Year 4 Pilgrimage: why might some people visit Jerusalem, Karbala or Makkah? worksheet

“What makes a pilgrimage?” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 4 religious education unit “Pilgrimage: why might some people visit Jerusalem, Karbala or Makkah?”, 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 25 to 30 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

What makes a pilgrimage?

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

Today I can explain what a pilgrimage is and name some faiths that make them.

A Look back3 min

1.
Circle the symbol on the map that shows a place of worship.
churchhousepond
2.
Circle the symbol on this map that shows a place where children learn.
pondschoolshop
3.
Write the name of a place of worship for Muslims.

B Watch me, then you4 min

Pilgrims travel to a holy place, and the trip is part of what it means. This cycle shows the stages of one pilgrimage.

A golden-domed shrine on a stone platform under a clear blue sky, no people

Watch me

The first stage is leaving home.

The travel to the holy place is a key stage.

Praying there is part of the pilgrimage too.

The cycle shows the whole journey, not just the arrival.

Now you

1.
The box is empty. Which stage fits in the box? Circle it.
pray therego shoppingsleep late

C Your turn6 min

Match, sort and choose. Each row changes one thing, so look for the pattern.

1.
Join each place to the faith that holds it sacred.
MakkahGurdwara
SikhismIslam
2.
Join each place to the faith that holds it sacred.
MakkahGurdwaraWestern Wall
SikhismJudaismIslam
3.
Write each card in the correct column. Use the table headings.
Travelling to Makkah for HajjA trip to buy shoesVisiting Jerusalem to prayA holiday at the beach
A pilgrimage An ordinary trip
4.
Which of these are sacred places? Circle the sacred places.
a gurdwaraa bus stopthe Western Walla car park

Say it out loud: What is the same about the places in each row? What changed from the row before?

D Spot the mistake3 min

A long old stone wall with a row of stone steps in front of it, no people

Ali says: “Only Muslims go on pilgrimage.”

1.
Write one faith other than Islam whose followers go on pilgrimage.

E Think deeper4 min

An old city skyline with domes, towers and stone walls under a blue sky, no people

1.
Christians believe Jesus died and rose again in Jerusalem. Muslims believe the Prophet ﷺ visited it on his Night Journey. Why might both see it as sacred?

How did it feel?

Think about what you learned today. Did any part surprise you? You can keep your answer to yourself.

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

What makes a pilgrimage? · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. church your child may think a house is a place of worship. Ask who goes inside a church to pray together.

2. school

3. Look for: A mosque, the Muslim place of worship, named in one or two words.

B

1. pray there your child may have picked a stage that is not part of a pilgrimage. Ask: does this stage happen at the holy place?

C

1. Makkah → Islam; Gurdwara → Sikhism your child may have joined the places in the wrong order. Ask which faith meets for worship in a gurdwara.

2. Makkah → Islam; Gurdwara → Sikhism; Western Wall → Judaism

3. A pilgrimage: Travelling to Makkah for Hajj, Visiting Jerusalem to pray · An ordinary trip: A trip to buy shoes, A holiday at the beach your child may have sorted by distance. Ask: is the journey itself part of the holy meaning?

4. a gurdwara, the Western Wall

D

1. Look for: Names one faith other than Islam that has pilgrimages, such as Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism or Hinduism. If your child writes a place, such as Jerusalem, ask which faith's followers travel there. Then name one faith together.

E

1. Look for: Explains that both faiths link Jerusalem to a key event, such as Jesus rising again or the Night Journey, so both see it as holy.

Words to use

Say“Which journey do you think is a pilgrimage, and why? Does the journey itself matter?”

Instead of“Tell them the answer straight away, before they have had a chance to think.”

After the sheet

Talk about a place that is special to your family, such as a grandparent's home or a place of worship. Ask your child what makes a journey there feel special.

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:

Hajj: a sacred journey(with a plan)
Hajj: changing believers(with a plan)
Karbala: a Shi'a pilgrimage(with a plan)
Jerusalem and the Western Wall(with a plan)
Jerusalem for Christians(with a plan)

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