Writing about belief accurately
Good RE writing is precise. 'Muslims believe' is accurate; 'Muslims think God is like…' followed by your own guess is not.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Write about belief accurately and respectfully using subject vocabulary
Key learning points
- • Attribute, do not assert
- • Use the right word
- • Structure a paragraph
This lesson at a glance
- 25 minutes
- 16 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 16
Watch first
Writing about belief accurately
An English teaching video on this topic from CrashCourse. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
In a nutshell
Write about belief accurately and respectfully using subject vocabulary
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 16
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Attribute, do not assert
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 16
Learn
Attribute, do not assert
Write 'Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the word of God' rather than 'the Qur'an is the word of God'. Attribution keeps the writing descriptive, which is what religious education asks for. It also lets you compare beliefs without judging them.
Explore the idea
Part 4 of 16
Learn
Use the right word
Use terms as believers use them: tawhid, salah, zakat, ummah. Explain a term in brackets the first time you use it. Avoid loose words like 'they all' and 'always' — most traditions contain variety.
Quick check
Part 5 of 16
Quick check
Which sentence is written correctly for RE?
Quick check
Part 6 of 16
Quick check
Why explain a term the first time you use it?
Reset break
Part 7 of 16
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 2 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 8 of 16
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Structure a paragraph
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 9 of 16
Learn
Structure a paragraph
Point, evidence, explanation: state the belief; give a source or practice as evidence; explain how the evidence supports the point. A final sentence can note diversity or a limitation of the evidence.
Quick check
Part 10 of 16
Quick check
What does the E in point, evidence, explanation require?
Quick check
Part 11 of 16
Quick check
Why avoid 'all Muslims always'?
Explore the idea
Part 12 of 16
Worked example
Model paragraph
Many Muslims describe prayer as the pillar that shapes the day. Salah is performed five times between dawn and night, after washing and facing Mecca. This structure expresses tawhid, because the timings interrupt ordinary activity and return attention to God. Practice varies: some pray in a mosque, others at work or at home.
Challenge round
Part 13 of 16
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
Challenge round
Part 14 of 16
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
Point, evidence, explanation: state the ____; give a source or practice as evidence; explain how the evidence supports the point.
Mastery quiz
Part 15 of 16
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Writing about belief accurately
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which sentence is written correctly for RE?
2. Why explain a term the first time you use it?
3. What does the E in point, evidence, explanation require?
4. Why avoid 'all Muslims always'?
Lesson round-up
Part 16 of 16
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
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Points this lesson
0
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0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaDo the work
Your written work for this lesson
This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.
Two teachings on forgiveness
In Christian teaching, Jesus is asked how many times a person should forgive. He answers not seven times but seventy-seven — meaning forgiveness should not be counted at all. The Lord's Prayer links the two directions together: forgive us as we forgive others.
In Islamic teaching, one of the names of God is al-Ghaffar, the Ever-Forgiving. Muslims are taught that God's mercy is greater than any wrong a person can do, and that those who pardon others are closer to God than those who take revenge.
Both traditions distinguish forgiving from forgetting. A person may forgive and still expect justice, and may seek safety from someone who has harmed them.
Original paraphrases written for Good Learning Co.
Reading questions
- What does each teaching say about how far forgiveness should go?
- Explain how a believer might use one of these teachings after being hurt by a friend.
- "Forgiving someone means letting them off." Give two views on this and say which is stronger, with reasons.
Reading and response
ReadingRead the lesson text again — especially any scripture, story or quotation — then write what it teaches and how a believer would use it.
2 paragraphs (PEE)
Extended writing
WritingAnswer the lesson's big question as an exam answer would: a clear view, a reason, a teaching or example as evidence, and a different view weighed against yours.
250–350 words
Belief in your own words
WritingExplain what this belief means and give one example of how it changes what people do.
8–10 sentences
Different views
WritingWrite two different views on this question and say which you find stronger, and why.
2 paragraphs
Symbol or belief diagram
DiagramDraw the symbol, place of worship or idea from this lesson with labels explaining what each part means, then photograph it.
1 labelled drawing
Saved as you type.
Part 1 of 16 · Watch & discover