Unit L2.7 What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today ...

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Peterborough Diocesan Syllabus for RE Unit L2.7 What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? © RE Today 2019 Only for use in schools in the Diocese of Peterborough

Unit L2.7 What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? [Double

unit]

This unit supports the principal aim of RE in Peterborough Diocese: The principal aim of RE is to enable pupils to hold balanced and informed conversations about religion and belief.

Step 1: Key question • Select a key question from

p.38

• Make sure that you can explain where this unit/question fits into key stage planning e.g. how it builds on previous learning in RE; links to other subject areas, if appropriate.

Unit L2.8 What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today? This unit offers the opportunity for a systematic encounter with Hindus. There is a great deal of material here and you will need to select and adapt as appropriate to your class and the time you have available. Previous encounters in FS will have been as part of thematic units (e.g. F4

Being special, F6 Special stories). This unit will build on and deepen

previous learning, and will be recalled when doing thematic units such as

L2.10 How and why do people show their commitments during the journey

of life?

Step 2: Use learning outcomes • Use the learning outcomes

from unit outlines, as appropriate for the age and ability of your pupils.

• Being clear about these outcomes will help you to decide what and how to teach.

Make sense of belief: • Identify some Hindu deities and describe Hindu beliefs about God (e.g. Brahman, trimurti) • Offer informed suggestions about what Hindu murtis express about God • Understand Hindu beliefs and the aims of life (e.g. karma). Understand the impact: • Describe how Hindus show their faith within their families in Britain today (e.g. home puja) • Describe how Hindus show their faith within their faith communities in Britain today (e.g. arti and bhajans at the mandir; Diwali), indicating some differences in how Hindus show their faith. Make connections: • Make links between the Hindu idea of everyone having a ‘spark’ of God in them and ideas about the value of people in the world today, giving good reasons for their ideas • Consider and weigh up the value of taking part in family and community rituals in Hindu communities and express insights on whether it is a good thing for everyone, giving good reasons for their ideas and talking about whether their learning has changed their thinking.

Step 3: Select specific content Look at the suggested content for your key question, from column 2 in the key question outlines/units of study. Select the best content (from here, or additional information from elsewhere) to help you to teach in an engaging way so that pupils achieve the learning outcomes

• Show images of Hindu deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (the Trimurti) and their consorts, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati. What do these images suggest God is like? Explore the idea that these deities help Hindus relate to the Ultimate Reality, Brahman. See if pupils can identify common or distinctive features for different deities. What aspect of Brahman do they express? Use the story of Svetaketu to illustrate the Hindu idea of Brahman being invisible but in everything. • Think about cycles of life, death and rebirth that we see in nature (e.g. seasons, seeds/bulbs, forest fires, etc.). Note how necessary they are for life. Talk about what pupils think death has to do with life; this Hindu idea suggests that death/destruction is often a necessary part of life. Connect with Trimurti – Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver) and Shiva (Destroyer). Explore the qualities of each of these deities in the

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context of the idea of the cycle of life. • Talk about the idea for some Hindus that all living beings possess a ‘spark’ of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality. This ‘spark’ is known as ‘atman’ and means that all living beings are sacred and special. Talk about how people might treat each other and the natural world differently if everyone believed that all living beings contained the ‘spark’ of God. What is good about this idea? Is it helpful for people who are not Hindus, or who do not believe there is a god? Make a set of school rules for a world where everyone has an ‘atman’. Compare with the actual school rules: how far do we try to treat everyone as if they are special? • Hindus might describe life as a journey towards moksha; Hindu life is also part of a journey through different stages (ashramas), each with different duties. Look at the different dharma/duties Hindus have at the four ashramas: student, householder, retired person, renouncer. How does the dharma for these stages help Hindus to be good? Focus on student and householder stages, and compare the duties pupils have now, and ones they think they will have later in their lives. • Explore Hindu ideas of karma – how actions bring good or bad karma. Find out how and why ‘snakes and ladders’ links with Hindu ideas of karma. • Find out about how Hindus show their faith within their families. Show pupils objects you might find in a Hindu’s home and why e.g. murtis, family shrine, statues and pictures of deities, puja tray including incense, fruit, bells, flowers, candles; some sacred texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, AUM symbols. Find out what they mean, how they are used, when and why. • Explore the kinds of things Hindu families would do during the week e.g. daily puja, blessing food, arti ceremony, singing hymns, reading holy texts, visit the temple etc. Make links with stories and beliefs about the deities worshipped. Talk about which objects and actions are most important and why. What similarities and differences are there with the family values, and community and home rituals of pupils in the class? • Find out how Hindus celebrate Diwali in Britain today, linking with the story of Rama and Sita. Ask what the festival means for Hindus, and weigh up what matters most at Diwali. Talk about whether Hindus should be given a day off at Diwali in Britain. • Find out about and compare other Hindu celebrations, e.g. Holi, or Navaratri/Durga Puja in Britain and overseas. • Talk about what good things come from sharing in worship and rituals in family and community. Are there similarities and differences with people in other faith communities pupils have studied already, or with people who are not part of a faith community? If possible, invite a Hindu visitor to talk about how they live, including ideas studied above.

