Pilgrimage to Iona
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the role and importance of Iona as a Christian place of pilgrimage.
Key learning points
- A pilgrimage is a religious journey to a holy place; it is considered an act of worship and devotion.
- Iona is a small island located off the west coast of Scotland; it has become a popular pilgrimage site.
- In 563 AD, St. Columba founded a monastery on Iona and it became a major centre of early Christianity in Scotland.
- Iona is considered to be a "thin place", where the boundary between heaven and earth is thin.
- There are many reasons Christians go to Iona, including to worship, study, work and spend time with other pilgrims.
Keywords
Celtic - refers to the ancient peoples of Europe, and their culture, who lived in regions such as England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland
Iona - a place of pilgrimage to where St Columba founded a monastery in the sixth century
Monastery - a building lived in by a community of monks who follow religious vows
Pilgrimage - a religious journey to a holy site/sacred place, it is an act of worship and devotion
Common misconception
Only Christians visit Iona.
Many people visit Iona, including Christians, people who belong to other religions and people with no religion at all. Iona has historical significance as well as religious significance.
Teacher tip
You may wish to remind students about pilgrimage to Lourdes and make comparisons between Lourdes and Iona.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.A pilgrimage is a religious made to a sacred place.
Q2.Which group most commonly visits Lourdes for pilgrimage?
Q3.What is the name of the girl who saw visions in Lourdes in 1858?
Q4.Over 70 recognised have occurred at Lourdes.
Q5.Why do people return to Lourdes again?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.A pilgrimage is considered an act of and devotion.
Q2.Where is Iona located?
Q3.Why is Iona called a "thin place"?
Q4.Christians visit Iona to worship, learn, and connect with other ...
Q5.What is one key reason non-Christians visit Iona?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Pilgrimage to Iona, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Pilgrimage to Iona, 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.