SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

RE LESSON PLAN
Pre-Primary/
Primary

LESSON ORGANISATION
Unit of work: Whispers from Salvation topic: Baptism Human person Topic: The creator
Within of conscience

Year Level: Students’ Prior Knowledge: (include faith

situations/previous lessons/Units)
Key Understanding:
A1 Wondering at conscience.
Students have previously explored what the 10
commandments are (Laws of God).

Learning Point(s): Students learnt the definition of the word sin in year
A1.2 Recalls the meaning of sin. 3.
Spiritual and Religious Capabilities (that may potentially be covered in the lesson)
Prudence Justice Fortitude Temperance Faith Hope Charity
eg Right choices eg Right eg Inner strength eg Moderation eg Prayer eg Reconciliation eg Service
Students learn relationships Students will
that by follow discover that
God’s Law and they need inner
making the right strength to follow
choices they will God’s Law and
be free from sin. be free from sin.
General Capabilities (that may potentially be covered in the lesson)

Literacy Numeracy ICT Critical and Ethical Personal and Intercultural

Students use competence creative behaviour Social understanding
literacy skills to thinking By following competence
piece together God’s Law and
the definition. not sinning,
students are
demonstrating
ethical behaviour.
Cross-curriculum priorities (may be addressed in the lesson)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Asia and Australia’s engagement with Sustainability
histories and cultures Asia
Lesson Objectives (i.e. anticipated outcomes of this lesson, in point form beginning with an action verb)
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
 Students will identify and recall the meaning of the word sin.
 Students will demonstrate their understanding of what a sin is, through categorising certain actions under
a sin or not a sin.
 Students will reflect on the importance of knowing what a sin is, and not sinning.

Teacher’s Prior Preparation/Organisation: Provision for students at educational risk:

(include Teacher Witness)
- Laminate words that create the definition of sin, cut them up
and put them in zip lock bags for each group.
- Laminate cards with different actions on them, some which are
sins and some which aren’t.
- Split white board in two, one half says sin and the other half
says not a sin.
- Bring in blue-tack.
Choose One from:
• Gifted
• Sensory impaired
• Learning difficulty: student is put in a group with a more
capable, high achieving student to help them out when
deciding whether an action is a sin or not a sin.
Choose One from:
• ADHD
• Intellectual disability
• Physical disability (cerebral palsy): when the student has
their turn of placing on of the action under the sin or not
a sin heading, another student will need to come up and
assist them with attaching the blue tack and sticking it on
the board.
LESSON DELIVERY attach worksheets, examples, marking keys, etc. as relevant
Resources/References
Time Motivation and Introduction:
Students are already sitting in 4 groups of 5 people. Each group has a
plastic zip lock bag in the middle of their desks with laminated words in it. Zip lock bag for each group
These laminated words are the definition or meaning of sin: ‘A sin is any
deliberate thought, word or action against the Law of God.’ The definition Laminated words which when
has been cut up so that each word is on its own. The job of the students put together create the
is to reorder the words and put the sentence together. The first group to definition of the word sin
do this puts their hand up and the teacher will come over and check. If (appendix 2)
they get this correct they get to go first for the next activity.
You all have a zip lock bag in the middle of your desks in which have
laminated words which when put together create the meaning of the
word sin.
You have all learnt the meaning of sin in year 3.
When I say go, your job is to take the words out and reorder them and
put them together to complete the definition of the word sin.
As soon as you have finished and think you have put the words together
correctly, put your hands up and I will come over and check.
I want the noise to be kept to a minimum because you don’t want other
groups to hear what you are saying.
Your time starts NOW!
When the groups put their hands up, go over and check that they have
got it correct. If they have, tell them to get their RE writing books out and Religious Education writing
10min write the definition in. books.

