Unit title	Year	Background notes
How should we relate to the world?	4	In this unit, pupils will be encouraged to reflect on the relationship between human beings and the natural world around them. This builds upon the Year 2 unit ‘What makes us wonder about the world?’ They will think about how they would create an ideal world and look at the story of creation at the beginning of the Bible as well as other creation stories. They will then explore some responses to the natural world. The unit ends with a task that explores the symbolism of gardens. Teachers are recommended to look at the Statement of Values about The Environment included in The National Curriculum Handbook for Primary Teachers in England (p149).

Key questions	Concept/s	Learning outcomes	Suggested activities	Resources
How would you create an ideal world?	Creation Perfection Ultimate question	To understand that people have always asked questions about how the world began To be able to form a judgement about what should or should not be included in a perfect new world	· Divide children into groups and ask each group to consider the question, ‘How did the world begin?’ A scribe can record responses. Share ideas with whole class · Explain that people have always asked questions about how the world began and why it is as it is. Different people have had different ideas, which are sometimes told as stories · Remember together some of the elements from the first creation story from Genesis (chapters 1-2). Listen to an extract from it. Then listen to a creation story from another tradition, looking at similar themes · Ask children to imagine they had the power to create a new world. It must be as perfect as possible. They must think what to put in and what to leave out. Children can work with a partner to write and draw features they would include and what they would leave out · This can be developed into a display, using ICT to find images to accompany their ideas	Scholastic Curriculum Bank RE, Bk 2, pp38-39 Scholastic Curriculum Bank RE, Bk 1, pp46-47
Why should we look after the earth?	Wonder Responsibility	To be able to identify personal feelings towards Earth as a planet To understand that there are a variety of responses to the use and abuse of the planet	· Gather children together in a circle and show a picture of the Earth from space. This could be done in silence or with music like Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra playing. They can each identify silently what it makes them feel or think about. Then, record a response from each child on the board. Look for patterns of responses or surprising ones. They could also explain their particular responses · Explain that you are going to read a story about how some people treat the Planet Earth. After reading Dinosaurs and All that Rubbish, ask questions to focus responses (see Scholastic Curriculum Bank RE, Bk 2, p40) · Ask the pupils what they felt the moral of the story was (eg we need to look after the Earth now, we have to be grateful for what we have). Record pupil’s statements · Pupils write what they imagine to be the feelings and thoughts of the different characters in the book (see photocopiable sheet, Scholastic Curriculum Bank RE, Bk 2, p125)	Large picture of the Earth taken from Space Piece of atmospheric music Scholastic Curriculum Bank RE, Bk 2, pp39-40, 125 Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish by Michael Foreman (Puffin Books, ISBN 014055260X)
Why do people care for living things?	Ahimsa Respect for human life	To know that some people care for living things for religious reasons To encourage an attitude of respect for living things	· Tell children about an imaginary occasion when a member of the class sees someone deliberately stamping on an insect (eg ladybird) and killing it · Discuss the children’s reactions to this situation · Explain how there are various groups of people who believe that all living things should be treated with care and respect. Hindus are one of these groups. Explain that the cow is an especially important animal to Hindus, that the god Krishna is often shown standing next to a cow (show picture), that cows can wander freely in streets and lanes in India, that milk from the cow plays an important part in Hindu worship, that images of the gods are often washed in milk, and that Hindus are usually vegetarian but would definitely not eat beef · Imagine that the class is going to have a ‘Caring for Living Things’ week, with the aim of encouraging people in the school and local community to respect living things more. A logo will be used (eg ladybird). In groups, pupils decide on three activities that will promote this theme eg a talk about how to look after pets, a bring-and-buy sale for an animal charity, an assembly. Each group must outline their ideas and how it will encourage respect for living things. They must design a poster for the week and for their activities, using ICT if possible	Scholastic Curriculum Bank RE, Bk 2, pp41-42 Picture of the Hindu deity Krishna standing next to a cow, or of an Indian street scene showing a cow
Why are trees important to people?	Symbolism Nature	To be able to identify some of the ways in which trees are important to themselves and others To understand how trees can become a focus of story and ritual	· Explain to pupils that they are going to find out some of the reasons why trees are important to people. They could use ICT as an introductory activity to search and find exciting images of trees, the oldest trees in the world, the highest trees etc · Use starter sentences like ‘If I would be a tree I would be a…’, ‘Trees make me feel …’. This can be done in pairs, one person asking the questions, the other person responding. The partner can record the responses · Share the responses as a whole class · Extend ideas about trees, listening to the story The People Who Hugged the Trees, talking about protesters who are prepared to defend trees from being cut down to make motorways or the way in which trees can be memorials to people · Explore some of their ideas about trees eg using images of trees from ICT sources to write own poem about their feelings about trees, writing newspaper article about protesters who tried to stop trees from being felled, writing letter to friend about a ceremony at school where a cherry tree is planted to remember someone who has died, doing leaf and bark rubbings to show patterns, textures and marks · Talk about some of the ways in which trees are important in different stories and traditions eg the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life; the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha reached Enlightenment; the Jewish festival of Tu B’Shevat (New Year for Trees) · Using idea that some Jewish families in Israel plant a tree when a child is born, with the branches used to decorate the chuppa (wedding canopy) when they get married, imagine a person for whom a tree was planted when he/she was born. Think of three important times in the person’s life. Think of ways in which the tree could be used for each occasion. Write a short illustrated account of what happens on each occasion, how the tree was used and why.	Picture of tree or trees ICT (see websites listed at end) Scholastic Curriculum Bank RE, Bk 2, pp48-50 The People who Hugged the Trees by Deborah Lee Rose (Roberts Rinehart, US; ISBN: 1879373505)
How can a garden symbolise something special?	Garden Symbol Paradise	To understand how a garden can carry spiritual and religious meaning To be able to design a garden using symbolic elements from different faiths	· Begin with a class discussion about gardens and gardeners - then about the Islamic idea of Allah (God) being a gardener. What might that mean? How would that affect the design of Islamic gardens? · Divide the class into small groups. Imagine that they work for the TV programme Garden Force. Each group is given an envelope with a letter. The letters could be from a Muslim family, a Buddhist temple and from Christian people who run a hospice for children. Each letter asks for a special garden to be designed for them, with a wish list of special elements eg Islamic garden must be peaceful, a place to think about God, with geometric designs and water; the Buddhist garden with rocks, a carp pool and a bridge; the Christian garden with flowers that have special symbols and which express hope · Each group must investigate, using ICT, examples of gardens from the different faiths and put together a design proposal with explanations for the clients	Pictures of gardens ICT (see websites listed at end)

