Teacher notes to extend the use of the book
What Jesus Did
when working with students with learning difficulties
The following themes can be explored and developed from the book What Jesus Did. They
are based upon the QCA guidelines for RE content in Key stages 1 and 2 for the teaching of
Christianity. The suggestions will need to be adapted in the light of the age and ability of
the students as well as their prior knowledge and experience when choosing areas of further
study.
Themes covered:
1.
What is a Christian?
2.
What is the Bible and why is it important to Christians?
3.
Christmas
4.
Friends of Jesus
5. What we know about Jesus
6.
Jesus the storyteller
7. Easter
8.
What happened to Jesus after he came back?
Interactive sketches:
Hi I’m Zacchaeus
Donkey
Pentecost
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1. What is a Christian?
1.1. Knowledge and understanding of Christianity:
Believe in one God, the creator and sustainer of the world.
Believe in the Trinity – God is a whole made up of 3 persons – the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.
Believe that grace is given freely from God. Jesus’ death and resurrection was an act
of grace from God to help us to come closer to him.
The most important commandments are to love God and love each other.
Symbols of Christianity include the cross and fish.
Christians Holy book is called the Bible. It is in two parts, the Old and New
Testaments.
Believe that Jesus is God’s son and that he came to earth as a man to help us to
come closer to God.
1.2 Key ideas and questions:
Why Christians believe some things and not others.
The importance of respecting the beliefs of others.
The importance of belonging to a group. (Christianity is not just a set of beliefs of an
individual).
The signs of belonging to a group.
People who are admired within Christianity.
Books and objects that are significant to Christians.
1.3 Practices of Christians:
Worship in buildings commonly called churches.
‘Church’ is also the name for a group of Christians meeting together.
There are lots of different denominations and styles of places and type of worship.
Sunday is their Holy day.
Christian leaders may be called priests, vicars, ministers, pastors.
1.4 Activity Ideas:
Look at and handle a Bible (see 2.2 below).
Engage with stories from the Bible.
Visit a church – talk to the church leader, look at the building and artefacts within.
Talk about what happens there. Have an activity where the students have to find
certain places and artefacts of importance, e.g. the font, lectern, a Bible, the pulpit, a
cross.
Invite a local church leader to visit.
Explore Christian artefacts e.g. a cross or chalice.
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Explore baptism:
•
Look at, feel, make baptismal candles, baptismal cards, photos, videos, visit a
church, invite a member of the clergy visit to talk about and demonstrate
baptism, talk about personal experiences of baptisms.
•
Tell the story of Jesus’ baptism Matthew 6: 13-17 and talk about why this is
important to Christians.
•
Explore how John the Baptist would have felt having to baptise Jesus. How does
it feel to do an important job? Make links with John’s important job. Remember,
carry out important jobs.
•
Explore water and how it washes us clean (demonstrate with dirty hands) and
look at the symbolism of this being used to baptise.
•
Feel water on the face to imagine how it might feel to be totally immersed in
the water as in the case with adults at believers baptism. How would this feel?
Reflect on how strongly you would have to feel about something to trust
someone to totally submerge you.
•
Join in songs that may be sung at a baptism, explaining that Christians believe
this is a celebration of being part of God’s family.
•
Talk about why some people would want their babies baptised.
•
Talk about the term ‘Christian’ name and the importance of having a name.
Explore what it means to belong to a group:
•
Use activities such as parachute games – eg everyone with blue eyes goes into
the middle, everyone wearing red…, boys… etc.
•
Explore belonging to a family eg use photos, hold a coffee morning for family
members.
•
Christians believe they are all part of the family of God, a religious family. As a
family they do things together to show they belong.
•
Do a survey of the different faiths of those in class illustrating the results in an
appropriate way.
•
What is special about belonging to groups we belong to? Give an opportunity to
respond to these feelings creatively eg by painting, choosing and using picture
symbols to illustrate feelings.
•
Do any of the members wear things to show they belong to a group? Investigate
what these symbols mean- use internet, books, pictures, videos.
•
Explore the symbols that could indicate you are a Christian eg the cross or
crucifix, the fish, the rosary, wrist bands with statements on them.
•
Make a collage of the symbols, feel the artefacts.
2. What is the Bible and why is it important to Christians?
2.1 Knowledge and understanding of Christianity:
The Bible is the Christian holy/sacred book which forms the basis of the Christian
faith.
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The Bible is made up of the Old and New Testaments.
The Bible is an important source of guidance and teaching.
The Bible contains different types of writing, e.g. history, poetry, law, stories and
letters.
The Bible is used at home as well as in church.
The Bible was written by different authors, at different times, for different reasons.
The Bible is inspired by God and Christians believe it tells the truth about God, his
world and how he wants us to live.
Certain passages and Bible stories have special significance to different Christians.
Some stories in the Old Testament are shared by Jews and Muslims.
Religious ideas, feelings and beliefs are expressed through the Bible.
2.2 Key ideas and questions:
Why and how is the Bible is important to Christians?
What do we value in our lives?
What books/texts are important to us and why?
How is the Bible different from most other books?
What different types of books are there in a library?
