Experiential RE supdocs.indd - SfE

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I sometimes do the introduction to this lesson in the role of the priest, welcoming them as visitors to my church. I then describe to them the features of the church, reminding of the previous lesson in this way. In this role, I can ask them questions about the previous lesson’s learning, referring to the lessons they have had on the Orthodox Church in preparation for their visit. Now you should conduct a visualisation to help the class empathise with how Christians might feel in this place. Ask pupils to close their eyes and relax. Turn the music up a little to enhance the atmosphere. In order to engage the pupils’ feelings and empathy and develop their own spirituality, have a tray of tea lights ready and invite each student to light one for someone or something special to them or that they wish to think about. I remind them that Christians call this a visible prayer. Visualisation: It is Easter time, when Christians remember how Jesus died on a cross, was buried in a tomb and on the third day rose from the dead. It is Saturday evening. Your grandmother has taken you to this church to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. She is Russian, and although she has lived in England all her life, she attends this church every week, where she meets other members of the Russian community. This is the most important festival of the year. Imagine that you have just entered this church. You have never been here before. You are struck by how beautiful it is. You walk quietly to the side and sit on one of the chairs and look around you. You can hear the sound of the choir singing. You can smell the incense. You can see the candlelight flickering on the gold of the icons. Your eyes settle on a picture of Mary nearby. You see her sad eyes looking sorrowfully into the future, thinking of the suffering of her son who she holds tenderly in her lap. Your grandmother has arrived early to tend the flowers. As you sit quietly by yourself in the corner, near the sad icon, the door opens slowly with a creak. A lady who is leaning on a stick walks over to the icon. She approaches the icon and kisses it. She reaches out and slowly strokes the figure of the child. She steps back and gazes prayerfully at the figure of Mary. She lights a candle and places it in the holder by the icon. As she stands before the icon, her lips moving silently in prayer, two tears slide slowly down her cheeks, splashing onto her hands. You wonder what, or who, she prays for so fervently. The priest’s voice begins the liturgy. People begin to fill the beautiful church. The smell of the incense drifts through the air as your grandmother leads you to stand near the iconostasis. “Her son is a soldier,” whispers your grandmother as you turn back to look at the woman. “Perhaps he too prays for her on the other side of the world,” she adds. “On this special day when we remember how our Lord defeated death and rose from the darkness of the tomb. Look the lights are going out, we are almost ready.” Ask pupils to open their eyes and come back to the classroom. Now it is time for us to re-enact the service. 14 Experiential RE: Supporting documents
Re-enactment: • Blow out the candles on the altars and around the church, asking the pupils to imagine the sadness at the death of Jesus and the desolation of the world as he lies in the tomb. • Ask for four volunteers to come behind the screen. • While that happens each pupil can take a candle and wrap a piece of foil around the base to catch the drips. • Behind the screen, allocate two pupils to move the screen back and rest it on the table legs. • Allocate one pupil to come through the screen carrying a single lighted candle. All the other candles will be lit from this one, gradually filling the classroom with light. • The other pupil will come through the screen giving each pupil a tiny piece of bread and wine from a long handled spoon, without touching their mouths. • Tell the pupils behind the screen to open it and begin the re-enactment when they hear the music raised. At that point the class should stand and move forward in front of the screen to form a horseshoe. • The first priest comes through the screen and goes round the horseshoe, lighting each person’s candle. • The second follows, giving each person some bread and wine. • When everyone has a lighted candle and taken some bread and wine, fade the music and ask everyone to return to their seats. They can either blow out their candles or sit quietly holding them. • Debrief: ask the pupils what they think it is that they have just acted out. Ask them why they think Christians do this and what they might get from the experience. You may wish to follow up the lesson with an Orthodox wedding and an Orthodox baptism, making use of the set and building on what the pupils have learned so far. Experiential RE: Supporting documents 15
Page 1 and 2: Experiential RE Sue Phillips
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Page 13: Lesson Recipes Lesson One: Re-enact
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Experiential RE supdocs.indd - SfE

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