Making Judgement

WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Identify situations involving judgements.
• Understand different adjectives describing judgement.
• Reflect on how these adjectives align with the God Jesus revealed.
• Engage with Matthew 25:31-46 to explore Christian perspectives on judgement.
• Visualise what judgement before Christ at death might be like.

Success Criteria

• I can identify and describe situations that involve making judgements.
• I can list adjectives that describe judgement.
• I can decide whether these adjectives align with the loving, hopeful, and kind God Jesus revealed.
• I can listen actively to Matthew 25:31-46 and answer related questions thoughtfully.
• I can create a respectful and imaginative picture of judgement before Christ.

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Curriculum Links

New Zealand Curriculum (Religious Education):

• Level 4 (Year 8)
• Key Competencies: Thinking, Relating to others, Using language, symbols, and texts
• Strands: Beliefs and practices (how people express beliefs and values), Values (human dignity, awe, mystery, care for others), Religious knowledge, and enquiry
• Learning Objectives:
  • Understand how religious beliefs influence decisions and judgements (NZC REL Level 4)
  • Develop skills to express personal responses to religious material
  • Explore Christian concepts of judgement, forgiveness, and hope aligned with Catholic special character (hope, love, kindness)

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Lesson Outline (20 minutes total)

Hook (5 minutes) — “Judgement in Everyday Life”

• Activity:
  • Show students a series of quick scenarios on the board (e.g., "Your friend forgets your birthday," "You see someone drop litter," "You find money in the playground").
  • Ask students to quickly decide “Is this a situation where we judge?”
  • Students shout out their answers with brief reasoning.
• Purpose: To activate prior knowledge and emphasise that judgement is part of daily life, setting a reflective tone for the lesson.

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Activity 1 (5 minutes) — Identifying Adjectives About Judgement

• Task:
  • On the board, list adjectives that can describe judgement (e.g., harsh, fair, kind, quick, wise, unfair, loving, cruel).
  • Students, in pairs, sort these adjectives into two columns: those they think fit God’s judgement and those that do not.
• Differentiation:
  • High achievers: Add 2-3 more adjectives themselves and justify their placement.
  • Middle achievers: Use worksheet with adjectives and sentence starters ("I think this adjective fits God because...").
  • Slow group: One-on-one or small group guided discussion with the teacher to explain the meanings of adjectives.

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Activity 2 (7 minutes) — Listening and Responding to Matthew 25:31-46

• Resources: Teacher reads or plays an audio of Matthew 25:31-46 (The Sheep and the Goats)
• Task:
  • Listen carefully.
  • Answer questions:
    1. Who is Jesus talking about in this passage?
    2. What kind of things do people do to be judged favourably?
    3. How is God's judgement described?
• Differentiation:
  • High group: Write a short reflection about how this passage shows God’s judgement as full of hope and love.
  • Middle group: Answer questions using sentence starters on a worksheet.
  • Slow group: Use pictorial questions or verbal responses, supported with keywords provided by the teacher.

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Activity 3 (3 minutes) — Imagining Judgement Before Christ

• Task:
  • Individually or pairs, students draw or describe a picture of what judgement before Christ might be like at death (drawing, word cloud, or mind map).
• Extension for High Achievers: Write a short poem or prayer reflecting on their image, inspired by Mary’s special character of hope, kindness, and love.
• Middle Achievers: Write 3 sentences describing their picture.
• Slow Group: Draw and label 2-3 key ideas with help if needed.

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Differentiation and UDL Strategies

• Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modalities throughout.
• Varied groupings to scaffold learning (pairs, small groups, individual work).
• Sentence starters and pictorial supports for slow learners.
• Extension tasks and higher-order thinking prompts for high achievers.
• Use of Catholic school special character language (hope, kindness, love, Mary) to connect learning to students’ lived experience.
• Opportunities for verbal, written, and artistic expression.

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Assessment and Reflection

• Observe group discussions during adjective sorting for understanding.
• Review answers to Matthew passage questions for theological insight and comprehension.
• Collect or view students’ drawings and written reflections for depth of understanding and personal response.
• Teacher to circulate during activities to provide on-the-spot feedback and scaffolding.

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Resources Required

• Whiteboard/projector to display scenarios and adjectives.
• Copies of worksheets differentiated by ability group containing adjectives and questions.
• Bible or audio recording of Matthew 25:31-46.
• Paper and colouring materials for drawing.

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This plan respectfully integrates New Zealand Curriculum religious education aims and Catholic character traits, encouraging students to think deeply about judgement in a way that nurtures hope, kindness, and love, all within a 20-minute dynamic and inclusive lesson.