Baptism and the Eucharist
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the role, meaning and celebration of baptism and the Eucharist, and their significance today.
Key learning points
- Many Christians regard the Eucharist/Holy Communion and baptism as sacraments.
- Baptism is when an individual is initiated into Christianity, and some Christians believe this removes original sin.
- The Eucharist/Holy Communion is a form of Christian worship that honors the death and resurrection of Jesus.
- These practices originate from Jesus, but today there are different interpretations of their meaning and celebration.
- For Christians who celebrate baptism and the Eucharist/Holy Communion, they are a significant part of Christian life.
Keywords
Baptism - the sacrament through which people become members of the Church; it involves the use of water as a symbol of the washing away of sin.
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, 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 celebrate baptism and the Eucharist in the same way.
Many Christians celebrate baptism and the Eucharist, however, this can happen in many different ways. For example, there are different beliefs regarding the age that baptism takes place, and different beliefs and interpretations about the Eucharist.
Teacher tip
You may wish to share the full passage from John 3:3-6 with students to support Learning Cycle 3.
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.What are sacraments best described as?
Q2.Why are sacraments important to many Christians?
Q3.Which of these statements is true?
Q4.Sacraments help mark significant in a Christian’s life.
Q5.Christian groups such as the do not celebrate sacraments.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Baptism and the Eucharist are considered to be by many Christians.
Q2.What is a key purpose of baptism in Christianity?
Q3.The Eucharist is a form of worship that remembers Jesus’ death and .
Q4.Why do Christian practices around baptism and the Eucharist differ?
Q5.Which of the following best describes a key difference in beliefs about baptism among Christian denominations?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Baptism and 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: Baptism and 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 Living the Christian life unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.