Mr Bigg's RPE blog

Hi 8s!

Your task is to write a newspaper article tackling the question: “Are past-life experiences proof of an afterlife?” (I say newspaper article – it could be an essay, PowerPoint, poster or filmed news report as long as it includes all the key sections)

You need to look at at least one example (could refer to more than one if you want your work to be more detailed):

• Cameron MacAuley: The Boy who Lived Before – some of the story is summarised here
• There is an index of past-life experiences, which has a range of different stories from people about their previous lives

Structure:

It’s very important to structure your work well to get your views across clearly.

• Introduction: Tell the person reading your article what it’s all about. Introduce the idea of past-life experiences and say something about the example(s) you are going to look at. You might also want to be clear about whether you’re going to argue in favour or against these being real experiences.
• Arguments in favour: Explain why some people might think these are true stories and show that there really is an afterlife. What evidence is there to show that these are real? Are these good arguments?
• Arguments against: Explain why some people might think these are not true stories. What evidence is there to show that these are nothing to do with an afterlife? Are these good arguments?
• Conclusion: Given all the evidence on either side do you think there is enough evidence to say that past life experiences are “proof” of an afterlife? Why (or why not)? Try to articulate why you think the evidence agrees with your point of view.

Style:
Remember: this is a newspaper article. It should have a headline, be presented in columns, include pictures, perhaps have other articles or adverts around it…

Level Guidance:

• Level 5 – Explanation: To achieve this you must give reasons to explain why some people might consider past-life experiences to be good evidence for an afterlife. eg. “Some people might agree that this experience was real is… This suggests that…”
• Level 6 – Analysis: To do analysis you need to consider whether the evidence for the different sides of the story is any good or not. eg. You might explain that Cameron knew about Barra, the house and got the surname of his “father” right. Do you consider this to be good evidence? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this evidence? How else might this be explained? Try to pinpoint the problems with the arguments that disagree with your point of view.
• Level 7 – Evaluation: This mainly comes in the conclusion and is about weighing up all the evidence you’ve explored to come to a final answer. Do you think the evidence is in favour or against these experiences being real? Why? Your job is to be as convincing as possible.

Resources

Due Dates:

For 8V this is due on Monday 17th October.
For 8L this is due on Monday 31st October (first day back after HT).
For 8T this is due on Wednesday 2nd November (first Wednesday back after HT).

Good luck! Please leave a comment if you have any questions! DON’T turn up when you’re due to hand it in and say you didn’t understand… Come to me first!