Year 5 Buddhists: who was the Buddha and what does he mean for Buddhists? worksheet

“The Idea of a Buddha” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 5 religious education unit “Buddhists: who was the Buddha and what does he mean for Buddhists?”, for children aged 9 to 10, and takes about 22 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 31 to 36 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

The Idea of a Buddha

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 5 · Religious education · about 22 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can explain that Buddha is a title and that Buddhism is found in many countries.

A Look back3 min

1.
Join each holy book to the religion that uses it.
TorahQur'anBible
ChristianityJudaismIslam
2.
Which holy book do Sikhs read from?
TorahGuru Granth SahibQur'an
3.
Sort these places of worship by the religion that uses them.
SynagogueMandirMosque
Hindu Muslim Jewish

B Watch me, then you4 min

Ruth is reading about a man born in Nepal. She finds a name, a title and a religion. She wants to know which one is the title.

Watch me

Siddhartha Gautama is the name of the man born in Nepal.

Buddha is a title. It means the Enlightened One.

Buddhism is the religion. It is named after that title.

Now you

1.
Circle the word that is the title given after his awakening.
Siddhartha GautamaBuddhaBuddhism

C Your turn8 min

Answer each question about the man, his title and where Buddhists live.

1.
Where was the founder of Buddhism born?
NepalJapanThailand
2.
What does the title Buddha mean?
The Holy PrinceThe Enlightened OneThe Wise Teacher
3.
Buddhists live in all of these countries. Sort the countries into the two columns.
NepalThailandJapanUnited Kingdom
In Asia Not in Asia
4.
Write one sentence. Why is Buddha not a personal name?

Say it out loud: What is the difference between a name and a title? Say it in your own words.

D Spot the mistake3 min

A Buddhist vihara building with a curved roof and a small garden

Kit says: “Buddhists can only be found in Asia.”

1.
Is Kit right? Explain in one sentence.

E Think deeper4 min

1.
Siddhartha was born in Nepal and taught in northern India. Explain how his teachings can now be practised in London. Write two sentences.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

The Idea of a Buddha · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. Torah → Judaism; Qur'an → Islam; Bible → Christianity

2. Guru Granth Sahib If your child chooses Torah, they have mixed up the Jewish holy book with the Sikh one. Ask which religion meets in a gurdwara.

3. Hindu: Mandir · Jewish: Synagogue · Muslim: Mosque

B

1. Buddha If your child circles Siddhartha Gautama, they have found the man's name, not the title. Ask what he was given after his awakening.

C

1. Nepal If your child chooses Thailand, they may be thinking of where many Buddhists live today. Point to the Watch me part: the man was born in Nepal.

2. The Enlightened One

3. In Asia: Nepal, Thailand, Japan · Not in Asia: United Kingdom If your child puts the United Kingdom in Asia, ask them to find it on a map. Remind them that Buddhism spread from Asia to other places.

4. Look for: Says Buddha is a title given after awakening, meaning the Enlightened One, not his own name. If your child writes that Buddha is his surname, ask what the title means. Then ask when he received it.

D

1. Look for: Says Kit is wrong because Buddhists live in many countries outside Asia, such as the UK. If your child says Kit is right, they think Buddhism stayed in Asia. Ask where viharas can be found in the UK.

E

1. Look for: Mentions people travelling or moving and ideas being shared, and a Buddhist place like a vihara in the UK.

Words to use

Say“Which word is the name, and which word is the title? What did the title describe?”

Instead of“Buddha was his name, so Buddhism is named after his name.”

After the sheet

Talk about titles you know, such as Doctor, Captain or Head Teacher. Ask: is this the person's name, or a word for what they do or became?

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:

A prince who went searching(with a plan)
Craving and the Middle Way(with a plan)
Siddhartha and change(with a plan)
Many Buddhist Ways(with a plan)
Meditation and calm minds(with a plan)

Every Year 5 religious education worksheet

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