Creative RE (Engaging with Secondary RE)

Edited by Lat Blaylock

Rating:

The final two pages of this publication, entitled ‘Ten simple ways to mix more creativity into RE’, offer some really fun, easy and interesting ideas for doing exactly as it says on the label. They suggest ways of using playdough, silence, Sunday supplements and faith stories creatively, and they work!

As with other books in this series, the other 30 pages contain ideas, website addresses, learning outcomes and ‘theory behind’ information, which may enable a teacher to add some creativity into existing schemes of work and lesson plans. The units cover a variety of creativity including music, architecture, spiritual places, poetry and Islamic art. However, some of the activities suggested seem to be more about creativity in others than about encouraging ‘creative RE’; many of them are based around reading something and then recording information from it in a variety of written forms (albeit some very creative ones!). Other activities involve copying Arabic letters and saying which script seems easiest, and I confess to being unclear about the learning taking place in these activities.

I found the art work in this book rather disappointing; at least two of the pictures ‘have their pixels showing’ and the picture on the front cover must have only been partly reproduced, as the explanation of it given by its 13 year old creator mentions interesting representations that aren’t visible.

Most of the topics focus on Christianity and Islam, and some of the ideas are adaptable for other religions.

And so again to the last two pages, they’re great!

Reviewer: Jocelyn Sumner, Partnership Director, University of Exeter, Devon (Former Head of Religious Education at Teign School, Kingsteignton, Devon)

Review posted on: 11 February 2009

Product information:

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