By Mrs Horton (Drama Teacher)
As part of the year 7 RS Islam unit, 7CAB embarked on a mission to bring their knowledge of the Hajj (the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca performed by Muslims) to a target audience of Year 5s through the medium of a board game! In small groups 7CAB created a total of six boardgames, all with question cards, and other interactive challenges designed to teach about the Hajj and also appeal to a younger audience making it fun for them to play.
5K were the willing participants. In pairs, they rotated around the boardgames, playing each one for ten minutes before moving on to the next. The atmosphere in the room was really supportive and collaborative, 7CAB were incredibly kind and welcoming, and 5K were enthusiastic and ready to rise to the challenge of winning the games and learning new knowledge!
The final ten minutes of the lesson were the most rewarding, however, as 5K helped 7CAB to reflect on the process of creating an enjoyable and engaging game, and whether or not they learnt anything about the Hajj.
5K were able to explain a wealth of information from playing the games, including that Allah is patient so therefore Muslims learn patience through performing the Hajj; that white clothes are worn when on the Hajj and they walk around Mecca seven times anti-clockwise.
7CAB reflected that if they were to do the project again they would prepare some information slides to share with the Year 5s before they started playing the games as it was easy to forget that the Year 5s did not have the same level of base knowledge at the start of the session.. They also suggested making some of the questions a bit easier on their question cards, and using bright, eye-catching colours on their game boards.
Ultimately, this was a really enjoyable and educational experience for both classes, and a lovely opportunity to build relationships across year groups.
Millie (5K) said: “It was so interesting to find out about a different religion, it links really well to our IB PYP work as we are learning about different cultures. I enjoyed looking at the similarities and differences between the games.”
Samika added (5K): “I loved getting to know some of the Year 7s, I found the games really fun and enjoyed learning about Hajj. I came away with lots more knowledge, like the fact that Muslims walk anti-clockwise when they visit.”
