Learning objective
- To recognise some of the different forms of God in the Hindu worldview.
Success criteria
- I can describe the meaning of different Hindu deities.
- I can give an example of one form that God might take in Hindu beliefs.
- I can explain why some Hindu people believe God has many forms.
Religious Education Council Curriculum Framework for RE in England (non-statutory guidance):
- A1: Recall and name different beliefs and practices, including festivals, worship, rituals and ways of life, in order to find out about the meanings behind them.
- C1: Explore questions about belonging, meaning and truth so that they can express their own ideas and opinions in response using words, music, art or poetry.
See REC Curriculum Framework for RE in England (non-statutory guidance) – Religious Education Council of England & Wales.
Cross-curricular links
Art and design
Pupils should be taught:
- To use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.
See National curriculum - Art - Key stages 1 and 2.
RSE
Respectful relationships
Pupils should know:
- The importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs.
See RSE Statutory guidance – contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
British values
- Mutual respect.
- Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
See Promoting fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools (non-statutory advice) – contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v2.0.
Before the lesson
- Presentation: Speak like an expert.
- Presentation: Draw it!
- Presentation: Hindu deities.
- Objects such as sculptures or images showing Hindu deities.
- Six counters (one set between two).
- Whiteboards and pens (one each).
Subject knowledge
Some people who follow the Hindu worldview may believe:
- In one supreme deity or God – Brahman.
- When God creates, like in the creation story, he is called Brahma.
- God can be represented through different forms called deities.
- Deities are divine beings who take physical form on Earth as avatars to restore balance and righteousness in the world.
- Deities have many different names to help understand the many characteristics of God.
Statues or images — murtis — are often used in worship as physical representations of the different forms of God.
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
This lesson explores representations of God. For some people who follow the Hindu worldview, statues and images of deities are not just decorative items; they are treated with reverence and seen as physical representations of the divine. It is important to consider the diversity of beliefs within the Hindu worldview itself; not all Hindus may perceive God in the same way.
Using artefacts in the classroom can support the children to explore the ways items can be used by different people and the meanings those items may hold for individuals and communities. Handling artefacts is an engaging and memorable experience for many children. When looking at artefacts, it is important that children begin to understand the meanings or symbolism of the artefacts and how these may reflect beliefs.
It is important that the children understand that the items can have great significance to some people from particular worldviews and must therefore be treated with respect. You may want to discuss some guidelines when using artefacts in the classroom.
Here are some rules you may wish to consider:
- Respect: always treat the artefacts with respect. This means being gentle and careful but also considering the significance of the items to some people and the rules they might have about touching or using the object. Do not make fun of or comment negatively about an artefact because it is different from what you are used to.
- Listening and learning: when the teacher, a visitor or another pupil is talking about an artefact, listen carefully and try to learn from what they are saying.
- Ask questions: if you do not understand something or want to know more, ask thoughtful questions. This shows respect and a desire to learn.
- Handle with care: some artefacts may be fragile or delicate. Always handle them carefully and do not pick them up unless you are told it is okay.
- Share your observations: share what you notice about the artefacts with the class but remember to do so respectfully.
- Follow instructions: Always follow the teacher’s instructions when handling artefacts.
Lesson plan
1: Recap and recall
Display the Presentation: Speak like an expert. Ask the children to take turns explaining to their partner some of the ways people who follow the Muslim worldview may represent their ideas about God.
Presentation: Speak like an expert
Take feedback.
Answers may include:
- Islamic art.
- Images of nature.
- Writing.
2: Attention grabber
Provide each child with a whiteboard and pen. Explain that you will give them instructions, and they need to create a quick sketch.
Display the Presentation: Draw it! Give the first instruction on slide 1, “Draw something tall that reaches up to the sky.”
Presentation: Draw it!
Allow the children time to draw their interpretation of the instructions. Walk around the classroom, giving support and encouragement, but avoid steering their creations in any particular direction.
Once everyone has finished, invite the children to share their drawings with the class. Encourage them to explain their artwork, what they drew and why they chose to draw that based on your instructions.
Repeat with the instructions on slides 2-3.
Explain to the children that they heard the same instructions but created different drawings. This is like how many people who follow the Hindu worldview believe in one God (Brahman) who can take on many forms. These beliefs are called a religion.
