Faith and Conflict

Overview

Students explore Acts 19 and the events in Ephesus, focusing on Paul’s ministry, the causes and consequences of the riot, and how faith can shape conflict. They analyse the text, discuss key themes, and reflect on what the passage challenges in their own lives and communities.

Learning intentions

• WALT analyse how Paul’s ministry in Ephesus leads to both positive change and conflict.
• WALT understand the role of faith in people’s choices, actions, and responses during the riot.
• WALT explain how causes and consequences connect in the story of Acts 19.
• WALT reflect on respectful ways faith communities navigate disagreement and tension.

Success criteria

• I can summarise the main events of Acts 19 in order and name key characters and groups.
• I can identify at least two reasons the riot happened, using evidence from the text.
• I can explain how faith influenced different people’s actions (including believers and others).
• I can give a thoughtful reflection linking the passage to a real-world situation or personal question.

Curriculum links

• Religious education (Year 11): Students discuss religious ideas in texts and consider how beliefs influence actions and communities.
• Teacher and students discuss events: Students discuss events in stories they have shared, including significance, causes and consequences, and similarity/difference between events.
• Key competencies: Thinking (analysing text and relationships of cause/effect), Relating to others (respectful discussion), Participating and contributing (group roles and sharing).

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Starter (Activate knowledge). Teacher writes: “What happens when beliefs challenge power or profit?” and students do a quick silent write. Students share one sentence with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · Text introduction. Teacher briefly sets context for Acts 19 (Ephesus, Paul’s teaching, and the setting for conflict). Students receive a short guided-reading handout with selected verses and a vocabulary list (e.g., idols, Ephesian trade, riot).

3. 12–25 min · Reading and analysing Acts 19. Teacher models how to annotate: underline evidence, circle cause/effect words (so, because, therefore), and label themes (ministry/faith/conflict). Students work in pairs to complete a “Text Evidence Tracker” with:

• Main event (what happened)
• Theme link (ministry / faith / conflict)
• Evidence (one short quote or paraphrase)
• Cause or consequence (one each)

4. 25–35 min · Group discussion (Reasoning from evidence). Teacher assigns groups of 4 and gives discussion prompts and sentence starters. Students rotate roles (facilitator, evidence-finder, summariser, and timekeeper) to answer:

• What does Paul’s ministry challenge or change in Ephesus?
• What beliefs or values appear to clash during the riot?
• How do consequences unfold after the riot begins? Teacher listens for accurate evidence use and respectful listening.

5. 35–43 min · Reflection (Faith and conflict). Teacher distributes an exit-reflection page with two options. Students choose one:

• Option A: “Choose one decision made by a group in Acts 19. Explain how faith or belief shaped that decision.”
• Option B: “What is one lesson about conflict resolution or communication that modern communities could learn from this passage?”

6. 43–45 min · Quick check-out. Teacher asks each student to complete a one-line response: “One cause of the riot was…, and one consequence was…” Students submit to the teacher.

Resources

• Printed handout: selected readings from Acts 19 (with verse references)
• “Text Evidence Tracker” worksheet
• Group discussion prompt cards and sentence starters
• Highlighters or pencils, annotating tools
• Reflection page (Option A/B) and lined paper or forms
• Whiteboard markers and timer

Assessment

• Formative during annotation: Teacher checks that pairs use evidence and label causes/consequences.
• Formative during group discussion: Teacher listens for clarity, respectful participation, and accurate references to the text.
• Summative-lite: Exit line (“cause + consequence”) plus reflection response collected for feedback.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters (“I think this happened because…”, “This shows faith because…”, “A consequence was…”), and a simplified evidence tracker with sentence frames.
• Support: Offer a short glossary and allow students to paraphrase quotes instead of finding exact phrasing.
• Extension (advanced learners): Require students to compare two groups’ motivations (e.g., believers vs. idol-related business interests) and argue which motivation is most clearly tied to fear, identity, or economics, using two pieces of evidence per claim.
• EAL considerations: Allow bilingual support for vocabulary and encourage students to rehearse their discussion points using frames before speaking.

Extension (optional)

• Advanced learner task: Create a “Cause–Consequence Chain” diagram for Acts 19, adding one “turning point” where the conflict could have ended differently, and justify the choice with evidence.