As a homework task, students could research the five roots of Usul in Shi’a Islam: are there any similarities between the articles of faith? Exam question. Mark scheme including levels of response. Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 2 The five roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam Tawhid; Prophet hood; the Justice of God; the Imamate; resurrection. The is on the terms and nature of these roots. The emphasis should be on encouraging students to compare Sunni and Shi’a beliefs and to consider whether some articles are more important than others. The class might recall the six articles of faith by completing a crossword or word search; this can be differentiated for lower ability by giving prompts for each article. Students could be given a table with each of these roots as a heading. Information regarding each of these roots to be printed and placed around the classroom. Working in groups, students nominate one person to stand at an information sheet for 60 seconds. The person must try to remember as much information about this root before returning to the group and sharing the information. This is Find suitable puzzles on the internet. Information regarding the five roots of Usul ad-Din, from a textbook or a reliable source on the internet.
repeated five times to cover all five roots. Students might compare these roots with the six articles of faith and complete a similarities and differences table. This could then be shared through whole class discussion. Lesson Number title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Extension opportunity: Students might consider whether certain articles are more important than others. Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 3 The Tawhid (the oneness of God) The Tawhid (the oneness of God) and the supremacy of God’s will. Qur’an Surah 112. The focus is to give students a deeper understanding of the concept of Tawhid and how Muslims apply this teaching in their daily lives. Look up the meanings of the term Tawhid. Look at the 99 beautiful names of Allah and discuss how they enhance understanding of Tawhid and the supremacy of God’s will. Study some of the following: Surahs 1, 4 and 112. Sally Lynch, Claire Clinton, Janet Orchard and Deborah Weston Islam in Today’s World, Religion in Focus Series, gives an excellent explanation of Tawhid.
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.
name of Allah; God’s compassion; Allah as creator; worship of Allah. Students could match opinions about God to one of the reasons given for each one. Develop the reason and say why it supports the opinion stated. Discuss whether are good reasons for the opinion stated. Opinions It is obvious that must be a God. Muslims cannot believe that God is all-forgiving. There is no God. God cannot be described. Diamond 9 grid. and coloured pens for calligraphy. Lesson Number title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Reasons God created the There would be no world if God did not exist. Muslims believe that evil are punished in hell. There is evil and suffering. God is not like anything else. Differentiation and extension opportunity:
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 after 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 could 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 allow 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.
and target setting Complete corrections and improve assessment score. and set clear targets and complete corrections with a clear framework. Teacher may allow students to mark this and say what was good/not so good about the answers. Teacher could then give out the marked assessments and allow students time to complete their corrections. Students could then set their targets for the next section of this unit. Marked assessments. Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 16 The Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam Introduction to the concept of pillars in Sunni Islam The Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam. The focus should be on explaining the concept of pillars in Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam. Students could be asked to make a list of items required to make a building. They could be asked why they chose these materials and explore the concept of pillar before linking to the five pillars. They could consider the effect of removing the main pillar of a building and the effect that it has and relating this to how Muslims see the Shahadah. Students create a chart that shows what Sunni and Shi’a Muslims have in common in the Pillars/Obligatory Acts Images of buildings.
and the extra requirements for Shi’a Muslims. Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 17 Shahadah The concept of Shahadah as the declaration of faith and its importance for Muslims. The focus should be on the meaning and importance of Shahadah for Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. Students should be a basic introduction to Shahadah. This could be through an information sheet or a video that explains what is meant by Shahadah and why it is considered the most important pillar in Sunni Islam. Students should be aware of the difference between the version of the Shahadah as used by Sunni Muslims and that used by Shi’a Muslims. The more able should also understand that the Shahadah is not a separate pillar for Shi’a Muslims but that they connect it to their creed (Aqidah). Students should be able to explain how the Shahadah links to the Sunni six articles of faith and the Shi’a five roots of Usul ad-Din. Relevant worksheet or looking at what Shahadah means. A relevant textbook.
Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Salah The significance of Salah. How and why Muslims pray including: directions; ablution (wudu); movements (rak’ahs) and recitations; salah in the home and mosque and elsewhere; Friday prayer (Jummah). Key differences in the practice of salah in Sunni and Shi’a Islam. Different Muslim views about the importance of prayer. Students should focus on what prayer is, its conditions and also collective worship in the mosque (including Jummah prayer), together with understanding differences between Sunni and Shi’a practices and different views about the importance of prayer. Students find out about artefacts essential to performing the rituals of prayer, eg prayer mats, compass, etc. Students could be shown a video outlining the key rituals in prayer or students could be asked to design a prayer mat. Teacher could ask students to research the rituals of wudu. Prayer positions and times and preparation for prayer are essential topics for study. Clearly a visit to a mosque during prayer time will assist students in their study of this area of the Specification. Questions could be explored as a class discussion on the purposes of the physical movements: how can these movements help a Muslim? What are the differences for a Muslim praying alone and praying with others? The importance of Jummah prayer. Students could give two key differences in the practice of prayer by Shi’a Muslims from that by Sunni Muslims. Students could explain these Prayer mat and compass. A relevant video outing the rituals of Salah and wudu. Access to computers/laptops for research. A relevant textbook.
differences in the form of a letter written by a Shi’a to a Sunni Muslim. Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 20 Sawm The role and significance of fasting during the month of Ramadan including: origins; duties; benefits of fasting; the exceptions and their reasons; the Night of Power (Surah 96: 1–4). Students should on the concept of Sawm and its importance. Students could be shown a video diary of a Muslim who has observed fasting. Small group work: each group could take a different scenario, eg a Muslim student taking exams, a Muslim footballer, a Muslim working in a café, a Muslim mother with several young children at home. They could discuss the problems that each of these would face in observing Ramadan and report back on their discussions to the rest of the class. The teacher could get the students to consider the following questions: what is the purpose of fasting? Why do Muslims observe fasting so strictly? What effect do you think it has on a Muslim community? Qur’an, Surah 2:183 – 4 may be a suitable starting point for discussion. Students could produce a booklet intended for Muslim primary school children, covering: (i) The aims of sawm, (ii) Those excused fasting, A relevant textbook or video on Sawm. Access to computers/laptops for creating booklets.
Lesson Number Topic title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources 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 focus 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: Access to a computer/laptop. Information on the Hajj. This 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.
Students could examine how environmental concerns have affected the hajj. Lesson Number title Subject-specific detail Guidance Learning activity Resources Lesson 24 The meaning and significance of greater and lesser jihad: origins, influence and conditions for the declaration of lesser Focus in these lessons should be to look at the concept of Jihad, the different types and its conditions. Students 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 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 the term Jihad has been used. Lesson Number Topic 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. Focus 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 Relevant information about the Obligatory Acts 7-10 in a text book or on a worksheet prepared for the groups.