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Topic title: Do we have a responsibility to help those living in poverty?

Year group: 9

When taught: April-May

What are we learning?

  • In this module we will look at different definitions of poverty (absolute and relative)
  • We will consider the causes and consequences of poverty.
  • We will study Christian teachings about possessions and acceptable uses of wealth (referring to Bible teachings such as The Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus in the book of Luke, The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats in the book of Matthew)
  • We will look at Christian faith in action – how do they respond to poverty in the world today? (tithing/Christians charities)
  • We will study Islamic teachings about possessions and acceptable uses of wealth (referring to teachings in the Qur’an and the teachings of Muhammad)
  • We will look at Muslim faith in action (ibadah) – how do they respond to poverty in the world today? (zakat/Islamic charities)
  • We will Evaluate whether it’s religion’s responsibility to look after those in poverty.

Why is this important to know? 

  • Students will consider the topic of poverty as a local and global issue. They will be given a chance to see how religious and non-religious people respond to suffering and consider whether we have a duty to help those in need and how this can be achieved.

Where does this link into our past and future learning? 

  • Leading on from the suffering module, Students will explore what poverty is and how different religions respond to this problem.
  • This is a natural progression from the previous module as it focuses on one aspect of suffering and how religion responds.
  • Students will build on their learning from Islam and Christianity earlier in the year to explore the concepts of tithing, zakat and the work of Muslim Aid and Christian Aid. (faith in action)

How will we be assessed on this topic?

  • Ongoing assessment of knowledge and understanding of key terms through Satchel One quizzes/homework/retrieval tasks/ longer written tasks in lessons.
  • Summer Term assessment – longer written evaluative essay.

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.
  • Read the news and consider how articles link to what we have been studying.
  • Discuss the issues we have looked at in lessons with your family members.
  • 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.