Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Womack, and I am really excited to be working with you today.

I just got one of those feelings that we're going to do absolutely brilliantly.

Today's lesson is called Harvest Festival Around the World, and it comes from the unit, Festivals: How Do They Celebrate the Natural World? By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how Christians around the world celebrate harvest.

So let's get started.

These are the key words that we'll be using today, and we're going to practise saying them together now.

I'm going to say them and then you are going to try them.

So here we go.

Harvest.

Harvest.

Harvest is gathering in crops that are ripe and ready.

Gratitude.

Gratitude.

And gratitude means being thankful.

Community.

Community.

Community means people living in the same place or sharing a common interest.

And finally, wreath.

Wreath.

A wreath is an arrangement of flowers, leaves, or stems in a circular shape.

Well done for practising those keywords with me.

Keep your eyes peeled because we will be referring back to and using these keywords throughout the learning that we do today.

Here is the lesson outline.

In the first part of the lesson, we're going to look at how do Polish Christians celebrate harvest.

And then we're going to look at how do West African Christians celebrate harvest.

We're going to start by looking at how do Polish Christians celebrate harvest? Here is Andeep.

Andeep explains why we learn about different people in religious education.

Andeep says, "We can better understand people's worldviews by talking to them and asking questions about how they live.

People show what is important to them by the things they do and the ways they celebrate." In this lesson, we will be learning about the celebration of harvest in different countries to help us understand Christian worldviews.

Many Christians in the UK celebrate harvest festival by decorating the church with food and flowers.

And you can see a picture of what you might see in some churches during harvest festival.

You can see the fruit, the vegetables, and the flowers, and you can also see a crucifix with Jesus on, which is maybe a giveaway that this is inside a church.

Here's James.

James has a Christian worldview and attends a Catholic church.

James says, "Christians around the world celebrate harvest in different ways and at different times of the year.

My parents came to the UK from Poland.

We still follow some Polish Christian traditions.

I believe it is important to show gratitude to God, especially at harvest time." Christians in Poland celebrate harvest festival in a different way from Christians in the UK.

Here's a map showing Europe.

Perhaps you could point out where the UK is.

There it is, marked out on the map for you.

And perhaps you might know where Poland is.

Poland is here, and again, it's pointed out on the map.

So true or false? Harvest is only celebrated by Christians in the UK.

You're going to want to pause the video now whilst you complete this check for understanding.

So think: Is the answer true or false, and why? The answer is false.

Christians around the world celebrate harvest in different ways and at different times of the year.

Well done if you got that answer correct.

In Poland, the harvest festival is called Dozynki.

It takes place in early autumn to show gratitude for the harvest.

A huge harvest wreath is made from corn and wheat, and you can see a picture of a harvest wreath in Poland on the screen.

It's very big and it's very impressive, isn't it? That one.

The harvest wreath is taken in a procession to the church.

Here's James again.

James explains how he celebrates harvest.

James says, "Polish harvest festival is a time for the community to have fun by singing, dancing, eating, and drinking.

As a person with a visual impairment, it is important for me to join in with community activities like these.

We keep up the harvest traditions by cooking and sharing polish food with our neighbours." And that sounds fantastic, James.

Here's Niamh.

Niamh attends a Catholic church for festivals such as Easter, Christmas, and harvest.

Niamh says, "Polish Christians celebrate the work of farmers during their harvest festival.

I like the way they remember people who work on the land as well as showing gratitude to God.

Looking after the earth is important to me." So let's take a moment to check our understanding with a quick multiple choice question.

What is the best definition of gratitude? Is it A, being thankful? Is it B, being happy? Or is it C, being peaceful? You're going to want to pause the video now whilst you think which of these is the best definition of gratitude? The answer is A, the best definition of gratitude is being thankful.

Well done if you got that answer right.

It's time for a task now.

Use these sentence starters as a prompt to explain how Polish Christians celebrate Dozynki.

Use these keywords in your explanation: harvest, community, gratitude, and wreath.

And these are your sentence starters.

Many Polish Christians celebrate Dozynki by.

They do this because.

And some Polish Christians might.

You're going to want to pause the video now whilst you complete this task.

I look forward to seeing what you put.

Well done for completing that task.

I wonder what you said.

Your answer might include: Many Polish Christians celebrate Dozynki by taking a harvest wreath to church.

They do this because it reminds them to show gratitude to God for food and the people who grow it.

And some Polish Christians might sing, dance, and share food with the community.

