Buddhist Worship and Beliefs

This RE scheme of work introduces your Y5/6 class to the Buddhist religion in a lively and engaging way. Your class will find out who Siddhartha Gautama was and how he became Buddha, what Buddhists believe and how they worship. They will also be challenged to think about what they believe about life, death and everything in between.

With lesson plans, informative slides, activity ideas and differentiated worksheets, this RE scheme of work provides everything you need to teach your class about Buddhist worship and beliefs. And who knows... your class may even start behaving better to improve their karma!

A Knowledge Organiser is included in the complete series download, or can be purchased separately.

Who was Buddha?

This first lesson provides your children with a brief overview of what Buddhism is and where it is prevalent today, before looking at the story of Prince Siddhartha and how he became the Buddha. Children are challenged throughout the story to express their own thoughts and opinions.

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Core Beliefs

This lesson introduces children to the Three Universal Truths and the Five Moral Precepts, both of which are core teachings of Buddhism. Children are encouraged to discuss their own opinions of them. In their independent work, children explore these concepts in more detail, and define them in their own words. Alternatively, in groups children are challenged to generate their own list of morals to live by.

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The Path to Enlightenment

This lesson looks at the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism and the Eightfold Path, which details the steps Buddhists need to take in order to achieve enlightenment.

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Karma and Rebirth

Children will learn that Buddhists believe in a continuous cycle of life, death and rebirth, which can only be broken by achieving enlightenment. They will find out what karma is, and how it can affect rebirth. Children will demonstrate their understanding of these concepts in a range of independent activities.

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Temples, Shrines & Celebrations

Children find out what Buddhist places of worship are like, and how followers of Buddhism worship. They learn about the most important Buddhist festival: Vesak, and how this is celebrated. Children demonstrate what they have learned in their independent activities. In the FSD? activity, children are challenged to create their own Buddharupa.

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Worship Activities and Symbolism

In this final lesson, children learn about some of the activities, artefacts and symbols associated with Buddhist worship, and evaluate their role in helping Buddhists on their path to enlightenment.

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This Year 5/6 RE Knowledge Organiser has been created to complement the study of the Buddhism strand within our RE and worldviews resource offer. It is designed to support your children's understanding of key vocabulary and big ideas covered in this scheme of work, while signposting prior learning. Children are also encouraged to reflect on 'Ways of Knowing' about religion and worldviews, and to think deeply about the topic through the 'Thinking Questions' provided.

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