The source of wisdom

Naturally, all religions would like their founders to live on into eternity but this cannot happen. Sikhism is fortunate that the words of its founder were written down very soon after his death, if not at the time itself. That means that the Guru Granth Sahib is a reliable source of evidence for those studying the teachings of Guru Nanak. This unit seeks to inform students about the importance of the Sikh holy book as a living reminder of the great Guru himself.

By the end of this unit:

• most of your students will know and understand the esteem in which Nanak’s wisdom is held by Sikhs
• some students will be able to explain that the Guru Granth Sahib is a source of wisdom for Sikhs
• a few students will be able to explain one or two key concepts contained in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Preparation for this unit should have taken place when you were getting ready to teach the Guru Nanak unit.

Starter

Ask students to write down the name of their favourite elderly relative or friend. What positive characteristics do elderly people contribute to the way the world is?

Activity

Download a version of the Guru Granth Sahib from the Web site below or select a few chosen phrases. Alternatively, listen to sections of the audio readings with the class. Choose a part that deals with big ideas in the universe and ask students to discuss what is being suggested. Play the audio or video clips if you have the technology.

Guru Granth Sahib

Before setting the activity sheets, below, it is very important to communicate to the students that there is a direct relationship between the ideas in the Guru Granth Sahib and Guru Nanak’s teachings. Learning about Nanak’s ideas, which will be achieved through working with this material, is as important as knowing that they are contained in the words of the Adi Granth – that part of the Sikh holy book directly attributable to Guru Nanak.

Guru Nanak – The source of wisdom activity sheet

Nanak activity sheet

Plenary

Ask the students to go through their answers to the questions on the activity sheets. Tease out the relationship between Guru Nanak’s ideas and the texts they have been looking at by asking if they can see any relationship between what they have seen as key moments in his life and the ideas they have encountered.

Homework activity

Ask students to choose an elderly relative or acquaintance and to make time to talk to them. The students should identify key milestones in the life of the elderly person and turn this into a similar storyboard to the one they created in the first activity sheet above.