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KS2 Assemblies and Collective Worship. Together: To be a pilgrim part 1

Before the programme

  • Do you have a ‘special place’, somewhere you like to visit? You might have been several times or just once or you might be looking forward to going for the first time. What makes this place special to you and why do you like to go there?
  • Have you ever travelled anywhere with a group, such as a school trip or with the cubs or brownies, or perhaps with a club you belong to? What makes these kinds of trips special? What do you like about travelling in a group?

Programme content:

Story: The Pilgrimage, part 1 by Kate Stonham
Song: Come and Praise no 47 - ‘One more step’
Vox pops: Children talk about some of the special places they like to visit
Interview: Guy Hayward from the British Pilgrimage Trust talks about why pilgrimages are popular and why they mean so much to people
Reflection: On pilgrimages and the special places we might wish to make a pilgrimage to

Story synopsis:

The story is set in medieval times.

Cedric recalls how he once worked for a cobbler called Silas, a very demanding master.

One day a man enters the workshop; he’s the leader of a group of pilgrims making the journey to Walsingham in Norfolk.

Cedric makes a spur of the moment decision to join the pilgrimage, believing that it might help him with an issue that he merely hints at.

After the story:

  • Who did Cedric work for and what was his job?
  • Where were the pilgrims going?
  • What was Cedric’s ‘most precious belonging’?
  • Where did they sleep and eat along the way?
  • What different reasons did the pilgrims give for joining the pilgrimage?

Follow-up activities:

  • Discuss together what you think may be Cedric’s reason for joining the pilgrimage. What do you think he has in his book? Collect all the ideas together and keep them somewhere safe ready for the next episode when you can find out if you’re right!
  • Write a short story about an ordinary day in the cobbler’s shop before Cedric hears about the pilgrimage. You could include some customers - what are they like and how does Cedric deal with them and Silas? Cedric wouldn’t be able to write, but think of his story as like a diary entry with his thoughts and feelings.
  • Working in groups, plan your own special trip, like a pilgrimage. First agree where you would like to go then think about how long the journey will be and whether it is a day trip or longer. Work out the timings for all the different aspects of the trip including:
    • travel
    • breaks
    • lunch
    • things you will do and see
  • You will also need to think about what you will need to take on the trip.
  • Each group can present their plan to the whole class. Try to convince everyone that your trip will be well planned but most importantly it will be worth taking.

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Focus image: A pilgrim going to the shrine of the apostle St James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northwestern Spain
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Gemma Hunt looks at the theme of pilgrimages and why people make them.

KS2. Pilgrimages: the Hajj

Gemma looks back at the life of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, who died 13 August, 1910.

KS2. Florence Nightingale

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KS2. The Great Fire of London
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