Glastonbury: a contemporary spiritual place
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Glastonbury has developed as a site of Pagan pilgrimage and the connections to its past.
Key learning points
- Glastonbury is a town in Somerset and Glastonbury Tor is seen by some people as a sacred site.
- Glastonbury is a place of pilgrimage for both Christians and Pagans.
- Pagans have a worldview connected to nature and the earth.
- Many Pagans see Glastonbury as a sacred site due to a mix of legends, sacred water and the surrounding landscape.
- We can better understand Glastonbury as a site of pilgrimage by interviewing people with different worldviews.
Keywords
Pilgrimage - a journey made to a sacred place, as an act of religious devotion
Pagans - people who follows a religious or spiritual belief system that is based on nature
Solstice - the longest day of the yea; in the Northern hemisphere it occurs on 21-23rd June
Spiritual - a sense of connection to something greater
Common misconception
Pagans and other similar spiritualities define themselves against Christianity.
Pagan worldviews are highly diverse. However, they share a common reverance for the earth and a tolerance towards those of other worldviews.
Teacher tip
Look at the results of your local census in 2021. How many pagans live in your area? Has this figure increased from the number in 2011?
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.A is someone who makes a journey to a sacred place.
Q2.Which of these pilgrimages is the largest gathering of humans on earth?
Q3.Which of these are tools used by social scientists to help us better understand how people live out their worldviews?
Q4.Who, according to legend, planted a thorn in Glastonbury?
Q5.The new shrine for Catholic Christians in Glastonbury is dedicated to ...
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.A worldview based on nature and care for the world is ...
Q2.Many Pagans gather at Glastonbury Tor to mark the summer ...
Q3.Many Pagans visit Glastonbury because they ...
Q4.Which of these statements is true?
Q5.Which Pagan path lead rituals on Glastonbury Tor for the summer solstice?
To help you plan your 6 religious education lesson on: Glastonbury: a contemporary spiritual place, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 religious education lesson on: Glastonbury: a contemporary spiritual place, 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 Pilgrimage: why are people still drawn to ancient places? unit, dive into the full primary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.