Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mr. Hutchinson, and welcome to our religious education lesson, all about Sikhism.

Now, we've learned so much about Sikhism over the previous seven lessons.

From its origins right up to the modern day.

And in the next three lessons, we're not going to be learning anything new.

We're going to be spending a little bit of time pulling all of that together.

Organising all of those ideas, recapping them.

So that you have a really strong understanding and that able to articulate, connect and apply your knowledge about Sikhism.

So, in this lesson, we're going to plan an essay and the next lesson, we're going to write it.

And in our final lesson, we're going to see how we could improve that essay.

So, this lesson here, we're just planning.

It's what we're going to do.

Just to get all of our ideas down.

You will need a book or a piece of paper to have your plan written down, because then the next lesson, you will use that to write.

You'll need a pencil or a pen to write with and make sure that you've got your brain switched on and ready, because you're going to be remembering everything that you've learned so far.

If you want to, you can pause this lesson, pause this video now, and just read over your notes and answers from previous lessons to make sure that you are just really tip top in terms of your recall of everything that you've learned so far.

Okay, so our lesson will run along these lines.

First, we're going to think what is an essay.

We're then going to draw a table, which will help us to plan.

And, we'll then plan out the content.

So what we'll write about in each paragraph and then some of the vocabulary, so, the specialised, new words that we've learned, and that will make writing your essay a doddle.

Okay? Once we've got this plan down, writing will be really easy because you'll know exactly what's going in each section, we'll finish with our end of lesson quizzes as usual.

So, what's an essay? Well, an essay is just a long piece of writing about a factual subject, and you can write an essay about all sorts of things.

So, you could write an essay about sharks, for example.

You could write an essay about the first world war, about the Amazon rainforest, about different mediaeval monarchs about Buddhism, and any religion, any factual topic.

And here's an example of what an essay might look like.

Ideas, all sort of joined together with specific facts and information.

Our essay is going to look like this.

How is Sikhism unique? That's going to be the title of our essay.

How is Sikhism unique? What makes it special? So that you need to have that in your head as we go through, because we're not just putting down a thing that we say that we know about all through.

We're not just putting out everything that we know, sorry.

What we're organising that is in answering this big overarching question of, well, how does this make this religion unique, different to other religions? Special? So, the first thing we're going to need to do is draw a table.

It will look something like this.

It should have three columns.

The first, the middle column should be key information.

That's where the content is going to go.

That should be the biggest part that you're going to put down everything that you know about the section in that part.

You also have a column for key vocabulary, and then you just need to mark in that first column, which paragraph, which section the essay is going to be, I'd leave yourself about eight to 10 lines to jot down everything that you know.

So, pause the video and write out your plan now, your table now.

Great, well, I've got your panel in front of you.

Awesome.

So, now we're ready to move forward and we're going to take it lesson by lesson.

So, each section in your essay will roughly correspond to a lesson that we learned about, and that would be an easy way to organise it and to recap what we've done so far.

So, the first paragraph, and it might be more than a paragraph.

You may have so much that you want to write that it's going to be more than one paragraph.

It's going to be about the origins of Sikhism, which we learned about in our first lesson.

So, what can you remember about that? How Sikhism began? I'm going to ask you for each parts of this plan.

First of all, for you to pause the video and jot down everything that you know.

And then I'll tell you some of the things that I would write about, and you can add to your plan if you've missed anything.

So, pause the video and fill in your key information for the first paragraph of the first section now.

Great work.

So, here's what I would have put in.

I would have talked about how there are lots and lots of different religions.

And Sikhism is one of the most recent.

How it began in the Punjab area.

North of India.

How that at the time there was this caste system where people were very unequal based on how much money they had, the families that they were born into.

And Nanak became the first guru who had a revelation who went to a river and received a message from God that everybody should be treated equally.

So, pause the video, now.

Add to your plan anything that you missed, and then I'd like you to fill in the next column, which is key vocabulary.

So you can see, I just, the first one that I put for you there is Abrahamic religions.

I might in this section talk about the difference between Abrahamic religions and other religions.

What are the key vocabulary, specific words would you use to in this paragraph.

Pause the video and write out your lesson vocabulary now.

Great, so, I'm just going to show you the vocab that I would use.

Feel free to add to your list.

I would have said that there's difference between Abrahamic and Dharmic religions.

Abrahamic religions coming from Abraham and the Levant area.

Dharmic religions from the Indian area.

The Sikh means disciple.

That's literally what it means.

That Nanak was the founder of the religion.

Late Guru Nanak.

And he had that revelation when he went down into the river, that there was a caste system at the time, but Nanak felt that equality should be the most important thing.

And that when he became Guru Nanak.

Guru, naturally just means teacher.

And so the followers of Guru Nanak were all disciples, which is what Sikh means.