Step 4: Assessment: write specific pupil outcomes • Turn the learning outcomes

into pupil-friendly ‘I can’ or ‘You can’ statements

I can… (Self-assessment) You can… (Teacher assessment) Can you…? (Next steps/challenge) E.g. ……talk about Hindu ideas of God being everywhere and in everything …explain what a Hindu might understand about Brahman from the story of Svetaketu. … talk about at least 2 ways that Hindus may show respect for the spark of God in people and other living things

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• Make the learning outcomes specific to the content you are teaching, to help you know just what it is that you want pupils to be able to understand and do as a result of their learning.

• These ‘I can/You can’ statements will help you to integrate assessment for learning within your teaching, so that there is no need to do a separate end of unit assessment.

… talk about how Hindu beliefs compare to my own beliefs about God …identify some Hindu images of gods and goddesses and name at least two …talk about aspects of Brahman represented by at least four deities …say why there are images of many deities, even though Hindus generally do not believe that there are many gods and goddesses. …make links between the Hindu idea of the trimurti and the circle of life …describe Hindu beliefs about karma and give at least 2 examples of actions that would attract good or bad karma … talk simply about Hindu beliefs about the cycle of birth and rebirth of the atman … talk about at least 2 ways that Hindus may show respect for the spark of God in people and other living things … give clear examples of how Hindus’ belief in dharma and karma influences how they live their lives …give at least [three] examples of things Hindus do as part of dharma at

home

…list at least three ways in which Hindus worship in the home

…identify and name at least two objects Hindus use in worship

…give an example of Hindu worship (e.g. bhajans)

…talk about how bhajans help some Hindus in worship

…ask some thoughtful questions about Hindu living

…talk about some connections between Hindu ways of community living

and my own

…identify some ways in which my community life (e.g. at school, clubs,

faith communities etc) is the same and different from some Hindu people

(e.g. types of music, celebrations)

…talk about some good things Hindus get from these rituals in their lives. …talk about whether there are good things like this in my own life.

Step 5: Develop teaching and learning activities • Develop active learning

opportunities and investigations, using some engaging stimuli, to enable pupils to achieve the outcomes.

• Don’t forget the skills you want pupils to develop, as well as the content you want them to understand.

• Make sure that the activities allow pupils to practise these skills as well as show their understanding.

• See examples of teaching and learning activities below. NOTE: This unit of work offers around 10-12 hours of classroom ideas. You can select from it in order to achieve the learning outcomes set out in Step 2 above. You can develop additional ‘I can’ statements as necessary for your own classroom.

The unit is in four broad sections; each one can take between 2 and 3 hours, so you will need to select rather than feel you must do everything.

NOTE: This unit is a ‘systematic’ unit – that is, it explores one religion (Hinduism) systematically. The thematic unit L2.10 on how people mark significant events of life allows pupils to encounter Hindus again in comparison with Christian and Jewish beliefs and ways of living.

You should take the opportunities to remind pupils of their learning from these systematic units as they explore the thematic units. It is good for pupils to encounter content more than once – it helps to settle it in their long-term memory – but you will need to ensure that you explore it in different ways each time. You should draw on pupils’ learning from this unit to inform pupils’ learning in the thematic unit, thereby supporting and reinforcing their learning from earlier in the year.

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Teaching and learning ideas and activities Select and adapt as appropriate to suit your class, and to ensure pupils achieve the outcomes.

LEARNING OUTCOMES These activities will help pupils to work

towards achieving the following expected

outcomes:

What do Hindus believe about God/Brahman?

What is God like?

