To find out what a pilgrimage is, who goes on them & why they go on them. You’re going to be asked to put your head down on our desk & think – you will need to think quietly in your head, without speaking. You might find that it helps to close your eyes & relax. It will not last for too long – don’t worry! You need to think about a place (or places) that are special to you.  They could be special for a happy reason or a sad reason.  They could be special because they’re where something good happened or where something happened that makes you sad.  You won’t be asked to talk about your place unless you want to – all you have to do is think about it… …Now, who would like to tell us about the place they thought about?

Jonny Wilkinson Katherine Jenkins Can you name these celebrities? You are problem solving & communicating…

Cliff Richard Gavin Henson

How many did you get right? Charlotte Church U2 They all have a special place in common… Can you work out where it is & why they all have this same place in common?

Have you worked out the special place they all share? The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales It is special to them because they have all performed there.  Whether a place is special for a celebrity or for you… What makes a place special?  Discuss it in pairs & then we’ll discuss it as a whole class. Places can also be special to religious believers for religious reasons. For example…  Rome, in Italy, is very special to Catholics, because it’s where the leader of the Catholic church, the Pope, lives.  Makkah, in Saudi Arabia, is very special to Muslims, because it is the most holy Muslim city – it is so special that non-Muslims are not allowed there.  Religious believers often visit places that are special to their religion, these places are called pilgrimage sites.  The journeys to visit these special religious places are called pilgrimages.  The religious believers who visit them are called pilgrims. You are problem solving, communicating & working with others…

In the front of your book, copy & complete the sentence in red, it is your title for today’s work. A pilgrimage is…  Look at these two photos – the first one is of Muslim pilgrims in Makkah (the pilgrims are the white crowds you can see), the second is of Welsh rugby fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.  Discuss in pairs & in the back of your books, brainstorm… What things are the same between these two groups of people? E.g. They are both devoted to the thing they are doing. You are problem solving, communicating & working with others…

You are communicating & working with others…  What things did you & your partner decide were  similar between the two groups of people?  Did you talk about things like… Both groups of people are going to a special place. Both groups of people are devoted to the thing they are doing. Both groups of people have the same aim as the rest of the group. Both groups of people share the same belief as everybody else they are with. Both groups of people may take part in rituals. Both groups of people feel emotion about the thing that is happening. Both groups of people are wearing similar clothes to the rest of the group. Both groups of people, in different ways, are pilgrims. In the front of your books write a paragraph (minimum 4 lines, give lots of details) explaining what a pilgrim is. Start your paragraph with: A pilgrim is a religious believer who goes on a pilgrimage. As part of this pilgrimage they… Use your brainstorm ideas & the ideas here to help you.

You are problem solving… Why do people go on pilgrimage?  There are many different reason why religious believers go on pilgrimages.  Below you have lots of possible reasons – some of them are real reasons & some of them are ‘red herrings’.  You need to sort out the real reasons & write them in your books – next to each one you also need to write why you think this thing is an important part of pilgrimage. Religious believers go on pilgrimage to strengthen or renew their faith. Religious believers go on pilgrimage to spend lots of money. Religious believers go on pilgrimage to be part of their religious community. Religious believers go on pilgrimage to feel closer to their god. Religious believers go on pilgrimage to have a good holiday  Now, which did you decide were real reasons? Did you get them right?  Can you explain why you think these are reasons why religious believers go on pilgrimage?

Copy these questions into the back of your books…  What is a pilgrimage?  Who goes on pilgrimage?  Why do religious believers go on pilgrimage? You will be given a time limit to answer these questions with as much information as you can from today’s lesson. You do not have to write in full sentences, bullet points are fine! Swap books to see what we have all written, can you add any more details to your partner’s book? What answers did we get? You are problem solving, communicating & working with others…  Next lesson we will be looking at Catholic pilgrims who go on pilgrimage to a place called Lourdes.  You need to find out 3 facts about why pilgrims go to Lourdes & what they do whilst they’re at Lourdes – This is a very important homework, without it you won’t be able to do the first part of next lesson!  An internet search engine like ‘Google’ will help you with this homework. You are developing your ICT skills…