Carlong Primary Religious Education: Year 4

For Ages: 10-12 years

• Elizabeth Sherman
• Brendalee Cole
• Rachele Evelyn (Evie) Vernon

The Carlong Primary Religious Education series is a completely new and exciting series comprising two (2) books (Grades 5 and 6 are combined into one book). The books are written as core texts and cover the provisions in Grades 4 to 6 of Jamaica's primary religious education curriculum.

The Grade 4 text, the first in the series, is an attractive full-colour book that is very student-friendly and may be used at school or at home with parents or guardians. It focuses on four major world religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism (whilst also touching on a few indigenous Caribbean religions e.g. Kumina, Revivalism and Rastafari. These and others are studied in more detail in Grade 5). The text does well in sensitizing students to the many different aspects of religion: worship, sacred texts, religious leaders, festivals, customs, rites and rituals. The book takes students on a journey of how the four religions were developed and practised in the places of origin, how they came to Jamaica and how they have affected religious life in Jamaica.

This book takes a step beyond simply teaching students about different religions it also helps to cement many life values such as respect, obedience, trust, and tolerance of the views and beliefs of others. In relation to this, the text does well in introducing students to the idea of good citizenship and the characteristics of a good citizen.
Key Features:

• Clear objectives are presented in a creative vine motif (symbolising opportunities for growth) at the beginning of each unit, e.g. pages 1, 17, 30, 43, 53 and 64.
• Key concepts and vocabulary appear in a different bold colour on first mention throughout the text, e.g. pages 2, 8, 21, 39, 54, and 69-70.
• Full coverage of the Grade 4 religious education curriculum.
• Integrated activities and exercises using different media, stimuli and multiple intelligences e.g. pages 3, 14, 20, 33, 43 and 50.
• Assessments at the end of each unit that help to evaluate students' understanding of concepts, recall of information, and their ability to demonstrate values that have been promoted in the religions that they have studied, e.g. pages 15, 28, 41, 52, 62, and 73.
• Glossary/Index gives the location and definition of important words highlighted in the text.
• Answers to Assessments allow for easy marking/checking of students answers.
• Note to Teacher introduces the text and gives teachers tips and advice on using the text.
• Note to Student introduces the text to students and gives them an overview of what to expect.

Look Out For: Word Study is an excellent feature which focuses on the development of literacy skills. It will help students to better understand words, assist with reading and vocabulary development. See pages 75-77.
Subject: Religious Education