• Pose pupils the question: ‘If you could choose one word to describe what ‘God’ is like for believers, what would that word be?’ Share answers and discuss how pupils came to them. Is there any agreement or disagreement amongst the class? NB, many pupils may not believe in God, but this question is about what ‘God’ would mean to people who do believe. They will need to draw on their previous learning in RE to answer this question. Answers might include: powerful, Creator, loving, invisible, big.

• Look at examples of art and writing about God by pupils across the UK at NATRE’s Spirited Arts competition www.natre.org.uk/about-natre/projects/spirited-arts/spirited-arts-gallery/2018/. The ‘looking for God’ category shows many personal ideas about the nature of God as well as those common to in religious traditions. Discuss which of these are similar to ideas within the class and which add something new.

Hinduism – God in everything

• Explore the idea further using water, salt and this simplified version of the Hindu story of Svetaketu: Svetaketu’s father used this illustration to teach his son about Brahman, God. He gave Svetaketu some salt and told his son to put it in a bowl of water overnight. In the morning he asked Svetaketu if he could see the salt and take it out again, but of course he couldn’t! He asked his son to taste the water from to top, the middle and the bottom of the bowl – it was salty each time. 'That's a bit like Brahman – God – in the world,' said his father. 'God is invisible, but is there in everything.’ From this, discuss the idea of everyone and everything living thing having a ‘spark’ of God within them.

Visitor It will be beneficial if the pupils can meet with a Hindu visitor at least once during this unit, to talk with a person of faith. Teachers should consider where to place the visit: at the start of pupils’ work on Hinduism to talk about their ideas of Brahman, or later, e.g. to relate their favourite story about a god when pupils are learning about origins and celebrations of Diwali. It is good practice for pupils to write questions for the visitor beforehand and for the visit to have the ethos of a community of enquiry (that is, the class working together to construct a better understanding through well-planned questioning). Follow-up work helps pupils to consolidate and reflect on their learning.

Make sense of belief:

• Make clear links between the story of Svetaketu and what Hindus believe about Brahman

Understand the impact:

• Understand how Hindu belief in a spark of God in all living things affects attitudes towards humans and other beings

Making connections:

• Reflect on and evaluate Hindu beliefs

about the nature of God in relation to

pupils’ own beliefs

Sample ‘I can…’ statements

…talk about Hindu ideas of God being everywhere and in everything …explain what a Hindu might understand about Brahman from the story of Svetaketu. … talk about at least 2 ways that Hindus may show respect for the spark of God in people and other living things … talk about how Hindu beliefs compare to my own beliefs about God

http://www.natre.org.uk/about-natre/projects/spirited-arts/spirited-arts-gallery/2018/

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LEARNING OUTCOMES These activities will help pupils to work

towards achieving the following

expected outcomes:

What can we find out about Hindu ideas about Brahman from looking at images of deities?

One God, different sides

• Prepare some photos of the teacher (or another willing member of staff) showing the different aspects of them e.g. teacher, kind, parent, netball player, helper, friend, computer whizz etc. Ask pupils to define which quality or skill of their teacher is being shown on each photo. Ask pupils, why one photo would not be enough to tell you about one person. Give pupils two minutes to make at least 8 ‘stick person’ sketches of themselves as plans for 8 photos they would need if someone wanted to them properly, the ‘real you’. Emphasise that, just like their teacher, they are still one person, but have different sides.

• Recap on what pupils know of Hindu beliefs about God so far. Explain that they will now be learning more about God in Hinduism. Put six murtis or pictures around the room, one each of Brahma, Lakshmi, Parwati, Saraswati, Shiva and Vishnu. Pupils initially describe what they can see, before looking very hard at one deity. Give pupils time to list: a) what they know about their deity; b) what they can guess; c) questions they would like answered about it.

Resources: images of each deity easily available online. Selected sites include: www.blueosa.com/10-hindu-deities-everyone-know-pilgrimage-india/ www.thoughtco.com/top-hindu-deities-1770309 Also, you could do an image search for Hindu deities by Sanjay Patel.

• Explain to the pupils that although the deities seem to be separate gods and goddesses, there is only one God in Hinduism. Most Hindus believe that the supreme God (Brahman) can’t really be properly understood and each of the images is an attempt to show an aspect or side of God. Although it might seem as if there are lots of gods and goddesses is a way of showing one aspect of Brahman.

• Think about cycles of life, death and rebirth that we see in nature (e.g. sun rising and setting; seasons, seeds/bulbs, forest fires, etc.). Talk about how necessary this cycle is for life: if the trees don’t die in winter, there is no new growth in spring – both death and life are important in nature.

