The story of the first Khalsa
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can understand the meaning of Khalsa and explain how it created a special identity for Sikhs.
Key learning points
- Guru Gobind Singh was the final human guru in Sikhi.
- The Khalsa commemorates five volunteers who were prepared to offer their lives to God.
- A deeper meaning of the story is the importance of self-sacrifice and a life of service.
- For most Sikhs, this story is the beginning of a distinctive Sikh identity.
Keywords
Guru Gobind Singh - the tenth and final human Guru in Sikhi who started the Khalsa
Khalsa - a special group of Sikhs who promise to live honestly, help others, and follow the Sikh religion closely
Sacrifice - giving up something important or special for a good cause or to help others
Common misconception
The Khalsa was created only for warriors who fight in battles.
The Khalsa was created for all Sikhs who live by a set of values, such as honesty, bravery, kindness, and service to others.
Teacher tip
Retell the story of the Khalsa, Vaisakhi, stopping at different points to discuss the true meaning and what it teaches Sikhs. Invite a speaker to share their views and experiences about Khalsa. Use the following video to enrich the classroom experience - https://www.truetube.co.uk/resource/vaisakhi/
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What percentage of people in England and Wales are Sikh?
Q2.What is a gurdwara?
Q3.Why do some areas in the UK have large Sikh communities?
Q4.How did Sikhs contribute during the World Wars?
Q5.Did all of the Sikhs in the UK move here recently?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.The Khalsa was created by Gobind Singh at the Vaisakhi festival.
Q2.The Khalsa began with Sikhs who were willing to give their lives to God.
Q3.Why did Guru Gobind Singh create the Khalsa?
Q4.Who were the Panj Pyare in the story of the Khalsa?
Q5.Was the Khalsa created only for people who fight in battles?
To help you plan your 6 religious education lesson on: The story of the first Khalsa, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 religious education lesson on: The story of the first Khalsa, 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 Sikhs: What does Khalsa mean to Sikhs today? unit, dive into the full primary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.