Hi 8s!

Your task is to write up your newspaper article on a Near Death Experience (NDE). Think about style and structure, so you might want pictures, a headline and subtitles. Ideally present it in columns too! Feel free to do it on the computer, or by hand, I don’t mind either way!

All the information about the NDEs we looked at in class are available here. There’s also a massive archive of NDEs at the Near Death Experience Research Foundation – you’re very welcome to look up information of your own!

Remember, the article needs to include:

• A description of the Near Death Experience
• Arguments people might give For and Against the NDE being real
• Your opinion about whether the experience was real and is proof of an afterlife

Possible arguments in favour of NDEs being real are:

• Lots of people experience similar things – they can’t all be lying, can they?
• Often there are no drugs involved so there is no reason for people to hallucinate
• Lives are changed for the better by an experience of the afterlife
• Here is an article explaining an argument FOR (quite complex)

Possible arguments against NDEs being real are:

• People experience similar things in normal dreams – are these any different?
• It is comforting to people to feel that there will be an afterlife
• The brain cannot function when a person is dead – how can anything happen?

Of course you might have arguments of your own! You might like to look at these questions about NDEs.

Levels:

• Level 4: Description of the Near Death Experience
• Level 5: Explanation of the arguments for and against NDEs being real
• Level 6: Analysis of the arguments. You start to go into depth with the arguments. You think about whether the arguments are any good or not.
• Level 7: Evaluation of the arguments. You analyse the arguments for and against to come to a balanced conclusion about which side of the story is stronger.

Good luck! Email me if you have any questions, or you could always leave a comment…

***STOP PRESS – 18th OCT***

Now we’ve done some analysis on whether Cameron’s “past-life experience” might be evidence of life after death I’d like you to add another section to your article. Remember from above the importance of exploring the arguments in favour of Cameron’s experience being real and those against. I’m particularly looking for those who discuss which reasons are the most convincing!

It’d also be great to develop the article you’ve already written based on the feedback you were given today…

Either add another page to the article you’ve got, or you can combine them together. Either way the finished piece of work needs to address the question of whether there is evidence of life after death.

The final, final piece of work needs to be handed in on Thursday 8th November!

Well done again for your work today… You were excellent!

Your task is to write an essay looking at places of worship in different religions.

Suggested structure:

• Introduction: You should have a paragraph explaining that “Places of Worship” tell us about the religions that worship in them. You should then introduce the Places of Worship that you are going to explore.
• Section One: Choose a religion and explain what its place of worship tells us about the religion. Remember to consider all the “Think about” things below and EXPLAIN them. How do these things tell us something about the religion involved?
• Sections Two and Three: Choose another two religions and repeat what you have done for section One.
• Analysis: Are there similarities and differences between the places of worship? What are they? Do they tell us anything about the religions involved? Are there similarities between Christians, Jews and Muslims? Are there similarities between Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists?
• Evaluation: “Which place of worship most fully reflects its religion?” Which place of worship tells us most about its religion? How do you know? What’s your evidence?

Think about:

• What objects might be in the place of worship
• What events might happen in the place of worship
• How is the place of worship laid out?
• Are there special rooms?

Below is a list of resources to help you out. There are also lots of books in the classroom.

General Help
REOnline – Places of Worship
BBC Religion – Places of Worship in pictures

Sikh Gurdwaras

Sikh temples are quite interesting because they have a “langar”, a food hall for everyone to use (Sikh and non-Sikh), which shows their belief in the equality of all human beings. They also have a special “bedroom” for their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, which they treat as a person and so put to bed every night.

Sikhs.org – the Gurdwara
LearningLive
Gurdwara virtual tour

The Jewish Synagogue

Jews have met in the Synagogue for many centuries. It is not so much that the structure of the building tells us about Judaism, but they have lots of special things in there which tell us about them. You might talk about the idea that different Jews called their place of worship by different names and explain why.

