 5/6

Christians today?

Lesson: 6 of 6

Skills being developed: Expression, Speaking and Listening!

Evaluation lesson: What do I understand about the Nicene Creed?

Learning Objectives Through the learning experiences, pupils should learn:

• To express an understanding of the Nicene Creed in abstract art

Resources / Background

• Use a Painting medium that is familiar to the learners • Paper etc • Appropriate music if desired while learners are working

Introduction: The idea of this lesson is to recreate some of the themes of the Nicene Creed in abstract art. A reminder of the themes to focus on are: The Creator of the universe Rescue and Forgiveness Dying and Coming back to Life 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 – The Trinity Judge and King Recreation and the perfect place Everlasting joy Main activities (including skills-based learning):

Talk about colour and the emotions/ideas that different colours suggest eg Black = anger, death, sadness Yellow = happiness, new life, hope Gold =king, victory, perfection What colour would you suggest for forgiveness, joy, rescue, creation? Think about the shapes that you could use for each theme. Choose a theme and enjoy recreating the Nicene Creed in abstract art form. Make sure that the painting has a title to help to explain it to a viewer. Plenary/ Extending the thinking: In pairs describe and explain your art work to each other. Each person will have to listen very carefully as the listener will then report back either to the whole class or to a small group. Guildford Diocesan Board of Education

Learning outcomes e.g. what am I looking for / what can pupils do better now?

As this is an individual exercise in response to the previous 5 lessons the Learning Outcomes are the same for all. ALL: • Will express an individual and thoughtful response to the Nicene Creed through art • Will listen carefully to another’s description and explanation (ECM 4) • Will show respect for another’s work and thought (Co Co)

Assessment sheet for RE Unit: What is the Nicene Creed and why is it important for Christians today?

Year: Years 5/6

AT1

AT1

AT1

Will begin to identify ways that belief in The Trinity will impact believers lives

Apply their own ideas about God to their lives

Explain their own view of the challenge of belief in The Trinity

AT2

AT2

Will identify with the concept of rescue

Suggest answers to what it means for Christians to believe that Jesus was God

Will express their own views on the Christian belief in Jesus’ return to earth

Names:

Names:

Names:

AT2

Guildford Diocesan Board of Education