Inspiring Faith Stories

Overview

This 60-minute lesson is designed for Year 6 students (ages 10-11) to explore the life and legacy of Carlo Acutis, a modern figure who exemplifies living faith in the digital age. Using the Northern Ireland Curriculum for Religious Education, the session connects pupils’ understanding of personal faith, ethical living, and the role of technology in religion, while engaging them in creative digital storytelling through a pic collage activity.

Curriculum Context

Area of Study: Learning about religion and beliefs
Level: Level 3 (Primary)

Relevant Learning Objectives (Northern Ireland Curriculum - Religious Education):

Pupils should be enabled to investigate and consider how religious beliefs and practices shape individuals and communities.
Pupils should develop an understanding of the diversity of faith expressions and the impact of faith on personal and social behaviour.
Pupils should use creative and reflective skills to express their understanding of religious concepts.
Pupils are encouraged to use ICT tools to support their learning and deepen their understanding of religion.

Cross-Curricular Skills:

Using ICT
Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities: Being creative, self-management, working with others

Learning Objectives

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

Describe the life and key achievements of Carlo Acutis and his significance as a modern role model of faith.
Reflect on how faith can be lived and expressed in the modern world, particularly through technology.
Use digital tools creatively to produce a meaningful pic collage portraying aspects of Carlo Acutis’ life and values.
Demonstrate empathy and understanding towards people of faith through discussion and creative expression.

Resources

Tablets or laptops (1 per 2-3 pupils if 29 pupils, approx 10 devices) with internet access
Pic collage app or software (can be a simple collage maker e.g. using MS PowerPoint, Google Slides, or a pre-installed collage app)
Images and short biography sheets of Carlo Acutis (pre-prepared)
Projector and screen for teacher presentation
Whiteboard/flip chart for brainstorming
Printed keywords and reflection prompts

Lesson Structure

1. Starter Activity (10 minutes)

Engage pupils with an introductory discussion:
“Can you think of someone who inspires people because of their beliefs or actions?”
Present a brief multimedia slideshow or video about Carlo Acutis (2-3 minutes) highlighting:
- Who he was (Italian teenager, lived 1991-2006)
- Known for his deep Catholic faith, kindness, and use of the internet to spread the Eucharist’s importance
- Beatified as a Blessed by the Catholic Church
Pose reflective questions on the board:
- What stood out about Carlo’s life?
- How did he use technology for good?
Record keywords on whiteboard (e.g., Faith, Technology, Kindness, Digital Evangelist).

2. Main Activity: Pic Collage Creation (35 minutes)

Instructions:
Pupils will work in small groups (3 per group) to create a digital pic collage that tells the story of Carlo Acutis.
Steps:
1. Provide each group with the biography sheets and printed images related to key moments of Carlo’s life (e.g., computer, Eucharist, charity, church, nature).
2. Pupils should select images and/or search for additional ones (using safe, school-approved websites supervised by the teacher) to represent:
  - Who Carlo was
  - How he lived his faith
  - His use of technology for sharing his beliefs
  - Values he demonstrated (e.g., compassion, faith, creativity)
3. Groups arrange images meaningfully, add captions or short quotes to narrate the story.
4. Encourage creativity: pupils can insert symbols, keywords, or short reflective notes.
Throughout, the teacher will scaffold by:
- Circulating to assist with technology
- Prompting deeper thinking with questions like “Why do you think Carlo’s faith mattered to him?”
- Supporting collaboration and effective use of ICT

3. Sharing and Reflection (10 minutes)

Each group will briefly present their collage (1-2 minutes each); with 10 groups roughly, limit to 3-4 groups or select volunteers if time constrained.
Guide class discussion on:
- What new things did you learn about living faith today?
- How can we use technology responsibly in our own lives?
- How can Carlo Acutis' example inspire us?

4. Plenary (5 minutes)

Pupils write a one-sentence reflection on a sticky note or whiteboard:
“One way I can live my faith (or values) today is...”
Collect and display reflections for ongoing class inspiration.
Summarise key learning: Modern people like Carlo show how faith can be meaningful and active, even with new technology.

Assessment

Formative: Teacher observation during group work assessing collaboration, engagement, and application of knowledge.
Creative outcome: Completed pic collages assessed for understanding of Carlo Acutis’ life and the meaningful use of ICT in religious expression.
Reflective assessment: Pupils’ spoken or written reflections demonstrate personal connection to faith values and ethical use of technology.

Differentiation

Provide image packs and sentence starters for students who need extra support.
Challenge higher ability pupils to add quotes from Carlo’s writings or create digital annotations explaining their image choices.
Support pupils with ICT skills by pairing them with more confident peers.

Health & Safety / E-Safety

Ensure internet access is supervised and content safe.
Remind pupils about appropriate use of digital tools and respect in group work.

Teacher Notes

Preparation: arrange devices, pre-download key resources, check pic collage tool availability and functionality.
Consider inviting pupils to save their pic collages for sharing on a class blog or display board to foster pride and reinforce learning beyond the classroom.
Reflect on how this lesson connects to broader themes in Religious Education such as faith in action, modern spirituality, and the ethical use of technology.

This lesson creatively integrates faith learning with digital literacy, encouraging Year 6 pupils to thoughtfully engage with a contemporary religious figure who bridges tradition and technology, fully aligned with the Northern Ireland Curriculum.

Teaching Instructions