The Ramayana Learning Intentions: To understand the story of the Ramayana Success Criteria: To retell the story of the Ramayana in my own words

Warm-Up Can you think of a time when you wanted a new beginning? Why did you want to start something again? Did something happen so that you could start again? You have 5 minutes to share in your groups a story that describes a time that you wanted a new beginning.

Diwali and Ramayana Diwali is a time for new beginnings for followers of Hinduism. The story of the Ramayana is told at Diwali.

Diwali and Ramayana As part of the Diwali celebration the story of the Ramayana is performed. The story of Ramayana can be performed by children, by adults or as a puppet show. Watch this video and then be ready to explain in your own words what you think the story is about: Diwali and Ramayana

Think – Pair - Share Take 1 minute to quietly reflect on what you think the story of the Ramayana is teaching us. Take 2 minutes to discuss with a partner your thoughts. Listen carefully to what you both have to say. Explain in your own words what you and your partner think the story of the Ramayana is teaching us.

Ramayana In your groups, arrange the 6 parts of the Ramayana in order.

Part 1 - The King has remarried and the new Queen wants her own son as the crowned prince. Prince Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman are sent away from the Palace.

Part 2 - Rama, Lakshman and Sita live in exile in the forest until one day Sita is tricked out of the magic circle by a deer who is in pain.

Part 3 - The Holy man appears to thank Sita for helping the deer and asks for some food but he is actually the Ten headed Demon God Ravanna who kidnaps Sita and takes her to Lanka.

Part 4 - Sita is a prisoner in Lanka while Rama and Lakshman spend many months searching India for her until they meet the King of the Monkeys, Hanumann who has news about where Sita has been taken.

Part 5 - Hanumann takes Rama and Laskshman with his army of monkeys to Lanka. Hanumann uses his powers to jump across the water to make sure Sita is there. She is and he returns with a pearl to show Rama. The monkeys make a bridge for them to walk over to the island of Lanka.

Part 6 - There is a battle where Ravana is killed by Rama. Rama and Sita are reunited and all of them go back to India with diva lights showing them the way home.

Group Discussion Analyse the parts of the Ramayana you have placed in order. In your groups discuss these 2 questions: -What does the story of the Ramayana tell us about good and evil? -Why is this an important story for Hindus?

Group Presentation In your groups you will now retell the story of the Ramayana in your own words. You can retell the story of the Ramayana in 1 of the following 2 ways: -You could write a script and create materials to perform the story as a play. -You could write a script and create puppets to perform the story as a puppet show.

Success Criteria You will perform the story of the Ramayana. Everyone will contribute to rewriting a script in your own words. Everyone in your group must be involved in the performance. You must be sure to tell the story in the correct order, including all the key events and characters.

Plenary Reflect on the following questions and write an answer in your jotter: 1)Which character do you think showed bravery and how did they do so? 2)Which character showed leadership and how did they do so? 3)Which character showed kindness and how did they do so?