Year 4 Natural world: what does dharma teach about attitudes to the planet? worksheet

“Many Hindu creation stories” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 4 religious education unit “Natural world: what does dharma teach about attitudes to the planet?”, for children aged 8 to 9, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 7 to 12 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Many Hindu creation stories

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 4 · Religious education · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can explain that Hindu Dharma has many creation stories, not just one.

A Look back3 min

1.
Circle the symbol that shows a place where Christians pray.
churchschoolshop
2.
Circle the missing word in this chain: beliefs → ___ → practices
teachingscloudscolours
3.
Circle the missing word: believe → ___ → share.
practiseforgetsleep

B Watch me, then you4 min

Hindus tell many stories about how the world began. In one, the world hatches from a golden egg. Here is another story. Read the chain from left to right.

Watch me

First, Vishnu sleeps on the great snake Shesha in a dark ocean.

Then the sacred sound of Aum fills the dark.

A lotus grows from Vishnu, and Brahma sits inside it.

Brahma creates the world.

Now you

1.
Cover the story above with your hand. Then number these steps in the order they happen.
1. Brahma creates the world
2. A lotus grows from Vishnu
3. Vishnu sleeps on Shesha
4. Aum sound begins

C Your turn6 min

Read each question and every card carefully before you answer.

A single lotus flower floating on dark still water

1.
Many Hindus believe in one God, Brahman, seen through many deities. Circle the deity who shows Brahman creating.
VishnuBrahmaShiva
2.
Circle the deity who shows Brahman transforming, so old things end and new things begin.
VishnuBrahmaShiva
3.
Write each card in the right column. A card goes under In the stories if this sheet says it is true.
Aum is the first soundVishnu sleeps on SheshaShiva makes the lotusMany creation stories exist
In the stories Not in the stories
4.
How many creation stories does Hindu Dharma have? Circle your answer.
onemany

Say it out loud: Which deity creates, which cares and which transforms? Why might Hindus tell more than one story?

D Spot the mistake3 min

A rolled scroll in a wooden box on a table

Ravi says: “Hindus have one creation story, so every Hindu learns the same one.”

1.
Write why Ravi is wrong.

E Think deeper4 min

A temple on a hill at sunset above a calm river

1.
Why might a Hindu think one story could never capture the whole truth? Write two reasons.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Many Hindu creation stories · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. church School is a place to learn, and a shop is for buying things. Ask your child which building has a tower and a place for prayer.

2. teachings Clouds and colours do not fit a religion. Read the chain out loud and ask your child what a religion teaches its followers.

3. practise Forget and sleep do not fit a religion's way of living. Ask your child what people do after they believe something.

B

1. 1 Vishnu sleeps on Shesha · 2 Aum sound begins · 3 A lotus grows from Vishnu · 4 Brahma creates the world The lotus only appears after the sound. Ask your child what happens before Brahma can sit on anything.

C

1. Brahma Vishnu represents caring. Ask your child which deity makes new things in the story.

2. Shiva Brahma is the creative one. Ask your child which deity helps old things end so new things can begin.

3. In the stories: Aum is the first sound, Vishnu sleeps on Shesha, Many creation stories exist · Not in the stories: Shiva makes the lotus Brahma sits on the lotus, not Shiva. Ask your child who the lotus belongs to in the story.

4. many One is the common mistake. Ask your child why no single story could show the whole truth about the universe.

D

1. Look for: Says there are many creation stories, not one, and that Hindus do not all learn the same story. If your child only says Ravi is wrong, ask: does this sheet say Hindus have one creation story or many? Help them write that reason on the line.

E

1. Look for: Gives two reasons, for example that one story shows only one idea, and that the truth about the universe is huge and mysterious.

Words to use

Say“Which story did we hear about, and is there another one that tells it differently?”

Instead of“There is one Hindu story about how the world began, so that is the answer.”

After the sheet

Tell a family story about how your home started, such as moving house. Ask each person to tell it a different way, then talk about why no one version tells everything.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

5 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

The Earth as Mother(with a plan)
Dharma and all living things(with a plan)
Love for all beings(with a plan)
Krishna and the Earth(with a plan)
Caring for the World(with a plan)

Every Year 4 religious education worksheet

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