Chabad.org – Interactive Tour
BBC Religion
JewFAQ.org

Christian Churches

There are lots of different kinds of churches – it would be excellent if your presentation showed some of the differences between them!

RE:Quest – Virtual Tours
h2g2 – Church Layout

Muslim Mosques

There’s loads of stuff to find out about mosques. There is meaning in both what the building looks like, and lots of stuff to say about what happens inside too!

Birmingham Council of Muslims – Virtual Mosque Tour
BBC Religion
Hitchams School Mosque website

If you find anything else that might help please leave a comment!

By the time you read this you should have decided on your own Key Question for your project. Now your task is to write it!

Suggested Structure

• If you’re comparing the same rite of passage in different religions…
• Introduction: Explain which rite of passage you are looking at and which religions you will study.
• Then spend a paragraph or two looking at the rite of passage in each separate religion. Remember to explain! Don’t just say what they do but try to find out why! For eg. in Jewish weddings the bride and groom are married under a canopy called a “Chuppah”, which symbolises the new home the couple will be starting together. Remember to link each paragraph back to the question you have asked!
• Now compare and contrast. What are the similarities and differences between the rite of passage in the different religions? Good comparison will explain how what each religion done relates to what that religion believes. Remember to link each paragraph back to the question you have asked!
• Conclude: Summarise what you have found out so the reader has a clear idea about what the point of your essay is.
• If you’re comparing different rites of passage in the same religion…
• Introduction: Explain which rites of passage you are looking at and which religion you will study them in.
• Then spend a paragraph or two looking at each rite of passage within the religion. Remember to explain! Don’t just say what they do but try to find out why! For eg. in Muslim birth rites they shave the baby’s head and give the equivalent weight in gold to charity. This shows that they acknowledge the baby is a gift from God, so give a gift of appreciation in return. Remember to link each paragraph back to the question you have asked!
• Now try to show how the rites of passage within the religion you have chosen tell us something about what the religion believes (because rites of passage are usually related to belief). Remember to link each paragraph back to the question you have asked!
• Conclude: Summarise what you have found out so the reader has a clear idea about what the point of your essay is.

Internet resources (if you find a link to add please email me):

• General
• RE Online – choose a religion, then choose a topic.
• Christianity
• RE:Quest
• TalkTalk Encyclopedia
• RS Support – links about all of the Rites of Passage
• Islam
• Muslim Weddings
• BBC on Muslim Weddings
• BBC on Muslim Birth Rites
• Answers.com on Birth Rites
• Muslim Funerals (simple)
• Muslim Funerals (advanced)
• Muslim weddings – Thanks Crystal
• Confetti.co.uk – Muslim Weddings – Thanks Nathaniel
• More on Muslim funerals – thanks Oliver
• Judaism
• Jewish Weddings
• Buddhism
• Buddhist marriage
• General Rites of Passage
• Confetti.co.uk – Buddhist marriage
• Booklet on Buddhist funerals
• Detailed account of Buddhist funerals
• Humanism
• Humanist Rites of Passage
• British Humanist Association – Humanist Rites

Due dates:
8L: 24th Feb
8V/8T: 2nd March

Hello all, hope you are having a nice holiday! As promised here is information for exam revision…

Part One – Picture Round
Remember, the trick here is to make links between what is happening in the picture and what it might therefore tell us about heaven/hell. For example, “Hell is an painful place” is no good, nor is “The picture shows a lot of people in agony”. The sentence you are looking for is: “The picture shows a lot of people in agony which tells us that hell is a painful place.” Got it? Good.

Part Two – Explanation
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS. You’ll be much better off answering one or two in detail. The first key is to explain. Think about what evidence people might have to back up their beliefs. Nobody believes something for no reason.

The second key is to analyse. This is hard to explain as what you need to do depends on the situation. However, the basic idea is that you compare and contrast. For example, if the question asks you to look at different beliefs about what happens when you die then analysis would be to identify similarities and differences between different religions and perhaps whether their beliefs make any sense (being sure to explain why/why not).