• Note that the three gods, Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver), Shiva (Destroyer) work together – they are called the Trimurti. They represent creation – preservation – destruction: the cycle of birth, life and death. Note that the Trimurti show the Hindu idea that death/destruction is often a necessary part of life. Ask pupils to look for signs and symbols of how the three gods in the Trimurti represent birth, preservation and death. Note that Shiva is not always seen as a negative: destruction is the necessary part of new life.

Make sense of belief: Identify some Hindu deities and describe their features and qualities Understanding the impact: Explain how deities, and murtis representing them, help Hindus to understand God Make connections: Understand the connect between the trimurti and the circle of life

Sample ‘I can…’ statements …identify some Hindu images of gods and goddesses and name at least two …talk about aspects of Brahman represented by at least four deities …say why there are images of many deities, even though Hindus generally do not believe that there are many gods and goddesses. …make links between the Hindu idea of the trimurti and the circle of life … offer informed opinions about the the value of having many deities that express the many features of the one, very difficult to understand God

http://www.blueosa.com/10-hindu-deities-everyone-know-pilgrimage-india/

http://www.thoughtco.com/top-hindu-deities-1770309

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LEARNING OUTCOMES These activities will help pupils to

work towards achieving the following

expected outcomes:

What do Hindus believe about atman, karma and the journey of life?

• Tell pupils that most Hindus believe that everyone has a ‘spark’ of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality (you could use the image of a bonfire with sparks flying off). This ‘spark’ is known as ‘atman’ [some people use the term ‘soul’ although this is not a Hindu term, and so it is better if you avoid it; stick with ‘atman’]. This means that all living beings are sacred and special.

• Talk about how people might treat each other and the natural world differently if everyone believed that all living beings contained the ‘spark’ of God. What is good about this idea? Is it helpful for people who are not Hindus, or who do not believe there is a god? Make a set of school rules for a world where everyone has an ‘atman’. Compare with the school rules: how far do we try to treat everyone as if they are special?

• Hindus believe that this spark of God (atman) is eternal, so when our body dies, it will continue. Most Hindus believe that the atman will be reborn or reincarnated in another body. Which body it goes into will depend on karma. Explore this idea by showing this short film clip. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02n5v2q

• Most Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of many lives (samsara) and its next incarnation is dependent on how the previous lives were lived (karma). Karma means action and law of Karma is law of action and consequences. Hindus say that we have responsibility for everything we do and all actions will produce results we have to bear. Good actions leave a positive imprint on the atman; bad actions leave a negative imprint. Sometimes the results are immediate, sometimes they come much later. The atman goes through many incarnations to prepare it to escape from the cycle of life and death, where the spark of atman returns to be absorbed back into Brahman. This release is called moksha. The law of karma teaches Hindus to be mindful in everything they do.

• Explore how the Hindu game Moksha patuma (Snakes and Ladders) represents this idea of karma. In the game, copiable from page 14, good deeds are represented by the ladders – which eventually lead to moksha (escape from the death and rebirth cycle (samsara) - the ultimate goal. Bad actions are represented by the snakes which lead back to the cycle of rebirths.

• Provide each group of four players with a board. As they play, they should come up with some examples from everyday life of good and bad actions that might move someone up or down the board, e.g. telling the truth, being kind to animals, treating the world with respect, caring for others, helping those in need, being honest and patient; bad karma – being selfish, being rude, wasting stuff, being aggressive, stealing, lying etc.

Make sense of belief: Make links between Hindu beliefs and the aims of life (e.g. karma). Understand the impact: Understand how Hindu belief in dharma, karma and a spark of God in all living things affects attitudes towards humans and other beings Sample ‘I can…’ statement …describe Hindu beliefs about karma and give at least 2 examples of actions that would attract good or bad karma … talk simply about Hindu beliefs about the cycle of birth and rebirth of the atman … talk about at least 2 ways that Hindus may show respect for the spark of God in people and other living things … give clear examples of how Hindus’ belief in dharma and karma influences how they live their lives

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02n5v2q

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LEARNING OUTCOMES These activities will help pupils to


expected outcomes:

How do Hindus show their faith at home?

Note: the word ‘Hinduism’ is a European word describing a diverse religious tradition that developed in what is now northern India. People within the tradition itself often call Hinduism ‘Sanatan Dharma’, which means ‘Eternal Way’. This describes a whole way of life not just a set of beliefs. Introduce the word dharma – it describes a Hindu’s whole way of life, their duties. There is no separation between their religious, social and moral duties. Way in: important things.

