Carlo’s Faith Journey

Overview

This 45-minute lesson is Lesson 2 of 4 in the unit "Inspiring Faith: Carlo Acutis," designed for Year 6 pupils. The lesson explores Carlo Acutis’s personal faith journey, focusing on his deep devotion to the Eucharist and his daily living of faith. Through discussion and reflection, pupils will connect Carlo’s relationship with God to their own experiences, fostering empathy and understanding of faith in everyday life.

This plan is fully aligned with the Northern Ireland Curriculum for Religious Education Key Stage 2, emphasising learning about and from religion, exploring beliefs and practices, and developing personal responses.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Identify key moments in Carlo Acutis’s faith journey, particularly his devotion to the Eucharist.
• Explain how Carlo’s relationship with God influenced his daily actions and decisions.
• Reflect on their own faith or beliefs and relate to aspects of Carlo’s journey.
• Demonstrate understanding of how faith can inspire positive living in everyday situations.

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Curriculum Links

Northern Ireland Curriculum: Religious Education (Key Stage 2)

• Exploring: Recognise and describe key aspects of religious belief, practices, and sources of authority (AT2L2).
• Expressing: Ask meaningful questions about faith and values and respond thoughtfully (AT2L3).
• Reflecting: Reflect on their own and others’ responses to religious beliefs and identify links with their own experience (AT2L4).
• Skills development: Develop communication skills through discussion and reflection (Communication across Learning).

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Resources

• Short biography handout of Carlo Acutis (age-appropriate)
• Images/cards illustrating key events in Carlo’s life (e.g. receiving Eucharist, creating Eucharistic miracles website)
• Whiteboard / flip chart and markers
• Reflection journals or lined paper and pencils
• Audio clip or video excerpt (2-3 minutes) about Carlo’s devotion (teacher to select appropriate media)

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Lesson Structure

Starter – Engagement (5 minutes)

• Activity: Begin with a thought prompt on the board:
  “What does it mean to you to live out your beliefs every day?”
• Pupils jot down 2-3 quick ideas in their reflection journals.
• Brief class sharing of ideas (select 3-4 responses).

Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and link personal experience with the theme of living faith daily.

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Main Activity 1: Carlo’s Faith Journey Story (15 minutes)

• Teacher reads aloud or plays a prerecorded short story of Carlo’s key faith moments, emphasising his love for the Eucharist and how that shaped his actions.
• Pupils receive timeline cards that represent milestones/events in Carlo’s journey (e.g., first Holy Communion, creation of the Eucharistic miracles website, acts of kindness).
• In pairs, pupils sequence the cards and discuss what these events tell us about Carlo’s relationship with God.

Teacher prompts:

• How do you think Carlo’s faith influenced his actions?
• Why do you think the Eucharist was so important to him?

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Main Activity 2: Group Discussion and Reflection (15 minutes)

• Whole class discussion guided by these questions:

  • What would you admire about Carlo’s faith and why?
  • Can you think of a time when your beliefs helped you make a good choice?
  • How could we live our own faith or values more like Carlo?

• Pupils then write a short personal reflection in their journals:
  “Something I learned about faith from Carlo is... What I can do in my life to show my beliefs is...”

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Plenary – Sharing and Assessment (10 minutes)

• Invite 5-6 pupils to share their reflections aloud (encourage respectful listening).
• Teacher records key themes on the whiteboard (e.g., kindness, prayer, courage).
• End with a quiet moment of personal prayer or thought, allowing pupils to consider how they might grow in their own faith or values.

Assessment:

• Observe participation and understanding during discussions.
• Collect reflection journals (or review in next lesson) to assess pupils’ ability to connect Carlo’s journey with their own experiences and understanding of faith.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters or visual prompts for pupils needing help expressing ideas in written reflections.
• Extension: Challenge more able pupils to suggest how Carlo’s example might inspire actions outside school (e.g., community, family).
• Additional support: Pair pupils strategically for peer support during activities.

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Cross-Curricular Opportunities

• Literacy: Developing speaking, listening, and writing through story sequencing and reflection.
• ICT: If tech is available, explore interactive maps or project excerpts about Carlo on the interactive whiteboard.
• Personal Development: Empathy and self-awareness deepen through relating personal faith/values to Carlo’s journey.

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Teacher Notes

• Reinforce respectful listening and sensitive sharing of personal beliefs.
• Emphasise that Carlo’s story is a way to inspire, not pressure, pupils about faith.
• Link to future lessons: next lesson will explore how Carlo’s example challenges us to be welcoming and kind in school life.

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This lesson is carefully crafted to support the learning capacities of Year 6 pupils within the Northern Ireland Curriculum framework and to inspire meaningful connections between Carlo Acutis’s faith journey and pupils’ own lives.