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Lesson 2 of 6

Noah and the Rainbow

I can retell the story of Noah and explain its meaning.

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Lesson 2 of 6
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Noah and the Rainbow

I can retell the story of Noah and explain its meaning.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The story of Noah is an ancient story found in the Torah and the Old Testament.
  2. Noah, his family and the animals escape the flood in an ark.
  3. The rainbow is given by God as a sign of his promise.
  4. Different Christians find deeper meanings in the story of Noah today.

Keywords

  • Ark - wooden boat

  • Flood - overflow of water to cover land

  • Promise - an agreement to do or not do something

  • Rainbow - an arch of colours in the sky

Common misconception

Old stories have no relevance.

There are meanings in stories even when they are old and confusing.

Many Christians will understand and read stories such as this in different ways. Some will read it literally and others as a folktale. The important message of the story is shared by all: that God made a covenant, a promise, with humans at the end of the story.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
The Old Testament is ...

Correct answer: the first part of the Bible
the second part of the Bible
the third part of the Bible

Q2.
The Bible is the name of the ...

Jewish holy book
Muslim holy book
Correct answer: Christian holy book

Q3.
What can be found in the Bible?

maps, newspapers and recipes
games, colouring and posters
Correct answer: stories, poems and letters

Q4.
What is a promise?

a plan to get your homework done
Correct answer: an agreement to do or not do something
a badge to show your achievements

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
What is an ark?

an overflow of water to cover land
an agreement to do or not do something
Correct answer: a wooden boat

Q2.
Put the story of Noah into the correct order.

1 - God told Noah that there would be a big flood.
2 - Noah built a big boat called an ark.
3 - Noah put the animals into the ark.
4 - It rained and rained for 40 days and nights.

Q3.
The rainbow is given by God as a sign of his ...

anger
Correct answer: promise
wish

Q4.
The story of Noah is found in the ...

Correct answer: Torah
Correct answer: Bible
Qur'an

Lesson appears in

UnitReligious education / The Bible: what does it say about God's promises?

Religious education

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