• Show pupils things that are important to you, e.g. family photos, wedding ring, a charity wristband, religious symbols, etc. Ask the class to suggest why each item is important to you.

• Draw six jigsaw pieces on the board – once the class say what each item tells them about you, write it on the board, e.g. married, two children, favourite book, favourite song, vegetarian, etc.

• Give each pupil a blank jigsaw sheet (four squares will be enough). Ask them to write and draw four special things that are important to them; who or what and why? Discuss pupils’ jigsaw squares. We are all unique, but there are some things we all need. Can the class suggest what is important to every person?

What is important for two British Hindu children?

• Some pupils may have religious elements in their jigsaw squares. Discuss how religion is an important part of lots of people’s lives, but even very religious people still have lots of other aspects to their lives.

• Watch this clip of Simran and her brother Vraj who are British Hindus (link below). Watch it once all the way through. Then discuss the things the children said were important to them. Give groups a 4-piece blank jigsaw and watch the clip again. They can choose to write about Simran or Vraj’s important things; religion, hobbies, likes and dislikes www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02n5xj7 N.B. Simran likes music, photography, being Hindu, vegetarian, playing with her brother. Vraj likes Tae Kwon Do, being Hindu, he’s vegetarian and likes spicy food. What questions do pupils have about Simran, Vraj and their lives? Compare their own lives and those of Simran and Vraj?

• Introduce the terms ‘Sanatan dharma’; how do Simran and Vraj show they are Hindus. Hindus see their tradition as being a complete way of life – all of life s part of their dharma. This section will explore some elements of Hindu dharma.


• Identify the terms dharma, Sanatan Dharma and Hinduism and say what they mean

• Make links between Hindu practices and the idea that Hinduism is a whole ‘way of life’ (dharma)


• Understand how and why Hindus worship in the home

Make connections:

• Raise questions and suggest

answers about what is good

about being a Hindu in Britain

today, and whether taking part

in family and community rituals

is a good thing for individuals

and society, giving good reasons

for their ideas


… say what Sanatan dharma and

dharma mean

…give at least [three] examples of

things Hindus do as part of dharma

at home

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02n5xj7

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Hindu beliefs

• In the clip you see Simran holding a tray with a small flame over her brother’s head. She talks about Hindu deities and Hindu beliefs. Remind pupils of the Hindu deities already studied – show some of those images again. Hanuman and Ganesh are shown in the clip. Can the class remember what Simran said about the gods? How many did she say there are? [millions of gods, representing aspects of the one God, designed to help humans focus in worship].

• We are going to find out how Simran and Vraj show their faith in God through puja, Hindu worship. This takes place in the home and in the temple (mandir) – we’re focusing on worship at home here.

• Set up a puja tray: you will need a small bell, flowers, a pot of water, a murti or image of a Hindu deity, some sweets or sugar and a spoon. A diva lamp is a small simple lamp; a wick in wax or ghee. You could use a tea-light placed in a nice holder. The aim is to bring a little flame of light to worship.

• Let the pupils touch, feel, smell and discuss all the items. Turn the information below into labels around the table and ask pupils to label the items and their purpose. Ask pupils to draw each item and label them.

Bell: To wake the deity up for worship – to announce the presence of the worshipper Flowers: Represents the beauty and fragrance of the created world Diva lamp: For aarti (Aarti- symbolises that worship removes darkness) Water in a pot: Represents life Spoon: Used to give water to worshippers after it has been blessed Murti: an image, usually representing a deity, and used as a focus for worship Sweets or sugar: An offering of food for the deity

• After this learning, reinforce pupils’ recall of key information, e.g. by giving pupils a tray including Hindu puja objects and things that are not found on a puja tray (e.g. box of matches, pencil, TV remote control – some more or less likely). Get pupils to sort and explain.

• Learn some more about aarti by focusing on the candle. What does the label say about the purpose of the lamp? The flame removes darkness during worship. What could darkness represent? Discuss the symbolism here: could darkness mean bad behaviour? bad feelings? ignorance? How could worship of God help lighten the mind?

• Explain that during worship, the aarti lamp is lit and offered to the deity. It is then seen as having become infused with the deity’s blessings and energy. Worshippers move their hands over the flame and onto their heads and eyes, receiving the deity’s blessing.

