Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mrs. Afshan and welcome to our lesson.

Today, we're going to learn about a very important person who made a big difference in the world, Guru Nanak.

Have you heard of Guru before? Great.

Let's find out who he was, where he lived, and how his teachings inspire people today.

The lesson is called Guru Nanak from the Unit, "Sikhs: How does Guru Nanak inspire Sikhs today?" The learning outcome of today's lesson is, I can explain who Guru Nanak was and describe his journey as a guru.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain who Guru Nanak was and why he is so important to Sikhs.

All right, before we dive into today's lesson, let's get to know some important words that we'll use today.

These words will help us understand Guru Nanak and his teachings better.

Are you ready? The first word is guru, a spiritual teacher.

The next word is Guru Nanak, who is considered the first Sikh guru.

And finally, the word is Sikh, a learner and follower of the Sikhi religion.

You can write these words down if you want so we can come back to them during our lesson.

Our lesson has three cycles today.

But first, we'll be looking at who was Guru Nanak.

Let's find out what is a guru first.

Have you heard of this word before? That's correct, we did read the word and looked at the definition.

Let's find out a little bit more.

In many traditions, a guru is someone who helps them learn and grow.

A guru isn't just a teacher in a classroom.

A guru is someone who shows them the right path, helps them understand important lessons and leads them to be their best selves.

Here is guru written in Sanskrit language.

The word guru comes from the ancient language of Sanskrit, where it means one who removes darkness.

In simple words, a guru helps light the way for others by showing them how to live better.

Time for a check for understanding.

The word guru comes from the ancient language of Sanskrit.

What does the word guru mean? Is it a person who loves animals or a person who removes darkness, or a strong leader? What do you think? That's correct.

A guru is a person who removes darkness.

Well done.

Here's Alex, Sophia, Lucas and Aisha, and they're discussing what a guru is and their importance.

Alex says, I think a guru is someone who teaches and guides others.

Sophia says, I think a guru is a role model showing others how to live.

Lucas is saying and thinking that a guru helps people grow into better versions of themselves.

Aisha says, I think guru helps people connect with something greater, like God.

Here's Mandeep, he is a British Sikh and has a Sikh worldview.

Mandeep loves learning from his guru who helps him understand how to be kind, share with others and stay strong in difficult situations.

Sikhs like Mandeep and many other, follow the teachings of the Sikh gurus.

Sikhs believe that there were 10 gurus who came to the world to give God's teachings to human beings.

These are the teachings which Sikhs believe show them how to live.

Let's check if you got that.

Find the missing word.

Sikhs believe that they were gurus who came to the world to give God's teachings to human beings.

Is the missing word 10 or two, or nine? Have a think.

That's correct, the missing word was 10.

There were 10 gurus, that's correct.

Guru Nanak was the first guru and founder of the Sikhi religion, and his teachings are still followed by many Sikhs around the world.

Isn't that amazing? Guru Nanak wanted everyone to be treated equally and he showed people that love and kindness are the most important things in the world.

Time for another check.

Guru Nanak believed in the importance of equality and wanted everyone to be treated equally.

True or false? True, that's correct.

And why did Guru Nanak believe in this? Because Guru Nanak believed that all people are created by the same God and are equally important.

Great.

Mandeep explains why he thinks Guru Nanak is very important to Sikhs and how his teachings help make the world a better place.

Mandeep says, "I really like how Guru Nanak wanted people to be kind to each other and treat everyone equally.

He also showed me that it's important to help others.

He taught that we should share what we have and always think about others who need help.

It's time for our task.

Alex wants you to explain who Guru Nanak is and why is important to Sikhs.

How will you explain this to him? You can use these keywords from our lesson in your response, the keywords, guru, Guru Nanak and Sikh.

You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready to check your answers.

Let's check our answers.

Alex wants you to explain who Guru Nanak is and why is important to Sikhs.

Guru Nanak is the first guru and founder of the Sikhi religion, and his teachings are still followed by many Sikhs around the world.

You may also have written, he is important to many Sikhs because he showed them that love and kindness are the most important things.

He taught them to treat everyone equally and help people who need it.

Well done if you wrote those sentences about Guru Nanak.

Now let's find out when and where did Guru Nanak live? Guru Nanak was born in 1469 CE in a village in northern India called Talwindi.

Today, the town is called Nankana Sahib and is in Pakistan.

When Guru Nanak was born in 1469 CE, big changes were happening around the world.

When Guru Nanak was born, England and France had just stopped fighting a long war called a Hundred Years War, and both countries were trying to recover and rebuild.

England was not yet ruled by the famous King Henry VIII, but his family, the Tudors was starting to bring peace to the country after years of fighting between two royal families and King Henry VIII reigned during Guru Nanak's lifetime.

Time for another check.

When was Guru Nanak born? Was it 1469 CE or 1450 CE, or 1525 CE? What do you think? That's correct.

1469 CE, well done.

Let's find out a little bit more about Guru Nanak's life.

As a child, Guru Nanak loved asking big questions about life, God and nature.

His parents were Hindus and they wish for Guru Nanak to follow the tradition of Hindu Dharma too.

However, Guru Nanak did not agree with everything that Hindu Dharma taught.

When Guru Nanak grew up, he worked in an office with Muslims and learned a lot about Islam.

When he was about 30 years old, he disappeared for three days.

When he returned, he told the people that he had a vision in which he had seen God.

He said, "There is neither Hindu nor Muslim, only God's path" and explained that people should live in a truthful way.

Time for another check.

