Lesson video

Hi, I am Mrs. Afshan.

I'm so pleased that you've decided to complete your learning with me today.

We are going to do brilliantly.

Today we are going to learn about how mosques differ from the unit, "Places of worship: What makes them sacred." The learning outcome of today's lesson is, "I can describe how mosques have common features, but also differ." Let's dive in.

In today's lesson, we are going to focus on some important vocabulary.

These are some of the words.

The words are minaret.

A tower from where the call to prayer is often made.

Dome.

A rounded, often large roof on top of a mosque.

Minbar, a race platform used by the imam to give special talk.

Mihrab, a niche set into the wall of a mosque to indicate the direction of Makkah.

Shall we have a go at reading these words? I'll help you.

First my turn, and your turn.

Minaret.

Minaret.

Dome.

Dome Minbar.

Minbar.

Mihrab.

Mihrab.

Well done.

You did that really well.

Today's lesson has three cycles, but first we're going to look at what are the different types of mosques.

We're gonna look at two types of mosque.

One in Cambridge and one in London.

This is Nadia.

She is a British Muslim from London.

Nadia and her family visited their mosque with a tall tower called a minaret.

This is Nadia's Mosque.

It was founded in 1962 by a small group of Muslims in the community.

Can you see the minaret? Good work.

A minaret is a tower from where the call to prayer is often made.

It also has a dome.

It is a rounded large roof on top of a mosque, just like many mosques.

It also has a prayer hall, which is a quiet place where people go to prayer.

Time for a check for understanding.

A tall tower from where the call to prayer is often made is called a clock tower, a minaret, or a minbar? What'd you think? That's correct.

It's called a minaret.

Let's now meet Ahmed.

This is Ahmed.

He loves to go to his mosque in Cambridge every week.

Ahmed's Mosque look a little bit different to Nadia's Mosque.

Here is the outside image of Nadia's and Ahmed's Mosque.

Ahmed's Mosque is Europe's first eco-friendly mosque.

Outside it has some similar features to Nadia's mosque.

It has a dome and a prayer hall.

Time for another check.

All mosques look the same.

True or false? You're correct if you got false.

Mosque may look different from the outside and may have different features.

Nadia talked about her mosque.

Nadia said, "My mosque holds a special place in my heart.

It has a tall tower called minaret from where a call to prayer is made.

I feel calm and peaceful when I visit my mosque because it's a safe and welcoming place." Let's find out what Ahmed said about his mosque.

Ahmed said, "I love my mosque.

It has a modern design with natural materials and eco-friendly features.

I like the dome, which shines in the sunlight.

There are lots of different mosques, but they're all used for the same purpose - prayer." Time for another check for understanding.

Are you ready? What is the main reason many Muslims go to a mosque? Is it to read their favourite book? Is it to pray, or to buy food? What do you think? Well done, that is correct, to pray.

Time for our task.

I hope you are ready.

Nadia and Ahmed both go to mosques that look different, but are special to them.

Can you explain what Nadia's mosque is like and why is it special to her? You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready.

Let's check our answers.

Nadia's Mosque is a peaceful and special place where she loves to go.

It has a tall tower called minaret, from where the call to prayer is often made, a dome, which is a rounded large roof on top of a mosque, and a prayer hall where Muslims can pray together.

Nadia feels very happy and calm when she visits her mosque because it is where she talks to God and feels close to her family and friends.

Well done.

You did that really well.

Now let's look at which parts of a mosque are sacred.

What do you think, which parts of a mosque are sacred? Here we have Jun who says, "Mosques may look different from the outside, but they're all have special sacred parts inside." Sofia says, "Did you know taking your shoes off before entering the prayer room is about more than just cleanliness? It's a way of showing respect." This is inside Ahmed's Mosque.

We're going to look at some features that you would find inside a mosque.

As you can see in Ahmed's mosque, it has features which are found in all mosques around the world.

It has a minbar, a mihrab, and a prayer area.

Time for a check for understanding.

All mosques have a mihrab, minbar and a prayer area.

True or False? What do you think? True.

That is correct.

