Year 2: What can light mean at Christmas?
Investigating why light is important to some people at Christmas.
Learning objective
- To explore ways Jesus’ birth is celebrated at Christmas using the symbol of light.
Success criteria
- I can identify the symbols of light used to celebrate Christmas.
- I can explain why light is important in the Christmas story.
- I can describe how some Christians use light to remember Jesus at Christmas.
Before the lesson
Watch
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Watch
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Lesson plan
Display the Presentation: Making connections.
Display the Presentation: Making connections.
Presentation: Making connections
Ask the children to discuss how the words and pictures are connected to explain what light can mean at Christmas.
The children may suggest:
Some Christians describe Jesus as the light of the world.
Some people light candles during Advent.
Some people decorate their homes with lights to celebrate Christmas.
Display slide 1 of the Presentation: Christmas lights showing images of Christmas lights at home and in a church.
Display slide 1 of the Presentation: Christmas lights showing images of Christmas lights at home and in a church.
Presentation: Christmas lights
Make presentation full-screen
In pairs, ask the children to discuss which images show what happens in some churches at Christmas and what happens in some people's homes.
Invite children to drag and drop the images into the boxes. Discuss that some of these such as the advent wreath and Christingle may be used both at church and at home.
Where can you see lights in the pictures? (Various suggestions may include: Christmas tree lights, Christmas street lights, advent wreath candles and Christingles.)
Why do you think people use lights to decorate at Christmas?
How do lights help people feel during Christmas time?
What might light remind people of?
Display the images on the Presentation: Christmas story and remind the children that these pictures are from the story of Jesus' birth found in the Christian Bible. Another name for the Christmas story is the Nativity.
Provide each child with a copy of the Resource: Knowledge catcher: Why and how is Christmas celebrated?
Ask the children to answer the questions thinking about what they believe and others might believe.
Take feedback.
Example work
Ripple Primary School
Ripple Primary School
Ripple Primary School
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In this unit
Assessment – R&W Y2: Why is light important to people?
Lesson 1: Why are lights used at special times?
Lesson 2: Who were Rama and Sita?
Lesson 3: Why and how are lights used during Diwali?
Lesson 4: How are candles used during Advent?
Lesson 5: What do candles symbolise at Hanukkah?
Lesson 6: Why are lights used symbolically?
- Current lesson
Optional: What can light mean at Christmas?