• Show images of aarti (it can be helpful to google aarti puja). Pupils will be able to see it happens in all sorts of types of worship: in very grand and ornate temples, to small scale puja ceremonies, to rivers and open-air pujas. Do they remember seeing it in the film? It can even happen at home between family members.

…list at least three ways in which

Hindus worship in the home

…identify and name at least two

objects Hindus use in worship

…say simply what objects and rituals

in Hindu worship mean (e.g. say

what it means for Hindus to put their

hands over the flame and then over

their heads)

…ask some thoughtful questions

about Hindu living

…talk about some connections

between Hindu ways of living and my

own

…identify some ways in which my life

is the same and different from some

Hindu people

…talk about some good things

Hindus get from these rituals in their

lives.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

These activities will help pupils to


expected outcomes:

How do Hindus show their faith when they’re together?

Note that there is an overlap with the last section – there is not a sharp distinction between home and community worship. Worship in the community:

• Explore some ways in which Hindus celebrate together in community. In this short clip, a Hindu girl from Leicester shows us around here temple or mandir. http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zh734wx You could watch the short video with the sound turned off and ask pupils (perhaps working in pairs or threes) to look out for any images or objects that they have already seen – can they remember the names and words they have learned? Watch again, this time with a chance to talk to each other about what questions they have. Then watch with the sound up, and see how many questions are answered.

Bhajans:

• Hinduism has a rich musical tradition. There are many ‘bhajans’, worship songs, devoted to different deities, some fast and upbeat, some peaceful and meditative. They have developed to help worship. Play pupils some bhajans. There are hundreds on You Tube, such as: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac2580Gp8qA Enter ‘modern bhajans’, or ‘peaceful bhajans’ and choose some you like. The accompanying videos also reflect Hindu beliefs.

• Ask pupils to listen and focus on the tune, the beat, words that seem to be repeated, the overall mood, etc. In pairs ask them to talk about how the music made them feel, and if it changed the way they were feeling. What is the music trying to make them feel? How could being immersed in music like this help someone during worship? Is it distracting, or does it help focus the mind?

• More ideas for exploring Hindu worship can be found on this photo story: Shivam worships at home and at the mandir, and performs bhajans with other members of his community: https://shop.retoday.org.uk/120105 Take it further here: https://shop.retoday.org.uk/120106

How do Hindus show their faith?

• Imagine Simran and Vraj have been asked to explain about Hinduism at their school. Ask groups to choose whether they want to be Simran or Vraj. The pupils will create four cards for either, with an image on one side they could hold up to the class, and some words on the back they can read out, as if they are doing a short presentation to their class.


• Describe how Hindus show their faith within their faith communities in Britain today (e.g. arti and bhajans at the mandir; in festivals such as Diwali)

Make connections:

• Raise questions and suggest answers about what is good about being a Hindu in Britain today, and whether taking part in family and community rituals is a good thing for individuals and society, giving good reasons for their ideas


…identify and name the Hindu place of

worship and name at least [two] objects

Hindus use in worship there

…give an example of Hindu worship

(e.g. bhajans)

…talk about how bhajans help some

Hindus in worship

…ask some thoughtful questions about

Hindu living

…talk about some connections between

Hindu ways of community living and my

own

…identify some ways in which my

community life (e.g. at school, clubs,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zh734wx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac2580Gp8qA

https://shop.retoday.org.uk/120105

https://shop.retoday.org.uk/120106

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• Talk about how Simran or Vraj can explain what they believe and what their actions mean. E.g. an image of a deity could be used to show Hindu beliefs about God, an image of a flame could be used to explain aarti, etc. Show some of the similarities and differences between worship at home and in the community. Make notes on the board for the pupils to refer to.

• Give out four pieces of card to groups. They will need help finding and printing images- you might like to prepare some representing what you have studied; puja tray, deities, aarti, etc.

• Groups then decide what each of their four images teaches about Simran or Vraj’s Hindu beliefs. Create a sentence explaining them and write on the back of cards. When they are finished, watch a few presentations.

• Make the connection between Hindu worship and the term dharma. Here are some key words pupils should learn during this unit: Deities: the word in English often used for Hindu gods and goddesses. Deity means god. Murtis: the statues or images of the Hindu deities. Hindus believe that during worship, the spirit or presence of God comes into the murti. Puja: Hindu worship Mandir: Hindu temple Diva lamp: a lamp with a flame, which is used during worship. Aarti: light, which removes darkness (ratri) Bhajans: Hindu worship songs

faith communities etc) is the same and

different from some Hindu people (e.g.

types of music, celebrations)

…talk about some good things Hindus get from these rituals in their lives. …talk about whether there are good things like this in my own life.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES


work towards achieving the

following expected outcomes:

How do Hindus celebrate Diwali today?

