Beliefs & Values - Key Stage 3
Beliefs and Values at Honiton Community College seek to assist students to:
- Reflect on those aspects of human experience which give rise to fundamental questions about life.
- Develop sensitivity to spiritual/religious interpretations of human experience.
- Study Christianity and the principal religions represented in Great Britain.
- Involve a wide range of concepts, skills, attitudes and emotions.
- Encourage the individual to gain self-understanding, to explore relationships with others and to consider the place of the individual within the local community and the wider world.
Year 7
Beliefs and Concepts
In this topic we will:
- Explain and consider what people believe about God.
- Explain and consider what Christians believe about God.
- Explain and consider what Muslims believe.
- Explain and consider what Humanists and atheist beliefs.
- Compare these different world views.
- Consider and evaluate the value of human beings.
Expressions of Spirituality
In this topic we will:
- Discuss and explore the concept ‘spirituality’.
- Look at different ways in which people express their spirituality.
- Consider what makes a person an individual.
- Consider and explore spirituality in Islam.
- Consider and explore spirituality in Christianity trough a study of the life and work of Martin Luther King.
- Reflect and evaluate on beliefs about life after death.
- Explore and explain the concept of “soul”
Rights and Responsibilities.
In this topic we will:
- Investigate and analyse ‘rights’ and ‘responsibilities’.
- Reflect on the UN Declaration of Human Rights
- Investigate the issue of torture
- Explain and reflect on responsibilities within Christianity – the 10 Commandments
- Explain and reflect on responsibilities within Islam
- Consider what rights I think animals should have.
Consider situations of rights and responsibilities within a school environment and beyond.
Assessment for learning will include summative end of unit tests, speaking and listening evaluations, independent learning project and written assignments. This will clearly demonstrate personal progress of each student.
Year 8
Ethics and Relationships
In this topic we will:
- Reflect and evaluate what it is to ‘value’ individuals.
- Consider and analyse what influences us, in our lives
- Consider and analyse what influences religious people.
- Consider and reflect on at what people mean by ‘good’ and ‘evil’
- Investigate Christian beliefs regarding good and evil
- Investigate Jewish beliefs regarding good and evil
Explain and reflect on the concept of forgiveness – what it really means, its value and how it is applied it in our lives.
Authority
In this topic we will:
- Consider and reflect what we mean by ‘authority’
- Explain and investigate different sources of authority.
- Analyse and reflect about the nature of authority and some of the outcomes of living in a society with authority
- To investigate and evaluate what makes a good leader
- Explain, investigate and reflect on authority in Christianity – Jesus. The Bible
- Explain, investigate and reflect on authority in Sikhism including the Guru Granth Sahib, the Gurus, God
Science and Religion
Consider the arguments for In this topic we will:
- Consider what we mean by ‘truth’
- Investigate the difference between ‘scientific’ and ‘religious’ truths
- Examine the compatibility of religion and science through aconsideration of the origins of the Universe via the Big Bang Theory and A Steady State theory and Genesis.
- Consider the arguments for the existence of God.The First Cause Argument and the Design Argument.
- Learn about Arabic and Muslim contribution to the science.
- Explore and reflect several Ultimate Questions including “Why do people suffer?” and “Is there life after death. Evaluate some responses to some ultimate Questions of life
Assessment for learning will include summative end of unit tests, speaking and listening evaluations, an independent learning project and written assignments.
Year 9
Global Issues 1 – Peace, Justice and Equality
In this topic we will:
- Reflect on the issue of equality in today’s society
- Investigate how religion responds to inequality
- Investigate Sikh teachings on equality.
- Reflect and evaluate he caste system.
- Explore and consider what peace is and how it can be brought about.
- Examine pacifist beliefs.
- Reflect and research situations and incidents of social injustice and consider what needs to change to improve such situations.
Conflict and Collaboration; The Holocaust
- Investigate and reflect on the events and consequences of the Holocaust
- Consider the problem of suffering and religious responses to it
- We will endeavour to organise a Holocaust survivor to speak to the students about their experiences. Organised through the Holocaust Education Centre at the Imperial War Museum.
- A trip to view the Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum will also be arranged for students, if possible.
Global Issues 2 – Religion and the Environment
In this topic we will:
- Explain and consider how we are damaging the environment
- Evaluate and reflect on possible reasons why we are damaging the environment
- Investigate and reflect on change our attitudes
- Examine and compare religious responses to environmental issues.
- Investigate the issues concerning poverty.
- Examine reasons for and responses to poverty.
- Examine the work and ethos of global institutions such as Tearfund and Islamic Relief.
- To examine local responses to issues concerned with poverty.
- Aim to have a representative of various charities and organisations discuss their work with the students.
Conflict, Collaboration and Reconciliation
In this topic we will:
- Examine the concepts of conflict and collaboration
- Consider and evaluate the consequences of conflict and collaboration, via a study of apartheid and the work of Arch bishop Desmond Tutu.
- Examine religious responses to war and conflict via a study of religious intolerance in Northern Ireland and apartheid in South Africa.
- Reflect and evaluate the aims and work of organisations, such as Corrymeela, concerning reconciliation.
Religion and The Media
In this topic we will:
- Consider and reflect on different types and functions of the ‘media’
- Explore and evaluate the influence of different forms of media including films, books, T. V. and music on individuals and communities.
- Reflect on the responsibilities, influence and power of the media.
- Examine and reflect on how several moral issues are portrayed in Soaps.
- Examine and reflect on how religion is portrayed in the media.