Well done for putting in lots of effort to complete that task.

Well, that completes the first part of our lesson about how do Polish Christians celebrate harvest.

We're now going to move on to the second part of our lesson where we look at how do West African Christians celebrate harvest.

Let's find out.

Many harvest celebrations are based around communities sharing and eating food.

The New Yam Festival is a West African celebration to mark the time when new yams are freshly harvested.

It is held in August at the end of rainy season.

The New Yam Festival is celebrated in West Africa.

Here is a map of the globe.

In the last map we looked at, we worked out where the UK was, but I wonder if you know where West Africa is.

West Africa is here and it's marked out on the map for you.

So let's find out a little bit more about how harvest festival is celebrated in West Africa.

At the Festival of Yams, people dress up in colourful clothes.

They go into the streets to celebrate the yam harvest with their community.

Some Christians sing praises and chant prayers of gratitude for God's good gifts.

And there is a picture of yams in a festival in Nigeria.

They look really interesting, don't they? But I'm sure that they're very tasty.

Here is David.

David has a Christian worldview and attends an Anglican church.

David says, "Yams are like sweet potatoes.

I love to eat roasted yam.

In many West African communities, the yam is an important symbol of new life and wealth.

Some communities even give yams as wedding presents.

I sometimes join New Yam Festival celebrations with my local community in the UK.

Here is Tia.

Tia has a Christian worldview and attends a Methodist church.

Tia says, "At the Festival of Yams, children carry pieces of yam on their heads.

My mum still makes me do this.

I have to be careful not to let them fall.

Even though my family lives in the UK, we still have meals of boiled, mashed, or roasted yam during the Yam Festival because we are part of the West African community." So let's check our understanding with a quick multiple choice question.

What is the best definition of community? Is the answer A, being thankful for food and clothes? Is it B, doing things with others at the same time? Or is it C, working alone on a project? You're going to want to pause the video now whilst you think which of these is the correct answer.

The correct answer is B.

The best definition of community is doing things with others at the same time.

Well done if you got that answer correct.

After the New Yam Festival, yams are distributed to people in the local community.

The Yam Festival brings everyone in the community together and reminds them to show gratitude by sharing food.

And there's a picture of some yam porridge and chicken.

That looks really tasty, doesn't it? Here's Tia again.

Tia explains how she celebrates harvest.

Tia says, "When we celebrate harvest festival in my church in the UK, Mum and I bring yams to add to the church decorations.

I like it when we find ways to mix our West African Christian traditions with UK traditions.

It reminds me that we are all part of the same worldwide Christian community." So let's check our understanding with a quick question.

Which of these is not part of harvest celebrations? Will you choose A, sharing food with friends and neighbours? Or B, making a wreath using flowers and grains? C, lighting a candle on an Advent wreath? Or D, saying prayers of gratitude to God? You're going to pause the video now whilst you think which of these is not part of harvest celebrations? The answer is see lighting a candle on an Advent wreath, 'cause that, as you might have worked out, is part of celebrating the festival of Christmas.

Well done if you got that answer right.

Well, it's time for a task now.

Sam, Andeep, and Laura are discussing harvest festival.

Sam says, "Christians celebrate harvest festival in the same way." Andeep says, "Christians celebrate harvest festival in different ways in the UK and in other countries." Laura says, "Only religious people in the UK celebrate harvest." So who has understood harvest festival best? Use what you've learned today to explain why their answer is best.

You're going to need to pause the video now whilst you complete this task, and I look forward to seeing what you put.

I wonder what you put.

Well, Andeep has understood harvest festival best.

Remember he said, "Christians celebrate harvest in different ways in the UK and in other countries." West African Christians and Polish Christians celebrate harvest in a different way from Christians in the UK.

In Poland, there is a large wreath, and in West Africa, they have a New Yams Festival.

All harvest celebrations are about gratitude and about sharing food with others in the community.

Well done for working really hard to complete that task.

That brings us to the end of this lesson, so it's a good time to summarise our learning and reflect on what we found out.

We've learned that harvest is celebrated by Christians across the world.

There are different harvests across the world, which many Christians celebrate by showing gratitude and sharing food with their community.

There are a variety of customs in different countries.

Polish Christians celebrate Dozynki by carrying a large wreath of grains and flowers to the church.

And West African Christians celebrate the New Yam Festival with singing and dancing.

I've really enjoyed working with you today.

You've put in lots of effort and you've done really well.

I look forward to working with you again sometime soon.

Bye for now.