Wednesday 11 December 2013

Hindus experiencing God

Through prayer (can be through puja, worshipping an image), doing meditation or yoga.
One of many styles of yoga:
Bikram Yoga Pose Sequence
by Cherie_bon.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Success

Miss Clark's tips to achieve a successful assessment all here

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Revision check list for Ultimate Questions

Please read here revision check list.
Don't forget to explain in detail using full sentences, key words, examples!
Have a look here into the learning log to self assessment your REvision and your skills in RE !
Be careful with spelling, punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) !
Good luck!

Monday 14 October 2013

REVISION - ULTIMATE QUESTIONS

REvision booklet available here. You also can visit
http://www.faradayschools.com/re-topics/re-year-7/ to help with revision and better understanding of the topic. There are power points and videos.
Have a great revision!

Monday 24 June 2013

Yiddish proveb


Yaddish is Yiddish was at one time the international language of Ashkenazic Jews (the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe and their descendants). A hybrid of Hebrew and medieval German, Yiddish takes about three-quarters of its vocabulary from German, but borrows words liberally from Hebrew and many other languages from the many lands where Ashkenazic Jews have lived. It has a grammatical structure all its own, and is written in an alphabet based on Hebrew characters. Scholars and universities classify Yiddish as a Germanic language, though some have questioned that classification. Yiddish was never a part of Sephardic Jewish culture (the culture of the Jews of Spain, Portugal, the Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East). They had their own international language known as Ladino or Judesmo, which is a hybrid of medieval Spanish and Hebrew in much the same way that Yiddish combines German and Hebrew. More in this excellent website: Judaism 101

Reading the Torah

A Rabbi (a Jewish leader) reads the Torah (Jewish holy texts). It is in Hebrew (the Ancient language of Jews). Thanks to Institute of Education RE PGCE and and West London Synagogue.

Monday 17 June 2013

Friday 17 May 2013

A new topic: Sikhism

What is Vaisakhi?  Why is Vaisakhi a time when Sikhs like to join the order of the Khalsa?
It is the anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh initiating the first five people into the Khalsa, so it is an appropriate time for Sikhs to follow their example and join the Sikh community 
Was there any other outward sign that the Khalsa Sikhs took on apart from adopting the Five Ks?
The men took on a common surname, Singh ('Lion'), a reminder to be courageous, which they still do to this day. Women take on the name Kaur ('Princess'), to emphasise dignity. It was then that the men started to wear turbans.
What are the 'Five Ks'?
The community of men and women who have been initiated into the Sikh faith is known as the Khalsa (Community of the Pure)
In order to become a Sikh and join the Khalsa, people need to follow the Five Ks:
  • Kesh: uncut hair as a mark of holiness and submission to God's will
  • Kangha: a small wooden comb in the hair as a sign of cleanliness
  • Kara: a steel bracelet, a reminder that they are connected to God
  • Kachhera: short cotton underwear, more practical for daily life than the traditional dhoti worn in India
  • Kirpaan: a sword, for protection.
Read more about the celebration of Vaisakhi in London (it happened last Sunday!)

Revision Topics for the End of the Year Exam. Ultimate Questions, Hinduism and Buddhism

Please open here (click your mouse) to open the document. Have a good revision.

Monday 13 May 2013

Revision notes for Y7

For REvision please access here and have a good exam!
PS: Did you like the picture? It was done by William Blake, see more of his works here

Friday 1 March 2013

The Hindu ideas of Life after death

Hindus believe there is life after death and we are made of a material part (body) and the spiritual part (soul). This is called dualism (division the body and soul). The soul is called atman. The Hindu holy scriptures Vedas explain these and other main ideas of what we call "Hinduism" (Sanatana Dharma). The Vedas are written in an Ancient language called sanskrit and it is divided in many chapters called Upanishads which has many different pieces, some written in form of poem and others in form of story (Epics). One of the many very important pieces is called Bhagavad Gita. It contains the story of Mahabharata where Lord Krishna, who is one of the expressions of "Ultimate being"( God), says to Arjuna, a very important human struggling to go or not to a battlefield: "The soul is never born nor dies at any time. Soul has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. Soul is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. Soul is not slain when the body is slain."
This passage of the Mahabarata gives us a good example of the idea of life of the death we are currently studying. More about these ideas you find in many sites, I found this here very interesting. There are other key terms related to the idea of life of death which you must know. Samsara, the cycle of life and death, Karma which a sort of system of reward and punishment in this cycle of life - the current existence is product of a previous life and current deeds/actions (dharmas) affect the atman in the next life. The only way to obtain liberation is through Moksha, when the atman is free from this eternal cycle of life and death. Doing good deeds or duties (dharmas) helps us to achieve this liberation. Having said all, many of you asked me why should I learn this? Well, I think it is very interesting to study Hinduism because it is part of many people's cultural backgrounds, it is very popular and one of the most influential religions in the world. Studying Hinduism also helps us to understand and respect their beliefs which are, by the way, very different from what some of us see the afterlife - that idea that if we do well we go heaven as a reward and if we do bad deeds we end in hell as punishment. The Hindu idea is so different that makes us think very hard about what really happens when we die. Cutting short: We learn different ideas and it should help us to think independently about our own beliefs and in this process we should be able to respect other people's beliefs.  
Anyway, I hope you en-joy it and thank you for excellent hw, feedback (and praises) soon :-)

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Animated Mahabharata Story For Kids - English

Ramayana - Kids Film In English

The Story of India Beginnings (playlist)

Talks about Aryans (civilizaded,noble people), languages, God Indra, Rig Vedas, sanskrit.

The Story of India Beginnings (playlist)

River Ganges (Varanasi)(5 minutes). Language, literature, religious texts(Vedas)(from 5:48 minutes) the ancient of the modern ancestor of the language spoken in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Like Latin is not longer a spoken a language but in religious schools it is!

BBC The Story of India 1of 6 Beginnings Part 2

At 6 minutes it talks about Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. A civilization of more than 5.000 years!

BBC The Story of India 1of 6 Beginnings Part 1

Friday 1 February 2013

Homework project "Hinduism"

Please read here a copy of the worksheet with instructions of what to do and when to hand in. No more excuses "I lost my worksheet"!

Thursday 24 January 2013

Hindu creation story

Hello, welcome on board. Our current religion is Hinduism. This is a fascinating religion with 5,000 years of existence! It is a very complex set of beliefs influenced by many cultures from different times and places in history. Hinduism began from North of India and later spread across the country. The name comes from the name Indus (River Indus. Some Hindus will call Hinduism as Sanatana Dharma which means "eternal law. I hope you enjoy this new unit. There is much more to come!

Friday 18 January 2013

Hinduism, Kumbh Mela festival


Read more about one of the biggest festivals in Hindu culture, the Kumbh Mela, which happens in India every 12 years. Read more about this here. Do you know River Ganges is a very special river for Hindus and Holy men like those in the picture are called Sadhus?