Who comes first? INSET session
Creative ideas for exploring the Christian faith in relation to Olympic values
Introduction
Barnabas in Schools has been leading INSET sessions and running creative arts-based Barnabas RE Days for primary schools in the UK for over ten years. 2012 offers schools a unique opportunity to both celebrate the international dimension of sport, and explore sporting values and their relationship to personal and community development.
In addition, the Games provide us with stories of outstanding dedication and achievement that have strong links to the principal teachings of the Christian faith, and so can provide teachers with a way to explore Christianity creatively in the classroom.
Content
Using key elements of Christian teaching and particular Bible stories, the INSET session 'Who comes first?' will:
- look at the history of the Games in their New Testament context and their subsequent development.
- unpack the links between what Christians believe and the seven official sporting values of Respect, Excellence, Friendship, Courage, Determination, Inspiration and Equality.
- explore Bible stories that relate to issues of winners and losers; the relationship between individual excellence and team spirit; the dynamic tension of competition and cooperation; as well as questions of fairness and respect.
- sample a range of creative approaches for sharing these stories with children both in the classroom and in collective worship.
- make relevant connections between RE and the wider curriculum, in particular PE, PHSE and Citizenship, SEAL and Values education.
- reflect on what the Games can teach us about what Christians believe, and how it influences their choices in life.
All schools booking this INSET session will receive an additional free teaching resource book - Who Comes First? Inspiring stories from the history of the Games.
Worksheets to accompany this book are available online - find out more (PDF).
Also available: Who comes first? Barnabas RE Day and Who Comes First? resource book.