Transcript Slide 1

Primary RE Development Day
Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
Improving RE 4-11: spirituality, creativity, inspiration,
presented by Lat Blaylock, editor, RE Today
• This one day course for anyone who teaches RE in the
primary school will provide 14 practical ideas for better
RE lessons in which children’s own spiritual ideas and
experience are valued and celebrated.
• Linking to key topics in the curriculum, the day will
enable you to think through big ideas and questions,
links to art, music and drama, fresh ways to learn from
the Bible and from the worship of the Christian
community.
•
Where is God?
• Children reflect on the biggest belief of all
in RE lessons linked to the art curriculum.
• Select your three favourites
• Say why.
• Hundreds of these at
www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts
Ethan is 6
In his picture, he
shows his idea about
searching for God:
“Up in heaven there is
God. All of these are
planets and God
made them. I am
jumping up to give
God a flower from the
hill. God looks just
like me.”
“My model is called ‘All you need is
love’. Some people don’t believe in
god, but they do believe in love. I am
one of these people.”
Esme, 9: “God always watches
us from the sky. I have mainly
done the eyes of God because
we don’t know what God looks
like, but he sees us from above.
God is always watching and
sees everything, so I feel safe.”
Up There? by Morgan Boyd age
10
My picture is called where is God:
up there? I have done a cottage
in the sky on the clouds with the
sky behind it. I have written on it.
It may look empty but the spirit
lurks here, there and everywhere.
I think God is in a cottage in the
sky with a floating cottage on the
clouds with the sky behind it but
He is a spirit so he’s not just there
but He’s everywhere. It is
explaining that God is everywhere
and I think God is in a cottage in
the sky He is everywhere not just
in one place. He is there for
everyone when they need it. He is
a spirit so he is everywhere.
God is someone to turn to if
you’re stuck and it shows just
because you can’t see god it
does not mean He’s not there.
Up in the Sky
By Eliot, Age 8
“My picture is about
where I think God is.
The balloons and kites
are messages to God like his mail, instead of
a postman. This picture
shows me where God
is: not far away.”
Emma is 9
“My picture is
called ‘God is the
light’
The little girl is in
darkness. She
needs help, so
she looks in to the
candle light. I
called it God is
the light because
when she looks
into the light she
is safe.”
Talking about God: What is God like?
Some Christian ideas
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Tell the children that Christians believe God does lots of different things.
Can they make some suggestions about what they think God does (some
may say ‘nothing’)? Can the class make a list of ten or more ideas?
Using a poem to learn what Christians think God does.
Tell the children that Christians believe God has lots of different roles. Use
the ‘kenning’ poem on the next slide to start this work. Read it to the pupils,
and ask them what or who they think it is about. The poem actually has two
three line stanzas each about God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, so
it is a simple way to help children think about Christian ideas about God.
Put the lines of the poem on the whiteboard or make a big copy on some
cards to use in circle time.
Ask the pupils if they can see why each line is something to do with what
Christians say about God. Any lines they don’t understand? Maybe
someone else in the class can explain? Maybe the teacher can?
Ask the children to take one line (i.e. 2 words!) of the poem each, and draw
a picture to show what it means. If two children do a picture for each of the
lines, then a class book could be made of the results.
Who?
Time starter
Space maker
Earth shaper
Mud modeller
Garden planter
Fruit grower
Stable sleeper
Miracle maker
Eye opener
Cross carrier
Devil crusher
Grave buster
Promise keeper
Hand holder
Heart warmer
Cheerer upper
Energy booster
Life giver
God is like...
Different people have different ideas about
what God is like. What are your ideas?
You are going to discover five ideas about
God from Christian people. Do you think
they are good ideas?
God is like...
Different people have different ideas about
what God is like. What are your ideas?
Here are five ideas from Christian people.
Do you think they are good ideas?
Is God like
any of these
things in any
way? Think
carefully!
5 Christian comments about God:
“I think God is big and strong.”
“I think God can light up your life”
“I think God is puzzling and mysterious”
“I believe God is like your mum or your dad,
but even better.”
“My idea is that God is always really close to us,
but hard to see sometimes”
Can you choose a picture to go with each of the 5
ideas?
5 Christian comments about God: which picture?
“I think God is big and strong.”
“I think God can light up your life”
“I think God is puzzling and mysterious”
“I believe God is like your mum or your dad,
but even better.”
“My idea is that God is always really close to us,
but hard to see sometimes”
Christians think God is...
• Like a tree because...
• Like a torch because...
• Like mums or dads because...
• Like your shadow because...
• Like a jigsaw because...
The next 4 slides are art
work from pupils who
have been thinking about
God. Look and learn, then
make one of your own,
using your own ideas
about God
God's Footprints
Thomas Moore (5)
In my picture I have
painted the sky and the
sun, then I added grass
and flowers. Next I
painted God’s footprints
because although you
can’t see God, I think you
can see that He has been
everywhere.
God Is In Me and
In My Brother
Anna Walker
Age 5
Where is God? God
lives in my little
brother. And God
lives in me.
Who Is God? Joao Age 7
I think God is hope. Hope might look like a halo with lovely things around it.
I have drawn the halo with the sun shining in the middle. There is rainbow
light coming out around the edges. He is also Spirit and human at the same
time.
One of my friends said my picture looked a bit like a keyhole. That made me
Amazing, Fabulous God
Samuel (6)
“This is my picture of God. He is
showing us that he is amazing and
fabulous!”
My favourite picture
is...
Because...
For pupils aged 4-7
See hundreds of ‘Art in ?Heaven’
entries at
www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts
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