Christian beliefs about Holy Communion / the Eucharist
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the sacrament of the Eucharist and its significance for Christians today.
Key learning points
- The Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion, is a celebration and rememberance of Jesus' death and resurrection.
- During the Eucharist, bread and wine (or grape juice) are consumed to remember Jesus' sacrifice.
- The practice of the Eucharist originates from the Last Supper and many Christians believe the Eucharist is a sacrament.
- There are different beliefs within Christianity regarding the presence of Jesus in the bread and wine.
- The Eucharist is celebrated regularly by many Christians today and is a significant part of Christian life.
Keywords
Eucharist/Holy Communion - means 'thanksgiving'; a sacrament in which the death and resurrection of Jesus are celebrated, using bread and wine
Sacrament - an outward sign of an invisible and inward blessing by God; for example: baptism, the Eucharist
Transubstantiation - the belief that the substance of the elements of the Eucharist are transformed into the body and blood of Christ
Common misconception
All Christians believe that the bread and wine are symbolic of Jesus' body and blood.
Roman Catholic Christians believe that the substance of the bread and wine becomes Jesus' body and blood during the celebration of the Eucharist; this is known as transubstantiation.
Teacher tip
You may wish to remind students of the events surrounding the Last Supper to support Learning Cycle 1.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Baptism is the sacrament through which people become of the Church.
Q2.Which of the following is true about Christian baptism?
Q3.What element is used in baptism to represent spiritual cleansing?
Q4.Which is true about Christian beliefs on baptism?
Q5.What is adult baptism also called?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What is the Eucharist primarily a celebration of?
Q2.Christians consume bread and to remember Jesus’ sacrifice during the Eucharist.
Q3.What is the Eucharist considered to be in many Christian churches?
Q4.What do some Protestants believe about the bread and wine used during the Eucharist?
Q5.What do Roman Catholics believe happens to the bread and wine during the Eucharist?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Christian beliefs about Holy Communion / the Eucharist, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Christian beliefs about Holy Communion / the Eucharist, 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 4 religious education lessons from the Christianity: Practices unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.