Curriculum Overview

 

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 4 Sixth Form

Term 1: Christianity; Beliefs

Students begin studying for their GCSE examination. We begin by studying the beliefs and teachings of Christianity.

GCSE Exam format 5 part question on Christianity: Beliefs. Students should revise: the nature of God, the Trinity, the problem of evil; creation; beliefs about the afterlife; the incarnation, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus.

Practice
The customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing of something.

Liturgical
Relating to public worship.

Salvation
Deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ.

Persecution
Hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefs; oppression.

Reconciliation
The action of making one view or belief compatible with another.

Evangelism
The spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness.

Mission
The vocation or calling of a religious organisation, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith.

Pilgrimage
Travelling to a place that is special to someone's faith.

Orthadox
Orthodoxy is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. In the Christian sense the term means "conforming to the Christian faith as represented in the creeds of the early Church". The first seven Ecumenical Councils were held between

Anglican
Relating to or denoting the Church of England or any Church in communion with it.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
The individual will be challenged to think about whether their beliefs are similar or different to a Christian's.

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will be given the opportunity to share, analyse and discuss and learn about each others beliefs.

Term 2: Christianity; Practices

In this unit, students will consider the practices of Christians in depth looking at worship, prayer, the sacraments, pilgrimage, festivals and mission.

GCSE Exam format 5 part question on Christianity: Practices. Students should revise: worship, prayer, the sacraments, baptism, the Eucharist, pilgrimage, Christian celebrations; Christian community work, persecution.

Sacrament
A sacrament is a Christian rite recognised as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.

Nonconformist
A member of a Protestant Church which dissents from the established Church of England.

Trinity
The three persons of the Christian Godhead; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Judgement
The ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions.

Grace
Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favour of God.

Ascension
The Ascension of Jesus (anglicized from the Vulgate Latin Acts 1:9-11 section title: Ascensio Iesu) is the Christian teaching found in the New Testament that the resurrected Jesus was taken up to Heaven in his resurrected body, in the presence of eleven o

Incarnation
A person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or quality.

Blasphemy
The action or offence of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk.

Protestant
A member or follower of any of the Western Christian Churches that are separate from the Roman Catholic Church in accordance with the principles of the Reformation, including the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran Churches.

Catholic
Of the Roman Catholic faith.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
The individual will be challenged to think about whether their beliefs are similar or different to a Christian's.

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will be given the opportunity to share, analyse and discuss and learn about each others beliefs.

Term 3: Relationships and Families

This unit considers the beliefs of Christians and Muslims with regards to human relationships and families. Students will look at sexuality and marriage, family planning and gender equality.

GCSE Exam format 5 part question on Human Relationships. Students should revise: the nature and purpose of families; sexual relationships; sexuality; contraception; marriage and divorce; gender equality.

Procreation
To procreate is to reproduce. In other words, to procreate is a more formal way of saying "making babies." ... That's a clue that this word is about making something, in this case, making more creatures. People procreate by having sex and then children.

Polygamy
Marriage to many people at the same time.

Bigamy
Marriage to two people at the same time.

Annulment
The end to e.g. a marriage.

Divorce
The legal dissolution of a marriage by a court or other competent body.

Remarriage
Marrying more than once (after divorce).

Cohabitation
Living together.

Sexuality
Sexual feelings and activities.

Contraception
The deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy as a consequence of sexual intercourse.

Contemporary
Modern, present day, recent.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
The individual will be challenged to think about how they would deal with the ethical dilemmas presented. Would these be the same or different to a Christian's?

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will be given the opportunity to share, analyse and discuss and learn about each others beliefs.

Term 4: Religion, Crime and Punishment

This unit will link to unit one. Students will look at the purpose of punishment in society with a particular focus on the issue of capital punishment. Students will gain a historical context but will examine the concepts of deterrence, protection, revenge and reform. Student will also look at the current state of British Society and ultimately decide if capital punishment should return.

GCSE Exam format 5 part question on crime and punishment. Students should revise: the aims of punishment, arguments for and against capital punishment, corporal punishment, the prison system and causes of crime.

Abolish
Formally put an end to (a system, practice, or institution).

Retribution
Punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act.

Punishment
The infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offence.

Capital Punishment
The legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime.

Deterrence
The action of discouraging an action or event through instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.

Prison
A building in which people are legally held as a punishment for a crime they have committed or while awaiting trial.

Protection
The action of protecting, or the state of being protected.

Revenge
The action of hurting or harming someone in return for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands.

Reform
To make changes in (something, especially an institution or practice) in order to improve it.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
The individual will be challenged to think about how they would deal with the ethical dilemmas presented. Would these be the same or different to a Christian's?

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will be given the opportunity to share, analyse and discuss and learn about each others beliefs.

Term 5: Religion, Peace and Conflict

In this unit students consider the beliefs of Christians and Muslims with regards to conflict. Students will consider the concepts of justice, forgiveness and reconciliation. Students will further explore terrorism, war, pacifism and just war theory.

GCSE Exam format 5 part question on Religion, Peace and Conflict. Students should revise: key terminology; violent protest and terrorism; reasons for war; nuclear war and WMD; theories of just war; holy war and religion as a cause of violence; pacifism and peacemaking; religious responses to victims of war.

Justice
Justice is the legal or philosophical theory by which fairness is administered.

Terrorism
The unofficial or unauthorised use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political or religious aims.

Retaliation
Reacting to violence with violence or insults with insults etc.

Just War
A war that is deemed to be morally or theologically justifiable.

Holy War
A war declared or waged in support of a religious cause.

Pacifism
The belief that war and violence are unjustifiable and that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means.

Lesser Jihad
Many observers—both Muslim and non-Muslim—as well as the Dictionary of Islam, talk of jihad having two meanings: an inner spiritual struggle (the "greater jihad"), and an outer physical struggle against the enemies of Islam (the "lesser jihad") which may

Pacifist
Someone who believe that war and violence are unjustifiable and that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means.

Destruction
The action or process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired.

Weapon
A thing designed or used for inflicting bodily harm or physical damage.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
The individual will be challenged to think about how they would deal with the ethical dilemmas presented. Would these be the same or different to a Christian's?

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will be given the opportunity to share, analyse and discuss and learn about each others beliefs.

Term 6: Revision and Preparation for Mock

Students will revise the topics of; Relationships and Families, Religion, Crime and Punishment, Religion, Peace and Conflict, and Christianity Beliefs and Practices.

Students can look at previous units for the key words.

There will be continued short knowledge assessments, e.g key word and definition tests throughout the term.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:
The individual will be challenged to think about how they would deal with the ethical dilemmas presented. Would these be the same or different to a Christian's?

Create a supportive community:
Pupils will be given the opportunity to share, analyse and discuss and learn about each others beliefs.