Flourishing and Responsibility

Overview

Students explore “Human Flourishing” and connect it to ideas of philanthropy and religious adherence using a provided scripture passage (Matthew 25:1–46). They practise reading comprehension and then produce a brief reflection explaining how these concepts can shape meaning and values for individuals and society.

Learning intentions

• Students will define “human flourishing” and describe what flourishing can look like for people and communities.
• Students will explain philanthropy and discuss how wealth and gifts can support the common good.
• Students will use reciprocal reading strategies to understand and interpret a short passage.
• Students will define “religious adherence” and brainstorm how religious beliefs can guide personal and social human flourishing.

Success criteria

• I can write a clear class definition of “human flourishing” and give at least two flourishing examples.
• I can explain what philanthropy is and propose ways to support the common good through gifts and wealth.
• I can identify key ideas from Matthew 25:1–46 using reciprocal reading (predict, clarify, question differences, summarise).
• I can outline how religious adherence may support human flourishing, including how Christians can help others.

Curriculum links

• Students integrate concepts and sustained meaning-making in a designed learning sequence.
• Students compose critical responses that shape meaning for an audience/purpose, using religious and ethical ideas.
• Students analyse and interpret a key text and compose a complex response using independent reading skills.
• Students justify how language choices, structure, and organisation shape meaning in their reflection.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Hook: scripture and purpose. Teacher writes the focus question: “How might caring for others help a person and society to flourish?” and briefly introduces Matthew 25:1–46; students do a quick silent read of the excerpt provided on the board/handout.

2. 7–18 min · Activity 1: Class discussion / personal reflection. Teacher facilitates whole-class discussion to form a shared definition of “Human Flourishing,” then captures students’ ideas on the board; students contribute one idea at a time and then select one flourishing example they can connect to personally or generally.

3. 18–27 min · Activity 2: What is ‘Philanthropy’. Teacher defines philanthropy as giving time, care, money, resources, or influence to benefit others and the common good, and writes the two guiding questions; students do a brief think–pair–share, then offer one example of a wealthy person who does or does not support the common good (students may keep examples general if they prefer).

4. 27–45 min · Activity 3: Reciprocal reading (comic strip). Teacher models reciprocal reading once (predict → read → clarify → question → summarise) and explains that students will translate the main ideas into a simple “common good” comic strip; students work in small groups to complete reciprocal reading roles:

• Predict: What do you think the passage is warning or teaching about responsibility to others?
• Clarify: Highlight unfamiliar phrases and agree on plain-language meanings.
• Question points of difference: Where might readers disagree about interpretation or emphasis (e.g., fairness, who counts as “least of these”, responsibility)?
• Summarise: Create a 4–6 sentence group summary to guide their comic panels.

5. 45–55 min · Activity 4: Reflection—Religious Adherence. Teacher prompts: “Define ‘Religious Adherence’ and connect it to human flourishing,” then guides a short brainstorm using the provided questions; students write a structured brainstorm/paragraph plan addressing: what it means to be religious, how belief teaches treatment of others, why supporting others matters, what flourishing looks like, and how Christians can help others to flourish.

6. 55–60 min · Exit ticket: one-sentence alignment. Teacher asks students to submit one sentence answering: “Religious adherence can support human flourishing by…”; students complete independently and hand in.

Resources

• Printed excerpt of Matthew 25:1–46 (teacher-provided)
• Reciprocal reading roles sheet (Predict, Clarify, Question, Summarise)
• Comic strip templates with 4–6 panels
• Whiteboard markers and board/slide for capturing class definitions
• Notebook/handout for the reflection brainstorm/paragraph plan
• Timer for structured discussion and group tasks

Assessment

• Teacher observation checklist during Activity 1: students contribute ideas and help form a definition.
• Group product review during Activity 3: students demonstrate reciprocal reading stages and produce a coherent summary for comic panels.
• Exit ticket check: students connect religious adherence to human flourishing using ethical language.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters for students who need support (e.g., “Human flourishing means…”, “Philanthropy is…”, “Religious adherence involves…”).
• Offer an alternative to named examples of “wealthy people” (students may describe “a wealthy person or organisation” without identifying them).
• For students needing extension, require an extra comic panel that shows an alternative viewpoint and a reasoned response.
• For EAL/SEN support, pre-teach 5–7 key words from the scripture excerpt in plain language (e.g., “least of these”, “righteous”, “punishment”, “eternal life”) and allow clarification time within groups.