What is taught must be in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus; (If your school is outside of Cambridgeshire: the S.C.A.A Model 2 syllabus has been included to help in matching this lesson plan with your local Agreed Syllabus).
Cambs Agreed Syllabus:
FF (Festivals & Fasts)
Enable pupils to:
understand that the structure of the church year reflects key events in the life of Jesus and the Church, ie Christmas...
Pupils should consider this:
How do you celebrate Christmas, & how do you feel about it?
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S.C.A.A. Model syllabuses:
KEY TEACHINGS / FOCUS:
JESUS
The celebration of key events in Jesus' life throughout the year:
- Christmas (the story of Jesus' birth & it's meaning.
AT1 Describe the main events of the Christmas narrative & illustrate them using Christmas cards.
AT2 Talk about how Christmas has become commercialised, & how they feel about this.
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RESOURCES:
(Optional): Costumes for drama to dress up:
Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, an angel (many angels in the Bible did not have wings, but resembled someone in everyday clothes), a group of angels, shepherds, 3 wise men, king Herod, & 2 advisors to the king.
Need a narrator.
Need a baby Jesus - doll?
Simple stage props.
STARTER:
Some churches celebrate certain events in the life of Jesus, & also some events in the early church. These festivals are held on certain dates throughout the year, & this is known as the Church Calender.
For example: Lent, (when Jesus was in the desert for 40 days without food) & Pentecost (when God poured out His Spirit upon the early church).
But today we are going to look at the festival of 'Christmas'.
Q. How do you & your family celebrate Christmas?
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Q. Do you like Christmas? Describe why.
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MAIN TEACHING:
Q. What event in the Church Calender does Christmas celebrate?
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Christians believe that Jesus Christ has always been God's Son, but Christmas was the time when He took on human nature by being born of a woman.
Some Christmas cards have pictures or cartoons relating to this story, ie:
the baby Jesus in a manger (a cattle feeding trough), shepherds, a bright star that guided 3 wise men, etc.
Here is how it happened:
(See 'Christmas drama')
PLENARY:
What you have just acted out is the real story of Christmas.
Q. How does this story differ from the Christmas that you celebrate?
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Q. Do you think that Christmas has become too commercialised? Explain.
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Additional activity: Design a Christmas card that shows a part of the Christmas story.