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Year 1

The story of the Starfish Thrower

I can retell the story of the Starfish Thrower and explain some of its deeper meanings.

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New
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Year 1

The story of the Starfish Thrower

I can retell the story of the Starfish Thrower and explain some of its deeper meanings.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Some humanists use stories to explain their beliefs.
  2. Many humanists believe that everyone has responsibility to make a difference.
  3. The story of the Starfish shows that even one person can make things better.
  4. We can look for the hidden meanings in stories so we can better understand someone's worldview.

Keywords

  • Humanist - a person who follows a non-religious way of thinking based on human values

  • Responsible - being dependable and making good choices

  • Improve - making things better

Common misconception

Some problems are so big that you can't do anything about them.

Everyone can do at least one thing to make a difference.


To help you plan your year 1 religious education lesson on: The story of the Starfish Thrower, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Give pupils an opportunity to do 'just one thing' to make a difference, e.g. something linked to school values or children's rights.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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5 Questions

Q1.
Most humanists ...
believe in God.
Correct answer: do not believe in God.
believe in many gods.
Q2.
What word is used in Christianity to describe Jesus' existence as God’s son?
baptism
Correct answer: incarnation
resurrection
Q3.
What word means the day of rest for Jewish families?
Correct answer: Shabbat
Chanukah
Saturday
Q4.
What symbol is used in a Christian baptism to show that sins have been forgiven?
Correct answer: water
a candle
a cross
Q5.
A story told by Jesus that has a hidden meaning is called a ...
Gospel.
Correct answer: parable.
Bible.

5 Questions

Q1.
A person who follows a non-religious way of thinking based on human values is known as a …
Christian.
Muslim.
Correct answer: humanist.
Q2.
Humanists believe in being dependable and making good choices. This is known as being …
Correct answer: responsible.
religious.
right.
Q3.
How do humanists treat other people?
the way God wants them to treat other people
Correct answer: the way other people want to be treated
the way a holy book tells them to treat other people
Q4.
What is the deeper meaning of the Starfish Thrower story?
We should always throw starfish back into the sea.
Correct answer: Even small actions can improve things.
If we can’t help everyone, you shouldn’t help anyone.
Q5.
Match the keywords below to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:humanist,a person who follows a non-religious way of thinking based on human va
tick

a person who follows a non-religious way of thinking based on human va

Correct Answer:responsible,being dependable and making good choices
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being dependable and making good choices

Correct Answer:improve,making things better
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making things better

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