Religious Education

Staff : Mrs Montgomery, Miss McConville

Aims

Within Malone College, Religious Education is about understanding where beliefs come from and why people view the world differently. It’s about pupils working out what they want to believe and why. It is about asking questions and weighing up different beliefs, opinions and experiences.

We explore some of the oldest questions that have ever been asked such as:

Where did we come from?
What is the meaning of life?
Who or what created the world?

Within Malone College Religious Education is not about telling your child what to believe but helping them understand and explore their own faith and the faith of others.

Year 8

Who am I?

Pupils will consider the term identity and what it means.

They will understand what self image is and how sometimes others see us differently from how we see ourselves.

Pupils will explore what Christians believe it means to be beautiful in the eyes of God and that all human beings are special and unique to God.

God and the Bible

Pupils will know that the Bible is an important book to many people and understand that it has changed many people’s lives.

They will be able to identify that the Bible is made up of different types of books and will recognise that Christians believe that the Bible is one way that God communicates with people.

Pupils will understand that the Gideons/Good News for Everyone is one example of an organisation that tries to spread the Bible’s influence throughout the world. They will have the opportunity to receive a New Testament from this organisation when they visit the college.

Who is Jesus?

Pupils will learn details about the birth of Jesus and his mission to change the world. The characters of the men Jesus chose as his disciples will be examined and pupils will have looked at examples of Jesus’ power in action. They will understand that Jesus was put to death and why. Pupils will have considered why Jesus was a role model and his significance for people today.

The Story of Ruth

Pupils will have explored the story of Ruth and many qualities that she demonstrated such as faithfulness, trust and obedience. Pupils will have discussed how the characters in the story chose to love people who were different to them and the emotions a person may experience when they feel like an outsider.

Judaism

Pupils will explore the history of the Jewish community in Northern Ireland and discover some of the key beliefs within Judaism. They will have researched the Jewish place of worship and the Jewish festival Passover Pupils will have explored the Bar Mitzvah, a Jewish rite of passage.

Places of Worship

Pupils will learn that there are six main religions in the world and recognise their symbol. They will understand where the various religions worship and what furniture they have inside.Pupils will understand that Baptism is about belonging to a particular church family and realise that there are differences between how each denomination carries out baptism.

Year 9

What a Wonderful World

Pupils will explore different creation stories and discover that within many of the stories humans are given the responsibility to look after the world.They will discuss various ways the earth is being destroyed and why people chose to act in this manner.

Pupils will identify ways in which individuals can help to improve the environment.

They will discover what Christians believe about how they should respect God’s creation and what Christian charities and churches are doing to ensure they are looking after the world. The effects of climate change on the poorest countries will be investigated.

Growing Up

Pupils will explore many issues that young people have to deal with on a daily basis and examine what some religious groups teach about these issues. They will discover what the Bible teaches on these issues.

Easter

The story of Easter will be explored through some of the main characters involved and the importance of the events of Easter for the followers of Jesus discussed. Pupils will discuss the relevance of the Easter story for Christians today.

Islam

Pupils will learn about the history of the Muslim community in Northern Ireland and explore the life of Muhammad (pbuh)

Pupils will consider the importance of mosques and examine the Five Pillars of Islam. Some of the significant religious festivals that are important in the Muslim calendar will be explored.

C.S. Lewis

Pupils will explore the life of C.S. Lewis and examine some of his beliefs. They will discuss some of his novels and where he got many of his ideas from.

Year 10

Right or Wrong!

Pupils will explore how people learn their own moral values.

and discuss different views that people have about what is right and what is wrong. They will consider religious views on right and wrong and identified issues in our society.

Lifestyle Choices

Pupils will define what addition is and understand the problems drunkenness can cause within the family. They will discover Christian attitudes towards alcohol and explore the damage smoking can do to the individual. Pupils will research the dangers of taking illegal drugs. They will examine why it is important to work and to use your spare time wisely. Pupils will appreciate the money that we have and discuss Christian attitudes towards money.

Love in Action

Pupils will understand that many people tirelessly work to change unfair laws and situations because of the love they feel for people who are oppressed and marginalised. They will discover the work that five people did in order to change people’s lives.

Does God exist?

Pupils will be able to describe who they think God is and to explore arguments for and against the existence of God.

They will understand the issues of natural and moral evil and discuss how people experience God in different ways.

Buddhism

Pupils will appreciate the historical Buddha and his teachings.

They will examine the main groups within Buddhism and one of their leaders. Pupils will explore the many different symbols within Buddhism and their meaning. Pupils will understand Buddhist worship and festivals, discovering the role of the Sangha within the Buddhist faith and community.