Hello, welcome to this RE lesson.

I'm Miss Marle, and I'm going to be your teacher today.

Today's lesson is called "The Story of Coventry Cathedral." It's in an RE unit called "Forgiveness: is reconciliation possible?" I'm going to share a really exciting story with you today, but just so you know, it does include information about war and destruction.

If you think that might upset you, please ask an adult to sit with you through this lesson.

I promise you it definitely has a very happy ending.

Are you ready to listen hard and work hard? Are you ready to learn lots of new things? If there are any parts where you don't quite understand, remember, you can pause the video, and then rewind it, to replay the section that you are finding tricky.

You can also pause a video at any time so that you've got more time to answer a question or more time to complete a task.

Are you ready to get started? Let's go.

The outcome for today's lesson is "I can describe the history and significance of Coventry Cathedral." We've got four key words in today's lesson: forgiveness, which is letting go of hurt and choosing kindness instead of anger, reconciliation, fixing a broken friendship or making peace after a disagreement, peace, which is living happily with others without fighting or hurting each other.

And hope, which is believing that good things can happen even when times are hard.

And we're going to have two sections in today's lesson.

In the first section, we're going to learn about what happened to Coventry Cathedral.

And in the second part of the lesson, we're going to learn about what is Coventry Cathedral like today.

Aisha explains theology in religious education.

She says, "Theology is about looking at stories and texts, and learning about when, why, and for who they were written.

We can better understand people's worldviews by examining how they've been interpreted both in the past and today." In this lesson, we will be examining the story of Coventry Cathedral to help us better understand Christian worldviews.

Here's a map of Great Britain.

Coventry Cathedral is in Coventry, which is in England, and Coventry is a city right in the middle of the country.

You can see the red dot to show you where Coventry is.

It is a special place because it tells a story of history, war, and peace.

Do you recognise anyone in this photograph? The person in the middle is Winston Churchill.

You might have seen a photograph of him before.

He was Prime Minister during the Second World War, and the person on the left is Richard Howard.

He was the Provost of Coventry Cathedral, and we are going to hear his story today.

The story of Coventry Cathedral: a place of peace.

And you can see that the image is of old St.

Michael's Cathedral before the war.

"My name is Richard Howard.

Most people know me as Dick Howard.

I'm a priest at Coventry Cathedral.

This is the story of one of the most terrible nights of my life and what happened afterwards.

A long time ago, during the Second World War, the city of Coventry was a busy place, full of factories, shops, homes, and churches, including our beautiful cathedral.

It was a place where people came to pray, sing, and feel close to God.

But on the night of the 14th of November, 1940, something terrible happened." Here's a clue, the image, "A night of fire." "During the Second World War, there were many air raids on towns and cities in the UK.

The Nazis targeted places that were helping the war effort.

The sky was full of enemy planes and they dropped hundreds of bombs on the city.

Houses, shops and factories were destroyed, and so was our Cathedral.

The great building which had stood for hundreds of years was left in ruins." Imagine how the people of Coventry must have felt about that.

Here's a question to check for your understanding.

What happened to Coventry Cathedral during World War II? Was it A, bombed, B, built, or C, renovated? Have a little think.

It was A, bombed.

Well done if you got that question right.

Here we have a larger version of the photo, that you've already seen earlier on, showing Winston Churchill and Provost Howard.

And another photograph on the right of inside Coventry Cathedral that we're going to find out about.

"The next morning I walked through the wreckage." You can see Dick Howard walking through the wreckage there.

"The roof was gone, the walls were broken, and everything was covered in ashes.

It would've been easy to feel angry and to want revenge, but as I stood there, I had a different thought.

We must forgive.

I picked up a piece of chalk and wrote two words on the wall behind the altar.

"Father, forgive." Not just "Father, forgive them," but "Father, forgive" because we all need forgiveness." You might be able to just make out those words behind the cross on the altar, written onto the wall.

Here's another question to check your understanding.

Why did Dick Howard write the words "Father, forgive?" A, he wanted forgiveness for the destruction of Coventry.

B, he wanted forgiveness for everyone, or C, he wanted forgiveness for himself.

It was B, he wanted forgiveness for everyone.

Well done if you've got that question correct.

This next part of the story is called "A new beginning." Here you can see the new Coventry Cathedral on the right with the very new looking building, and on the left you can see they've still kept the old Coventry Cathedral that was bombed during the war.

"My vision was a new cathedral, a cathedral that would make forgiveness a reality.

The people of Coventry didn't give up.

Instead of staying sad and angry, we decided to build a new cathedral, not just as a church, but as a place of peace and friendship.

We kept the ruins of the old cathedral as a reminder of what had happened, but right next to it we built a brand new one, full of light and beauty.

At the front, a giant window lets in sunshine.

And the new cathedral is filled with art that reminds people of hope.

Today, Coventry Cathedral welcomes people from all over the world.

It stands as a sign that even when bad things happen, kindness and forgiveness are stronger than hate.

And do you know something special? When the old cathedral burned, two charred wooden beams fell in the shape of a cross.

We place them in the ruins as a symbol of hope and new beginnings.

That cross, and the words "Father forgive," remind us every day that love is more powerful than war.

Remember, when things go wrong, we can always choose to forgive, rebuild, and share peace with others." And you can see that cross there in the photograph.

