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Topic title: Is there an afterlife?

Year group: 8

When taught: May-July

What are we learning?

  • In this module we will explore different religious views, as well as our own view, about the soul.
  • We will examine evidence for and against the existence of the soul (looking at 3 different stories where people reported that they had experienced life after death)
  • We will learn about different religious views about the afterlife (from a Christian, Islamic and Hindu perspective)
  • We will consider the impact that belief in the afterlife has on the lives of individuals (and their practices).
  • We will consider the beliefs of ‘nones’ (inc. Humanists) and assess the idea that people can be spiritual without identifying as ‘religious.’

Why is this important to know? 

  • In this module, students will use prior knowledge e.g. of atonement/salvation in Jesus module, to address views about the afterlife. They will explore (in relation to previous module) why it is important for members of a faith community to follow holy books especially in terms of social action leading to reward in the afterlife. As well as Christian views, students will explore Muslim views of the afterlife (which links and builds upon prior knowledge in the Islam section). Students will explore eastern views of Hinduism/Buddhism as a comparison/contrast to the Abrahamic faiths.

Where does this link into our past and future learning? 

  • Students will be able to use knowledge gained in this module to consider how belief affects practice. They can apply these ideas to Year 9 ethics modules to consider how ethical behaviour/codes for living are influenced by beliefs in God and the afterlife.
  • Students will draw on knowledge of Islam and Christianity from earlier in the year, to help inform their learning in this topic.

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.

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.
  • Use key terms that you have studied in previous modules in year 7 and 8 and try to apply these to this module.
  • Do some further research on different beliefs about the afterlife from other cultures/traditions.
  • Attend Philosophy Club to engage in further debate with students from a different year group.

What wider reading can be done on this topic?

Click here to return to the Curriculum page.