KS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Cross-curricular ideas
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Mexican Day of the Dead.
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Design your own urn.
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Egyptian Art and calligraphy, looking at afterlife and funerals.
Subject info - Geography
As part of population studies in Y8 and Y10, geography students naturally cover births and deaths, e.g:
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The reasons why the rates vary between countries.
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Elderly populations and the implications of this.
Subject info - English
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Shakespeare’s plays cover death a great deal, be it Mercutio or Romeo himself. This is a direct link into discussions about aspirations for life and death.
Subject info - RS
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GCSE: Matters of Life and Death, which deals with a range of beliefs about death and dying, the afterlife, sanctity of life.
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Year 9: Philosophy of Religion, which provides opportunities for discussion about death An introduction to Humanism may also involve questions about dealing with death.
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Year 9: atheism, life after death and legacies.
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Year 9: life of Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the hospice movement.
Subject info - Music
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Discussions about music to play at funerals.
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Classical lessons on dance macabre - Watch the Day of the Dead film, which looks at Mexican death celebrations.
Subject info - Maths
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Probability: an example of certainty is that the probability that you will die = 1
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Exponential decay about populations of animals becoming extinct.
Subject info - History
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Year 8: London as a world city; migration from former colonies - many students relate well to this and a discussion leading to where they are now and what they have achieved could lead to what they wish to have achieved before they die.
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GCSE: any topic on war can lead to discussion of death.
Subject info - Well-being
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How people would like to be remembered and priorities in life can be discussed, with students designing own gravestone or writing own epitath.
Visit the Well-being Curriculum page at www.personalwellbeingcentre.org. The Well-Being Curriculum is applicable for primary and secondary school pupils and for students in post-compulsory education. It can also be used in adult groups.
