RELIGION FOCUS: TERM 1

Unit Title: Prayer and Jesus

Concept: Who is Jesus? What is a Jew? Who
is a part of his family?
Context: Prep, play based, whole class

Unit Focus:
As this is their first contact with structured prayer, introducing the students to objects that are associated to
prayer, the sign of the cross, morning prayers and songs.
The Nativity Story:
Learning about who Jesus is, his family and what it was like to be a Jew.
The Easter story and celebrations.

Levels: Prep
What do I know about my Learners:
They are a blank slate. All 4 and 5 year olds who are interested in learning about all these new things/objects and people relating to religion and prayer.
There are 14 boys and 10 girls.

Inquiry Question:
Who is Jesus? What is a Jew? Who is a part of his family?
Content Descriptors

BELIEFS

PREP RELIGION CURRICULUM

Trinity:
God, Jesus
the Christ,
Spirit

World
Religions

Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding

Christians believe that Jesus suffered, died and rose again.
Skills
Listen and respond to the Easter story in the Gospels, including Mark 16:1-8.
Share feelings and thoughts about the events, characters and messages in the Easter story. BETR2

Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding

Jesus was a Jew. He lived in a Jewish family and Mary was his mother.
Skills
Recognise stories from the New Testament that tell about Jesus life as a Jew such as the Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22-24; Luke 2:39-40)
and the finding in the temple (Luke: 2: 41-52)

CHRISTIAN LIFE

Investigate and report what Jewish families were like in the time of Jesus. BEWR1

Moral
Formation

Mission
and
Justice

SACRED TEXTS

Prayer
and
Spiritualit
y

Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding

According to Christian teaching, God created people as rational beings with the freedom to choose.
Choices between good and bad, right and wrong involve the whole person emotions, feelings and reasoning.
Skills
Identify examples from scriptural texts, including the Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11-18) where people have the freedom to choose between good and bad,
right and wrong.
Explore the emotions, feelings and reasoning involved when people make choices between good and bad, right and wrong and make connections
with their personal experiences.
CLMF2
Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding
Gods plan is that people help each other to live safely and happily together. Societal laws are intended to be for the good of all.
Skills
Identify connections between Gods plan for people to live safely and happily, as illustrated by Jesus teaching (e.g. The Golden Rule, Matthew
7:12//Luke 6:31), and their personal experience (e.g. at school, home, community).
Explore their feelings and thoughts about societal laws (e.g. classroom, playground, family, safety) being intended for the good of all, rather than to
meet individual wants and needs. CLMJ1
Skills
Identify some occasions when believers pray alone (personal prayer) and pray with others (communal prayer).
Communicate an understanding of the language, gestures, purpose and context of the Sign of the Cross and Amen.

Old
Testament

Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding

Christians venerate the Bible as a sacred book in many ways, including proclamation in prayer celebrations and meditative reflection in personal
prayer.
Skills
Use and display the Bible respectfully.
Listen with respect as Scripture is proclaimed in prayerful settings STOT1

New
Testament

Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding

Christians venerate the Bible as a sacred book in many ways, including proclamation in prayer celebrations and meditative reflection in personal
prayer.
Skills
Use and display the Bible reverently.
Listen with reverence as Scripture is proclaimed in prayerful settings. STNT1
Religious Knowledge and Deep Understanding
The Gospels tell the good news of Jesus.
Familiarity with characters, events and messages from some key New Testament stories including the Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25) is
a means of connecting Scripture and real life.
Skills
Listen and respond to stories of and about Jesus in the Gospels.
Share feelings and thoughts about the events, characters and messages in some familiar New Testament stories.
Make links between some familiar New Testament stories and their own experiences by sharing characters, events and messages that may be
similar or different to their own experiences. STNT2

Adjustments

Below

Above

TEACHING AND LEARNING SEQUENCE

Resources:
Concept /
Knowledge /
Skills
Week 1

Week 2

Teaching and Learning Sequence

Modelling the sign of the cross (opposite arm to children):

From the top of my head, to the bottom of my heart. From shoulder to shoulder, I love
you God.
Explaining how prayer is a sacred time where we talk to God and Jesus.
Listening to songs relating to Jesus and God.

Continue week 1
Begin setting up prayer space:
Green cloth-matches time in the Catholic Church;
Candle-Significances of the light; snufflers
Cross- symbol of Jesus; Mary
Bible-Stories about Jesus and God;
Introduce the Bible. Discuss the two sections of the Bible Old Testament (stories
about God) New Testament (Stories about Jesus).
Reading Bible Stories in Morning Prayer
Creating a Prep Prayer Cloth-meaningful and sacred.
Create Class Motto: Together in Community-Tree of Life
Learning prayers; Class Morning Prayer; Grace; Afternoon prayer; School Prayer.
Beginning to explain school and classroom rules
Read: Join in and play: Making Friends
Making up easier school rules that Preps can relate to that match the school rules and
expectations.
Look at Good and Bad Choices

Match to class and school rules -Complete Choices sheet and The Behaviours in
the Playground.
Explaining how school rules keep us safe and ensuring that we are being more like
Jesus.

Modifications for my learners

Assessment
Opportunities

Prayer Cloth design

Together in Community-Tree of
Life Imagery

Rules discussion and imagery

Classroom rules made and
displayed

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Continue week 1 and 2

Discuss the KEYS TO SUCCESS Keep Safe, Engage in Learning, Yes I am Responsible, Speak and Act with
Respect; Getting Along, Confidence, Organisation, Persistence, Resilience.