The Bible is one book made up of lots of smaller ones.
Comparing different versions of the same Bible text.
Different ways of writing are used to convey different things.
The Old and New Testaments were written before and after Jesus’ birth respectively.
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2.3 Activity Ideas:
Explore the Bible:
•
Handle it – feeling it, looking at it and in it, looking for information eg a
competition/quiz finding different things.
•
Listen to/read parts of it. Look at different types of writing and how they convey
different aspects of God’s relationship with us.
•
Participate in story telling activities using Bible stories – may include speaking,
reading, using a switch, holding onto/up an object or picture, giving
opportunities to touch, see, hear, smell and taste.
•
Compare different versions of the same story – Bible translations, and stories
based upon the Bible stories. Do they sound the same? What is different? Is it
the same story?
•
Make a class version of a Bible story(ies)/passage – either to retell or written
and illustrated with pictures or photos.
•
Look at Hebrew writing and Greek writing. Explain that these were used to write
the Old and New Testaments respectively. Try to reproduce some of the
characters or look at the shapes.
•
Study particular characters / books / stories.
Visit the local library or school library to find different types of books or favourite
books. How is the Bible different from these books?
Invite a Christian visitor to come and tell the class about the Bible and how they use
it in their life.
Talk about/discuss why the Bible is important to Christians. Discuss what we value in
our lives and why. Respond to this creatively in producing our response to the things
we value, eg painting, modelling, writing poetry, composing a song. Or show the
things valued in the class in a collage or chart.
Watch video of a preacher using the Bible in church or someone using it in Sunday
school. Discuss how people also use the Bible at other times and why – for guidance,
teaching, to help them to get to know God better.
•
Listen to/join in songs based on Bible verses and read the passages.
•
Illustrate the fact that there are Old and New Testaments on a chart timeline.
•
Illustrate some of the contents on a timeline / collage / in artwork.
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3. Christmas
3.1 Knowledge and understanding of Christianity:
Christmas is the time that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Jesus came to us from God to help us to know God better.
Jesus was born as a human although Christians believe he is also God.
Jesus was a special gift from God to all people.
The story of Jesus’ birth – following Mary and Joseph from when they were told of
the birth to after the visits from shepherds and wise men.
3.2 Key ideas and questions:
Jesus’ birth was a special birth different from others because he came from God.
Jesus as a special gift from God. What are precious/special gifts?
Some gifts can be free and special.
The wise men brought presents. Giving and receiving are important in Christianity.
Jesus was born in a poor stable. (Note that animals tended to share the same
accommodation as a family in those days.) Important things are not always grand.
Jesus’ parents were ordinary working people. God chooses ordinary people to do
things for him.
3.3 Activity ideas:
Listen to a retelling of the Christmas story.
Watch a nativity play.
Participate in the Christmas story - may include speaking, reading, using a switch,
holding onto/up an object or picture, being given opportunities to touch, see, hear,
smell and taste.
Visit/look at/make a manger scene.
Use pictures to tell the Christmas story – sequencing/ordering/drawing/
painting/cartoons/collage from Christmas cards.
Write/retell the Christmas story eg in modern times.
Sing/participate in singing Christmas carols.
Discuss/explore what students think we mean when we say that Jesus is God’s son?
Look at who our fathers are and what son means, use photos.
Jesus as a precious gift:
•
Use a selection of wrapped presents to instigate discussion about gifts, feel
them, shake them, how heavy are they, do they smell, guess what’s inside, (very
elegantly wrapped and less attractive).
•
Are expensive gifts better? What’s our best ever present? Make a chartor/
collage of ‘best ever’ presents.
•
Discuss/explore what makes a gift special eg through looking at lots of different
objects – are they special to each of us and why?
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•
Do gifts always have to cost money to be special? What sort of things can we
give to others that are special/precious to them and us? Respond to this
creatively (through art or prose or producing a card or present for someone) or
think about something we can do for someone special to us. How can we show
our love to others?
•
Act out scene of giving/receiving a present. How does this feel?
•
Tell/act out the story of the wise men bringing gifts to Jesus. What gift would
they take to Jesus and why? What gift might a Christian choose to take to
Jesus?
•
Why do Christians think Jesus is a special gift? Use the Bible to look at some
characteristics of Jesus, some of the things he did. Allow the students to respond
by choosing their ideas for why they believe he is a special gift for Christians.
Make a decorative collage of their answers using
words/pictures/symbols/materials etc.
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4. Friends of Jesus
4.1 Knowledge and understanding of Christianity:
Jesus chose special friends – disciples to help him.
Jesus offered friendship to all, especially those who had no other friends.
Jesus thought children were really important and wanted to be friends with them.
The story of Jesus and Zacchaeus the tax collector.
4.2 Key ideas and questions:
What does the word ‘friend’ mean?
Who are our friends? – we can have many friends from different parts of our life.
What special qualities do we like our friends to have?
Do we all need friends?
How can we be friends to others?
Our individuality, that we were all made unique and different from one another and
that we should respect these differences.
Who were Jesus’ special friends?
The 12 disciples and their feelings, characteristics.
