The RE department offers all students at KS3 a course in The Seventh Day Adventist Encounter Curriculum. Each unit of work will develop their knowledge of God. This includes: God’s character, attributes, creatorship and revelation in Scripture and experience. We outline the role of Biblical individuals and their place in God’s Big Story. Our students will develop a knowledge of SDA beliefs as well as world views which will include answers to personal identity, prophecy, biblical authority, key beliefs and life’s big questions. Pupils will learn to apply lower order thinking skills meaningfully through the development of knowledge, comprehension and application. Pupils will also learn to apply higher order thinking skills meaningfully through the development of analysis and evaluation. Finally, they will develop the ability to make informed choices, particularly in relation to applying beliefs in their own lifestyles.
Year 7 unit 1: The War in Heaven
Intent
We intend to stimulate students to discover that God is a God of community and loves to create. The highest of all angels, Lucifer became proud and jealous of Jesus as God’s equal. His envy led him to rebel and lead a war against the government of God. Thus, sin was born, and a war began. Pupils will discover that there is also a battle going on over our allegiance. Pupils will learn that the seeds that grew in Satan have invaded our earth and we all need to choose to whom we will give our allegiance. But the good news is that God has already won this war. This is The Story our students will learn.
Year 7 unit 2: The Cross
Intent
We intend to stimulate students to discover that although the war is won, the life battles are not yet over. God gave His one Son, Jesus, to our earth to experience the results of our sin, and win this spiritual war on our behalf.
Pupils will learn about how God removed His presence from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and all the sins of the world were placed onto Jesus – a burden which we will never fully comprehend. To then suffer the most painful death possible and to die with us in mind is the most incredible sacrifice of eternity. This part of the Big-Picture Story is truly incredible. It is central. At this point God won the war and Satan fled in fear and defeat. Pupils will learn that their responses to God’s final victory is all that matters to Him.
Year 7 unit 3: Heaven
Intent
We intend to stimulate students to discover that God has promised to end the war and bring unparalleled peace, freedom, and His companionship forever. The story that begins the ages is a story of war; a cosmic war that has abducted peace in much of our history. It has been long and crippling, and the casualties high. Pull back the curtain on the suffering of our planet and one sees the root cause: a proud and vengeful heart. God’s name has been slandered, but He is already the victor. Jesus’ death exposed the real villain and through this stunning sacrifice, God won the war. While there are still battle skirmishes, God the Victor has given a solid promise: the battles will end, and it will be His delight to give us peace, harmony, joy and wonder. The best thing our students will learn is that we will experience His company – forever.
Assessment weighting
All units are assessed at the end of every half term using a weighting of homework 20%, classwork 20% and tests 60%. Homework is set every other week.
Year 7 will be assessed on how well they:
- Develop your knowledge of God. This includes: God’s character, attributes, creatorship and revelation in Scripture and experience.
- Outline the role of Biblical individuals and their place in God’s Big Story.
- Develop knowledge of Seventh Day Adventist beliefs and worldview. This includes: personal identity, prophecy, biblical authority, key beliefs and life’s big questions.
- Apply lower order thinking skills meaningfully through the development of: knowledge, comprehension and application.
- Apply higher order thinking skills meaningfully through the development of: analysis, evaluation, and design.
- Develop the ability to make informed choices, particularly in relation to applying beliefs in lifestyle. This includes: considering alternatives, making the unconscious more conscious and evaluating choices.
- Identify sin and its results.
Year 8 unit 1: The story of Joseph
Intent
We intend to stimulate students to discover that Joseph, one of the greatest examples of Christ in the Bible, remains committed to God despite the good and bad circumstances he finds himself in over the span of his life journey. Through the many difficulties along the way, Joseph demonstrates to us today that a God-life is not always easy; that there will be obstacles along the way that will either strengthen us or result in our rejection of Him. This unit challenges our students to think about those challenging times, and the times when God seems silent. It also touches on the fact that hardship does build character and ultimately students will learn about how God will bless those who are faithful to Him.