Shrove Tuesday- Pancake Tuesday; its the day before Lent where families get
ready for fasting by making pancakes; using up all the ingredients up to make
pancakes.
LENT-Lent occurs for 40 days; Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and
preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and
reflection.
Ash Wednesday- Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. Ashes (made from palm
leaves) are marked in the sign of a cross on a persons forehead, symbolising
the commitment to God, They are a symbol of being sorry for things they have
done wrong and want to get rid of forever.
Make a Lenten Promise-(on a rainbow) Choices?
Make a Lenten Cross-purple collage

INTRODUCE- What is a Jew?

Discuss that Jesus was a Jew, Jewish traditions, Jewish symbols of the church
and how they are different to Christianity

REVISIT- the Nativity story

Week 6

ENGAGE-Read the Nativity StoryDiscuss who was in the story in particular; Jesus family- Joseph, Mary and
Jesus and who they were to Jesus.
Role play the Christmas Story
Manipulate the Nativity scene (Tanyas wooden set)

Discuss who is in Jesus Family; Mary- Mother, Joseph-Father.

Discuss the clothing of Jewish people (in the story) at the time of Jesus
Discuss the buildings in Jewish time (in the story) at the time of Jesus
Discuss Jewish food

OPTION- Use bible stories to find out more about Jesus

and his life as a Jew: temple; food; restrictions on
Sabbath; traditional feast days and meals. Website
www.nazarethvillage.com

Judaic foods: unleavened bread, dates, cottage cheese, honey and melon.
Pose the statement: Jesus never used a knife and fork. Have the
students predict, using words and actions, how Jesus would have

Rules discussion and imagery

Classroom rules made and
displayed
Shrove TuesdayPancake design sheet
Baking Pancakes
Ash WednesdayChild picture of the ashes
Lenten Promises-rainbows
Paint rainbows
Lenten Crosses-purple collage
Choices sheet?

Assessment opportunity:
Role play the Nativity scene
with friends.

eaten his meal.

Week 7

Assessment- Rotational Tables:

1. Eating Jewish Food- Chn choose what foods they think are Jewish foods
to place onto their plates- A photograph will be taken for assessment
2. Constructing a Jewish building- Chn construct a Jewish building,
remembering they are square like, flat roofs etc- A photograph will be taken
for assessment
3. Dress up like a Jew- Chn dress up in Jewish clothing. They will cut and
paste a Jewish child, representing what Jewish people wore.
4. Jesus Family- Chn illustrate Jesus family; name who is in his family-Mary
is his Mother, Joseph is his Father.

Identifying that Jesus was a Jew:

Week 8

Read the Bible Story: Luke:2: 22-24; 2:39-40 The presentation of Jesus in the
Temple
Finding of Jesus in the Temple- Luke:2:41-52

Chn construct (draw/oral/video IPad) a response about how they felt about
Jesus being left in the temple.
Begin Holy Week -Easter explanations/celebrations:
Watch YouTube clip by Veggie Tales
Introduce the Easter story with the Easter Eggs.
Read each story of the Easter celebrations.
Complete an activity for each story;-Discuss how individuals would have felt, what
they would have seen and heard?
Use RESSURECTION EGGS

Palm Sunday #1

Discuss and list: What do we know about Easter and the time leading up to
Easter?
Share a book about Holy Week including The Big Book of Easter from the
library.
Using a childrens Bible, read the story of Palm Sunday. Discuss how the
people loved Jesus and they welcomed him into the town of Jerusalem.
Children complete the first page of the Big Easter Book.

Coins #2
Washing of the Feet/ The Last Supper #3

Using a childrens Bible, read the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet.
Discuss the significance of this event.

Assessment Task
Jesus was a Jew
Jewish Foods
Jewish Clothing
Jewish Buildings
Jesus Family

Assessment- Video
Response about How Jesus
felt being lost in the Temple.

Re-tell through Play, role plays

and Art-collage
Artistic booklet of the Easter
story-children

Using a childrens Bible, read the story of The Last Supper.

Re-enactment of the Last Supper.
Children complete the next page of the Big Easter Book.

The Garden of Gethsemane #4

Using a childrens Bible, read the story of Jesus praying in the Garden of
Gethsemane.
Discuss with the children how we pray (talking time with God).
Children take a photo with the digital camera of a place in our garden at school
that they think would be a peaceful place to pray to God.
Allow the children sometime to go to that place to pray.
Children complete the next page of the Big Easter Book.

Sword #5
Week 9

Continue Easter celebrations

Introduce the Easter story with the Easter Eggs.
Read each story of the Easter celebrations.
Complete an activity for each story;

Thorns #6 Cross #7

Re-tell through Play, role plays

and Art-collage
Artistic booklet of the Easter
story-children
Assessment: Easter Booklet

The Crucifixion #8; Sponge #9

Using a childrens Bible, read the story of Jesus Death. Discuss this sad time
in the Easter Story at the childrens level of understanding.
Discuss with the children times they have felt sad.
Children complete the next page of the Big Easter Book

Linen #10;
The Resurrection-Stone #11; Empty #12

Week 10

Using a childrens Bible, read the story of the Resurrection. Discuss this as the
true meaning of Easter.
At this time read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Link the resurrection of Jesus to
the new life of a caterpillar as it changes to a butterfly. Discuss how things can
die or change but new life is something to look forward to.
Children paint/collage butterflies as a sign of New Life.
Children complete the next page of the Big Easter Book.

HOLY WEEK PERFORMANCE

Participate in role plays of

Jesus