Why was Jesus a friend to children?
Who was Zacchaeus and why did Jesus choose to be his friend?
How did Jesus’ visit to Zacchaeus’ house change Zacchaeus?
4.3 Activity Ideas:
Friends:
•
Read a story/stories about friends and talk about the stories characters – were
they good friends or not.
•
Act out a story about friends eg using puppets.
•
From a list of example qualities of people sort them into good and bad.
•
Write a story/poem about friends.
•
Talk about how we all need friends and how we should treat our friends.
•
Make a collage of friendly faces/action/words.
•
Make a friendship card for someone saying ‘thank you for being my friend’.
•
Make a collage of our particular friends – using names, photos, and pictures.
The disciples:
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•
Tell the story of Jesus calling the fishermen to be his disciples - use sensory aids
such as fishing netting, fish to smell, water. Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20,
Luke 5:1-11.
•
Talk about how the disciples might have felt at different times in the story and
how we feel when we are asked to do different things/have made a new
friends/need to say goodbye to friends/family.
•
Talk about why we think Jesus had chose these particular men to be his special
friends.
•
Look at the names of the disciples – are they the same as any of ours?
•
Talk about how many disciples there were; count them.
•
Talk about how many friends we have – do we have more or less than Jesus?
Jesus a friend of children:
•
Tell the story of the children being brought to Jesus – use sensory aids/drama
activity. Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17.
•
Talk about the story – why did the disciples try to stop the children going to
him? Why did Jesus want the children to come to him? Why were children so
special to Jesus? Why did Jesus say that we should all be like little children?
•
Talk about adults as our friends – who are these and why.
•
Talk about how we need to be careful about talking to strangers – could this link
into stranger danger education which is relevant to the students?
Zacchaeus:
•
Tell the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector – make it multisensory, interactive,
use drama e.g. the sketch given. Luke 19.
•
Talk about the story – why did Zacchaeus have no friends? What was Zacchaeus
like? How do you think Zacchaeus felt? Why did he have to climb a tree? Why
did Jesus want to be his friend?
•
Play a game when each of the students are chosen in turn to do something nice
(eg using food!!!, parachute, music). Talk about how it felt to be chosen. Talk
about how Zacchaeus might have felt to be chosen.
•
Talk about how Zacchaeus changed by the end of the story. How do we know he
had changed? What can we learn from this – what had made him change? What
does this mean for us?
•
Illustrate the story of Zacchaeus eg using fabrics with different textures to make
it tactile.
•
Act out the story and video or photograph it to have a class record of your
version.
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5. What we know about Jesus
5.1 Knowledge and understanding of Christianity:
Evidence for what is historically known about Jesus comes mainly from the New
Testament.
People who knew Jesus had different views of him according to their background and
experience.
Jesus used symbolic language to describe himself.
Jesus has been represented in different ways, through art, writing and thinking.
Christians believe that Jesus healed people.
Christians believe that Jesus showed us how to love people.
5.2 Key ideas and questions:
What was Jesus like?
Jesus was an historical figure.
There is no one authentic visual image of Jesus but the images reflect the context
they were created in.
What sort of person was Jesus?
Using Bible text to look at the person of Jesus from different viewpoints – friendly
and enemy.
Jesus the healer.
Jesus loved people.
How did Jesus describe himself?
5.3 Activity Ideas:
What was Jesus like?:
•
Describe classmates using pictures, words and/or symbols.
•
Talk about how we know what someone is like.
•
Look at pictures of some people and describe them physically.
•
Look at some similar images of Jesus and describe him. Make a collage of the
descriptions.
•
Look at images from different periods and cultures and talk about them also
being of Jesus. Talk about why they are different and that we don’t know what
he really looked like.
What sort of person was Jesus?:
•
Read a favoured class story and describe a central character in it.
•
How do we know what this character is like?
•
Read passages from the Bible about Jesus, showing different aspects of his
character from the viewpoints of different people. Include accounts telling of
him healing and helping others and demonstrating his love for others.
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•
Talk about what the different passages tell us about Jesus – draw up a
description of his character eg using:
1. Luke 18: 15-16 a friend of children
2. Matthew 9: 9-13, Matthew 7: 1-2, Luke 19: 1-8 being friends with people
who need friends, not judging people and being kind
3. Luke 10: 25-37, Luke 21 1-4 valuing people because of their heart not
possessions or status
4. Luke 18: 35-43, 6: 6-11, 13: 10-13, 7: 11-15 healing
5. Matthew 21: 1-11 a king
6. Matthew 21: 12-13, John 2: 13-16, angry, passionate
7. Matthew 4: 18-22 magnetic, authoritative
8. Matthew 5: 43-44 loving people
9. Mark 9: 33-37, John 13: 1-9 a servant heart
•
Use simplified versions of these stories as appropriate to your group.
•
Present the passages interactively, using drama, puppets and visual aids.
•
Watch video extracts showing some of these events in Jesus’ life.
•
What did Jesus’ enemies think of him?
