Investigating a question about belief
RE is a subject with methods. You can investigate a question about belief with the same care a historian or a social scientist would use.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Use sources, testimony and data to investigate a question about belief
Key learning points
- • Types of evidence
- • Asking a researchable question
- • Handling data honestly
This lesson at a glance
- 25 minutes
- 20 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 20
Visual introductionPicture this
Investigating a question about belief
RE is a subject with methods. You can investigate a question about belief with the same care a historian or a social scientist would use.
In a nutshell
Use sources, testimony and data to investigate a question about belief
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 20
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Types of evidence
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 20
Learn
Types of evidence
Sacred texts show teaching. Buildings and objects show what a community invests in. Interviews show individual experience. Census and survey data show patterns across a population. Each answers a different sort of question, and none answers all of them.
Reset break
Part 4 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 20
Learn
Asking a researchable question
'Is religion true?' cannot be settled by evidence. 'Has religious affiliation changed in England and Wales since 2001?' can. A good enquiry question names what will be measured or examined and over what period.
Quick check
Part 6 of 20
Quick check
Part 7 of 20
Reset break
Part 8 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 20
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Handling data honestly
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 20
Learn
Handling data honestly
Say who collected the data and when, whether the sample was representative, and what the question asked. A census records what people tick, which is affiliation, not belief or practice — three different things that are often confused.
Quick check
Part 11 of 20
Reset break
Part 12 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 13 of 20
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 20
Worked example
Worked example: judging a claim
Claim: 'Britain is no longer religious.' Census data show the proportion ticking 'no religion' rising sharply, so affiliation has fallen. But affiliation is not the same as belief or practice, and other faith groups have grown. Honest conclusion: identification with Christianity has declined markedly while religious diversity has increased — the original claim is too blunt.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 20
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 16 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 20
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
Each answers a different sort of ____, and none answers all of them.
A census records what people tick, which is affiliation, not ____ or practice — three different things that are often confused.
Challenge round
Part 18 of 20
Game · Recall cards
Which question can evidence answer?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 19 of 20
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Investigating a question about belief
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which question can evidence answer?
2. What does a census question measure?
3. Why note who collected data and when?
4. What does a place of worship's design tell you?
Lesson round-up
Part 20 of 20
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
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Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 20 · Watch & discover