Religion and Justice

Overview

Unit Title: Rights, Needs, and Justice
Lesson Number: 7 of 10
Lesson Title: Case Studies: Religion and Justice
Subject: Religious Education
Year Group: Year 6 (Ages 10–11)
Duration: 60 minutes
Class Size: 30 students
Curriculum Reference:
This lesson aligns with the Religious Education Council of England and Wales’ non-statutory framework and supports cross-curricular links with the Citizenship and PSHE curriculum.
Specifically:

• KS2 RE Objective: Pupils should:
  • Consider the meaning of justice, fairness, and equality and how they are viewed in different religious traditions.
  • Learn how people’s religious beliefs affect their actions in the world.
  • Study examples where faith communities have impacted social justice and human rights.

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Learning Objectives

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

• Identify and explain how religious beliefs inspire advocacy for justice.
• Analyse two specific case studies demonstrating faith in action.
• Evaluate how religion can promote fairness and equality in society.

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Prior Learning Required

• Understanding of basic human rights and needs (Lessons 1–3).
• Familiarity with core concepts of justice and fairness introduced in prior lessons.
• Basic awareness of world religions and their values.

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Vocabulary

Term	Definition
Justice	The concept of fairness and moral rightness.
Advocacy	Public support for or recommendation of a cause.
Compassion	Sympathetic concern for the suffering of others.
Solidarity	Unity or agreement of feeling or action.

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Resources Required

• Printed case study cards (see below)
• A3 paper and marker pens
• Sticky notes
• Whiteboard and markers
• Optional: soft music for group work to promote focus
• Visual cues/illustrations for key terms on display

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Lesson Outline

Starter (10 minutes): Thinking Outside Ourselves

Activity: Needs vs Justice Warm-Up

• Begin with an individual reflective task. Give each pupil three sticky notes.
• On each post-it, they write:
  1. A basic need (e.g. food, home, school)
  2. A time they saw someone being treated unfairly
  3. Something they’ve done to help another person
• Stick notes to the front board under labels “Needs”, “Unfairness”, “Helping Others”.
  Class Discussion:
• What do these examples tell us about justice in our everyday lives?
• Transition: Sometimes, standing up for others is motivated by belief. Today, we’re going to explore how religion and justice are connected.

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Main Activity (35 minutes): Case Studies in Action

Activity 1: Gallery Walk (15 minutes)

• Place four Case Study Stations around the room with printed and laminated cards (see example below).
• Group pupils into teams of 6 (5 groups total; each group visits at least 2 stations).
• In each group, designate a ‘Question Keeper’ and a ‘Recorder’.
• Pupils have 7 minutes per station. At each case study, pupils:
  • Read the story
  • Identify what injustice was addressed
  • Record responses to focus questions:
    1. What happened?
    2. What religion was involved?
    3. Why did they act?
    4. What was the result?

Case Study Summaries (provide printed cards for these):

• Case Study 1: Christian Aid – Hunger Relief in Ethiopia
  Focus: Christian belief in compassion and feeding the hungry.

• Case Study 2: Sikhs in the Langar Movement (UK Focus)
  Focus: Free meals provided to all, inspired by Sikh teachings on equality.

• Case Study 3: Quakers and the Refugee Crisis
  Focus: Peace and justice efforts inspired by Quaker belief in equality.

• Case Study 4: Muslim Hands’ Winter Campaign in the UK
  Focus: Islamic duty (Zakat) to support those in need.

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Activity 2: Justice Posters & Presentations (20 minutes)

• Back in groups, pupils create a “Justice Poster” that links one case study to the idea: “Faith inspires action for justice.”
  Posters should include:
  • Visual representation
  • Summary of the case
  • A brief quote from a religious teaching that inspired the action
  • A slogan or catchphrase for justice (e.g. “Faith in action”)
• Optional: Use simple iconography or religious symbols to represent each faith
• Pupils present posters (max 1 minute per group). Others give one like, one suggestion

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Plenary (10 minutes): Circle of Justice

Activity: Reflection Circle

• Sit in a circle. One foam “justice ball” passed around. When a pupil catches it, they say:
  • One thing they learned about religion and justice
  • Or one thing they’d like to change in the world if they could
• Extend with this BIG QUESTION:
  “Do you think religions are more about belief or about action? Why?”
  (Allow 3–4 responses. No right answer – build discussion confidence.)

Exit Task: Pick a word from today – either “Compassion”, “Equality”, or “Justice” – and write it in bold colours on a mini-post-it. Underneath it, write one sentence about how you’ll show that value this week.

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Assessment Opportunities

Formative:

• Teacher observation during gallery walk (identifying understanding of religious motivations)
• Group poster presentations (clarity of understanding case studies)
• Whole-class circle reflections

Summative (informal):

• Justice Posters demonstrate links between belief and action
• Accuracy and insight in sticky note reflections

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Extension/Challenge

Greater Depth Pupils:

• Research a local or national religious-based charity and prepare a 3-minute verbal pitch on how they are tackling injustice
• Provide deeper quotes or scriptures supporting actions taken

Support/Scaffold:

• Provide illustrated prompt sheets at case studies for pupils who need reading support
• Sentence starters during discussion (e.g. “This happened because…”, “They believed…”)

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Cross-Curricular Links

• Citizenship / PSHE: Awareness of fairness and human rights
• English: Interpreting written texts, summarising case studies
• Art/Design: Poster-making and visual vocabulary of justice

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Teacher Reflection Post-Lesson

🟨 What moments sparked curiosity?
🟩 Which case study most engaged pupils and why?
🟦 How did pupils express the connection between belief and action?

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Next Lesson Preview

Lesson 8: Faith Leaders for Justice
Pupils will explore inspirational faith leaders (e.g. Malala Yousafzai, Desmond Tutu, Guru Nanak) and examine how personal faith guided their stand for human rights.

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“Justice is what love looks like in public.” – Cornel West (Included as optional board quote)

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