•
Look at how different people in the Bible felt about Jesus and why they didn’t
trust him eg using:
1. Luke 23: 1-2 turning people against the government
2. Luke 23: 3-4 says he’s king
3. Matthew 12: 1-14 works on Sabbath
4. Luke 19: 7 mixes with wrong people
5. Luke 20: 20-26 too clever
6. Matthew 13: 53-57 big headed
7. Mark 11: 15-19 too popular
•
Watch video extracts about Jesus’ life showing some of these events.
•
Present these points of view beside those of the writers of the Gospels and
compare them (orally, visually, using words). Discuss what you have found out
and how you feel.
•
Let the students imagine that they were there in the stories. How do they feel
about Jesus. Produce a response to their decisions by writing a story/poem ,
presenting a broadcast about Jesus, composing a song and/or making a picture.
Present the different viewpoints together.
•
Explore some bread, a candle and a picture of a shepherd with some sheep. This
may be three separate sessions giving time to make, feel, eat, hear, watch
videos, hear stories etc..
•
Talk about the different objects – what are they? What do they do? How can
they be used? What are their purposes.
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•
Look at some metaphors and similes; (you will have to approach this very
carefully with many children who will not easily understand this. Indeed for
some this might be best avoided rather than create confusion), that we use to
describe things, eg, cold as ice, black as coal, bright as the sun, like a bull in a
china shop, bee’s knees, bookworm and clown. Be careful to explain that it does
not mean we are these things but they are ways of describing characteristics.
•
Explain that Jesus describes himself in terms of these things and read the bible
extracts:
1. John 6:35 bread of life
2. John 9:5 light of the world
3. John 10:14 good shepherd
•
Talk about what they think is meant by these descriptions of himself:
1. Bread of life: sustaining his followers, filling them up, providing for them
2. Light: showing the way for his followers to meet God, showing them the
way God wants them to take, showing them things that cannot be seen in
the dark.
3. Shepherd: looking after the sheep –protecting them, knowing individuals,
providing direction and food.
•
Produce a chart or presentation of all the different evidences put together
illustrated by an image or images of Jesus.
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6. Jesus the storyteller
6.1 Knowledge and understanding of Christianity:
Jesus told stories as a way of teaching people about God.
Jesus told stories to show people how they should behave.
Jesus told stories to teach moral and spiritual values.
The story of ‘The Lost Sheep’.
The story of ‘The Good Samaritan’.
The story of ‘The Prodigal Son’.
6.2 Key ideas and questions:
What makes a good story?
People all around the world tell and listen to stories.
What is a parable?
Stories can contain inner meanings and messages.
Being sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others.
Stories can be ways of telling people things in a sensitive manner.
Reflecting on students’ behaviour and feelings.
What are our values?
Storytellers can respond sensitively to the values and concerns of their audience –
this is what Jesus did.
Jesus was a storyteller who used stories to teach people about God and how to
behave.
Looking at the meaning behind stories – ‘The Lost Sheep’ - God caring for us all and
wanting to be friends with us, ‘The Good Samaritan’ – love your neighbour and do
not judge others by what you see, ‘The Prodigal Son’ – repentance, forgiveness,
reconciliation and jealousy.
How do we feel when we hear stories?
6.3 Activity Ideas:
Talk about what stories are and whether we like them.
Listen to the retelling of favourite stories. Talk about why we like them and what
they tell us.
Make a collage of favourite stories eg using copies of the front covers.
Explore the idea of the stories carrying a message to us by looking at different ways
we get messages. Have an activity where messages are passed in different ways eg
letter, email, notice, speaking, shouting, telephone, leaflet, touch and looks/body
language.
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Listen to stories that have specific messages in them that are easy for the students
to recognise.
Talk about what the stories are trying to tell us.
Explain that Jesus was a good storyteller who used stories to give messages to
people. Jesus wrote some of the most well known stories in the world and these are
recorded in the Bible. Jesus used his stories to teach about God and how we should
behave.
Explore our own feelings at different times linked to relevant real life experiences.
Concentrate on specific feelings you are trying to draw out of the parable – when we
might have felt like this, why we felt like this? What we did? Then take that
particular parable and tell it. Compare the students’ own stories with what Jesus is
saying. What have they learnt?
Retell the suggested Bible stories using one or more suitable version. Make the
stories interactive and multisensory to involve all the students.
Explain that these stories are called parables and talk about what we think Jesus is
trying to tell us each of them.
Stories could be retold in modern versions, acted – photographed for own version of
story or videoed, versions compared, rewritten in a relevant manner, illustrated,
sequenced, looked at from the point of view of different characters or performed for
the class.
Look at what Jesus was saying in the stories – give students options about what
message Jesus was giving or what he said to illustrate his message.
Record work looking at what we think Jesus was telling us in display form picking out
key points.
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7. Easter
7.1 Knowledge and understanding of Christianity:
Easter is the most important festival in Christianity – celebrating how special Jesus is
for Christians.
The cross is the symbol for the Christian family.
Christian values of love, forgiveness and self-sacrifice.
The events of the Christian Holy Week – Palm Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday using the Gospel accounts.
The events of the Last Supper.
The symbols of bread and wine.
7.2 Key ideas and questions:
Our individuality means we were all made different from one another. We should
respect these differences.
