Optional Easter lesson: What might the Easter story suggest about life after death?

• Presentation: Easter quiz.
• Presentation: Reconnecting with God.
• Presentation: Eternal life.
• Presentation: Wrapping up words.

• Highlighters (two per group of four).

• A flipchart.

• Sticky tack (see Main event).

• Christian Bibles (optional - see Adaptive teaching).

The Knowledge organiser provides a visual summary of the key facts and vocabulary for the unit. The children can use it throughout the unit to check keyword meanings or spellings and to help them remember important information when completing an activity.

Find further ideas for using the Knowledge organiser to support adaptive teaching here.

The pages have relevant information for each of the Key stages. As knowledge builds from year to year, it is recommended that the Knowledge organiser for the previous key stage be printed on the reverse for Key stage 2.

Subject knowledge

Easter

• Jesus died on the cross on a day called Good Friday and was resurrected (came back to life) on Easter Sunday as part of God’s plan to save humanity from sin (salvation).

• The Easter story is a crucial part of this belief.

• The resurrection of Jesus is remembered at Easter, and it celebrates victory over sin and death, offering believers hope of eternal life.

Prophecies and the 'divine voice'

• In biblical prophecy, it is common for the prophets to speak in the first person present tense as it conveys the authority and certainty of the message.

• This is often called the ‘divine voice’.

• The use of tense implies that the events have already happened rather than saying they will happen in the future.

The Last Supper

• In English translations of the Bible, it explains how Jesus shared bread with his disciples at the Passover meal.
• According to Jewish law, leavened food (food made with a raising agent such as yeast) would not have been eaten at Passover so it is likely that this was an unleavened bread similar to flatbread or crackers.
• In the Pupil video: Holy week just the word bread is used reflecting the language used in English translations of the Bible.

Misconceptions

The children may believe that:

• ‘Easter is about chocolate eggs and bunnies’ - it is important to explain that while Easter is celebrated in different ways across cultures, its religious significance for many Christians focuses on the death and resurrection of Jesus. The symbols of eggs and new life are often used to represent the Christian message of hope.

• ‘Easter is only celebrated by Christians’ - it is helpful to explain that while Easter is an important religious festival for many Christians, some people with different worldviews also participate in cultural or family traditions during this season, such as egg hunts or spring-themed celebrations.

• ‘Jesus stayed on Earth after coming back to life’ - explain that many Christians believe Jesus returned to Heaven to be with God.

• ‘If you are Christian, you will be resurrected and come back to life’ - explain that many Christians believe Jesus is special because he is God’s son and most believe that after death, rather than the physical body, a person’s soul will be reunited with God, therefore having eternal life.

Lesson organisation

External visitors

• Members of a local Christian community could be invited to share their thoughts on how Easter relates to the concept of death and what it means for them.

• For further guidance, see the link: Teacher guidance: External visitors.

If you know a child has specific issues, consider discussing the lesson with them in advance and adapting it as needed. They might benefit from adult support.

If problems emerge during the lesson, consult your Senior Leadership Team.

It is the teacher's responsibility to check all resources and lesson content to ensure it is suitable for their class setting.

Sensitivities

Death

• This lesson explores Jesus' crucifixion, death and resurrection.

• When teaching these themes, present them sensitively and age-appropriately, avoiding graphic details about death and punishment. Focus instead on the broader message of hope and new life.

• Death can be a sensitive topic that may personally affect some children. It is important to approach this topic with compassion and consideration for everyone's experiences and emotions.

• Remind the children that these are Christian beliefs held by some people and that different cultures and religions have their own interpretations of death and the afterlife.

• Explain the importance of respecting all views, even those that differ from their own or that they do not agree with.

The wonder box

• Remind children that they can use the wonder box if they have questions or concerns they would rather not share in front of the class.

• The wonder box gives the children the opportunity to share questions they may not feel comfortable asking in class. More challenging questions can be researched and additional time can be given to consider them. Children who may find writing questions challenging could either use a recording device or ask an adult to scribe for them.

• See: Teacher video: The wonder boxfor information on how to create and use this resource.