Year 6 Ethics: How do we decide what is good? worksheet

“Questions about right and wrong” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 6 religious education unit “Ethics: How do we decide what is good?”, for children aged 10 to 11, 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 25 to 30 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Questions about right and wrong

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 6 · Religious education · about 22 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can explain why ethical questions need principles, not just facts.

A Look back3 min

1.
Muslims give money to help people in need. Which pillar of Islam is this? Circle it.
ZakatSalahHajj
2.
In which season do Christians prepare for Christmas? Circle it.
AdventLentEaster
3.
What is the first part of the Jewish Bible called? Circle it.
TorahKetuvimQur'an

B Watch me, then you4 min

Would it be right to hide a friend's mistake from a teacher? Here is how to decide what kind of question it is.

Watch me

Ask: is this about right and wrong? Yes.

Ask: could sensible people disagree? Yes.

So it is an ethical question.

Now you

1.
How many legs does a spider have? Circle the kind of question this is.
ethicalfactualtaste

C Your turn8 min

Circle the kind of question. Use the three tests in the picture.

1.
How many days are there in a week? Circle the kind of question this is.
ethicalfactualtaste
2.
Is mint ice cream nicer than vanilla? Circle the kind of question this is.
ethicalfactualtaste
3.
Is it right to keep a lost purse instead of handing it in? Circle the kind of question this is.
ethicalfactualtaste
4.
Is it fair to keep a secret that could hurt a friend? Circle the kind of question this is.
ethicalfactualtaste

Say it out loud: Which test did you ask first, and what did you notice changed from one question to the next?

D Spot the mistake3 min

Kit says: “Philosophy is only for clever grown-ups at university, so children cannot do it.”

1.
Write one sentence to tell Kit why this is wrong.

E Think deeper4 min

1.
Two people share the same worldview but disagree about whether to share a secret. Write two possible answers and the principle behind each.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Questions about right and wrong · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. Zakat your child circled Salah, which is prayer. Zakat is the pillar of giving money to help others. Ask what the other pillars are for.

2. Advent

3. Torah your child circled Qur'an, which is the Muslim holy book. The Torah is the first part of the Jewish Bible. Ask which book Jewish families read.

B

1. factual your child circled ethical. Ask: is there one right answer that everyone agrees on? Yes, so it is factual.

C

1. factual your child circled ethical. Ask: is there one answer everyone agrees on? Yes, so it is factual.

2. taste your child circled factual. Ask: could two people disagree and both still be right? Yes, so it is about taste.

3. ethical your child circled taste. This is about right and wrong, so it is ethical. Ask: what principle would a fair person use here?

4. ethical your child circled factual. Ask: is there a single answer that can be checked? No, people weigh fairness and kindness, so it is ethical.

D

1. Look for: Says anyone, including children, can think deeply about big questions such as right and wrong.

E

1. Look for: Two different answers, each linked to a principle such as fairness, kindness, honesty or loyalty from the worldview.

Words to use

Say“Which kind of question is this, and which principle did you use to decide?”

Instead of“Tell them the answer is ethical, so there is no need to think about it.”

After the sheet

At dinner, ask everyone one question and sort it: right and wrong, fact, or taste. Talk kindly about the ones people disagree on.

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:

What Christians Value(with a plan)
Muslim sources of guidance(with a plan)
How humanists decide(with a plan)
Finding the golden mean(with a plan)
Shared Ideas of a Good Life(with a plan)

Every Year 6 religious education worksheet

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