Reading Overview

Writing Overview

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Before a Sikh wedding, the bride and groom may have a Kurmai engagement ceremony and receive a ring. Gifts are exchanged and many special preparations are made in the days and weeks before the wedding.

On the morning of the wedding, the bride and groom's family meet at the Gurdwara and share food before the ceremony. The Sikh wedding ceremony is called the Anand Karaj. The Granthi leading the service recites prayers and hymns and the bride takes hold of a scarf that the groom wears over his shoulder. Four wedding hymns, called Lavans are said and then sung. After each Lavan, the couple walk round the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, which is witnessing their marriage. They also bow to the Guru Granth Sahib to show they agree with the readings. The Lavans act as the binding promises or vows.

Many Sikh weddings are followed by a reception where there is plenty of fun, food and dancing.

Christmas is a Christian festival that marks the birth of Jesus Christ, over 2000 years ago. It is celebrated by billions of people around the world. Christians call the period before Christmas, Advent. The word Advent means 'coming' and is the time when Christians wait to celebrate the arrival of baby Jesus and think about the second coming of Jesus that they believe will happen in the future.

At Christmas time, Christians might attend special church services, remember the nativity story, buy gifts for loved ones, eat special food and spend time with family.

Christmas is also hugely popular secular celebration and traditions and stories that don't mark the birth of Jesus are popular.

Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights that is celebrated every autumn in November or December. The festival celebrates the victory of Judah Maccabee and his Jewish followers over the Syrian Emperor Antiochus and the miracle of the lamp, which burned for eight days in the regained temple in Jerusalem, even though there was only enough oil for one day's light.

Lighting the Hanukkiah, playing the dreidel game and eating fried foods are Hanukkah traditions that help Jews to remember the story of the Maccabees, the lamp in the temple and the importance of religious freedom.

Jumu’ah are Friday prayers. Before Jumu’ah, many Muslims wash, put on perfume or aftershave and dress in clean clothes. Just after lunchtime, worshippers meet at the mosque to say special prayers and listen to a talk by the Imam. The importance of saying Friday prayers is mentioned in the Qur’an and Muhammad called Friday the best day.

The Tibetan Buddhist New Year holiday, Losar, starts on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar, which is usually in February.

The celebrations last between three and 15 days and are a mixture of early Bon traditions and later Buddhist traditions. Tibetan Buddhists may perform rituals and dances to ward off evil spirits, present offerings to Buddha's shrine and hang up new prayer flags during Losar.

Losar is also a family time when people clean their houses, wear new clothes, come together to eat, share in the traditions of the festival and spend time together.

Navratri is celebrated for nine nights and 10 days. Hindus worship a different form of the mother goddess Durga every day, including Lakshmi (the goddess of good fortune and wealth) and Saraswati (the goddess of wisdom). In India, clay statues of Durga are placed in homes, temples and street shrines during the festival. On the tenth day (Dussehra) the statues are paraded in the streets and put into water to disintegrate.

Navratri is a time for new, colourful clothes, good food, dancing and families. However, it is also a time to fast, worship the goddesses quietly and take part in puja ceremonies every day. Navratri is also celebrated as a harvest festival. Many Hindus plant nine different grains at the beginning of the festival to celebrate a good harvest.

• Hopes and fears for the year

• Rights and responsibilities

• Rewards and consequences

• Safe and fair learning

environment

• Valuing contributions

• Choices

• Recognising feelings

• Assumptions and

stereotypes about gender

• Understanding bullying

• Standing up for self and

others

• Making new friends

• Gender diversity

• Celebrating difference and

remaining friends

• Achieving realistic goals

• Perseverance

• Learning strengths

• Learning with others

• Group co-operation

• Contributing to and sharing

success

• Motivation

• Healthier choices

• Relaxation

• Healthy eating and nutrition

• Healthier snacks and sharing

food

• Different types of family

• Physical contact boundaries

• Friendship and conflict

• Secrets

• Trust and appreciation

• Expressing appreciation for special relationships

• Cycles in nature

• Growing from young to old

• Increasing independence

• Differences in female and male bodies (correct terminology)

• Assertiveness

• Preparing for transition