Divine Imagery Foundations

Lesson Overview

This 45-minute lesson is the first in a series of four exploring divine imagery in Religious Education for Year 10 students in New Zealand. The focus is on understanding the concept of God from a Catholic perspective, emphasising key imagery, attributes, and significance within Catholic teaching. This foundational lesson will provide students with knowledge and analytical skills needed to compare Catholic beliefs with those of other religions in subsequent lessons.

Alignment with New Zealand Curriculum Refresh

Learning Area: Religious Education (contextualised within Social Sciences and The Arts frameworks recognizing values and cultural diversity)
Level: Year 10
Key Competencies:
Thinking – critically analysing beliefs and imagery
Using language, symbols, and texts – interpreting religious texts and imagery
Relating to others – appreciating different perspectives
Participating and contributing – discussing beliefs respectfully
Values: Diversity, Integrity, Community and Participation, Excellence
Curriculum Principles: Cultural responsiveness, Inclusion, Coherence
Curriculum Vision: Develop informed, ethical, and reflective young citizens
Assessment Approach: Formative assessment through ongoing observation, discussion, and a brief written reflection

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Describe key imagery and attributes used in Catholicism to represent God.
Explain the significance of these attributes in Catholic belief and practice.
Explore how Catholic imagery shapes understanding of the divine.
Begin to develop skills to compare these ideas with other religious perspectives in future lessons.
Interact respectfully with diverse viewpoints in discussion.

These objectives promote critical inquiry, empathy, vocabulary development, and foundational religious literacy in alignment with NZC values and competencies.

Materials Needed

Whiteboard and markers
Projector or interactive board
Handouts with Catholic imagery examples (e.g., symbols like the Trinity, Sacred Heart, light, shepherd, etc.)
Bible excerpts (Catholic-approved translations)
Visual aids/posters of Catholic artwork depicting God
Worksheet for students’ notes and reflection
Pens/pencils and paper

Lesson Structure and Timing

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

Greet students and outline the lesson focus: Understanding God in Catholicism.
Connect to prior knowledge: Briefly discuss what students might already know or believe about God or divine images.
Explain why imagery and attributes matter in religion — they shape beliefs and worship.

Teacher prompts: “Have you seen symbols or pictures in a church or religious artwork before? What do you think they represent?”

2. Exploring Catholic Imagery of God (15 minutes)

Present 5 key Catholic images/attributes of God, using images and simple explanations:

The Trinity Symbol – God as Father, Son, Holy Spirit (three in one)
Light – God as the light of the world, symbolising purity and truth
Shepherd – God guides and cares for people
Sacred Heart – God’s love and compassion
Omnipotence (All-powerful) – God’s power in creation and life

Show visual Catholic symbols/artwork for each and read relevant biblical excerpts or Church teaching briefly.
Use questioning to elicit student observations about similarities, emotions, or ideas evoked by each image.

Scaffolding tips: Use sentence stems for students, e.g., “I think this image shows...”, “The attribute described means...”, “This makes me feel...”

3. Group Discussion and Reflection (15 minutes)

Divide class into small groups of 4-5 students.
Assign each group one or two Catholic images to discuss guided by prompts:
What does this image tell us about how Catholics understand God?
Why might this image be important for believers?
How might this influence how Catholics live or worship?
Groups share a summary with the class.
Teacher facilitates linking ideas and noting the importance of imagery in shaping faith.

Teaching strategy: Encourage respectful listening and openness. Reinforce that expressing differing opinions is welcomed, supporting key competencies of Relating to others and Thinking.

4. Summary and Formative Reflection (8 minutes)

Summarise key points: Imagery makes abstract religious ideas more understandable and personal.
Students complete a brief written reflection on the worksheet:
“Which Catholic image of God do you find most meaningful and why?”
“How do images help people understand God?”
Collect worksheets to inform ongoing teaching and individual student understanding.

5. Connecting Forward (2 minutes)

Explain that in upcoming lessons, students will compare these Catholic images with those from other religions.
Highlight that understanding one belief well is essential before comparing.

Differentiation and Inclusion Strategies

Provide vocabulary support and sentence stems for students needing language scaffolding.
Visual aids cater to different learning styles.
Group work encourages peer support and social learning.
Allow alternative responses in reflections (e.g., drawing or oral for students with writing difficulties).
Create a classroom ethos that values all voices equally, consistent with NZC’s equity values.

Assessment

Informal assessment through observation of group discussions and whole-class participation.
Review of written reflections to assess understanding of Catholic imagery of God.
Use feedback to tailor the next lessons and provide individual support if needed.

Teacher Notes – Curriculum Connection Highlights

This lesson supports NZC Key Competencies by engaging students in thinking critically and relating respectfully to others’ beliefs.
Aligns with curriculum values such as diversity (understanding cultural/religious diversity), integrity (honest exploration of beliefs), and community participation.
Embeds the principles of the NZ Curriculum Refresh: coherence through connecting knowledge about God with wider religious perspectives, cultural responsiveness by respecting different belief systems, and inclusion by adapting to varied learners.
Uses clear language and supports learning processes that empower students to confidently express and reflect on complex ideas, enhancing their communication and critical thinking skills.

This detailed, New Zealand Curriculum-consistent lesson plan aims to inspire both teachers and students to engage deeply and respectfully with religious concepts and imagery in the New Zealand classroom context.

Teaching Instructions