What you need to know
You’ve got some of the basics on life after death in your books. The basic distinction is between Christianity, Islam and Judaism on one hand (some concept of judgement), and Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddism on the other (re-birth of some sort). Have a look at BBC Bitesize and look at all the “beliefs about life after death” sections. You can even test yourself. This should give you plenty of extra detail to include in your answers.

You should also know about the concept of purgatory. Some Christians (Catholics) believe that after death only a few enough are pure enough to enter heaven straight away. Most of us instead go to a place called purgatory where we can spend time becoming purer so that we can go to heaven.

Good luck! Leave a comment if you have any questions!

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!

Your task is to come up with a business plan for a Buddhist “right livelihood” business. “Right livelihood” means earning money in a way that follows Buddhist principles such as the Five Precepts. You’ll present your ideas to the class and we’ll decide who gets the money (other prize may be awarded!)

The key thing is to think about how your business will help people follow Buddhist ideas. It needs to consider the Eightfold Path to avoid attachment and craving etc. Key teachings:

The three marks of existence:

Life involves suffering, everything changes, there is no permanent you

The four noble truths :

Suffering can be stopped by following the eightfold path, which stops craving

The eightfold path:
right vision, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right awareness, right meditation

The five precepts:

• to abstain from harming another living thing,
• to abstain from taking the not given,
• to abstain from false speech,
• to abstain from sexual misconduct,
• to abstain from intoxicants

Things you may need to produce:

• A PowerPoint presenting your business
• A booklet explaining your business
• A short film showing your ideas
• Some props to demonstrate your idea
• A spreadsheet showing the finances of your business

Resources:

• Right Livelihood Business guidance – a document explaining what you need to do
• Right Livelihood Business PowerPoint – from the lesson
• Right Livelihood Business Levels – what you need to do to get a good level
• Right Livelihood Business groups – groups

I’d like to share some of the children’s books created by 8O:

Molly’s A Leaf for Every Soul is a superb read, and I must say that Conor’s Mr Happy and his Unhappy Day was a classic addition to the Mr Men franchise.

Well done all!

Hi CVC,

I’ve updated the theme for the blog. What do you think?

Leave a comment to let me know!

Thanks

Mr Bigg

Your task is to create a book aimed at a child that will help them understand and come to terms with the idea of death. It could include all sorts of different things and you’re encouraged to be creative in putting this together!

For ideas about themes think back to the books we looked at in class:

• Drop Dead: Looked at the idea that granny and grandpa have had a good life and are ready to die and that we shouldn’t be too sad about it.
• Mog: The idea that the spirit of someone who is gone might still be around for a bit to help us out.
• Always and Forever: Looked at grieving, but then moving on to remember the person who has died positively.
• The Sad Book: Tried to explain how he was feeling about the death of his son so that other people might know how to treat him.
• You might have ideas of your own. You could use animals, humans, or a combination of both!

I’d like it to be illustrated in some way (you can use pictures from the internet or photos if you want to) and produced to the best of your ability. The main thing I am looking for is effort in producing a good story with your best presentation.

It would also be great if you could explore one or more of these feelings that many bereaved people feel:

• I’m scared I’ll forget them.
• I don’t like leaving home in case my Dad gets upset.
• Everyone seems to be hiding things from me-I don’t understand what’s going on.
• I never had the chance to say goodbye.
• No one knows how I feel.

Remember: Just because this is about a sad topic doesn’t mean this has to be a sad book. It can be funny, but make sure it is sensitive to the subject.

I might include photos of some of the best ones on this website!

Good luck! As always leave a comment if you have any questions…

Deadlines:
Forms O & M – Friday 26th November
Forms L & T – Friday 3rd December

This blog will be used to upload information relevant to your lessons. Click on the tag for your year-group on the right to find things that might be useful for you!

Please email me if you have any questions!