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Topic title: Are Buddha’s teachings relevant today? 

Year group: 7

When taught: February-April

What are we learning?

  • In this module we will explore the life of the Buddha with a focus on key teachings such as the 3 Jewels: Buddha / Dhamma / Sangha, The Dhamma – 3 Marks of life, Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, 5 Moral Precepts.
  • We will explore how the dhamma (dharma) impacts on a Buddhist’s life and evaluate if these teachings (the dharma) are relevant today.
  • We will look at how and why Buddhists put their teachings of non-violence, justice, mindfulness and the importance of the Sangha into action.
  • We will consider what it means to be a Buddhist in a British society and abroad.

Why is this important to know? 

  • This allows students to explore a largely non-theistic world view whilst also considering how practice can change as religion spreads.
  • New key vocabulary is introduced with a growing focus on the interconnectedness of beliefs and the impact they have on individuals’ lives.
  • Students will explore and evaluate the value of these teachings for today’s society.

Where does this link into our past and future learning? 

  • This module connects to previous discussions on worldviews and allows students to consider belief systems which do not rely exclusively on a theistic worldview to drive practice.
  • This module will enable students to consider how religion is formed and its purpose (in the case of Buddhism to alleviate suffering) which they will then be able to use as a point of comparison with their module on Jesus in year 8.
  • This module also allows students to make connections in later modules e.g. ethics, problem of evil and suffering – where teachings of Dukkha are referred back to.

 

How will we be assessed on this topic?

  • Ongoing assessment of knowledge and understanding of key terms through Satchel One quizzes/homework/retrieval tasks in lessons.
  • An end of year assessment in the Summer Term comprising of Section A: Short Q and A to test knowledge and Section B: longer written answers to test application (specifically focused on Buddhism)

What makes a strong piece of work in this topic?  What are teachers hoping to see? 

In PBE longer answers we use codes to identify what makes a good answer. These include:

  • Use of key terms (KT)
  • Knowledge of key terms (K)
  • Use of sources of authority (SOA) to help explain different views. For example: quotes from the Bible, religious figures such as Aquinas, Fletcher.
  • Explanation of points in detail (EXPN)
  • Giving different views towards the topic studied (DV)
  • An understanding of how religious beliefs motivate people to act (I)
  • Evaluation of different views looked at (EV) using critical sentence starters e.g. ‘It could be argued….’, ‘on the other hand….’
  • Linking points back to the specific question asked (L)
  • In evaluation questions, concluding/reaching a judgement is important (RJ)

What key words are there in this topic?

Quizlet : Click here

What can I try if I want to stretch and challenge myself on this topic?

  • Use key terms in your written work but also when you are contributing to class discussions.
  • Use the Quizlet cards to continually remind yourself of key terms. Create your own flashcards for these to use for revision. Create your own key quotes flash cards.
  • Do some further research into Buddhism using the webpages below.
  • Attend Philosophy Club to engage in further debate with students from a different year group.

What wider reading can be done on this topic?

Please see Mrs Sweetlove in P2 where there are a variety of books you can borrow to extend your understanding.

  • BBC KS3 webpages – find out about key Buddhist beliefs: Click here
  • BBC KS4 webpages – Useful webpages aimed at GCSE students but accessible for KS3: Click here

Supporting document/links:

  • Knowledge organiser (see below)

Year 7 Are Buddhas teachings relevant today

Click here to return to the Curriculum page.