Year group: 8

Topic Title: What are the Challenges and Experiences Facing Muslims in Britain today?

When taught: September-December

What are we learning?

• In this module we will explore key Muslim teachings such as prophethood (life of Muhammad), Tawhid, the 5 pillars (shahadah, sawm, salat, zakat, hajj), halal and haram, Muslim dress, jihad.
• We will look at the similarities and differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
• We will explore how Muslim beliefs impact actions (putting belief into action).
• We will Identify the challenges and opportunities facing Muslims in Britain today and Evaluate (offer an argument for and against) what it means to be a Muslim in a British context

Why is this important to know? 

• This is a very important module to give students knowledge of key Islamic beliefs. This will enable students to challenge misconceptions regarding the religion and enable them to make informed judgements when encountering the religion in the media and life. Topics such as Jihad are specifically tackled to combat misconceptions.
• Students will explore how Islam came into existence, the split between Sunni and Shia and the main practices and beliefs they hold. They will consider how this links to possible modern-day conflicts in the world.
• Students will reflect on the challenges one might face being a Muslim in a non-Muslim country and Islamophobia will be discussed and tackled.

Where does this link into our past and future learning? 

• This module connects to previous discussions on worldviews and like year 7 modules on Buddhism and Sikhi, will enable students to consider how religion is formed and its purpose (having previously considered Buddhism and Sikhi).
• Students will already have encountered some fundament Islamic beliefs in the year 7 modules where they would have looked at key terms such as Tawhid (oneness of Allah) and Kalifah (guardianship).
• Students will be able to use their knowledge of Islam to inform their understanding of future topics, for example at the end of year 8 in the ‘Is there an afterlife?’ module and in year 9 when we look at ethical dilemmas, students will be able to apply their knowledge of Islam.

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 assessment in the Autumn Term (Islam will also feature in their end of year exam in the Summer Term)

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 Islam using the webpages below.
• Read the news and focus on articles where Islam is referred to. What key terms are being used? Have they been used correctly?
• Attend Philosophy Club to engage in further debate with students from a different year group.

What wider reading can be done on this topic? 

• BBC KS3 webpages – find out about key Islamic 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)

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