Here's another check for understanding.

What did the people of Coventry choose to do after the bombing? Was it A, rebuild the cathedral exactly as it was? B, take revenge on those who bombed it, or C, leave the ruins as a reminder and build a new cathedral next to it? Did you remember that it was C, that they left the ruins as a reminder and built the new cathedral next to it? Just as we saw in that photograph.

And another check, why were the ruins of the old cathedral preserved? A, as a memorial and a symbol of peace, B, for future construction, or C, to create a park? Well done if you knew it was as a memorial, and symbol of peace, that the ruins of the old cathedral were preserved.

Well done.

I'm so proud of how hard you're working today.

Let's see if you can can complete this task now.

I want you to use the images, here they are, to tell the story of Coventry Cathedral.

You've got the image of Coventry Cathedral burning.

You've got the cross.

And you've also got the new cathedral alongside the old cathedral.

Can you describe the story and can you mention Dick Howard's ideas of forgiveness in it as well? Pause the video and press play when you've completed your task.

And here's some of the content that you might have put in your answer.

Of course, your answer won't be exactly the same, but you may have included some of these ideas.

Coventry cathedral was bombed, and destroyed, during World War II, leaving only ruins behind.

Instead of rebuilding it exactly the same, the people of Coventry chose to leave the ruins as a reminder of the past, and build a new modern cathedral beside them.

In the ruins, Dick Howard placed a charred wooden cross, and wrote the words, "Father, forgive," to show a message of peace and forgiveness.

The new cathedral was designed to be a symbol of hope, and reconciliation, bringing people together instead of seeking revenge.

We are ready now to move on to the second part of our lesson: what is Coventry Cathedral like today? Today, Coventry Cathedral is a very special place.

It is not just one cathedral, but two standing side by side, the old ruins and the new modern cathedral.

The ruins remind us about forgiveness and peace.

Provost Howard said, "What we want to tell the world is this: we want to banish all thoughts of revenge.

We are going to make a kinder, simpler, more Christ-like world." What do you think he meant by this? Here's a check for understanding.

True or false? The people of Coventry decided to rebuild the cathedral exactly as it was before.

Is that true or false? It's false.

And can you think of a reason why? The ruins of the old cathedral were left standing as a symbol of peace and forgiveness.

Look carefully at this sculpture.

It is found at Coventry Cathedral.

What can you see? What might it show? The sculpture is by the artist Josefina de Vasconcellos.

It is called "Reconciliation." And it shows two people embracing each other tightly.

Fiona has a Christian worldview.

She explains how she interprets the sculpture.

"I love this sculpture.

I can see how tightly the two people embrace and comfort each other.

To me, it shows how the people of Coventry forgave those who bombed it." Fiona describes how she thinks this sculpture connects to the story of the cathedral.

"Provost Howard wanted to banish revenge.

This sculpture shows me that a true Christian act is to work for peace and hope.

That is reconciliation." Lucas, Sofia, and Laura have been discussing why the "Reconciliation" sculpture is important.

Lucas says, "It shows that forgiveness is stronger than hate." Sofia says, "It shows that enemies can become friends again." And Laura says, "It spreads a message of peace to people all over the world." Can you think of any more reasons? Coventry Cathedral is known all over the world as a symbol of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

People come from different countries to visit, pray, and learn about how we can build peace instead of war.

Here's another check for understanding.

What does the new Coventry Cathedral stand for? Is it A, anger and revenge? B, forgiveness, reconciliation and peace? And C, a reminder of war and destruction? Did you get the answer correct? It was B, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.

And, of course, all those words are key words in our lesson today.

Okay, time for the task now.

I'm so proud of how hard you've worked today, and now it's time for another task.

Create an invitation to visit Coventry Cathedral.

Remember to include a warm and welcoming greeting, a brief description of the new cathedral, and describe the "Reconciliation" sculpture, and how people may interpret it.

So here are some ideas that you may have included in your invitation to Coventry Cathedral.

Here's an example one for you to look at.

"Welcome to Coventry Cathedral.

Coventry Cathedral is a place of hope and healing.

After being destroyed in the Second World War, it became a symbol of peace, showing that love and forgiveness are stronger than hate.

What to expect: the "Reconciliation" sculpture shows two people embracing each other.

It symbolises the forgiveness of the people of Coventry for those who bombed the cathedral.

It shows reconciliation as the past is set aside and a new future built on hope.

Provost Howard created a cross of wood from the bombed cathedral with the words "Father, forgive." This shows how we all need forgiveness and should forgive." Hopefully, that's given you some ideas, and that you've got lots of that content in your answer as well.

Well done for thinking really carefully about the things that you're going to include, and trying to remember important parts of the story to add to your answer.

We've come to the end of the lesson now.

These are the key points that I want you to remember going away from this lesson.

Coventry Cathedral was bombed during World War II.

The new Coventry Cathedral is a symbol of hope and the future.

The ruins of the old cathedral are preserved as a symbol of forgiveness.

Two pieces of charred wood were made into a cross to represent reconciliation.

The "Reconciliation" sculpture shows the idea of forgiveness.

Thank you for working so hard in this lesson today.

I hope that you've really enjoyed it and that you come back to join me for more lessons next time.

See you soon, bye.