Classroom Resources for RE
INTRODUCTION TO RESOURCES
Welcome to our exciting new initiative in Religious Education. VinE and the Animal Interfaith Alliance (AIA) have been working with RE Today to produce a range of free classroom resources for RE. These resources enable teachers and pupils to explore, through critical, objective and pluralistic RE lessons, questions around the moral status of animals and ethical veganism as both a religious and non-religious worldview.
We hope you enjoy exploring the six RE Units that span Key Stages 1 to 5 (5–18-year-olds) and accompanying Teacher’s Guide. They are designed to be used flexibly and creatively by teachers of RE across the four nations of the UK and beyond. You will find a wealth of activities and ideas for teaching and learning accompanied by supplementary resources and links to external sources too.
Learn more about including ethical veganism in RE
As RE widens its scope and moves towards a worldviews paradigm, aiming to prepare children and young people for life in a complex multi-religious and multi-secular world, studying ethical veganism offers opportunities to examine the dynamics between religions and worldviews. Ethical veganism, a rapidly growing, practice-based philosophical belief, protected under the Equality Act (2010) and in European law, can be understood as a non-religious worldview, but also, for many people, it is a worldview deeply intertwined with religious belief and practice. Sometimes it is supported by religious teachings and doctrines and sometimes it presents challenges to them. Ethical veganism, and the issues relating to it, provides a rich field of study for children and young people as veganism increasingly becomes part of our collective consciousness in everyday life – whether in shops and restaurants, or in discussions ranging beyond our treatment of animals to environmental responsibility, human health, social justice, and of course, religion and belief.
Empathy and compassion are the founding principles in most religious and ethical traditions. Veganism is ultimately a philosophy of compassion. By extending our circle of compassion to all living beings, we can stimulate the development of empathy in children which will help them improve all of their interpersonal relationships. This teaching approach also complements school goals of social-emotional learning, anti-bullying initiatives and creating global citizens responsible for ensuring a more ethical, just and sustainable world.
Testimonial

These beautifully presented resources are a delight to explore. They have been superbly put together and are of such high quality, using wonderful text, images, hyperlinks and illustrations. They align completely with the curriculum for Wales in offering schools the opportunities to explore philosophical convictions, using their subsidiarity and autonomy to design and craft their own curriculum for RVE. I am genuinely excited to see the bold and beautiful RVE opportunities that will result from these resources as we seek to develop our young people into ethically informed and responsible citizens.
Jennifer Harding-Richards
Adviser for Religion Values and Ethics (RVE)
Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Swansea

Teachers’ Guide for RE
Read me first!
Teachers’ Guide for RE
Read me first!
To download units and supplementary resources, click on green arrow.
The Powerpoint resources are held in Google Drive, so you will need to download the file after the link opens.
As the Powerpoint files are fairly large, this may take a few minutes.

Ages 5-7

What can we learn from religious stories about how humans should treat other animals? (Christians, Jewish people, Muslims)

Ages 7-9

What can we learn from dharmic religions about kindness to animals? (Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs)

Ages 10-12

Should the Golden Rule include animals?

Ages 12-14

Who are vegans?
PDF Download:
Unit 4
Who Are Vegans Supplementary Resource
Powerpoint Download:
Vegan Voices PDF Download:

Ages 14-16

Is veganism a religious duty?

Ages 16-18

Sentience

Ages 5-7

What can we learn from religious stories about how humans should treat other animals? (Christians, Jewish people, Muslims)

Ages 7-9

What can we learn from dharmic religions about kindness to animals? (Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs)

Ages 10-12

Should the Golden Rule include animals?

Ages 12-14

Who are vegans?
Unit 4
Who Are Vegans Supplementary Resource
Powerpoint Download:
Vegan Voices PDF Download:

Ages 14-16

Is veganism a religious duty?
We also have materials from other RE projects (both in the UK and abroad) which focus on compassion for animals. For education materials specific to Catholic schools, produced by William Radinson, see: Catholic Social Teaching and Humane Education Guide
2023 Spirited Arts & Poetry Competition
This year VinE & AIA are jointly sponsoring the theme “All God’s Creatures?” to highlight the importance of animals.

Get involved in the 2023 Spirited Arts & Poetry Competition, run by NATRE (the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education) and join hundreds of schools from around the world taking part in this year’s competition.
All God’s Creatures?
Do animals belong to God? Are they part of a divine plan? Do animals have souls? The beauty and sheer awesomeness of non-human animals with whom we share planet Earth is celebrated in many of the world’s religions. Some worldviews see all living beings as interconnected, yet others emphasise the separateness and superiority of humans over other animals. Animals play a huge part in all our lives, whether we realise or not. How humans interact with other animals and the natural world impacts on all living beings and the planet. This theme invites exploration of ideas and beliefs about non-human animals. Great work will show originality and flare coming from deep consideration of the issues. Challenge learners to engage thoughtfully with scripture, philosophy, and scientific enquiry to write an inspiring passage to accompany stunning images. VinE is delighted to partner with NATRE and the Animals Interfaith Alliance (AIA) to bring you this theme.
NATRE welcomes entries in (almost!) any art form, including:
- Art (painting, drawing, sketching etc)
- Poetry
- Photography
- Dance
- Music
- Drama
- Sculpture
All entries must be received before Monday 31 July 2023.
Full details can be read on the NATRE’s Website here.