The making and breaking of friendships.
How we treat other people.
Things which make us happy and sad.
People we admire and their qualities.
Jesus as the servant king.
Telling lies.
Things not always ‘fair’.
What are rules/the law?
Forgiveness and forgiving other people.
What it means to die.
What happens at funerals and what happens when we die?
Signs of new life in the world around us.
Food eaten on special occasions.
What is Palm Sunday?
The significance of The Last Supper.
The Crucifixion – why was Jesus crucified?
What happened after Jesus’ death?
How is Easter celebrated by Christians today?
7.3 Activity Ideas:
Look at/explore artefacts and find out about their symbolism eg the cross, Paschal
candle, the chalice and wafers, the palm cross, the Bible, an Easter garden.
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Make hot cross buns – talk about the spices and the cross.
Make simnel cake – talk about the spices, and the eggs, and the eleven balls of
marzipan on the top (to represent the absence of Judas).
Make a crown of thorns.
Decorate eggs.
Organise an egg-rolling contest on a hill (whose rolls the furthest without cracking –
after hard boiling!).
Look at famous pictures telling the Easter story/create pictures.
Listen to/join in songs about Easter.
Compose a creative dance of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Listen to/compose poetry responding to the Easter story.
Look at/explore signs of new life that are around them – feel and smell flowers.
Visit a Christian place of worship.
Look at video clips of Easter celebrations in different churches.
Make a time line / diary of the events of Easter week – using
words/pictures/symbols.
Palm Sunday:
•
Tell the story of Palm Sunday. Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-38.
Make the story interactive, multisensory. A version I wrote to use with a class in
a school for children with severe learning difficulties is given. Everyone
participated by waving their palm branches we had made, calling out either
verbally or by pushing switches, making sounds of the donkey hooves, throwing
coats etc. Oh, by the way it’s from the point of view of the donkey and I wore a
donkey mask to tell it! I have to admit it was rather hot!!
•
Talk about the story – the atmosphere, emotions and feelings of the crowd as
Jesus, who they believed to be the Messiah entered Jerusalem.
•
Liken the atmosphere to that of a big carnival or similar procession – have they
ever been to one, what was it like?
•
Have a joyful procession – use music, costume, dance, blowers etc.
•
What do we think the crowd expected from Jesus?
•
How would Jesus have felt with all these excited crowds knowing that he was
going to have to die?
•
How were the feelings of Jesus and the crowd different?
•
Create a picture of the crowds – printing, collage, painting, and drawing.
•
Feel/make palm crosses and talk about their symbolism.
•
Talk about how some churches give out palm crosses.
•
Make palm branches using rolled up paper that you cut down into and then pull
out from the centre.
The Last Supper:
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•
Talk about special meals that we might have.
•
Have a meal together.
•
Tell the story of The Last Supper. Mark 14:12-26, John 13:1-17.
•
Make the story multisensory by including foot washing, eating, chatting, and
concentrating on sharing the bread and wine.
•
Explain that Jesus knew he was going to die and he was trying to make his
special friends, the disciples, understand this.
•
Look at pictures of The Last Supper and washing of the disciples’ feet. Talk about
what a dirty job Jesus did when he washed the feet of his disciples. What does
this show us?
•
How can we show our friends that we want to serve them and not rule over
them? Look back at the work done on what being a friend means.
•
Talk about what Jesus wanted his disciples to do when he had died – to look
after each other and to remember him by taking bread and wine together in his
name.
In the Garden of Gethsemane:
•
Tell the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane – act it out. Mark 14:32-52.
•
Have we ever been disappointed? What happened? How did we feel? What did
we do?
•
Talk about what happened in the story and why Jesus felt disappointed with his
disciples. How do we think the disciples felt? Give the students ideas and let
them chose the ones they think fit. How do they think they would have felt if
they had been one the disciples?
•
Play a game where the students have to come and get something, (e.g. a
tambourine that they can play when they get it), but it is being guarded by
someone who keeps falling asleep.
•
Why do we think Jesus wanted the disciples to stay awake?
•
Talk about praying to God and that Jesus did this as Christians do today. Jesus
showed Christians how to pray.
•
Organise a prayer activity asking God to help us when we feel disappointed and
let down. The students’ disappointments can be written/illustrated in felt pens
on squares of paper that are folded in (corners to the middle) to make a smaller
square. These can then be floated on water so that as the squares open the felt
pen runs symbolising the disappearing of the disappointment.
The Crucifixion:
•
Remember Palm Sunday and everyone welcoming Jesus then tell the story of
Jesus’ Crucifixion in an appropriate version.
•
Show appropriate video clips of Jesus’ death/pictures of Jesus on the cross.
•
Talk about the difference in feeling from the welcoming crowd to those who
then wanted to kill him.
•
How does the story make us feel?
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•
How do we think the disciples and his family felt?
•
How do we think Jesus felt?
•
Compose a poem/poems about the feelings of some of these people.
•
Listen to/join songs about Jesus’ death.
•
Act out being a Roman soldier who wanted Jesus dead and give all the reasons
why they wanted him dead.
