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RELIGIONS UNIT: A COMPARISON OF IDEOLOGIES
By: Iris Metzgen-Ohlswager

PREFATORY STATEMENT

My unit will focus on the study and comparison of different religions. I would like my students to explore the vast variety of different religions throughout the western and eastern world. I believe that every individual should have the opportunity to learn about the many different and unique religions of our world. I think this will help students to open their minds and enable them to be empathetic towards other cultures and customs. I believe that this unit can be meaningful and relevant to both genders, all races and classes of people. Religion ultimately touches everyone in some way and affects him or her throughout his or her lifetime. It is one of the most talked about social customs of all time and it influences people throughout the world. I will introduce five different religions through selected texts. I will have these texts available for my students to choose from, each novel representing a different religion. I will allow the students to chose two different novels to read throughout the course of the unit. I will spend about a week introducing each religion (or less) at the beginning of the class period. I will give them background on the religion by showing pictures, having speakers and sharing other written poems or literature relating to that religion. The students will have a presentation due at the end of the unit. This presentation will allow them to share their gained knowledge to the rest of the class. They will be allowed to perform this presentation in any way they like, whether it be oral, a video or an artistic display. The students will receive in class time to read their two selected novels, and there will also be small group work twice a week. This will enable the students to get into small groups with others students who are reading the same texts and answer and ask questions. We will also have a large group discussion once a week for the students to ask myself any questions they may have regarding the assigned readings or any questions in general. I will also require the students to keep a personal ongoing journal throughout the unit. Religion is part of our every day life, it causes happiness and peace, doubt and conflict, it is one of the most influential and political aspects of our society, and I think it needs to be addressed and studied in our schools more than it is. We cannot deny its importance and relevance to our every day existence.
I realize this unit may be a touchy subject for parents and have included a letter of notice and approval to the parents concerned:
Dear concerned Parents,

I am beginning a unit on the comparison of different religions. I will offer five different fictional novels for my students to choose from. Each of these novels will represent a different religion. The research that they are engaging in will not only give them a look into different religions but also into the different cultures that these religions stem from. The students will be required to read two novels throughout the unit and, among other daily activities, present a final project to the class about the novels they read. My goal in this unit is not to persuade your child into practicing another religion or a religion at all, but only to introduce different cultures, customs and spiritualities through out our wonderfully diverse world. I think this will greatly benefit your children; in fact this will allow them to be emphatic and open minded towards other cultures and beliefs. It will also help them to critically analyze what is brought before them. By the end of the unit your child will be able to successfully compare to different ideologies. I believe that this unit will ad richness and an understanding of other lifestyles to their current knowledge base.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at:

Sincerely,
Iris Metzgen-Ohlswager

CLASS SPECIFICATION

This unit is appropriate for high school students, preferably juniors and seniors. I think that for the students to grasp the concept of these different religions that they need be older and have more life experience behind them. I also think the students will need to be confident and willing to share their opinions for the large group discussions to happen, and generally the older you get, the more confident you become with yourself and your peers. This unit would work for special education students with a few alterations. I would probably cut down on the amount of reading they had to do, only assigning portions of the texts. I would also allow for more in class time for reading and journaling. I would set aside time for more conferences that the students could have with me, so I could give them assistance with their projects.

DESIRED OUTCOMES/STANDARDS

· Students will learn to critically analyze theories, ideas and texts.
· Students will learn to question what is brought before them instead of accepting it on blind faith.
· Students will learn about other cultures and the customs and beliefs of these cultures.
· Students will have also learned how to compare and contrast two differing ideologies and cultures.
· Students will learn collaborative skills.
· Students will learn to participate in small group and large group discussion using constructive feedback.
· Students will learn to respect others viewpoints and constructively give feedback on these viewpoints.

POSSIBLE WHOLE CLASS ACTIVITES

· Large group discussion every Friday
· Speaker every Friday/questions pertaining to speaker
· Final presentation/class critiques of individual

POSSIBLE SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES

· Small group work every Tuesday and Thursday
· Talking about the text/asking questions/comments
· Giving each other advice and feedback regarding their presentations
· Collaborative worksheets relating to texts

POSSIBLE INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES

· Final projects
· Critiques of peer's presentations
· Reading the novels
· Journaling

ONGOINIG ACTIVITIES

· Writing in their journals
· Presentations
· Reading the novels

STUDENT RESOURCES

· Siddhartha by Herman Hesse (Buddhism)
· The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoof (Taoism)
· Sections from A Prayer for Owen Meany by Jon Irving (Christianity)
· The Chosen by Chaim Potak (Judaism)
· The Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman (Shamanism/Warrior)
· A novel on American Indian Spirituality
· Art supplies for activities
· Overhead projector
· A CD player

UNIT LAUNCH

On the first day of this unit I will have my students draw or paint an appropriate picture of their version of "Heaven". I will supply the art materials. We will spend about 15-20 minutes creating and then I will ask the students to share their pictures with the class. I think this will help them to see right off the bat that everyone has a different interpretation of god, heaven and religion. I want my students to know that this is a safe environment to express their beliefs in and I think this activity will encourage open-mindedness and respect. I will then briefly explain to my students the requirements of the unit. Lastly, I will engage in a book talk on each one of the novels and allow the students to select which two novels they will be comparing.

