Script:

Slide 1:
Welcome to our parent information night. Tonight we will be discussing the Religious
Education program for Term 3, 2019 in our Year 2 classroom. As parents it is
important to be kept updated with relevant information regarding your child and
their education in order to create a cohesive, supportive and nurturing learning
environment for them between school and home. We will touch on and give a brief
overview of the unit of work that will be covered, the key learning points that will be
explored, the steps of the process undertaken when teaching the unit work, what we
are doing in the classroom, what you can do at home and lastly assessment and
reporting. If you have any queries, questions or concerns at any stage of the
presentation please don’t hesitate to express these.

Slide 2:
To begin I would love for you to join in an opening prayer. The theme of this opening
prayer links with the theme of the unit of work your child will be covering – Family.
As we all know family is a huge aspect of each and everyone of us lives and can have
great impact on our daily lives. During this prayer as we read the words together,
take the time to reflect on your own family, the love you all share, the memories you
have created, the strength and courage you have shown, and the guidance God has
given you. Join with me in making the sign of the cross:

In the name of the father,

The son,
And the Holy Spirit,
Amen

Lord,
I want to thank You for this precious family of mine.
For the talents and good things that You have given each of us.
Please keep us united, and our bond strong as the days pass.
Please guide us, protect us and equip us to do Your will each and every day.
Thank You for all that You are, and all that You have given us.
My heart is forever grateful!

In the name of the father,

The son,
And the Holy Spirit,
Amen

Slide 3:
Gathered Together is the unit of work that the Year 2’s will be undertaking during
the first 5 weeks of this Term. The unit is based around the human salvation topic –

**Activity** – There are sticky notes going around, please take one and write on the
sticky note what you think this unit of work will cover, or anything you already know
about the unit of work and come and stick it on the white board (discuss and read
through answers).

The unit is taught through a series of steps. Step A endeavours to get students
wondering at the human experience of belonging to a family, and at God who gave
us our families to love each of us personally. Step B explores Jesus and how he to
belonged to a family and showed various ways of loving and caring for his family
members. It also explores how Jesus started the family of God (now known as the
Church), which helps us draw to closer to God and each other through various acts of
prayer and celebration. Lastly step C explores ways in which members of God’s
family are called by Jesus to love each other as he loves them. Through these three
key steps of the process and the key learning points students will develop a more in
depth understanding and appreciation of families and belonging to a community.

Slide 4:
Each RE unit of work is organised through these three specific steps. This diagram is
referred to the steps of the process. The steps of the process identify the key
learning points each unit is required to teach. Each step has a key understanding and
one or more key learning points. Step A is focused around wondering at the creator.
This is where students reflect at their own experiences, make meaning of them in a
religious manner and understand what they reveal about God. Step B is known as
the promise of Christian salvation, which explores how Christ modelled the Christian
promise and empowers us to live like him. Finally Step C explores the Christian
response, which mainly refers to how Christ’s power is experienced through his
Church and other Christian possibilities. As you can see on the slideshow, this
diagram represents these three steps and the content (key understanding/learning
points) that will be explored in this particular unit of work – Gathered Together.
These will be the focus of the unit of work and will be taught through reflective,
engaging and meaningful learning experiences with students. These will also form
the basis of assessment and be a guide for both teachers and students to follow.

Slide 5:
Looking at this slide we see some key terminology that sums up the unit of work
beautifully. Through participating in the learning experiences throughout the unit of
work and reflecting on their own experiences, students will gain a more in depth
understanding/insight about these words and topics and how important they are to
the human person. Now I would love for you to take a moment in reading these
words. I want you to reflect on these words and what they mean to you and what
your own understanding is about them. After a minute of reflection please turn to
the people around you and discuss these words, and why you think it is important
for your son or daughter to have an appreciation/understanding about these (Share
back & discuss). Thank you for your contribution, I hope that was insightful for you
and you too can see the value in your child learning these aspects during this unit of
work.

Slide 6:
So what are we doing in the classroom to help your child throughout this unit of
work? Firstly we will (as always) make the children feel safe and supported in a
positive and encouraging environment, where there is no judgement placed on their
own experiences, beliefs or opinions. This is crucial, as we want to ensure students
feel valued and comfortable at all times. Secondly we have devised a really exciting
learning program with various learning experiences where your child will be able to
explore the unit of work in an innovating, creative and transforming manner. This
will be done through the incorporation and integration of the arts, song and dance,
ICT, Godly Plays, hands on and concrete activities etc. This approach will hopefully
help motivate and inspire students to express their experiences and understandings
on topics in an engaging and stimulating way.

Slide 7:
Assessment is the backbone to both teaching and learning. It allows teachers to
gather the necessary information to help monitor and observe student’s progress
and achievement. The plan, teach, assess cycle is the process in which teachers
undertake to ensure they are planning appropriate learning experiences, teaching
them effectively and completing on going meaningful and authentic assessment.
Throughout this unit of work this cycle will be implemented and followed thoroughly
in order to ensure the best success for students.

Slide 8:
During this unit of work various types of assessment will be performed to observe
how your child is progressing. Different strategies such as; rubrics, checklists,
anecdotal notes, portfolios, peer and self-assessment, journal reflections,
quizzes/tests etc. will be conducted throughout the learning program to monitor
progress, gauge student’s knowledge, check for understanding, and provide
feedback on student learning.

Slide 9:
As previously mentioned it is vital that we endeavour to create a cohesive learning
environment for students at both school and at home. This will be beneficial for their
learning and allow them to grasp and experience concepts being taught in school in
a different and relevant context. Giving students the opportunity to consolidate
what they are learning in real life experiences is setting them up for success both in
and out of the classroom and allow them to intrinsically value and appreciate the
content they are learning. So here is a list of things we encourage you to expose your
child to at home, and partake with them.

Slide 10:
I want to thank you for your attendance and willingness to participate in tonight’s
presentation. I hope you have gained a further and comprehensive insight to the
Religious Education your child will be partaking over the next five weeks and as
excited as I am to support and guide them on this learning journey.