What did Guru Nanak teach about how people should live? Is it people should be rich and famous or people should tell lies, or is it people should live in a truthful way? What do you think? That's correct.

Guru Nanak taught that people should live in a truthful way.

Great.

After this, Guru Nanak decided to spend the rest of his life teaching people.

From this time on, he was known as Guru Nanak and he called himself Nanak Das, which means "Nanak the servant of God." He then travelled to many places to spread his teachings.

Let's check if you got that.

Guru Nanak called himself Nanak Das.

What does Nanak Das mean? Is it Nanak the ruler of Punjab? Is it Nanak the servant of God? Or is it Nanak the political leader of Sikhs? What do you think? Well done.

That's correct.

Nanak Das means Nanak the servant of God.

Time for our task.

Can you help Sophia create a fact file about Guru Nanak's early life? Write three sentences about Guru Nanak's birth and his life before he became a guru.

Think about these questions to guide your writing.

When and where was Guru Nanak born? The other question, what was Guru Nanak's vision or message for the world? Also think about what did Guru Nanak call himself? You can post the video now and come back when you're ready.

Let's check our answers.

Write three sentences about Guru Nanak's birth and his life before he became a guru.

Some of the possible sentences are, Guru Nanak was born in 1469 CE in a village in northern India called Talwindi.

Guru Nanak loved asking big questions about life, God and nature.

We've also learned that Guru Nanak had a vision in which he had seen God and he explained that people should live in a truthful way.

You might have also included Guru Nanak called himself, Nanak Das, which means Nanak the servant of God.

Great, if you included those sentences.

We now know who Guru Nanak was and where and when did he live.

Let's now find out what did Guru Nanak do? Let's listen to Mandeep talking about Guru Nanak and his travels.

Mandeep says, learning about Guru Nanak's journeys also called Udasis, has taught me how kind, brave and wise he was.

As a child, I was fascinated by the stories of his travels and how he met people from different places and religions, teaching that everyone is equal and should be treated with love and respect.

Guru Nanak travelled far and wide with his close companion, Bhai Mardana.

Bhai Mardana was a Muslim who played rabab, a lute-like musical instrument and travelled with Guru Nanak to spread the message of love, equality, and peace through music.

Guru Nanak went on four main journeys, which are also called Udasis.

Let's check if you got that.

Who did Guru Nanak travel with during his spiritual journeys? Is it Bhai Mardana? Bhai Bala or Bhai Lalo? What do you think? That's correct.

He travelled with Bhai Mardana.

Well done.

Guru Nanak's first journey took him to the north, including places like Tibet and Nepal.

He travelled to spread the message of truth, peace, and the oneness of God.

Let's look at his next journey.

His second journey took him to the south to Sri Lanka.

He spread the idea that all people should live with compassion and love for one another.

Time for another check.

Which places did Guru Nanak visit first and which place did he visit later? Think carefully.

Is it America first, then Sri Lanka? Or he only went to Pakistan, or Tibet and Nepal first, then Sri Lanka? What do you think? That's correct.

He travelled to Tibet and Nepal first and then Sri Lanka.

Great work.

Guru Nanak's third journey took him to the east of India.

He visited sacred places teaching people to remember God live honestly and share with others.

Guru Nanak's fourth journey took him to the west to places like Makkah, Medinah and other parts of the Middle East.

There, he taught that all religions are equal.

Let's check if you got that.

What did Guru Nanak teach people when he visited sacred places? Is it, he taught to remember God and to live honestly or to stop helping others, or to pray only at temples? What do you think? That is absolutely correct.

To remember God and to live honestly.

Well done.

Here's Mandeep talking about Guru Nanak's impact.

Mandeep says, "Guru Nanak's impact wasn't just on the people he met during his journeys, it still affects me today.

When I face challenges or see unfairness, his teachings remind me to be kind and stand up for what's right.

His teachings continue to guide me every day." Time for our next task.

I hope you're ready.

Which places did Guru Nanak's visit during his travels? Here's a map to help you.

Can you write four sentences about Guru Nanak's journeys, which are also called Udasis in chronological order? Which places did he visit first, second, third, and fourth in order? You can post the video now and come back when you are ready to check your answers with me.

Let's check our answers.

Can you write four sentences about Guru Nanak's journey, Udasis, in chronological order? Here's the correct order.

Guru Nanak's first journey took him to the north, including places like Tibet and Nepal.

His second journey took him to the south, to Sri Lanka.

Then his third journey took him to the east of India.

And finally, Guru Nanak's fourth journey, took him to the west, to places like Makkah, Medinah and other places of the Middle East.

Well done if you wrote them in order.

Great.

Here's the second part of our task.

List the key teachings of Guru Nanak from his four journeys.

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

Let's check our answers and look at Guru Nanak's key teachings from his four journeys.

Guru Nanak spread the message of truth, peace, and the oneness of God.

He explained the idea that all people should live with compassion and love for one another.

He also taught people to remember God and live honestly.

He shared that all religions are equal.

Well done if you included all those key teachings of Guru Nanak from his four journeys.

Great effort.

Finally, let's look at the summary of our learning today.

Today we've learned that Guru Nanak was the first guru in the Sikhi religion.

We've also learned that his teachings of kindness, equality, and helping others makes the world a better place.

We now know that Guru Nanak was born in 1469 CE in a village called Talwindi.

Guru Nanak had a vision in which he had seen God, and he explained that people should live in a truthful way.

We've also learned about Guru Nanak's journeys and what he taught people about kindness, equality, and respect for all.

Great work.

Keep being kind and helping others, and I will see you in our next lesson.

Goodbye.