Note that this part of the unit overlaps with the thematic Unit L2.9 What are the deeper meanings of festivals? There are lots of ideas for studying Diwali in that unit too Goodies and baddies

• Give pupils (in groups of 2 or 3) envelopes containing pictures of familiar ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’. Tell pupils you have mixed up two sets of pictures and need them sorting out – pupils should decide for themselves the theme of both sets of pictures and sort them out in less than three minutes. Look together pupils’ choices of categories for the pictures. Focus on groups that have chosen ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’ (if nobody has chosen this, acknowledge good ideas in the class, then introduce it). Which characters could be classified as good or bad? Bring in qualities that we equate with ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’ such as kind, unkind, loving, jealous, brave, trusting. Do any images not fit easily, e.g. traits of both or too little evidence to judge? Does the good person always win in a story?

Initial questions

• Look together at a picture of Ravana and Rama fighting. Discuss what pupils can see. Who do they think are the goodies in the picture and who the baddies? Pupils to make 3 lists – 1) what is happening? 2) What do you think has just happened? 3) What do you think is going to happen next?

What’s important in the story?

• Read a short version of the story of Diwali (see Unit L2.9 What are the deeper meanings of festivals? for one version; also e.g. www.ashmistry.com/assets/The_Story_of_Rama_and_Sita.pdf ). Ask pupils to pick 8-10 key words – those most important in the story. List them together, before deciding upon an appropriate action or sound to go with each. Re-read the story with pupils performing the sounds/actions when a key word is mentioned. Explain that the story is from a holy Hindu book called the Ramayana and is the root of the Hindu festival ‘Diwali’.

• Explain that Rama is not just an ordinary human being in this story. He is the god Vishnu in disguise – an avatar (some pupils may recognise that word from computer and online gaming). Help pupils to make the connection with the Trimurti by asking them to recap on the three deities in the Trimurti and what each one symbolises.

• Explain that in much Hindu thought, it is the job of Vishnu to protect and preserve the world when people are in too much danger or are being too evil. In Hindu stories, when this happens, Vishnu comes to earth to help set everything right again. Sometimes, when Vishnu comes to earth in this way, his body is that of an animal, but sometimes it is the body of a man. It is thought that Krishna will visit the world ten main times in this way, the first


• Identify some Hindu deities and describe Hindu beliefs about God


• Describe how Hindus show their faith within their families and faith communities in Britain today (e.g. in festivals such as Diwali)

• Identify some different ways in which Hindus show their faith (e.g. between different communities in Britain, or between Britain and parts of India)

Make connections:

• Raise questions and suggest answers about what is good about being a Hindu in Britain today, and whether taking part in family and community rituals is a good thing for individuals and society, giving good reasons for their idea.


…make a connection between Diwali

and the idea of Vishnu the Preserver

http://www.ashmistry.com/assets/The_Story_of_Rama_and_Sita.pdf

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nine have already happened, but the tenth is yet to come. The story of Rama is one where Vishnu comes to preserve the world – by helping good win over evil in the story.

• Pupils should shut their eyes and play the Diwali story from start to end in their minds like a film. They should hit pause on the film at three points where good is winning over evil and the order of the world is being preserved. Tell pupils that they need to advertise the film and should do so by showing these three very important parts. Allow pupils to design a poster/DVD cover/images to go on Netflix or Amazon Prime showing the three parts that they identified. On the back of their design they should write why image was chosen.

• Find out how Hindus celebrate Diwali in Britain today. Find images of posters advertising Diwali in Leicester, the world’s biggest Diwali celebrations outside India. Show images of Diwali being celebrated (e.g. www.leicestermercury.co.uk/live-diwali-day- 2016-in-leicester/story-29853142-detail/story.html). Look at this photographer’s Facebook page album for Trafalgar Square Diwali 2016. http://bit.ly/2r5Gg0N Do an image search for Diwali celebrations in India to see if pupils can spot any similarities/differences. You could show photographs of Diwali being celebrated in both UK (e.g. Leicester) and India. Place still images and photographs on the tables and ask pupils to annotate them with sticky notes showing what they know, what questions they have, what similarities and differences they note between celebrations in UK and India.

