Year 4 - Religious education
How Christians use art to tell stories
Spirituality: how is art used in religions and beliefs?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will build on their understanding of spirituality. They will examine how many worldviews use art to help express their beliefs. They will connect Islamic teachings on images to the development of calligraphy. They will examine different Christian attitudes to images.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to give examples of how different Christian traditions use art to retell stories.
Key Notes
- Many churches used stained glass windows to tell stories from the Bible.
- Some churches use icons to worship and focus on God.
- Christian art often contains deeper symbolic meanings placed within images by artists.
- By examining different Christian attitudes to art we can better understand Christian worldviews.
Vocabulary To Learn
- icon: a picture or painting used as a focus for Christian worship
- Chi Rho: the first two Greek letters of the word Christ used as an early Christian symbol
- stained glass window: a picture made from coloured glass often found in churches depicting scenes associated with Christianity
- venerate: to regard someone or something with great respect
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All Christians view art in the same way.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Many churches used stained glass windows to tell stories from the Bible. Some churches use icons to worship and focus on God.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'icon'
a picture or painting used as a focus for Christian worship.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: All Christians view art in the same way. Correction: There are differing Christian worldviews on the role of art. Some Christians use art as a form of devotion. Some, like many Orthodox Christians, venerate icons. Other Christians see art as distracting from a focus on God.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 4 Religious education guide library.