Bible Structure Overview

Learning Context

Year 5 Religious Education
Class Size: 25 students
Unit: Exploring the Bible's Story – Lesson 1 of 4
Duration: 30 minutes

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Learning Objectives

Aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh and Religious Education standards for Year 5, students will:

• Understand the structure of the Bible, distinguishing between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
• Identify key characteristics and significance of each Testament.
• Recognise how both Testaments relate to each other and form one story.
• Develop oral communication skills by discussing and presenting their understandings.

This links to the NZ Curriculum Key Competencies:

• Using language, symbols, and texts (interpreting and presenting information clearly)
• Relating to others (engaging with peers in discussion)
• Thinking (using critical and creative thinking to link ideas from texts)
  Reference: New Zealand Curriculum principles and Key Competencies, p.12-13 .

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Curriculum Strand Links

This lesson contributes to Religious Education by supporting students to comprehend and engage with religious texts meaningfully, which meets the curriculum goal of exploring beliefs and stories that shape communities.

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Starter: What is the Bible? (5 minutes)

• Teacher initiates whole-class discussion: “What do you know about the Bible?”
• Record students’ prior knowledge on a whiteboard (terms such as ‘Old Testament’, ‘New Testament’, ‘stories’, ‘God’, etc.).
• Introduce the Bible as a special book with two main parts (Old and New Testament).
• Use simple language suited to Year 5 learners, incorporating an interactive question and answer style.

2. Teaching Input: Structure of the Bible (10 minutes)

• Present a large visual chart/poster showing the Bible divided into the Old Testament and New Testament.
• Explain:
  • Old Testament: Contains stories and laws that were written before Jesus was born; important to understand the beginnings of the story.
  • New Testament: Tells about Jesus’ life and teachings and what happened after.
• Highlight key sections, e.g., Books, Psalms, Gospels, Letters, using engaging visuals.
• Link the two sections by explaining how the New Testament builds on the Old Testament story.
• Use storytelling elements to make content relatable and interesting.

3. Activity: Bible Story Matching Game (10 minutes)

• Divide class into 5 groups of 5 students.
• Each group receives a set of simple story cards: half from Old Testament stories (e.g., Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath), half from New Testament stories (e.g., Nativity, Jesus’ Miracles).
• Students sort cards into two piles: Old Testament and New Testament.
• Each group discusses why the story belongs in that Testament.
• Teacher circulates, offers support, and prompts deeper thinking.

This kinesthetic and collaborative task builds comprehension and engagement.

4. Plenary: Share and Reflect (5 minutes)

• Groups share one story from each Testament and explain why it fits there.
• Teacher summarises the significance of knowing the Bible’s structure to understand the whole story.
• Ask students to think about why these stories are important and how they connect.

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Assessment

• Formative assessment: Monitor group discussions and matching activity for understanding of Old vs New Testament distinctions.
• Oral assessment: Listen to group presentations during plenary to evaluate comprehension and communication skills.
• Use feedback to plan next lessons in unit, identifying misconceptions or gaps.

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Teaching Considerations

• Use age-appropriate language and visual supports to maintain attention and comprehension.
• Allow movement and collaboration for kinaesthetic learners.
• Provide scaffolding, including sentence starters for group discussions (e.g., “This story is Old Testament because...”).
• Recognise and link learning to students’ cultural backgrounds where possible, respecting Māori perspectives by acknowledging the Bible stories as part of wider spiritual knowledge.

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Resources

• Large visual Bible structure chart/poster.
• Story cards (Old and New Testament stories simplified for Year 5).
• Whiteboard and markers for brainstorming.
• Space for groups to work collaboratively.

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If desired, digital tools can complement by showing short animated clips or interactive Bible maps to visually reinforce learning (in line with digital literacy in the curriculum) .

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This highly structured, interactive 30-minute lesson incorporates explicit teaching, collaborative learning, formative assessment, and reflections to meet key curriculum priorities and engage Year 5 students meaningfully in understanding the Bible’s structure and significance in Religious Education.