New Blogs

I have begun using Edublogs to host a new hub of RE blogs. There is a general blog, then specific blogs for each year group. Click on the appropriate links below to visit the new blogs. Obviously all the information and ideas found here will remain!

Our RE "hub" - This is where general information will go. You can also find links to all the other blogs here.

Year 7 RE Blog - For information about the Year 7 course, for good work and a place where you can comment on the work of others.

Year 8 RE Blog - Specifically for Year 8s - there are already a variety of tasks and student comments on this blog.

Year 9 RE Blog - Does what it says on the tin. For Year 9s.

GCSE RS Blog - Year 10s and 11s share a blog, for all things GCSE related, including the mark scheme and links to the specification.

AS RS Blog - For anything to do with the AS course.

A2 RS Blog - For all things A2 related.

Theology and Imagination Blog - This blog is a bit different. I'm sure you all realise that TV, films, books, art etc all gain their inspiration from religious, theological, spiritual, moral and ethical issues! Here's the place to discuss the works of art and media projects to consider what we can learn from them.

I hope that you will find these new blogs easy to use, and that we will get more people taking part in the blogging adventure.

Prayer and Portsmouth: Football and Religion

I heard a really interesting article on the news this evening; could it be that Portsmouth managed to come ninth because of the power of prayer? There is an interesting documentary on 1Xtra called "Praying for a Win" tomorrow; there are a number of Christian players and staff members, who regularly pray before games, in the laundry. They do make it clear that they are not simply praying that they will win, but it is interesting that they did better this year than last ... could the power of prayer at least make some of the players more confident in their own abilities, or less stressed, or change them in some way that makes winning somewhat easier? What do you think?

Radio 4 also mentioned the case of Marvin Andrews, who plays for Trinidad and Tobago and Raith Rovers; whilst playing for Rangers he suffered a cruciate ligament injury that should have been treated through an operation. However, he believed that God wanted him to pray and not have the operation: six weeks later he was playing again, and managed to help Rangers win the league that season.

What other sports people are Christians, or followers of other religions? Do you think prayer makes a difference? How, and why? Should people pray for their teams to win, or does that trivialise prayer?

GCSE Revision Key Words

These are the GCSE Key Words that have not been asked in the exam papers yet. This may make them more likely to come up this year ... but that's not definite, so you should learn them all just in case! However, doublely make sure you know these ones ...

Believing in God

• causation
• design
• moral evil
• natural evil
• omniscient

Matters of Life and Death

• contraception
• heaven
• hell
• non-voluntary euthanasia
• paranormal
• voluntary euthanasia

Marriage and the Family

• marriage
• nuclear family
• promiscuity
• re-marriage

Social Harmony

• discrimination
• multi-ethnic society
• racism

There are so few words left that the examination board may start repeating them. However, they may also ask for examples (eg in the past they have asked for an example of racial discrimination and to name two religions in the UK apart from Christianity), so have a few of these up your sleeve as well, just in case.

GCSE Revision Mindmaps

Here are a couple of mindmaps covering the topics "Believing in God" and "Matters of Life and Death". I hope they enlarge large enough for you to read them!

More GCSE notes

GCSE Revision Notes

They are a bit scrappy, but here they are at last ... the hard copy of some of the notes we've been making in class over the past couple of weeks.

Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

DivShare File - Parable presentation (parable_sheep_goats.mov)

I'm not sure if this is going to work ... it should be a short movie clip of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Essential knowledge for all GCSE students!

(I've put in the link ... the embed function doesn't seem to work properly.)

Year 11 Revision Podcast: C4 Social Harmony Key Words

Year 11 Revision Podcast: C3 Marriage and Family Life Key Words

Year 11 Revision Podcast: C2 Matters of Life and Death

Year 11 Revision Podcast: C1 Believing in God Key Words

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you all! Click here for more information about Easter.

Christ has risen ... he has risen indeed!

Good Friday

I wonder if you have been to a Good Friday service today? I have, and find it a very moving service. The main aspect, perhaps, is the Veneration of the Cross, where the congregation process forward to kiss the feet of Jesus on the cross.

The Good Friday service, in the Catholic Church, is the middle part of one Mass, which begins on Thursday and ends on Saturday. The Mass begins on Thursday, and during that service there is the washing of the feet and the Lord's Supper is commemorated through the Eucharistic prayer and the Mass. That service has no Concluding Rite, and the congregation leave in silence. On Friday, there is no opening entrance hymn. The service begins in silence, moves almost immediately into the reading of the Passion narrative, and finishes in silence after communion (there is no Eucharistic prayer ... the Sacrament has been kept from Thursday). The congregation walks out in silence, and will come together tomorrow again at the Saturday Vigil to light the fire that will light the Paschal candle. More of that tomorrow, though!

For more information about Good Friday, you could read the BBC Religion & Ethics website.

Live Simply

If you have looked at the CAFOD site, you might have seen the Live Simply promises being mentioned. Have a look at the Live Simply webpage to find out more ... Is there a promise there that you could keep during Lent?

More Fairtrade Fortnight resources

You can find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight at the CAFOD website. Year 9s can use this to help with your homework over the next two weeks; GCSE students will find info on here to help with Unit C5, Religion: Wealth and Poverty. There is even a student-friendly page that I have just found, as part of the Big Deal site.

Fairtrade Fortnight

Fairtrade Fortnight starts tomorrow ... what can you do to help? Well, for a start you can buy Fairtrade bananas, coffee, tea, chocolate, hot chocolate ... Most, if not all, major supermarkets stock a variety of Fairtrade Products. If you can't find what you are looking for, why not ask? You can also fill in a card at most stores saying how they can improve - why not ask for more fairly traded products?

Hangman

There are less than fifty teaching days until the exams start, if I remember correctly. And you need to know your key words ... GCSE Bitesize has a hangman game to help you practice these keywords. They do cover many different aspects of Religious Studies, including religions other than Christianity, and Philosophy, and won't necessarily have the words you need to know for those 2 mark questions. But they are useful, and it's another way to revise.

CAFOD Big Deal Homework Help

Another great site that will help you in loads of ways, with RE, Geography, Citizenship ... Click on the Big Deal Homework Help link and find out about CAFOD, Debt, HIV and AIDS, Trade, Fairtrade Fortnight, Conflict, Aid, Emergencies, the Environment ...

That Religious Studies Website

I've found another useful website. That Religious Studies Website has lots of articles on different topics that may be relevant to GCSE students and A Level students.

GCSE Podcasts

I'm all for new technology, and I know that many of you have iPods or mp3 players, so you may find the resources at GCSE Podcast helpful. I found a couple of podcasts on euthanasia (free) and abortion (£1.50). These sound very useful for revision purposes. Check them out!