The Parable of the Lost Son: hidden meanings
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the deeper meanings of the Parable of the Lost Son.
Key learning points
- For many Christians, the Parable of the Lost Son teaches them about what God is like.
- Many Christians interpret the parable as meaning that God welcomes everyone back, even when they have made mistakes.
- The parable also mentions an older brother who was envious of his younger brother.
- We can look for the hidden meanings in the Parable of the Lost Son so we can better understand Christian worldviews.
Keywords
Father - another word for 'dad'; Christians often speak of God as a 'father'
Equal - treating everyone the same
Envious - to feel cross with someone because they have something that you don't
Common misconception
The only point of the parable is welcoming home the lost son.
The parable is about the father’s love and forgiveness for both his sons.
Teacher tip
Use 'hot seating' to explore the feelings of the father and the two sons.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.In the Parable of the Good Shepherd, a gets lost.
Q2.In the Parable of the Lost Son, what does the younger son do when he leaves home?
Q3.Put the first part of the story in the Parable of the Lost Son in the correct order.
Q4.Match the parables below to the characters that appear in them.
an injured man
a lost sheep
a father
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.The Parable of the Lost Son is an important story for ...
Q2.In the Parable of the Lost Son, the __________ represents God.
Q3.Put the second part of the story in the Parable of the Lost Son in the correct order.
Q4.Why was the older son envious of the younger son?
To help you plan your 1 religious education lesson on: The Parable of the Lost Son: hidden meanings, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 1 religious education lesson on: The Parable of the Lost Son: hidden meanings, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 religious education lessons from the Stories: how do different people find deeper meanings? unit, dive into the full primary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.