Lessons- Christmas unit
LO: Compare various Gospel accounts of the birth of Christ.
Year 6 RE
Unit 6D
Lesson 1
Items in this lesson
LO: Compare various Gospel accounts of the birth of Christ.
Year 6 RE
Unit 6D
Lesson 1
Think about your literacy lessons…
TTYP and name the important details that are needed in telling a story.
Can you name…
the four main Gospel writers?
Do these writers tell the same story?
Do they tell the same version of the story?
Playground analogy.
Analysing scripture…
We are going to read two accounts of the birth of Jesus.
Gospel of Matthew 1:18-23
Gospel of Luke 2: 1-14
Possible reasons for these differences.
TTYP – do the two Gospels tell the same basic story?
TTYP – are there any differences in the details?
TTYP – why are there some differences?
WALT: Compare and contrast the similarities and differences in two Gospel accounts of the Birth of Christ.
Spring: Work in pairs. Read the quotation on the sheet and use your Bibles to decide if it comes from Matthew’s Gospel or Luke’s Gospel. Cut out and stick into the correct column.
Summer: Fill in the comparison table. Comparing the two Gospel accounts which we have been studying in today’s lesson.
Autumn and Winter: Working with Miss Noble. Fill in the Venn diagram with details which appear only in Luke, only in Matthew or details which appear in both.
Finally…
Talk to your partner and come up with at least two similarities and two differences between the two Gospel accounts which we have studied during this lesson.
Make a list of characters involved in the Christmas story. What changes did Jesus bring to their lives?
WALT: Understand and describe the actions of various characters from the Christmas story.
Year 6 RE Unit 6D
Lesson 2
Recap of lesson 1.
Which two Gospels did we look at?
Which story were we reading?
Did both Gospels tell the story in exactly the same way?
TTYP – list some other characters who were involved in the Christmas story (the events before, during and after the birth of Christ).
Matthew’s Gospel
Matthew 1: 18 – 2: 12
Questions for discussion.
Why did the message of Jesus’ birth first come to shepherds rather than King Herod?
Why did Herod want to get rid of Jesus?
What words would you use to describe the threat that this baby was to Herod?
What do you think led men to come from the east by the light of a star to find this child?
TTYP
What were the names of the three gifts which the wise men brought to the baby Jesus?
Gold
Frankincense
Myrrh
WALT: Understand and describe the actions of various characters from the Christmas story.
We are going to find out why the wise men brought the gifts of GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH to the baby Jesus.
Your task in pairs:
Create a word document and put your names, the date and the WALT at the top.
Use the internet to find information about the three gifts – what are they? Where are they found? What meaning did they have when they were brought to the baby Jesus?
Import pictures of the gifts from the internet.
Year 6 – RE
Lesson 3 –
WALT: Analyse the prologue of Gospel of Saint John.
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Brief recap of unit 6D so far…
Who are the main characters in the Christmas story?
Which two Gospel accounts of the birth of Christ have we looked at?
What are the similarities and differences between them?
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WALT: Analyse the prologue of St John’s Gospel.
Which two Gospels haven’t we looked at yet?
In St John’s Gospel, there is no account of the birth of Christ BUT there is a poem at the beginning of the Gospel which speaks about Christ.
We call this the ‘Prologue’ of St John’s Gospel.
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What is a ‘prologue’?
Dictionary definition: a preface or introductory part of a discourse, poem, or novel.
An introductory scene or an introductory speech.
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Read the Prologue of St John’s Gospel. John 1: 1-14.
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Who or what is ‘the Word’?
Why do you think he is described as the “Word of God?”
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In pairs, using your whiteboards…
Look through the prologue:
note down on your whiteboards, the words and phrases that speak about Christ.
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Which words in the passage indicate the birth of Christ?
Words can be used to create images. The prologue uses words to create images of Jesus.
What do you think is the most important image of Christ that is presented in this passage?
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WALT: Analyse the prologue of St John’s Gospel.
Spring: Laptops. Word document –use word art to display some of the titles for Jesus in St John’s Prologue.
Summer: Working with teacher.
Autumn/Winter: Autumn with teaching assistant. Writing your own prologue.
WALT: Understand the Holy Trinity.
Look at and discuss various images of Jesus and express a preference.
Year 6 RE
Christmas unit – lesson 4.
The unit so far…
Name the three Gospels we have studied?
Which story have we been focusing on?
The Christian celebration of Christmas.
What do we celebrate at Christmas?
Who would Jesus have had relationships with here on Earth?
Christmas analysis
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus as Christmas, we remember Jesus’ relationships with his father in heaven – God.
‘Holy Trinity’
What do you know about the Holy Trinity?
What does the ‘Holy Trinity’ mean?
Holy Trinity is a name given to explain that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three persons in one God.
Father, son and Holy spirit are not three Gods but one God.
Activity One
St Patrick used a plant called a Shamrock to try to explain the Holy Trinity.
On the stem write ‘God’.
On the leaves write ‘Father’, ‘Son’ and ‘Holy Spirit’.
On the back stick the print out of St Patrick’s quotation.
“Even the plants of the field tell about God. The shamrock has three leaves but only one stem. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not three gods, but one God.”
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give You thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the wonder of the incarnation Your eternal Word has brought to the eyes of faith a new and radiant vision of Your glory. In Him we see our God made visible and so are caught up in love of the God we cannot see. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven, we proclaim Your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
The Christmas Preface
Discuss the importance of Christmas to Christians.
Understand some of the customs associated with Christmas.
Year 6 RE
Unit 6D – Lesson 5
Recap
TTYP and tell them three things which you have learnt during this unit.
This is the last lesson in the unit I am looking for you to show me what you have learned.
Read to the must, should and could targets on the RE board. Think about which one you think you have achieved.
What is a ‘custom’?
Dictionary Definition
‘Custom’ is a noun which means:
‘A habitual practice; the usual way of acting in given circumstances.’
It is a habit – a way that we usually act.
TTYP – which customs would you associate with Christmas?
I’ll start you off with:
Putting up the Christmas tree.
Can we split the list into…
Religious Customs and Secular Customs
Why is Christmas still an important feast to Christians across the world?
Autumn and Winter: Working independently.
You are going to write a newspaper report for an audience who have never experienced Christmas.
You must include an account of religious and secular customs.
Summer: Working with .
Children to create a fact file about Christmas.
Spring: Working with .
Use your recent literacy work on narrative structure to write a story about a Christian Child’s experience of Christmas day.
Write in the past tense and use the first line
‘On Christmas morning I woke up and I was so excited!’
Remember to include all the customs which a Christian child would take part in such as going to Mass, seeing the Advent wreath etc
WALT: Discuss the importance of Christmas to Christians.
Understand some of the customs associated with Christmas.
