Explore the Resource Materials

Understanding Christianity offers ideas and resources to support teaching and learning.

Each unit takes a core concept and gives a key question through which to explore the concept. The unit identifies the knowledge ‘building blocks’ and focused outcomes that are expected of pupils by the end of teaching. The units include:

Core learning
Each unit offers 6-8 hours of ‘core learning’ ideas, to support teachers in enabling pupils to achieve the outcomes. It is expected that all schools who are using the materials will teach this part of each unit. Teachers are offered a number of activities designed to allow pupils to engage with the content and to achieve the outcomes. The intention is that teachers make decisions about which activities to use, according to the prior learning, ability and progress of their pupils.

Outcomes
Each unit has outcomes related to the three elements of the approach (Making sense, Understanding impact and Making connections), relating specifically to the content of the unit, and building towards enabling pupils to achieve the end of phase outcomes.

Conceptual building blocks
Each unit sets out the appropriate core knowledge ‘building blocks’ pupils are expected to grasp.

Digging deeper
These sections offer 4-6 hours of additional teaching and learning ideas to deepen pupils’ encounter with the core concepts. It is anticipated that Church of England VA schools who may be teaching Christianity for up to 66% of their RE curriculum time will take the opportunity of using these materials. Likewise, schools where pupils make good, swift progress in the ‘Core learning’ section can move further into these ‘Digging deeper’ sections.

You might like to start with…
Beginning each unit with a biblical text may become a little predictable, so each unit offers a suggested ‘way in’, making a bridge between the pupils’ experiences, or wider existential or ethical questions, and the concepts explored in the texts.

Essential information
These pages provide the essential background material for understanding the core concepts and Christian interpretations of the biblical texts explored. A wide range of links are given to related and relevant resources.

Why not take it a little further…?
Some simple suggestions are made for schools who want to explore a particular concept or issue further

Why not link with…?
Some units offer a suggestion for connecting with faiths and beliefs other than Christianity, recognising the place of the study of Christianity within the wider RE curriculum, where systematic and thematic approaches often go side by side.

Accredited Resources
This section offers suggested resources and links for use with the units.

Resource sheets
Additional photocopiable resources are available in the pack and online. These will all be accessible by attending the Understanding Christianity course.