Year 8 unit 2: The story of Moses
Intent
We intend to stimulate students to discover that Moses, one of the greatest men in the Bible, shows us what it is like to walk closely with God through his life journey. He demonstrates the qualities of a powerful leader through his humility and complete dependence on God despite whether the circumstances were good or bad. His willingness to rely on God no matter what, shows how intimately he was connected to this all-powerful God that the Israelites knew so little of. This unit will teach students to focus on the growth of the character of Moses in the big events of the Exodus story, rather than on the events themselves.
Year 8 unit 3: My Journey
Intent
We intend to stimulate students after exploring the life journeys of two great men of the Bible to discover and to identify the kind of journey that they are on, right here, right now. The focus of their personal journey in life is the finishing line – and in order to get there, they must learn to ‘run’. They will learn that there are certain obstacles that may trip them over on this journey, and at times they may look at the other runners more than at Jesus for guidance, but through it all, He is there, running beside them.
Assessment weighting
All units are assessed at the end of every half term using a weighting of homework 20%, classwork 20% and tests 60%. Homework is set every other week.
Year 8 will be assessed on how well they:
- Outline the role of Biblical individuals and their place in God’s Big Story.
- Understand what spirituality is, and how it is expressed through knowledge, attitudes and actions.
- Make informed choices, particularly in relation to applying beliefs to lifestyle. This includes: considering alternatives, making the unconscious more conscious, and evaluating choices.
- Interpret a variety of types of Biblical text using the appropriate tools.
- Apply honest thinking skills meaningfully through the development of: knowledge, comprehension and/or application.
- Develop social interaction skills through showing genuine care for others, handling challenges in human relationships, controlling emotions, resolving conflict, communicating effectively and accepting responsibility.
- Develop knowledge of God. This includes: God’s character, attributes, creator-ship and revelation in Scripture and experience
- Apply lower order thinking skills meaningfully through the development of: knowledge, comprehension and/or application.
- Apply a Biblical passage to one’s personal life.
Year 9 unit 1: The Reality of God
Intent
We intend to stimulate students to discover that whether God really exists or not has been a topic of great debate throughout the centuries. Theologians have debated it, scientists have tried to disprove it, ethicists have argued their perspectives. Yet at the end of the day, believing in God comes back to one central thing – faith. This unit is the first of three that establishes God’s existence and encourages students to take the ‘risk’ to believing. The units that follow (God’s character, and what it is like to know Him) build on this initial premise.
Year 9 unit 2: The Character of God
Intent
We intend to stimulate students to discover that God’s character has been in question since the beginning of our world because of Satan’s first lie. As a result, the thin veil that separates us from the unseen means that we see God through our sinful human eyes that so often misunderstand Him and His holy, loving ways. This topic is huge. In this unit an attempt has been made to capture a few of the many pictures we have as to what God is like and how He wants to relate to us. Ultimately students will learn that one day this veil before our eyes will be removed, and we “shall see Him face to face.” (1 Corin. 13:12)
Year 9 unit 3: A God Worth Knowing
Intent
We intend to stimulate students to respond to a God that really is worth knowing on a very personal level. Until this point, students will have explored whether God is real and what His character is like. Stages of spiritual growth are explored and most importantly students are introduced to a God who is seeking to woo and wow their hearts in any way possible. Students will learn the other side to this relationship is that they too must sow for something to grow. This unit concludes with the question, “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matt. 27:22)
Transferable skills
True education should be about, pointing us to a life of grace, of faith, and of obedience.
Religious Education can contribute to the development of many basic skills that are reinforced across the School Curriculum by all subject areas through philosophical discussion and personal response which requires pupils to compare, evaluate and communicate biblical truths and worldly opinions against scientific facts and scientific theory. Discussion and critical questioning develop a whole range of evaluative skills, particularly in spoken, written and visual communication as well character development.
Assessment weighting
All units are assessed at the end of every half term using a weighting of homework 20%, classwork 20% and tests 60%. Homework is set every other week.
Year 9 will be assessed on how well they:
- Explore evidence for God and the roles of faith, belief and trust.
- Synthesise religious concepts and themes in communication such as oral presentation reports and pieces of independent research.
- Appraise the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.
- Explain qualities of God’s character.
- Analyse the biblical record to discover eternal truths.
- Paraphrase a passage of Scripture.
- Build character profiles and develop character themes.
- Deconstruct answers to life’s big questions with the Bible as the source of truth.
- Explain the connection between spirituality and lifestyle.