Siddhartha: early life
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can recount how Siddartha became disturbed by suffering and tried to find its cause.
Key learning points
- Siddhartha was born as a wealthy prince.
- When Siddhartha was born, a prophecy was told that predicted Siddhartha would be a great ruler or a holy man.
- Although he was privileged, he was disturbed by the four sights: an old man, a sick person, a corpse and a holy man.
- He decided to leave the palace and become an ascetic.
Keywords
Ascetic - a person who practices self-discipline and the denial of luxury
Lumbini - birthplace of Siddhartha, in what is now Nepal
Prophecy - a prediction of what will happen in the future
Dukkha - the fact that all life involves suffering
Common misconception
Siddhartha was poor.
Siddhartha was born into a wealthy family and lived in a palace.
Teacher tip
Print the four pictures and display them around the room. Pupils can move around the room and retell the story of the four sights. Modern examples of the four sights could be used.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In which century was Siddhartha Gautama believed to have been born?
Q2.Siddhartha Gautama, later known as 'the Buddha', founded which religion?
Q3.Which of these titles means the 'enlightened one'?
Q4.In which modern-day country was the Buddha born?
Q5.Where might you see statues of the Buddha in the UK?
Q6.Match the titles given to the founders of Christianity, Buddhism and Islam to the names of the founders.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What does the word 'prophecy' mean?
Q2.Why did the prophecy cause King Suddhodhana to keep Siddhartha in the palace?
Q3.Sort the four sights into the order in which Siddhartha Gautama saw them.
Q4.What does living as an ascetic mean?
Q5.What is the meaning of 'dukkha'?
To help you plan your 5 religious education lesson on: Siddhartha: early life, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 religious education lesson on: Siddhartha: early life, 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 2 religious education lessons from the Buddhists: who was the Buddha and what does he mean for Buddhists? unit, dive into the full primary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.