Next paragraph.

Well done, you've already got one done.

We're going to have seven paragraphs today for all of our lessons.

So, let's get through each of these planning parts and then you'll have a really great plan.

I know there's like a lot of work.

It'd be worth it at the end.

Because you have an amazing plan, which would make your essay writing even much, much easier.

So, who were the 10 gurus? Think about that lesson and fill in your key information here of everything that you will write about in this section of your essay.

Great work.

I would have talked about how Guru Angad was the second, the second guru who learned about, and he created the gurmukhi script of the Punjabi language to make it easier for people to read the hymns.

The Guru Arjan, built the, or finished the golden temple.

And the last guru that we learned about was Guru Hargobind, who was Arjan's son, and thought that it was important for Sikhs to be able to defend themselves because they were facing so much religious persecution, at the time.

You can pause the video and add anything that you missed, and also write out your key vocabulary that you'll include in this section as well.

Great work.

Did you write in your key vocab about Guru Angad.

about that his original name was Lehna.

That he faced three tests.

That he created the gurmukhi script.

That then there was Guru Arjan who was later, he was the fifth guru who created the golden temple and wrote everything down well.

Collected the writings and the hymns of the previous gurus into the "Adi Granth," which would later become the "Guru Granth Sahib." A lot of the "Guru Granth Sahib." The Guru Hargobind, Arjan's son after Arjan was killed, realised that they were facing lots of persecution being attacked unfairly.

And so he started to train Sikhs in different martial arts and help them to become warriors.

He did set out rules for warfare as well though.

Paragraph three is going to be all about the five Ks of Sikhism, which we learned about in the third paragraph of five Ks of Sikhism.

So, pause the video and fill in the key information part of your plan.

What would you write about in this section here? Awesome work.

Let's see if you've got something similar to me.

I would have talked about Guru Gobind Singh here, the 10th guru and how he passed on the guruship to the Guru Granth Sahib, but also established the khalsa.

And part of being part of the khalsa is carrying or wearing these different items. And you can see it.

There are a few different ones here.

These were the only ones, we got the kara, the kirpan, but there's also the kacchera here.

We've got kesh, making sure your hair is uncut.

So again, jot down anything you've missed and then add in the key vocabulary.

So, I'll talk about how Guru Gobind Singh established khalsa and the five Ks that led on from that.

So, pause the video and fill in anything you're missing and add your key vocabulary.

Awesome works.

I put in Guru Gobind Singh.

Add a tick if you've got it as well, add in that the festival was called by vaisakha, that he created the khalsa, that there is that process of Amrit, sugar and water stirred with a double edged sword that was sprinkled over the eyes and hair of Sikhs.

Then there were the five Ks of kesh, like kesh, kangha, the kacchera, the cotton underwear, and the kangha is wooden comb, the kirpan, the small sword and the kara, the steel bracelet.

And each of those symbolise something, it represents something you might want to talk about what they symbolise and what they represent.

Well, then you can pause the video and add anything you missed now.

Next paragraph, almost halfway there.

What is the holy text of Sikhism? And that's what we looked about next in our lessons.

We learned all about the "Guru Granth Sahib." So what can you remember about that? Pause the video.

And fill in the key information.

Awesome work.

Let's see what you got.

So.

I would talk about, first of all, that it is the "Guru Granth Sahib" and that it's written in gumurkhi and Guru Arjan first compiled that, and the most important part is the mool mantar declaration that there's only one God, and then it's treated like an eternal living guru is treated like a person and that it's the head of the Sikh religion.

So again, vocab goes in here.

Making sure you're putting "Guru Granth Sahib." Using capital letters.

So, I don't make that mistake in my essay.

Add in anything that you've missed and complete your vocab section.

Now, you're doing really well, keep it up.

Let's see the vocab.

I would put in, feel free to pause and add at any time.

So, I put that the "Guru Granth Sahib" was the collective wisdom of all of the different gurus, written in gurmukhi.

The mool mantar is that really important part of it.

The "Guru Granth Sahib" is treated with great reverence.

Deep respect, because it's the eternal living Guru.

In the morning it's woken, like a person will be woken at night, it's put back to bed and rested just like a person.

Next part, paragraph five.

What does Sikhs believe about God? So, we learnt a little bit about some of the beliefs that Sikhs have and acknowledging there's diversity, there's disagreement.

There are debates within Sikhism and that not everybody interprets the scripture in the same way, or holds the same beliefs.

But we learned about some of the common beliefs and some of those disagreements.

So, fill in the key information section now.

Awesome work.

Let's see if you've got the same as me.

So, the main thing that I'd want to talk about here, I think is this idea of monotheism, monism, and panentheism.

It was a really difficult idea to get our head round, but I love thinking about this.

Writing about it and trying to explain what the differences are.

