Author: jmcminn

Years 5
Term 2

What have they taught us?
Religious Education— who was Jesus and why was he born?

In this unit the children will:
Explore the following questions:
How do religious leaders and sacred texts contribute to believers’ understanding of their faith in relation to Luke Ch 1: 26-38 and Ch 2: 1-20 Matthew Ch 1: 18 - Ch 2: 12
Do Christmas celebrations and traditions help Christians understand who Jesus was and why he was born?
The children will evaluate different accounts of the Christmas story and understand that stories can be true in different ways.

Key Vocabulary
Incarnation: a person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or quality.
Deity: a god or goddess

Key knowledge
Christians believe Jesus is the Incarnation of God on Earth. God gave Jesus to the Earth to show people how to lead good lives, forgive them for the things they do wrong and prove to them (through his resurrection) that there is life after death.
Christians believe that Jesus was both human and divine—the Son of Go d
Christians recognise Jesus as the Son of God who was sent to save mankind from death and sin.

Teaching ideas from Discovery RE
Teacher to show the children a news clip showing an event that has happened. Children to watch with no sound and then on whiteboards have two minutes to write their eye-witness account. Teacher to ask for some of the accounts to be read out. Are the accounts the same? Why not? Children to watch the news clip again this time with sound.
Qu: What happened? Does the version of events match your eye witness account? What’s different and why? What’s the same? So which of our accounts are true? What does true mean? Discuss how eye-witness accounts are subjective and even though we have all witnessed the same event, we each see things through our own lens.
Activity: In groups children to have different newspaper articles and internet reports about the same events to see how they are the same/different?
Qu: What do you know about the Christmas story? Children to share their ideas and teacher to scribe, making a large brainstorm (including the date we celebrate Christmas). T to show the children a selection of artwork, Christmas cards and advent calendars which show the nativity scene (with everyone present, inc wise men, shepherds etc). Google “ nativity scenes in art” for ideas.
Read the children a very simplified version of the Christmas story which shows everyone in the stable at the same time. Qu: Who is present at the birth of Christ? Where they all there at the same time?
Qu: Is this Christmas story true? Explain that we are going to investigate different accounts of the Christmas story in the Bible according to different people.
Luke Ch 1: 26-38 and Ch 2: 1-20 Matthew Ch 1: 18 - Ch 2: 12
Class split in half and one half to have a copy of Luke’s account to read and the other half to have Matthew’s account.
Children to read their account and then make a story map of the events that are told. Children to then pair up with someone with a different version and each read their story and show their partners their story map. In pairs they have a few minutes to note down the similarities a
nd differences between the two accounts. Both groups to come back together and share their findings. Qu: Who’s version of the Christmas story is true? Why? Why are there different versions? Qu: If we are questioning who was actually present during the Christmas story and when they were there, what else might be true/not true?
Qu: Was Jesus really born on the 25th December?
If we are questioning the factual side of the Christmas story, can it be true in a different way? Can stories and events have meaning i.e. can we learn from them even if they didn’t happen exactly as recorded? Poss Christian visitor to answer the question what does Christmas mean to them.
Children to write an argument with two opposing sides. 1) The Christmas story is true because... 2) The Christmas story is not true because... The final paragraph to answer what is the true meaning of Christmas for Christians?