Exploring Human Needs

Overview

Unit Title: Rights, Needs, and Justice
Lesson: 3 of 10
Lesson Title: Exploring Needs vs. Wants
Subject: Religious Education
Key Stage: KS2
Year Group: Year 6
Length: 60 minutes
Class Size: 30 pupils

Curriculum Links

National Curriculum – Religious Education (Non-Statutory Guidance England)

• Explore how religious and non-religious beliefs influence decisions about rights, responsibilities, justice, and compassion.
• Learn about what different philosophical and ethical perspectives say about fairness and meeting human needs.
• Recognise the impact of beliefs and values on individuals and communities.

PSHE Association Programme of Study (cross-curricular enrichment)

• L11: Consider the lives of people living in other places and people with different values and customs.
• L14: Know about the role money plays in their own and others’ lives, including how to manage their money and about being a critical consumer.
• L16: Understand that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these economic choices affect individuals and communities.

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Learning Objectives

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

• Distinguish between needs and wants using real-world scenarios
• Reflect on how different communities and religions respond to the basic needs of people
• Develop empathy by identifying how lack of needs can affect lives
• Begin to explore how justice connects to ensuring basic needs for all

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Success Criteria

Pupils will be successful if they:

• Correctly classify at least 8 of 10 items as ‘needs’ or ‘wants’ with clear reasoning
• Can articulate why a person’s needs are a matter of justice
• Show engagement in 'Empathy Circles' by contributing respectful and thoughtful insights
• Make direct connections between needs and broader moral or religious teachings

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Resources Needed

• A3 Sorting Mats with “NEEDS” and “WANTS” columns
• Item Cards (food, phone, medicine, designer trainers, clean water, books, holidays, shelter, pets, transport, Internet, new toys)
• "Empathy Circles" prompt cards
• Butcher paper or flipchart and markers
• Whiteboard
• Blue tac
• Reflection journals (or pupil exercise books)
• Sticky dots (2 per pupil – green and red)

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Vocabulary

Essential vocabulary to pre-teach or review:

• Need
• Want
• Justice
• Fairness
• Basic human rights
• Community
• Empathy

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Lesson Structure

Starter Activity (10 minutes)

Title: “What If?” Scenarios

1. Begin with a calm mindfulness bell or chime (optional). Invite students to "think deeply and quietly."
2. Display the following scenario on the board:
   “Imagine it’s winter. You have no bed, no warm clothes, and haven’t eaten today. What would you be thinking about the most?”
3. Give pupils 30 seconds to silently think.
4. Hand out two sticky dots per pupil (1 green, 1 red).
5. Display a range of items on the board (bed, phone, crisps, radiator, teddy bear, soup, football).
6. Ask pupils to place their green dot on something that is a “need” and red dot on something that is a “want.”
7. Brief class share-out: “Why did you choose that?”—look for depth of understanding.

Purpose: Activates empathy, sets a reflective tone, begins to separate wants/needs intuitively.

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Main Activity Part A (20 minutes)

Title: Curious Categorisers

1. Split class into mixed-ability table groups of 5.
2. Hand each group an A3 Sorting Mat and a full set of Item Cards.
3. Task: Work as a group to sort items into “needs” or “wants.” Pupils must agree on each decision.
4. Once sorted, challenge them:
   “Now choose two items from your WANT pile and argue that in some situations, they might actually be NEEDS.”
5. Encourage them to annotate their mat with “Why?” and “When?” using dry-erase markers or post-it notes.
6. Circulate, questioning groups with prompts such as:
   • “Could this be a need in another country?”
   • “What if someone has a disability?”
   • “How might a religious community help meet this need?”

Teacher Tip: Use a timer and music to encourage pace. A slow instrumental piece can help focus and discussion.

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Main Activity Part B (15 minutes)

Title: Empathy Circles

1. Push tables aside. Sit in a large circle.
2. Provide “Empathy Circles” prompt cards with reflective questions:
   • “Would life be fair if some people didn’t have clean water?”
   • “What do different religions say about helping those in need?”
   • “If a neighbour didn’t have food, what would you do?”
   • “What is more important: a safe place to live or going on holiday?”
3. Use a soft object (like a squishy ball) to pass around – only the person holding the item can speak. Encourage listening and respect.
4. Allow pupils to pass if they want to.

Purpose: Deepens connection to moral and religious concepts of justice, fairness, and compassion.

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Plenary - Snap Reflections (10 minutes)

Title: Need. Want. Why?

1. Ask pupils to open their reflection journals or exercise books.
2. Give the prompt:
   Pick one item from today’s activity. Explain whether you think it is a need or a want and why. Then describe one reason someone else might disagree with you.
3. Encourage vocabulary use from today’s lesson (e.g. justice, basic right, want, fairness).
4. Optional Extension: Discuss what happens when governments or communities fail to provide these needs.

WOW Ending: Play a brief quote (pre-recorded or teacher read) from a religious leader/thinker:
“A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Invite pupils to write a thought bubble response below their reflection.

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Assessment for Learning (AfL)

• Observation during sorting activity and empathy circles
• Reflection journal responses
• Quality of reasoning and justification in class discussion
• Verbal peer feedback in circle times
• Questioning to probe pupil understanding during activities

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Differentiation

Support:

• Mixed-ability grouping for peer scaffolding
• Visual item cards with symbolic images for EAL and SEND learners
• Sentence starters for journal entry provided on mini whiteboards

Stretch:

• Ask higher-level pupils to consider how market economies affect access to needs
• Provide abstract debate prompts (e.g. “Is the internet a need in today’s world?”)

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Homework / Extended Learning

Ask pupils to keep a short diary over 2 days titled: “Needs vs. Wants: A Day in My Life”
They are to track what they consume or use and decide each item’s category with a short reflection on how it affects their life.

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Teacher Reflection

At the end of the lesson, reflect on:

• Were pupils able to grasp the emotional as well as practical difference between needs and wants?
• Did discussion promote empathy and deeper moral thinking?
• What might be needed to bridge to next lesson on “Justice in Action”?

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Notes for Next Lesson

Lesson 4 Title: Justice in Action
Focus: How faith communities and organisations respond when people’s basic needs are not met.

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Category: Religious Education | Rights, Needs & Justice | KS2
Written specifically for UK educators using the national curriculum framework.