So, I think that's why we put in that section.

You might have added a few other ideas as well.

What about your? What would you put in your key vocabulary? I remember that one important part of Sikh worship is that "Naam Japna", the contemplation that prayer on God's name.

What else would you put in key vocabulary? Pause the video and fill in that section now.

Okay, great work.

Again, pause the video and copy if you need to, that's what this is for.

I might talk about some of the characteristics of God.

So, the six most exploited of our list.

Omnipotent, all powerful.

There is Omnipresent, or he is everywhere at all times, in all things, but that it's possible to have a personal relationship with God, within Sikhism.

That his name is often given as Waheguru, or the wonderful Lord and that, the Sikhism is usually understood as a monotheistic religion.

Then there is some debate about whether maybe it's more like a monism, is there a better way to understand it, or even panentheism.

Well done, if you've got those.

Number six, where, and how does Sikhs worship? So, we discussed and let's bit about good waters.

So, fill in the key information section here so that you know exactly what you're writing about, when you come to writing this section in your essay.

Great work.

So, I would have taught of course, about the gurdwara and the different four entrances, as well as the divan hall where prayer takes place.

I would have thought a little bit about, I would talk a little bit about how the "Guru Granth Sahib" is put to bed, rested and woken at the gurdwara.

And that langar is a really important part of Sikhism.

It takes place at the gurdwara.

What about the vocabulary? So, I put the there's four entrances.

I definitely want to take that off when I'm writing my essay.

What else would you put in the key vocab.

Pause the video and write your answers down, now.

You're doing amazingly.

You've already got loads of ideas down.

I know it's tough to bring together all of your knowledge, but it's worth doing because it's going to recap it and make you even more of an expert in this subject.

And I promise you, it will make writing the essay much better.

So, keep going, you're almost there.

Well done.

So, I write about the four entrances in the gurdwara.

I'd write that there's a divan hall where prayer takes place and the sach khand, the room where the "Guru Granth Sahib" is rested.

The langar is an important part of Sikhism, that there will be that kitchen in the temple, that there are different ways that people worship.

Including respecting each other.

Giving to charity.

Looking after the community, volunteering.

The golak.

I might also talk about where money is collected, that collection tin within the gurdwara to help pay for the langar, so that everybody has something to eat.

Last paragraph, we're almost there.

This is where we talked about how Sikhs express their faith today.

We looked at a few different examples of that.

So pause the video and write down what you're putting in the key information, from what we learned about when we watched the video of Simran and also the Vancouver police.

Pause the video and fill in that section now.

Great work.

So this is what I would have put in.

I would think, I think the main thing that I would have talked about there is how Sikhism is part of, so the faith is part of Sikhs' identity.

That there are different ways of understanding it and different parts of Sikhism that will be important to people.

That then it forms part of their identity.

And there are lots of different ways the Sikhs will then express that faith and identity, really embracing that diversity.

The difference.

What about the key vocabulary? You might talk about the diversity that not all Sikhs the same.

Not all Sikhs behave the same way, or think the same things or look the same way.

So, what would you put in the key vocabulary? Pause the video and add your key vocab.

Now last little push.

Great work.

Almost there.

So add anything that you've missed.

I'll talk about how it's an international religion, that it started in Punjab, and there's still lots and lots of Sikhs in the Punjab in India, but that it's an international religion.

People that Sikhs will celebrate those festivals throughout the year.

Family being a very important part.

There is a Sikh family.

You are a member of a family as a Sikh, but that family is important within Sikhism and it forms part of the identity.

Equality, that first message from Guru Nanak, that everybody is the same, very important part of Sikhism.

Understanding the religion as a sort of brotherhood or sisterhood, and that idea of giving to charity also important in terms of how Sikhs express their faith.

So, part of what we're back to there.

So, you can add to anything that you've missed.

Amazing work, you are done.

You've got your plan.

You've done a lot of the hard work.

This is going to make writing the essays so much easier and you will have a great essay at the end of this.

You'll be really proud of it.

It may well run til eight or nine or 10 pages, and it will be worth it because you've basically written a book on Sikhism because you are now an expert.

So, well done.

And well done for working so hard.

Well done for getting that plan all down.

If you'd like to share your plans.

So you can see what amazing work that you did, then feel free to do that.

Just ask you a parent or carer to take a photo and upload it to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter using @OakNational or #LearnwithOak.

And let's see, I've got to see what you've written down after all that hard work.

That's the end of our lesson for today in our next lesson, we'll write the essay.

So, feel free to pop that plan away.

Let it sort of compost in your brain.

We'll use different ideas.

You can start to rehearse the sentences that you're going to write in your head.

And in our next lesson, we're going to have a lot of fun writing it or putting it all together and writing it into an essay.

I can't wait to see you then.

See you next time.