Students could breakdown each of the key elements and look at these in detail. Students might create an acrostic poem on the word Tawhid. In order to facilitate this it is important that students have a good understanding of this word. Students share their acrostic poems with the class and teacher nominates a winner. Differentiation and extension opportunity: Students could be given prompts to simplify the acrostic poem task with a visual aid or a bank of words to choose from. The more able could be asked to complete these using full sentences. Acrostic poem template created on word processor. An appropriate video to explain the concept of Tawhid. Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 4 The nature of God Omnipotence, beneficence, mercy, fairness and justice (Adalat in Shi’a Islam), including different ideas about God’s relationship with the world: immanence and transcendence. The focus in this lesson is to look at the qualities of God and how Muslims understand the nature of God through them. Students could be asked to use words to describe God. Maybe give them an example to start off. Feedback could be as a whole class or in groups and set the scene for the lesson. Students could look at the 99 beautiful names of Allah and discuss how they enhance understanding of Tawhid. Study some of the following: Surahs 1, 4 and 112. Group work on Surah 1, the God as a guide. Lynch, Claire Clinton, Janet Orchard and Deborah Weston, Islam in Today’s World, Religion in Focus Series, gives an excellent explanation.
Each of the activities may be simplified by offering writing frames or word banks. The more able could be asked to develop their diary entries into a letter to a friend or a newspaper, justifying their actions as a Muslim. Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 7 Akhirah (life death) Muslim beliefs about Akhirah. Human responsibility and accountability. Resurrection. Concept of heaven and hell. Description of these from the Qur’an. Students examine Muslim beliefs about the afterlife. Big question: teacher could ask students to write/draw what they think happens when they die. Discuss belief in an afterlife. Students look up a description of the afterlife from Surah 37: 43 – 48. The teacher may use artwork to illustrate the descriptions of paradise and hell. Teacher may students to compare these with what they drew/wrote in the entry task. Sally Lynch, Claire Clinton, Janet Orchard and Deborah Weston., Islam in Today’s World, Religion in Focus Series, gives an excellent explanation or alternative relevant textbook. Pictures of the afterlife, both of heaven and hell.
Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Assessment Assessing students on the Key Beliefs section of the unit. The focus should be on assessing students’ understanding of the Key Beliefs section of the unit. In the first lesson, students should be allowed to recap and revise the content covered to date while at the same time learning about exam skills. In the second lesson they could complete a 45 minute assessment on Key Beliefs. Preparation for assessment in the first lesson: Students could be given a quick quiz to recap key themes covered. Students could be given an overview of exam style questions and timings for each type of question. They could look at a mark scheme to see how questions are marked. They could be given time for paired or individual revision. Assessment: Student be given forty five minutes to complete an assessment in controlled conditions. The teacher could ask students for their feedback as a plenary task. Questions may include: what they thought about the format, was there anything that they couldn’t answer? If so, why? Quiz covering main themes. A mark scheme. Copy of assessments. Lesson Number title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 15 Feedback from the assessment Students set their targets for next section of the unit. This lesson should be used to students to assess their own learning The teacher could bring up model answers from each question on the assessment. Model answers from the assessment. Lessons
22-23 Hajj Id-ul-Adha The role and significance of the Pilgrimage to Makkah including: the origins; how hajj is performed; the actions pilgrims perform at including the Ka’aba at Makkah, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah and their significance; the role of hajj, why it is performed. The origins, meanings and ritual of Id-ul-Adha. The should be on looking at the rites of Hajj, including the observance of Id-ul-Adha and their significance to Muslims. The class could be asked to create a presentation on the rites and rituals of Hajj, the teacher could divide up the class and ask each small group to research one area of the Hajj to show as a PowerPoint presentation to the rest of the class. The main parts might be: (i) Background to the Hajj, (ii) and its significance, (iii) The Ka’aba, (iv) Safa and Marwah, (v) Plain of Arafat and its importance, (vi) Mina – stoning the devil, (vii) Sacrifice and the story of Ibrahim, (viii) Id-ul-Adha. Students could also be asked to write a diary in the first person about someone’s first-hand experience of Hajj or they could be asked to make a travel brochure explaining Hajj to someone participating for the first time. This should include practical details as well as information about the purpose of Hajj and the stages of the pilgrimage. Extension opportunity: Students could examine how environmental concerns have affected the hajj. Access to a computer/laptop. Information on the Hajj. This could be in the form of a relevant worksheet, information in text books or video. Access to computers/laptops for research and creating a diary entry or travel brochure. Websites such as explain the ‘greening’ of the hajj.
Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 24 Jihad The meaning and significance of greater and lesser origins, influence and conditions for the declaration of lesser jihad. in these lessons should be to look at the concept of Jihad, the different types and its conditions. Students could be asked to find out what is meant by Jihad, greater Jihad and lesser Jihad. The teacher could divide the class in to groups to look at each of these in detail and present back the findings to the class. Students could also be asked to look at ways tabloid newspapers use the term Jihad and ask students whether they have got it right. Accurate information about the different types of Jihad. Cut outs of newspapers headlines where the term Jihad has been used. Lesson Number title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 25 The Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam: 7-10 The four Obligatory Acts: their meaning and how Shi’a Muslims might practise them in their lives. in this lesson on the meaning and importance in the lives of Shi’a Muslims of Obligatory Acts 7-10. Teachers could recap Lesson 15 which outlined the Ten Obligatory Acts. Differentiation opportunity: The class could be divided into four groups, each taking one of Acts 7-10. They could prepare and deliver to the rest of the class a presentation that covers: what the Obligatory Act is, what it means for, how it might be practised in the lives of Shi’a Muslims today. The Relevant information about the Obligatory Acts 7-10 in a text book or on a worksheet prepared for the groups.