Siddhartha Gautama as a historical figure
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe key events in the life of Siddhartha Gautama, explore divergent interpretations of his life, and evaluate their impact on Buddhists today.
Key learning points
- There are different interpretations of the story of Siddhartha Gautama's life.
- There are key events in his life story that link to Buddhist practices and beliefs.
- There are places of pilgrimage associated with his life that Buddhists may visit today.
- The first of the three jewels is the Buddha.
Keywords
Buddha - refers to 'the enlightened one'
Siddhartha Gautama - the founder of Buddhism; he became known as the Buddha
Lumbini - the birthplace of Siddhartha, in what is now Nepal
Bodh Gaya - located in north east India; considered to be the place of the Buddha’s enlightenment
Common misconception
The Buddha is God/a God.
The Buddha is a historical figure.
Teacher tip
Print out the images of the Buddha statues so pupils can write their observations on or around the images.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which religious worldview is also known as Sanatana Dharma?
Q2.Which name is often used to refer to God or the 'ultimate reality' in Hindu Dharma?
Q3.What does the term 'dukkha' refer to in Buddhism?
Q4.Who founded Sikhi?
Q5.How many Noble Truths did the Buddha teach?
Q6.Match the dharmic worldviews below to the correct meanings of 'dharma/dhamma' in these religions.
the true essence of all living things
the teachings of the Buddha
living with a good moral code and honouring God
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.According to Buddhists, who is Siddhartha Gautama?
Q2.Where was Siddhartha Gautama born?
Q3.Why might Buddhists go on a pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya?
Q4.Why is meditation an important practice for most Buddhists?
Q5.Many Buddhists interpret the stories of Siddhartha Gautama as mythical. What does this mean?
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: Siddhartha Gautama as a historical figure, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: Siddhartha Gautama as a historical figure, 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 3 religious education lessons from the Buddhism: how significant are the three jewels to Buddhists? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.