•
Talk about what law is – start with school rules/class rules.
•
Talk about what happens to people in this country who break the law.
•
What laws had Jesus broken?
•
Talk about whether it was ‘fair’ that they killed Jesus.
•
If appropriate feel a rough wooden cross and some large nails.
•
Draw/create pictures to express feelings about what happened.
•
This might be an appropriate time to talk about death and our experiences of
the deaths of family, friends, classmates and pets.
•
Look at video/pictures of a funeral and talk about what happens. Handle flowers
and hymn books.
•
Talk about what Christians believes happens to us when we die – that life
continues for us in heaven.
Jesus’ resurrection:
•
Talk about the best surprise they have ever had. Make a collage/mobile/creative
celebration of their best surprises.
•
Play a game where people get a surprise. Engineer the session so that pupils get
a surprise – a favoured visitor, something nice to eat (eg Easter treat of hot
cross bun, simnel cake, chocolate), a chance to feel some baby animals such as
chicks.
•
How did it feel to have a good surprise?
•
Tell the story of Easter morning – make it exciting by acting it out/it being
interactive, use suspense, confused, amazed and surprised music.
•
Watch/participate in a drama activity about Easter eg using a set of life size
cave and mock stone.
•
How would the students have felt if they had been a disciple?
•
Write the story as if they were the one going to the tomb and finding it empty.
•
Act out the scene – this could be done using music and movement without
needing any words.
•
Make an Easter garden to symbolise new life.
•
Feel/make a cross and talk about why it is important to Christians as a symbol
of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
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•
See if anyone is wearing a crucifix or symbol of another religion to show his or
her faith.
•
Explore the events from different viewpoints eg a Roman guard, an angel, a
disciple, a Jewish leader.
•
Sing/listen to songs celebrating Jesus’ resurrection.
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8. What happened to Jesus after he came back?
8.1 Knowledge and understanding of Christianity:
Jesus appearing to his disciples after his resurrection.
Ascension - Jesus ascended to heaven.
The Day of Pentecost - Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to be with us.
Images of the dove, wind and fire to illustrate the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity – God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
8.2 Key ideas and questions:
Belief in things we cannot see.
Being afraid of things that are new/different for us.
Jesus’ ascension to heaven 40 days after his resurrection.
God sent the Holy Spirit to help us.
What is the Holy Spirit?
What images are used to picture the Holy Spirit?
Who has the Holy Spirit?
How can God be 3 different things at the same time?
8.3 Activity Ideas:
Use appropriate versions of Bible verses/stories based upon the Bible verses about
Jesus’ time on earth after his resurrection.
Imagine how it would have felt to be one of his disciples at this time. Would you
have believed if one of your friends had told you but you had not seen? Talk about
the things that we believe although we don’t see them ourselves (historical events,
outer space, things is far off countries) and why we believe in them (been told, read
about, seen pictures, photos, can feel it / just know – like when someone is your
friend).
Would you have been afraid if you had seen Jesus? Why? What sort of things are we
afraid of and why? Talk about it being ok to be afraid but that new/different things
are not necessarily bad. Imagine that you’d never tasted your favourite food before
but you were too scared to try it, you would never have had that experience and
know how good it is.
Look at Thomas’ reaction to Jesus after his resurrection.
Use appropriate versions of Bible verses/stories based upon the Bible verses about
Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost. Make the stories interactive.
Play a game of feeling what’s in a bag (this should be parts of objects e.g. A shoe
lace, a leaf, a picture of something, a petal) – do we know what is in there. Take the
object out of the bag do we now know everything about this object. Explain that we
might get some information but there are still lots of things we don’t understand
and how it is like that for Christians and was for Jesus’ disciples.
Look at/explore the Ascension:
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•
Look at/read out/act out the passages from the Bible that talk about Jesus’
ascension to heaven.
•
Talk about saying goodbye to people, how do we feel in different situations.
Some people may move away but you can still talk to them on the phone.
Christians believe that we can talk to Jesus at any time and he will hear us.
•
Imagine what it would have been like to see Jesus go up into the sky – reflect
upon this in creative writing, art/craft.
Look at/explore the Holy Spirit:
•
Talk about Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit to be with those who believed
in him, to stay with them forever. Explain that Christians today believe that the
Holy Spirit is with them just the same as it came to those we read about at
Pentecost.
•
Look at pictures depicting Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Talk
about the different things they see in the pictures.
•
The dove – looks at pictures, make using white feathers, listen to the sound.
Symbolic because it represents gentleness and sensitivity and is clean white.
•
Fire – look at pictures, feel the heat given off from a fire, talk about what fires
do, make a fire picture. Symbolic because it represents the burning up of all the
rubbish we have in our lives; gives us light to show us which way to go.
•
Make and watch a bonfire burning up rubbish that is no longer wanting and
littering up the school - this rubbish could trip people up, hurt someone because
it has sharp edges, etc.
•
Make the room dark – what can they see? – Light a lighter/candle/match now
what can they see?
•
Put a lit candle under a jam jar – watch the flame go out – why does it go out?