Further resources, including useful websites

Creation Stories

Why Bear Has a Stumpy Tail and Other Creation Stories by Ann Pilling (ed), Michael Foreman (illustrator) (Walker Books, ISBN 0744572894)

Song of the Earth by Mary Hoffman, Jane Ray (illustrator) (Orion Children's Books, ISBN 1858813417)

http://www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/creation/cstorymenu.html Ms Hos-McGrane’s Grade 6 class from the International School of Amsterdam has put together a lovely website of Creation stories

Trees

www.sacredsites.com The sacred site photographs of Martin Grey

People Who Hugged the Trees by Deborah Lee Rose. The author’s email address is msdlrose@aol.com – perhaps she’d like an email from your pupils, but check first!

www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/expl_grove.html Very exciting 360-degree images of the oldest trees in the world

Song of the Earth by Mary Hoffman, Jane Ray (illustrator) (Orion Children's Books, ISBN 1858813417)

Gardens

An Islamic Paradise Garden: Faiths for a Future by Robert Vint (ed) (RMEP, 1998)
Love at Home (contains an illustration of a paradise garden) by Khurram Murad (Islamic Foundation, 1983)

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/place_in_paradise/index.shtml Excellent site that gives details about spiritual and religious gardens

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/images/alhamgdn300.jpg Image of the Alhambra Islamic garden

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/place_in_paradise/islamic.shtml Islamic gardens

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/place_in_paradise/japan.shtml Buddhist gardens

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/place_in_paradise/christian.shtml Christian gardens

www.sacredsites.com/images/final56/224.jpg Zen rock garden

Glossary of religious and cultural terms used in this planning grid

Ahimsa	An Indian term meaning non-violence, or non-injury to living beings. It was a key concept in the thought of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) whose protests against British rule in India took the form of passive resistance.
Bodhi tree	The tree under which, according to Buddhist tradition, Sidhartha Gautama (6^th/5^th century BCE) gained enlightenment - saw the truth about life - and thus became The Buddha (Enlightened One). The leaves of the Bodhi tree are a symbol and are sometimes painted, perhaps with a picture of Sidhartha Gautama sitting under the Bodhi tree
Chuppa Huppah	The canopy which is held above the bride and groom during a Jewish wedding ceremony
Paradise	The word derives from an Arabic word meaning ‘walled garden’. In a very hot climate, a walled garden which affords shade is a blissful thing
Tu B’Shevat	Jewish minor festival, celebrated in January each year, which celebrates the New Year for trees. New trees are planted in Israel and saplings and plants are sometimes taken to be synagogue to be blessed. A special attempt is made to eat fruit from Israel such as sharon fruit and oranges