Life of Jesus Christ

Overview

Students explore the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, examining how his values and parables connect to everyday Christian living. This is lesson 2 of 5 in the unit "Exploring Faith and Values."

Learning Intentions

• WALT: Discover the key events in the life of Jesus Christ and understand his core teachings.
• WALT: Connect Jesus' teachings to Christian values and how they can shape daily life.
• WALT: Reflect on personal experiences that relate to the lessons Jesus taught.

Success Criteria

• I can name at least two key events from the life of Jesus and explain why they are significant.
• I can describe one teaching or parable of Jesus and explain its meaning.
• I can share a personal example of how a teaching of Jesus connects to my own life.
• I can listen respectfully and respond thoughtfully during our discussion and role-play.

Curriculum Links

• Understanding religious beliefs, teachings, and practices within Christianity.
• Exploring how sacred texts and figures shape values and moral decision-making.
• Developing empathy and personal reflection through the lens of religious teachings.
• Connecting faith and values to everyday life experiences and relationships.

Lesson Structure (30 minutes)

0–5 min — Warm-Up: What Do We Already Know? Sit together and ask the students to share one thing they already know about Jesus — it can be a story, a teaching, or something from the Bible. Keep it relaxed and conversational, drawing out prior knowledge and building a comfortable starting point for today's learning.

5–13 min — Storytelling: The Life and Teachings of Jesus Using a children's Bible or a prepared summary, tell or read together two to three key moments from Jesus' life — such as his birth, his baptism, and a parable (the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son works beautifully here). Pause after each story to ask: "What is Jesus showing us here?" and "What value is he teaching?" Keep the tone warm and exploratory rather than lecture-style.

13–20 min — Role-Play Activity Choose one parable together (let the students pick their favourite from those shared). Assign simple roles and act it out informally in your home space — no props needed, though you may use cushions, scarves, or whatever is at hand. After the role-play, briefly discuss: "How did it feel to play that role?" and "Has anything like this ever happened to you or someone you know?"

20–26 min — Personal Reflection and Sharing Each student shares one personal experience or moment from their life that reminds them of a teaching of Jesus. This could be a time they showed kindness, forgiveness, or fairness. Encourage honest, open sharing — model vulnerability yourself if helpful. Jot their key words on a piece of paper or small whiteboard to honour their thoughts.

26–30 min — Wrap-Up and Preview Briefly summarise what was explored today and celebrate what was shared. Ask each student to complete one sentence aloud: "One thing Jesus taught that I want to try this week is…" Let them know that next lesson you will be looking at how other people of faith live out similar values.

Resources

• Children's Bible or an age-appropriate Bible story book (e.g., The Jesus Storybook Bible)
• A simple printed or hand-written summary of one or two parables as a visual reference
• Small whiteboard or notepad to jot down students' key reflection words
• Optional: simple props or household items for role-play
• Colouring sheet or simple worksheet for students to draw and write about the parable after the lesson (as a follow-up activity if desired)

Assessment

• Observe and listen during discussion to assess whether each student can identify key events and teachings from Jesus' life.
• Use the personal reflection sharing as an informal verbal assessment of whether students can connect Jesus' teachings to real-life experience.
• Note which success criteria each student meets during the wrap-up sentence activity and use this to inform lesson 3 planning.

Differentiation

• Support: For the student who needs more scaffolding, provide a simple visual timeline of Jesus' life with pictures and short captions to reference during discussion and role-play.
• Extension: Encourage the more confident student to think about how the parable they acted out connects to a situation in the wider world today, or to look up a second parable independently after the lesson.
• Together learning: Since this is a two-student home setting, lean into discussion and co-construction — both students can help each other recall details and build on each other's ideas, reflecting your preferred collaborative style.
• EAL/SEN: Use clear, simple language when retelling parables and allow plenty of thinking time before expecting a response. Physical role-play supports students who engage better through doing rather than listening or reading.