Christians believe they need the Holy Spirit to help them do what Jesus wants
them to do in the same way that the flame needs oxygen.
•
Wind – feel the wind created from a fan/hairdryer, make streamers that fly
when the wind source is directed at them (these could be like the flames of the
fire), make kites that they could fly, look at pictures of things that fly with the
help of the wind. Symbolic of giving oxygen to the fire, helping us to fly.
•
Fly a kite talking about how it needs the wind to stay up the same that
Christians believe they need the Holy Spirit to help them to do what Jesus
wants them to do.
Exploring Pentecost:
•
Look at/read out/act out the passages from the Bible that talk about the coming
of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
•
Listen to/read out the same message in lots of different languages. Talk about
everyone understanding each other although they were speaking different
languages at Pentecost.
•
Use the interactive sketch about Pentecost to imagine being there.
•
Being given abilities and gifts that we didn’t have before – look at how Peter
could suddenly talk so well, they could speak/understand different languages.
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Talk about what things we might like to be able to do. Discuss whether we think
that is something that Jesus would want us to be able to do. Talk about the gifts
that are given from the Holy Spirit being ones that will help others.
Exploring the Trinity:
•
Look at a set of camping cutlery all joined together but having 3 different
functions.
•
Explore water as ice, steam and water. All the same yet different.
•
Play a game of putting the sets of 3 together eg plate, bowl, cup; knife, fork,
spoon; toothbrush, toothpaste, floss; football, shin pads, football boots.
•
Talk about our families. Explain that we belong to a family unit yet we are all
individuals who have different personalities and are equally important. In the
same way the God is made up of 3.
•
Make a 3 piece jigsaw (could be done using a triangle shape cut into 3 smaller
triangles).
•
Make an equilateral triangle that can be divided into 3 smaller triangles.
•
Make a Celtic knot to represent the idea of 3 making 1.
•
Make a collage which is made of 3 parts eg tree-trunk /branches/leaves; traffic
lights – red/amber/green.
•
Make a 3 tier cake or sandwich.
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Hi I’m Zacchaeus
(adapted from the book Interactive Assemblies by Diane Walker and Jon Webster,
published by Scripture Union and used with permission.)
This sketch is a fun, interactive way of telling the story of Zacchaeus adapted to be
used in schools for pupils with learning difficulties. The audience can participate by
speaking, using a recorded voice activated by switches that they can push, or
appropriately sounding instruments. You will need to explain what they can do first and
give them an opportunity to recognise the signs for ‘BOO’, ‘AAH’, ‘WOW’ and ‘HOORAY’.
Practise this before you start the story and make sure that they know to listen and not
do anything before they are shown a sign.
Characters:
Zacchaeus (Z)
Audience (A)
Z: Hi, I’m Zacchaeus and I used to collect money – for the Romans! Everyone
hated them and so everyone hated me!
A: BOO
Z: I worked for the Romans taking money off the people, I was a tax collector.
A: BOO
Z: But not only did I take the money they owed to the Romans. I also took more
for myself. I was cheating them.
A: BOO
Z: What’s more if they complained about it I’d tell them that they would be
arrested by a Roman soldier.
A: BOO
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Z: I had loads of money that I had taken from the people.
A: BOO
Z: Yes, I had loads of money but I was poor. How could I have loads of money
yet be poor? It’s confusing isn’t it! Well, you see I had no friends because
everyone hated me.
A: AAH
Z: But, it’s ok. Because that’s all changed now. I have things that are worth
much more than money now. I have friends who I love and who love me.
A: HOORAY
Z: Do you want to know what happened? Well, one day I was in town collecting
money.
A: BOO
Z: I didn’t know any different then. Well, and then everyone was shouting out
that Jesus was there. I had heard all about him, everyone had. He’d been making
sick people better. Do you know that he had made blind people see and other
amazing things like that? He was travelling around doing this and telling stories
like no one had heard before. Well, it’s strange me being the biggest cheat in
town but I wanted to see this Jesus. Wouldn’t it be great to meet this amazing
man! It was so annoying because all the crowds of people were around him and
me, being small, couldn’t see over their heads. I tried to push through but
people just shouted at me to go away. They told me Jesus wouldn’t want to see
me!
A: AAH
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Z: I wanted to see him what could I do? Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw
a big tree not far away. I was quite scared because I don’t like climbing but I
wanted to see Jesus. So, I pulled up my robe and started to climb. I’d just
found a good place to sit and looked down and there was Jesus coming in this
direction with everyone following him. Then he looked up and right into my eyes.
It was as if he knew me.
A: WOW
Z: Then he talked to me, me a cheat. He asked if he could come to my house for
dinner!
A: WOW
Z: I couldn’t believe it and all those people that hated me were looking at me
completely gob smacked. How could Jesus want dinner with me? Then I suddenly
wondered if the servants would have the house clean and some good meat,
bread, fruit and wine of course. I rushed home and made sure the servants got
it all just right and then he was there in my house with his friends. Jesus in my
house talking, laughing, eating and drinking, in my house!
A: WOW
Z: I knew that I had to speak to him and even though I was nervous I was so
happy. I just started to say how nice it was that he had come to my house. Then
I found myself telling him that I was so sorry that I had been a cheat… and I
meant it.
