1. Lancashire SACRE Religious Education Support Assessing RE: What does level 3 look like? This presentation provides materials and ideas for gathering evidence of examples of pupils’ achievements at level three of the Lancashire Agreed Syllabus 8 level scale

2. What skills are characteristic of level 3? Level three is characterised by these skills:  describing religious materials and making links to life Pupils:  use a developing religious vocabulary to describe some key features of religious traditions, recognising similarities and differences;  make links between beliefs, values and sources, including religious stories and sacred texts;  begin to identify the impact religion has on believers’ lives.  ask significant questions about religion, beliefs and values, linking their own and others’ responses;  make links between the values and commitments of others.  identify simply what influences them;  make links between aspects of their own experience and the experiences of others. (AT 2 in italics)

3. Remember…  A single piece of work doesn’t show all of the achievements that are characteristic of the level. The examples that follow are most helpful if they are taken together.  Evidence may come from written work, or many other sources. Here we show what can be shared.  Judging levels is a criterion-referenced ‘art’ rather than a science. Teachers’ judgements are the most important because teachers know pupils best.  Many teachers will find the syllabus guidance on ‘I can…’ statements on CD2 of the Lancashire Syllabus very helpful.  Work may relate to any aspect of the field of enquiry: some work here connects to shared human experience, or beliefs and values, or living religious traditions or the search for personal meaning. Some examples connect more than one element of the field of enquiry.

4. In this piece of work Carol, 7, shows that she can make links from her own life to some details of the story of Jesus.  Carol, 7, was asked what it would be like if Jesus came to her town.  She identifies that Jesus was friendly, he believed in God as his father, his disciples were fishermen (Watermead is a fishing spot) and that he cared for those in trouble.  She make links between religious story and her own experience in this piece of work on the ‘living religious tradition’ of the Christians  Level 3 asks for pupils to make links between their own experience and living religious traditions

5. Mollie, 9, shows that she can use the idea of ‘miracle’ to express her own values and hopes, and to describe the impact of her idea.  Pupils learned about the impact of Jesus’ miracles in the stories of his life and the Christian community today.  They were invited to suggest a miracle they would do, if they could, and describe the effects of it.  Molly’s touching example uses the learning about religion to express her own values and hopes in a profound way, at level 3  Sometimes RE offer pupils an opportunity for deep personal engagement.

6. In this piece of work, Jamie, 9, shows that he is able to describe his own learning and make links between Sikh life and his own life.  After a visit from a Sikh musician, Jamie’s ‘thank you’ letter shows his engagement with the learning.  He uses the Sikh vocabulary of langar, turban and meditation appropriately for himself.  He engages with the learning positively at level 3.  There is an element of attitudinal development towards increasing respect in his response

7. In this piece of work Harvinder, 8, has identified and described his own precious religious object.  After looking at the sacred artefacts of two other religious traditions, this AT2 task gives Harvinder the chance to link his own life and experience with his learning.  Other pupils may choose a football shirt or an I-POD, but Harvinder’s choice of one of the 5 Ks of Sikh tradition is appropriate.  He is able to link ideas about his own religion to the general concept of the sacred, or what is special at level 3  He identifies some ways his faith has an impact on his life

8. In this piece of work, Sam, 9, shows that he is able to make links between the teaching of Guru Nanak and his own ideas about what is good.  This piece of work is a searching response to the teaching of Guru Nanak that Sam has encountered in RE  His acrostic poem uses ideas such as being a disciple of God, obedience and kindness to describe what is good.  It is good evidence of progress through level 3 linking beliefs and values with his personal search for meaning.

9. In this piece of work Michael, 11, shows that he is able to consider different ideas in response to a religious question.  Michael has created two metaphors for God for himself. These connect to ideas about God in the Christian tradition, and use two metaphors for God that Ryan has created himself.  Using symbolic language is not a simple thing, but this learning activity enables Michael to express two beliefs about God – omnipresence and benevolence. He might do well to learn these terms next.  The work show he is able to explore puzzling theological questions in a creative way for himself at level 3.  It represents a useful opportunity for expressing a moment of reflection in his own personal search for meaning

10. In this piece of work, David and Amy, both 11, show that they can respond to a question about the concept of God from a point of view that is not their own.  David and Amy worked in parallel to create visual representations of what they think are the three most illuminating ideas about Brahman, the ultimate source of meaning, according to Hindu dharma.  Their choices respond to learning that this ultimate can take many forms, some of which seem contradictory or paradoxical: Brahman includes all: both blank and colour, solid, liquid and gas, down and up.  They handle the paradoxical religious ideas of others with thoughtfulness and attention to detail, making links between ideas, symbols, beliefs and ways of expressing them at level 3.

11. In this piece of work, Jo, 9, describes the symbolism of a Hindu murti of Ganesh  Learning to use and understand symbolic expression is an important part of RE for this age group.  In this piece of work Jo shows 8 examples of what she has learned about the symbols and significance of the Ganesha murti.  She describes many Hindu symbols well at level 3, making links between visual details and big ideas like concern for all things, the inner self and the ‘trap’ of possessions.

12. In this piece of work, Kieran, 8, shows that he is able to describe Hindu ideas about the cycle of living things.  Kieran was asked to express his learning about Hindu ideas of the cycle of life. He created this visual expression of belief about re-incarnation.  The work show he is able to describe the beliefs of others, using ideas like ‘new life’ and ‘the spirit’ effectively.  At level 3, he is using his learning about Hindu understanding of what it means to be human to explore an ultimate question: what happens when we die?

13. In this piece of work, Casey, 10, shows that she can describe clearly the practice of Islamic Hajj. She identifies some aspects of the impact of pilgrimage.  Casey has been learning about the 5 pillars of Islam  In this extract from her work she wrote an empathic postcard home, as if she had been taking the Hajj / pilgrimage at Makkah.  Here, she uses her detailed knowledge and vocabulary (e.g. Ka’bah, Allah, mina, equality) to provide a thoughtful response that contains an effective description of the rites of the pilgrim.  Describing religious practice is a key element of level 3 work on living religious traditions.

14. In this piece of work, Rumena, 9, shows that she can make links between the quest for God in her own religion and the way others seek God.  The interesting aspect of this lovely art work is that Rumena has included a church and a mandir in her work as well as a mosque.  She shows that she can describe the search for God in terms of her own family and religious life, but also shows awareness of other religious practice. This is a good example of reflective skill at level 3.  This piece of work is evidence of links in her understanding between different religions, and shows one small way RE contributes to promoting community cohesion.

15. Thanks to teachers and pupils  Lancashire SACRE would like to thank all the teachers and pupils who have contributed to this project and to Lat Blaylock of RE Today.  Comments on the project and the examples are welcome: send them to SACRE via the Lancashire RE consultant Helen Harrison.  These materials are © Lancashire SACRE and RE Today, 2008. Lancashire schools may use them freely, but other use is by written permission only.