Zakat and Community Care

Overview

In this lesson (lesson 3 of 4) students build on previous learning about communities and how religious beliefs shape responsibilities to others. They explore Zakat as a charitable giving practice in Islam and consider how it supports community caring, then apply learning through a “Zakat Day” poster task.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• describe what Zakat is and why Muslims give to others
• explain how Zakat links to responsibility and caring for a wider community
• give examples of community service or helping actions linked to Islamic communities
• plan and create a “Zakat Day” poster that promotes helping others in their community

Success criteria

Students can:

• explain Zakat as a form of charity in Islam and recognise it helps people in need
• identify at least two reasons Zakat strengthens community caring
• share one or more examples of helping actions that could happen on “Zakat Day”
• work with a partner/small group to produce a clear poster with respectful, accurate ideas

Curriculum links

• Religious education: pupils consider responsibilities to themselves and others, and explore how they can contribute to communities and wider society
• RE good practice: relevance to pupils’ needs and links to real life through communication and collaboration
• RE good practice: developing values and attitudes by recognising rights and responsibilities in light of learning about religions and beliefs

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and recall. Teacher shows two short prompts on the board: “Who helps our community?” and “What makes helping fair?” Students quick-write one idea, then share with a partner.

2. 5–15 min · Teach: What Zakat is. Teacher explains Zakat as charitable giving in Islam, focusing on the idea that it helps people who need support and helps the community look after each other. Students underline three key words in their notes: Zakat, charity, community care. Teacher checks understanding with two cold-call questions: “What is Zakat?” “Who benefits?”

3. 15–25 min · Explore: How it supports responsibility. Teacher leads a class discussion using scenario cards (e.g., someone is struggling to buy food, a family needs warm clothes, a local community group needs volunteers). Students sort each scenario into: “Zakat helps because…” (responsibility/caring) or “Other kinds of help…” then justify with a sentence stem: “Zakat shows caring because…”. Teacher listens for respectful, accurate links.

4. 25–40 min · Fun task: Zakat Day poster. Students work in groups of 3–4 to create a “Zakat Day” poster. Teacher sets a clear poster checklist: title (“Zakat Day”), 3 helping actions, one short explanation of Zakat/community care, and a simple teamwork plan for how their group could carry out one action. Students draft, design, and assign roles (writer, illustrator, fact-checker, presenter). Teacher circulates to support group talk and accurate content.

5. 40–45 min · Share and exit ticket. Each group presents for 30–40 seconds. Students then complete a 1-question exit ticket: “One way Zakat can help a community is…” Teacher gathers responses for next-lesson planning.

Resources

• Scenario cards (community needs: food, clothes, loneliness, local support)
• Zakat information sheet (simple, age-appropriate teacher-prepared notes)
• Poster paper or A3 sheets, coloured pencils/markers
• Role cards for group work (writer/illustrator/presenter/fact-checker)
• Sticky notes for quick feedback during discussion
• Exit ticket slips

Assessment

• Formative checks during discussion: accurate responses to “What is Zakat?” and “Who benefits?”
• Observation during group work: respectful language and correct connection between Zakat and responsibility/caring
• Exit ticket: evidence students can describe a way Zakat helps community caring

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters (“Zakat is…”, “Zakat shows caring because…”, “On Zakat Day we could…”), and a word bank (Zakat, charity, community, responsibility, caring).
• Support: offer a partially completed poster template for students who need structure (title box, three action boxes, one explanation box).
• Extension: challenge students to include one “why it matters” reflection (e.g., how fairness and responsibility help communities) and one example of how they would encourage others to join.
• EAL/SEN: allow drawing to contribute ideas, use visuals for key terms, and permit oral dictation for poster writing with teacher or peer scribe when needed.