A: WOW
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Z: Then my mouth just carried on and started to tell Jesus that now he has
come to my house that everything will change and all those bad things will stop
now. I even told him that I was going to give the people back the money I had
taken from them and give half my money to the poor. Jesus just looked at me
and smiled.
A: HOORAY
Z: Jesus showed me that he wants to be friends with everyone. It doesn’t
matter what you’ve done before you can change. And wow, it’s amazing how
different my life is now with lots of friends, especially, Jesus.
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Donkey
You’ll never guess what happened to me the other day. Well, I was standing
minding my own business. It was really hot and I was fed up with the sun beating
down on my fur. I’d been moaning to mum that I was hot and sweaty so she
moved us into the shade and we were happily chilling and munching some hay.
Well, blow me down along came these guys muttering that they thought he could
have a better idea for transport. These 2 guys came right up to us and started
to untie us – the cheek of them, who did they think they were! Well, I just
looked at mum and told her I didn’t want to get hot again – I’d just cooled down.
I dug my hooves in really hard but the dusty ground wouldn’t hold my hooves and
the men managed to get me moving. Mum didn’t seem at all bothered though, in
fact, she was smiling that weird donkey smile.
The men seemed sort of exciting and eager to get somewhere and soon I found
myself wondering what all this was about. I tried to be fed up but somehow
their excitement made me excited too, even if it was hot climbing up that hill on
the edge of town. We got right to the top and I was puffing and blowing in the
heat, not as much as mum though!
Then I looked up and saw that we had stopped next to a man with the kindest
face I had ever seen. I just found myself staring at him as he smiled at his
friends who had brought us up the hill. He wasn’t good looking for a man, even a
donkey could see that, but there was something special about him that made me
feel sort of peaceful and happy.
But my surprising day wasn’t over yet… already sweating hot the men then put
their coats on our backs. I thought I’d feel boiling but somehow the coats felt
nice and soft on my back. That wasn’t all though. This man with the kind face sat
on top of the coats… yes on my back… no one had ever done this before as I was
still small and not know for being the best behaved donkey in town. But it was
weird that it felt okay and I just stood quietly without complaining. Mum looked
across at me still with that wonky donkey smile on her face. What was going on?
Then before I knew what I was doing I was off walking into town with this man
on my back. But what was happening in town. There were people everywhere and
it wasn’t even market day in Jerusalem. As they saw us coming along they
started to shout “Jesus”. That was who was on my back. I’d heard all about him,
he was the one who had made loads of sick people better, he had told stories all
over the place and many horrible people had started to be nice to others. All
over town people had been talking about the strange things he had done and
said. Some people had sounded very angry about what he had been doing but
these people here all seemed so happy to see him. Wow, I was carrying Jesus. I
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lifted my head to look at all the people and proudly wiggled my hind as they
cried out “Jesus”. Then they started to lay there coats out on the ground in
front of us, all this lovely cloth beneath my hooves as I strolled along. They had
cut palm branches from the tree and were waving them and laying them on the
road for me to walk over.
We had people walking alongside us and behind us and I could just see my mum
with another man nearby. The noise was incredible, all this cheering and
shouting.
“Praise to the Son of David!
Welcome, God bless the one that comes
In the name of the Lord.
Praise to God in Heaven!”
“The King is here”
“Jesus”.
I was quite sad when this Jesus eventually climbed down off my back and left
me with a pat as he walked towards the temple with people all pushing and
shoving to get close to him. I watched him go and then looked over at mum still
smiling. I carried the King Jesus, me a naughty, grumpy, little donkey, he’d
chosen me.
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Pentecost
(from SALT magazine 5-7+ edition, April-June 2002, published by Scripture Union and used with their
permission)
Christians believe that God’s message was for all people and that it was spoken in all the
different languages at Pentecost so that all there could understand.
Teach the students the same word or phrase in different languages, letting them know
what the phrase is and what language they are speaking, (the phrase or word could be
recorded onto switches for some students to use). Practise saying the word or phrase and
explain that they will need to participate in the story using the phrase or word and by
doing some actions. It would be good to practise the actions as well before you go on to
tell the story:
Not long after the day Jesus went back to heaven, his followers were gathered together.
Perhaps they were talking about Jesus and praying together. (fold hands as if in prayer.)
Suddenly there was a loud noise, like a powerful wind. (‘Whoosh’) Then tongues of flames
(wave flames cut from red and orange tissue paper) started to move towards them. A
tongue of fire rested on each person there (put flame on each student) and the Holy Spirit
gave them all the power to speak in a different language. (Everyone repeats their given
phrase or word gradually getting louder and louder.) Many people from all over the world
were in Jerusalem at the time. They heard this great noise (repeat phrase or word) and
came to see what was happening. They were surprised to see that although they were from
different countries and spoke different languages, the disciples were talking in all those
languages. (open mouths in looks of surprise.) Some people thought they were drunk.
(Stagger.) But Peter stood up and explained to the crowd that it was the Holy Spirit who
had given these men the power to speak in different languages.
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