Explain to the children that in this lesson, they will investigate the question ‘What do some Hindu people believe God looks like?’
3: Main event
Hindu deities
Explain that different characteristics of Brahman are shown in gods and goddesses called deities. Some of these deities are believed to show a form taken by God on Earth. This is called incarnation and is one of the many ways some people understand God – a powerful, non-human being. Other deities represent characteristics of God and help some Hindus to understand what God is like.
Display slides 1 to 6 on the Presentation: Hindu deities and introduce the names of each deity.
Pass around objects such as statues and explain that these are called murti (statues or images showing a deity). These are symbols to represent the gods.
Presentation: Hindu deities
Questions
- Can anyone remember a special feature of one of the deities? (Any feature like Brahma’s four heads.)
- Why do you think each deity looks different? (They represent different forms of God.)
- What does it mean when we say, “God has many forms”? (It means God can appear in different ways.)
How do some people who follow the Hindu worldview express their belief that God has many forms? (Children may suggest that some people use pictures or statues called murti in worship to remind them of the many forms of God.)
Hindu deity bingo
Arrange the children in pairs. Hand out the Activity: Bingo (pre-cut) and a set of six counters to each pair.
Note: the Activity: Bingo contains ten different bingo cards to ensure pairs have different sets of images.
- Invite the children to play a game of bingo.
- Read out one description at a time from the Resource: Hindu deity descriptions.
- If the children match a deity on their Activity: Bingo they can put a counter over it.
- If they cover all three images, they should call out, “Bingo!” and win the game.
4: Wrapping up
Ask the children to remove the counters from the Activity: Bingo. Encourage them to observe the pictures of the deities to identify any common features and discuss what they might represent.
Questions
- What are the common features you can see? (Many of the deities are human-like, helping Hindus relate to God as a human; some have many arms – showing they are powerful or able to do lots; some include the lotus flower which represents the creation of the world; some have animal features or are pictured with an animal showing all living things are important not just humans.)
- What do some Hindu people believe about God? (Many Hindu people believe in one God with many deities that represent the different characteristics of God. When God creates, like in the creation story, he is called Brahma. Different characteristics of Brahman are shown in gods and goddesses called deities.)
5: During the week
Acitivity
- Create their own sculptures of Hindu deities using modelling dough.
Books
- Look at illustrations of Hindu deities in books, for example:
- ‘My little book of Shiva’ by Ashwitha Jayakumar;
- ‘The Little Book Of Hindu Deities: From the Goddess of Wealth to the Sacred Cow’ by Sanjay Patel;
- ‘Classic Tales from India: How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head and Other Stories’ by Vatsala Sperling and Harish Johari.
Adaptive teaching
Pupils needing extra support
Could be shown the Presentation: Draw it! in advance; should use the Activity: Bingo: support version with two Hindu deities.
Pupils working at greater depth
Should describe some similarities and differences between the Hindu deities; could explain what the deities tell us about some Hindu beliefs about God.
Assessing progress and understanding
Pupils with secure understanding indicated by: recognising that some Hindu people believe God has many forms; describing an example of a form God might take in Hindu beliefs.
Pupils working at greater depth indicated by: explaining in their own words the concept of God taking many forms in Hinduism; correctly identifying at least two forms of God in Hinduism with the appropriate names and characteristics; explaining the symbolism or meaning of the deities and what this shows about God.
Vocabulary definitions
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Brahma
A Hindu name for God as the creator.
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Brahman
The Hindu name for God (Bhagavân is also used).
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deity
Gods or goddesses showing different aspects of Brahman.
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Hindu
A person who believes in one God (Brahman) with many forms including Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva.Someone who believes in one God with many forms including Vishnu, Brahman and Shiva.
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murti
A statue or image showing a Hindu deity.
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Shiva
A Hindu name for God as the destroyer.
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Vishnu
A Hindu name for God as the protector.
In this unit
Assessment - Religion and worldviews Y1: What do some people believe God looks like?
Lesson 1: How might ideas about God be represented?
Lesson 2: What do some Muslim people believe about God?
Lesson 3: What do some Hindu people believe God looks like?
Lesson 4: What do some Christian people believe God looks like?
Lesson 5: Do people all share the same beliefs about what God looks like?
Lesson 6: Why do people have different names for God?
Maintained by: Kapow Primary team
Last update: 15th July, 2024
