Good Neighbours

National Curriculum Links

• Religious Education (RE) Key Stage 2, Year 4
• Pupils should learn about teachings of Christianity through Bible stories, focusing on how these show ideas about morality and care for others.
• Understanding of religious and other worldviews to answer questions about meaning, purpose, and ethical life choices (DfE, 2013).
• Develop empathy and ability to reflect on moral decisions and fairness in everyday life.

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Learning Objectives

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

• Recall the parable of the Good Samaritan and identify key characters and events.
• Explain the meaning of being a ‘good neighbour’ and relate this to fairness and care in their own lives.
• Evaluate the actions of different characters in the story and in a modern classroom scenario.
• Reflect on how caring actions impact others and explore ideas of fairness and inclusion, including recognising unfair treatment such as racism.

These objectives support the RE Programme of Study for England at Key Stage 2 - Learning About Religion (Christianity) and Learning From Religion (how religious ideas affect behaviour and attitudes).

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Success Criteria

Pupils will:

• Retell the story of the Good Samaritan with all main points.
• Suggest behaviours that show care and fairness in their community.
• Identify examples of caring and uncaring actions from the story and real-life scenario.
• Demonstrate understanding of why it is important to care for others, including those who are different from us.
• Use respectful language when discussing fairness and unfairness.

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Resources

• Bible or simplified storybook version of Luke 10:25-37 (Good Samaritan)
• Props for role-play (e.g., cloth, milk carton, badges for characters)
• Whiteboard/flip-chart and pens
• Pre-prepared ‘Good Neighbour’ ideas list for ranking
• Scenario cards for modern-day classroom version of the story

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Goal: Engage and provoke curiosity about fairness, care, and neighbourliness.

• Starter Activity:
  Display two contrasting cartoon images: one showing neighbours helping each other (e.g., sharing tools), another showing neighbours ignoring each other (e.g., turning backs).
  Ask: “What do you notice? Which picture shows fairness? Why?”
  This activates prior knowledge and sets the theme.

• Whole-class discussion:
  Introduce the question: “Who cares? Who should care? Is it fair if everyone cares for everyone?”
  Brief talk about next-door neighbours:

  • Who are your neighbours?
  • Why might it be important to care for people who live near us?
  • What does being a ‘good neighbour’ mean?

• List Making and Ranking:
  Generate ideas orally for neighbourliness (e.g., helping with groceries, sharing things, being kind).
  Write ideas on whiteboard.
  Pupils vote or rank the top 3 ‘best ideas for neighbourliness’ by raising hands or stickers.

Key Questions:

• Why should we care about others?
• Can someone be a good neighbour even if they don’t live close by?
• Is it always easy to show care? Why/why not?

2. Exploration and Storytelling (12 minutes)

Goal: Understand the parable of the Good Samaritan and its message about fairness and compassion.

• Tell the story of the Good Samaritan as told in Luke 10:25-37. Use expressive language and gestures to make it vivid.
• Emphasise the unfairness in how the injured man was treated by some characters and the kindness shown by the Samaritan.
• Invite pupils to imagine themselves in the story: ask “If you were in a play based on this story, which character would you want to be? Why?”
• Discuss why Jesus might have made up this story: What message was He sharing?
• Facilitate a class discussion:
  • How did the Samaritan show he cared?
  • Why did he care, even when it was surprising?
  • Who didn’t care? What does that tell us about fairness?
  • What does the story suggest about who is a neighbour?

Key Questions:

• Could the Samaritan be someone who is different from us?
• What might make it hard for people to help others?
• How do you think the injured man felt?

3. Role-Play Activity (12 minutes)

Goal: Apply the story’s message in a modern, relatable context and reflect on caring behaviour.

• Present a classroom-based version of the story:
  One pupil "accidentally" spills milk on the floor before playtime.
  Two pupils have excuses for not helping clean up (e.g., too busy, don’t know where cloth is).
  The third pupil, who is a bit ‘different’ (e.g., from another class, different gender, EAL learner), helps to clear the mess.

• Assign roles and conduct a short role-play with volunteers.

• After, discuss with the class:

  • Who helped and why?
  • Who didn’t help and why?
  • Was it fair? What could have been done differently?
  • How might the pupil who was helped feel?
  • How does this relate to the Good Samaritan story?

Key Questions:

• Why might the ‘different’ child helping be important to notice?
• Do you think we should expect everyone to help? Why or why not?
• How should we treat people who seem different from us?

4. Reflection and Discussion on Fairness and Racism (8 minutes)

Goal: Promote empathy and understanding of inclusion and fairness in today’s society.

• Briefly explain that in Jesus’ time, there was unfairness and dislike (racism) towards Samaritans.
• Emphasise that Jesus showed anyone can be a hero by caring.
• Discuss:
  • “Who else gets treated unfairly or left out today?”
  • “What should we do if we see or hear racism or unkindness?”
• Link this back to being a good neighbour now and always.

Key Questions:

• What does fairness mean in our classrooms and communities?
• How can we stand up for those treated unfairly?
• What small things can we all do to show we care every day?

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Plenary (3 minutes)

• Invite pupils to think-pair-share: “What is one way you can be a good neighbour this week?”
• Ask a few pupils to share their ideas with the class — reinforce positive, achievable actions.
• Recap success criteria briefly, praising pupils for their thoughtful participation.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observe contributions during discussions to check understanding of fairness, care, and ‘good neighbour’ ideas.
• Record pupils’ ranking on neighbourliness list as a formative check on priorities and values.
• Assess pupils’ ability to retell and explain the Good Samaritan story during the role-play phase.
• Evaluate reflections on the modern-day role-play and discussion on fairness and racism to gauge empathy and ethical understanding.

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Extension/Challenge Ideas

• Pupils create their own modern-day parables about fairness and care in small groups, then share with the class.
• Create a “Good Neighbour Pledge” poster that pupils design and sign, detailing how they will show care in school and community.

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This lesson plan is designed to deeply engage Year 4 pupils with core Christian teachings on compassion and fairness while linking those teachings to real-life issues and encouraging empathy and inclusivity in line with the National Curriculum expectations for Religious Education.