• Use the video clip to find out how Simran and Vraj celebrate and explain the festival: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/z8476fr

• Ask pupils to weigh up what matters most at Diwali, giving reasons for their choices out of: Rama, Sita, Hanuman; Lakshmi; lights; light overcoming darkness; knowledge overcoming ignorance; fireworks; new clothes; gifts; rangoli patterns; etc. You could do this by giving them a laminated A3 target board. With felt pen they write the most important in the centre circle, and then very important, important, not so important things in the next circles. They can change their mind as they talk with each other and come to a group decision, with good reasons – rubbing out the felt pen and re-writing in the new position.

• Talk about what is good for Hindu families and communities about taking part in Diwali celebrations. Collect together some class ideas about the fun, laughter, noise, excitement, giving and receiving, music, prayer, dancing, food, artwork, joy etc that Hindus experience. Compare with pupils’ own experiences of celebrations. Connect with some of the stories of festivals in other religious and non-religious traditions.

• You could expand this to explore other Hindu celebrations: e.g. Holi www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zw92tyc , or

Navaratri/Durga Puja in Britain (e.g. www.londonpuja.com, BBC clip on Durga Puja in Kolkata here:

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/navaratri.shtml)

Additional information:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/diwali-2014-what-is-the-festival-of-lights-and-how-is-it-celebrated-

9810212.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/hinduism/diwali.shtml

...describe at least [two] things

Hindus do to celebrate Diwali

…identify at least [two] of the main

characters in the story behind Diwali

and say what they did

…offer some thoughtful ideas about

what is most important about Diwali

to Hindus, saying why

…identify some ways in which Diwali

is celebrated around the UK and

other parts of the world, pointing

out similarities and differences.

…talk about why Hindus like to

celebrate Diwali, giving a/some good

reason(s) for my idea(s)

…make a link with the good things

Hindus get from Diwali and good

thing I get from celebrating festivals.

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/live-diwali-day-%202016-in-leicester/story-29853142-detail/story.html

http://bit.ly/2r5Gg0N

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/z8476fr

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zw92tyc

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/diwali-2014-what-is-the-festival-of-lights-and-how-is-it-celebrated-9810212.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/diwali-2014-what-is-the-festival-of-lights-and-how-is-it-celebrated-9810212.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/hinduism/diwali.shtml

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Teaching and learning ideas and activities Select and adapt as appropriate to suit your class, and to ensure pupils achieve the outcomes. Select from the following suggestions

LEARNING OUTCOMES


work towards achieving the

following expected outcomes:

Making connections: what is similar and different in Hindu lives and my life?

Ask pupils to recall as much as possible about the ideas, beliefs and practices they have studied in this unit. Working individually first, then in pairs and groups, can they come up with a mind-map that contains more information than other groups? You could give them some specialist vocabulary from the unit to get them started, so they have to write or match the words and definitions. Alternatively, give them some images (e.g. murtis, a home shrine, a diagram of samsara – cycle of life, death and rebirth) and get them to label, using their memories first and then going back to any notes or writing or display work they have done. Get them to write some quick quizzes for each other to help embed the knowledge in their long-term memory. This unit has looked at how Hindus see:

o everyone has a spark of God in them o that life is a cycle of life, death and rebirth o that how you decide how to live really matters o that stories are important in the community o that stories can teach you things about life and how to live o that rituals help you to remember what is important o it is good to weave their practice through daily life at home and in the community o it is great to celebrate with music and food and dance and fireworks.

Put these headings onto pieces of A2 sugar paper around the walls of your classroom, or on desks. Ask pupils to comment on any connections they have with the statements. For example, they may like to raise some questions, or comment on why it might be good to be a Hindu in Britain today, or connections like this:

o If they don’t believe people have a spark of God in them, what is it that makes people valuable and special to them?

o What stories are important in their lives and why? o What rituals do they practise (e.g. stretches before doing sport; preparing for bed) and what is helpful

about them? o When do they celebrate with food, music and dance and why? o How do they decide how to live?

Give pupils a chance to show what they have learnt about Hindus in a short written or creative piece.

Make connections:

• Raise questions and suggest answers about what is good about being a Hindu in Britain today, and whether taking part in family and community rituals is a good thing for individuals and society, giving good reasons for their ideas.

Sample ‘I can…’ statements …ask some questions about what

Hindus believe and how they live

…talk about some examples of the

value of ritual in Hindu living and

their own lives.

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Unit L2.7 What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today ...

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