Mosque can be big or small in size, but they always have a mihrab, minbar and a prayer area.

Well done.

This is a mihrab at Cambridge mosque, which is Ahmed's mosque.

And this is the mihrab.

It is a niche set into the wall of a mosque to indicate the direction of Makkah.

This helps Muslims know which way to face when they are praying.

Time from another check.

Are you ready? Muslims have to face in the direction of Makkah when they pray.

True or false? True.

That is correct.

A mihrab is a niche set into the wall of mosque to indicate the direction of Makkah.

This is a minbar at Cambridge mosque.

A minbar is a race platform used by the imam to give speeches.

It helps Muslims hear important lessons and teachings about being kind, helping others, and following God.

Here's the prayer area at Cambridge mosque.

The prayer area is a large open space where Muslims pray together.

Everyone takes off their shoes and the space is kept clean.

Cambridge Mosque uses wood that looks like trees as this is better for the environment.

Let's do a check for understanding.

What do you need to do before entering the prayer area? Take your books with you or take your shoes off, or is it take your food with you? Have a go.

Well done.

Take your shoes off is the correct answer.

You're doing really well.

Time for our next task.

Match the words with the correct definition.

Here are the words, mihrab, minbar and prayer area.

Match them correctly with the definition.

You can pause the video now and come back to check your answers.

Are you ready? Let's Check our answers.

Mihrab is a niche set into the wall of for mosque to indicate the direction of Makkah.

A member is a raised platform used by the imam to give speeches.

And the prayer area is a large open space where Muslims pray together.

Now let's look at how mosques are similar and different.

Here's Ahmed.

Let's see what Ahmed says about his mosque.

"I love my mosque in Cambridge, but I also love to learn about mosques around the world.

It is so exciting to discover the beautiful patterns, colours, and designs that make each mosque unique." Let's go and find out.

This is a mosque in Morocco in North Africa.

What do you notice about this mosque? You may have noticed it is made from stone and has a tall minaret, but no obvious dome.

It has bright yellow, green and blue tiles forming beautiful geometric shapes on the wall.

Good observation.

Time for a check for understanding.

Every mosque will have a dome.

True of false? False.

That is correct.

We can see from photographs that not all mosques have a dome.

For example, the mosque in Morocco did not have a dome.

Well done.

This is a mosque in the Philippines in Asia.

What do you notice about this mosque? You may have noticed the mosque has a minaret.

It has many domes.

The mosque is painted bright pink, very different to the mosque we've seen in Morocco, didn't we? Pink represents peace and love in the community.

Here's a check for understanding.

What does the pink colour of the pink mosque in Philippines represent? Is it happiness and celebration? Strength and bravery? Or peace and love? What do you think? That's correct.

It represents peace and love.

Great work.

Ahmed talked about mosques around the world.

Ahmed said, "I learnt that mosques can have different patterns, colours, and designs inspired by each culture.

I also learnt that each mosque reflects its community's traditions, while all mosques are places for prayer and worship." Time for another check for understanding.

Mosques will look different because they're inspired by cultures and communities around them.

True or false? The answer is true.

That is correct.

Here's our next task.

Hope you're ready.

Draw your own mosque.

It can be big or small.

It can have patterns and colours.

You might be inspired by the mosque in Cambridge, Morocco, or the Philippines.

You need to remember to label the features, the minaret, dome and the prayer hall, and explain why you have made your choices.

You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready.

Here's the drawing of my mosque.

I've remembered to include features of a mosque that we've learnt about.

Here's the minaret, the dome, and the prayer area.

Your mosque may look different to this.

It may have a minaret or a dome, it should have a prayer hall because all mosques have a prayer hall.

You might describe which mosques have inspired you.

Well done.

You did that really well.

Now let's look at the summary of today's learning.

We've now learned that there are a range of different mosques and they can look very different from each other, both inside and outside.

We also know now that some areas inside a mosque are sacred, which means they are very special and should be treated with respect.

We also know that mosques can have different features, decorations and designs based on where they are located.

Thank you for your attention today.

I look forward to seeing you in our next lesson.