How Christians use art to tell stories
I can give examples of how different Christian traditions use art to retell stories.
How Christians use art to tell stories
I can give examples of how different Christian traditions use art to retell stories.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- 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.
Keywords
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 misconception
All Christians view art in the same way.
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.
To help you plan your year 4 religious education lesson on: How Christians use art to tell stories, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 4 religious education lesson on: How Christians use art to tell stories, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 religious education lessons from the Spirituality: how is art used in religions and beliefs? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
4 Questions
Exit quiz
5 Questions
a picture or painting used for Christian worship
a symbol made up of the the first 2 Greek letters of the word Christ
a religious picture made from coloured glass often found in churches
to regard someone or something with great respect