Lesson Steps (Lesson content, structure, strategies & Key Questions):

Have a class discussion about the elements of sin and what makes a sin.
Write down some of the main ideas on the white board, so that students
can refer to these throughout the lesson.
A sin is when we break one of the 10 commandments on PURPOSE.
There may be a time where we break one of the 10 commandments by
accident. This may be because we didn’t know that we were sinning, or
because we broke the commandment by accident. As an example, I may
accidentally pick up my friend’s hat and take it home with me because I
thought it was mine. This is not a sin because I did not commit it on
purpose.
However, we are committing a sin if we do the action on purpose and we
know that it is going against one of God’s 10 commandments.
Does everyone understand this?
The whiteboard has been split into two halves: sin and not a sin. Under
the heading sin write: ‘We are sinning if we break one of God’s 10
commandments on purpose.’ Under the heading not a sin write: ‘We are
not sinning if we break one of God’s commandments by accident.’
Students are given another bunch of laminated cards on their desk. Each
of these cards have a certain action on them. As an example, one may Laminated cards with different
say ‘Not wearing my hat to lunch’ and another may say ‘Stealing my actions on them, some of
friends hat because I couldn’t find my own’. In the groups they are sitting which are a sin and some
in, students discuss whether these actions are sins or not sins. A aren’t (appendix 3)
member from each group will get up one by one and place their card
(with blue tack on the back) on the whiteboard either under the heading
‘Sin’ or ‘Not a sin’. They then have to explain to the class why it is or is
not a sin. If it is a sin, they have to tell the class which commandment
was broken. If it is not a sin they have to explain why. This cycle
 continues until all the cards are up on the whiteboard under one of the
headings.
I am now going to hand out another zip lock bag to each group and I
don’t want anyone to touch them until I say so.
In this bag is a bunch of actions which are either a sin or not a sin.
As a group, you will read these one by one and decide whether the
action is a sin or not a sin.
One person from your group will then come up and blue tack it under the
section sin, or not a sin on the whiteboard.
I then would like you to explain why it is a sin or not a sin. So, you can
either tell us which of the commandments are being broken, or you can
explain why it is not a sin.
Does anyone have any questions about this so far? Once we have gone
through a few, you will start to get the hand of this activity.
Once these have been handed out to students, tell them they have
30seconds-1minute to read and discuss the first one and decide whether
or not it is a sin.
You now have 30 seconds to a minute to read the first card and decide
as a group whether or not this is a sin. Then choose the first person to
come up and place this on the board when I say to.
(After 1 minute) Okay the group to my left, can one person please come
up and place their card under the sin or not a sin section of the
whiteboard.
Can you tell me why you chose to put it there?
Which commandment is this action breaking?
OR
Why is this action not a sin?
30min Repeat this until all of the cards are up on the board.
Have a final discussion about these actions and once again, differentiate
between what makes a sin (acting on purpose, knowing you’re breaking
the commandments) and which actions aren’t a sin (not acting on
purpose and not knowing).

Lesson Closure:(Review lesson objectives with students)

Bring the whole class to the mat for a final discussion.

Ask if someone can put their hand up and recall the definition of a sin
from the beginning of the lesson.
Is someone able to put their hand up and tell me what a sin is? Think
back to the beginning of the lesson when you reordered the laminated
cards.
Ask if someone can explain the criteria as to what differentiates between
an action being a sin and not a sin.
We just did that whole activity on the difference between an action being
a sin and it not being a sin? Can a few people put their hands up and tell
me the difference between an action being a sin and not a sin?
Ask students to now reflect on a time where they may have sinned
purposely. Ask them to think in their heads about what they could have
done differently or what they would do differently in the future.
I want you to now quietly in your head, think back to a time where you
may have sinned. It is okay to have a slip up every now and then, but
think about what you would do differently next time.
 Explain the importance of keeping this in the back of their heads.
It is extremely important to keep this in the back of our heads in our day
to day life. Jesus wanted us to all live in the image of him, which means
we need to consciously make an effort to think about our actions and try
to follow the 10 commandments. We need to find our inner strength and
strive to be good.
Does anyone have any questions or thoughts about what we learnt
today?
40min
Transition: (What needs to happen prior to the next lesson?)

Students are given a minute or so to sit and ponder on the discussion in

which just took place. When the teacher gauges that the students are
ready, the will be asked to go quietly sit down back at their tables and
place their RE writing books away in their desk.

Students will sit quietly and await further instructions.

Assessment: (Were the lesson objectives met? How will they be

assessed?)

Students verbal contributions throughout the lesson will be observed and

anecdotal notes will be taken.

Additional anecdotal notes will be taken on the students’ abilities to

create the definition of sin by reordering the words.

Students will receive a tick or cross next to their name on the role,
depending on whether they place their action under the correct category
of ‘sin’ or ‘not a sin’. Those who receive the cross will need further help
and one on one time in the lessons to come.
Appendix 2.
Appendix 3.

(There is only a few

examples here, but

in a classroom, there

would be lots more)