ORGANIZATION OF THE UNIT

This is a five-week unit in which each separate week will be run similarly. I have selected five religions to study catering to the five-week schedule. Each week I will focus on a different religion. Every day except for Fridays, I will start the class out with sharing information on the particular religion of the week. I will do this in the form of poetry, literature, music, photographs or video clips pertaining to this particular religion and culture. This will only take up about 10-15 minutes of each day. I think that this will help the student to gain a more complete understanding of each particular religion and will also help in the understanding of their texts. I will do a brief break down of what a week in this unit will be like.
Monday-After I do my introduction of the unit, the students will get free reading time for 25 minutes, and then they will be able to write in their journals for the remainder of the class period.
Tuesday-Introduction, small group discussion for 20 minutes and journaling.
Wednesday-Introduction, reading time, and journaling.
Thursday-Introduction, small group discussion and journaling. Every Thursday I will collect their journals to make sure they are recording questions on their readings and are thinking of ideas for their projects.
Friday-Speaker of particular religion, large group discussions, and questions.
This will basically be the schedule I follow, the only difference being in what specific religion we are covering for the week. The last three days of week five will be given to presentations.

DETAILED PLAN FOR THREE DAYS OF UNIT

Week one, Monday: Lesson Plan

Objective
1. Students will have learned that many religions exist in our world.
2. Students will have learned what novel choices are available for this unit.
3. Students will have learned that everyone has a different ideology.
Methods
1. I will have my students draw or paint their version of "Heaven". This will arouse their curiosity as to why I am having them do this. This will also introduce the aspect of different viewpoints and ideologies among our class (10 min.).
2. Sharing of drawings (15 min.).
3. I will tell the students about the unit and what is expected of them (10 min.).
4. I will do a book talk on the five different novels the students will be reading (10 min.).
5. I will answer any questions about the projects (5-10 min.).
6. The students will select which two texts they are reading (5 min).

Homework
The only homework for the day will be to get started on reading the texts.

Assessment
I will assess them on the fact that they participated in the "heaven" drawing activity and asked questions of their peers. I will assess them on if they selected two novels.

Week one, Tuesday: Lesson plan

Objective
1.Students will have learned the different ways in which people pray.
2.Students will have learned different styles of practicing religion.
3.Students will have learned to be empathetic towards other styles of praying.

Methods
1. Since my first week is going to focus on Buddhism, I will bring in a CD featuring Buddhist monks chanting. I will have my students close their eyes and listen to the tape for a few minutes. They will then get out their journals and write for five minutes. I will write these questions on the board to prompt their writing: This is a form of prayer, is it anything like how you may pray? How is it similar or different? What are your emotions while listening to this? How does it make you feel?
2. Small group discussions. The students will get into groups and discuss the novels and they also may discuss the set induction. During this time, I will go from group to group asking and answering questions to make sure everyone is following. I will ask each group to present a list of questions or comments, regarding the texts or set induction to myself at the end of the hour. I have included some sample questions regarding Buddhism and the novel Siddhartha for the students to focus on in their small groups: What is Siddhartha's main goal? What is he trying to find or accomplish? What is he leaving behind or running away from? Have you ever felt the need to take your own path in life instead of the path you were expected to take? Do you think he has made the right decision in leaving his family and homeland behind? What would you have done? What does this novel so far have to say about the beliefs of a Buddhist or about their customs and life style? Would this be a life style you would ever chose for yourself? Why or why not?
3.The remainder of the class will be journaling, whether about the novels they are reading or about ideas for their projects.

Homework
The only homework I will give throughout this unit is to read two novels a piece and their projects. I have included some reading targets here for the students. Since, this is a five-week course I will expect them to have read one novel in two weeks (the last week will be presentations). All of the novels I have suggested are interesting and engaging reads and I believe that with the in class reading time, the students will have no problem finishing a novel in two weeks. I will suggest to them that they try to read 25 pages a day.

Assessment
I will assess them on their participation within the small groups.

Week four, Friday: Lesson Plan

Objective
1. Students will have learned about another person's interpretations on god.
2. Students will have learned that people have different views on god.

Methods
1. This will be during the week that I focus on warriors and shamanism. I will have the closet person to a Shaman, or someone who knows a great deal about them, come in to speak about their spirituality and how they practice their religion. I will leave it mostly open to the speaker, only requesting a few things. I would like them to bring in any sort of visual aids that will help and ceremonial outfits, if possible. This should last for about half of Friday's class, assuming the students will be interested and ask questions. I think Friday will be a good day for the speaker because the class will have been learning about this particular religion for the past week. They will be able to fall back on their previous knowledge.
2. Questions for the speaker.
3. Large group discussion on any questions my class may have about the readings, speaker or anything we learned in class the past week. It is a time for sharing and discovering. I have included some questions to prompt my students: What are the essential beliefs of a warrior? Have you ever felt the desire to have complete control over your mind and body? Do you feel that this is something that is possible? Is there any one in your life who you would consider a warrior?

Homework
To read their books and work on their projects, (25 pages a day).

Assessment
A large part of the grade for this unit will be based on participation. I will grade on how much and how often my students participate in the large group discussion.

Supporting Materials for teachers who teach the unit

My questions for large group discussions will vary depending on which religion I have been focusing on for the week. However, I will focus on similar theme questions for the discussion. Questions may include: Who or what is God (in this particular religion)? Is God male or female? Is God unforgiving or forgiving? What does God, (or which ever name is assigned to their form of God), do for the people in this religion? What is their god like? How do they give thanks to their god? How did their god come to exist? What is their creation story? Do they have one? How is it different or similar to your families' religion? How do these beliefs affect the way people lead their lives? What parts of their religion do you agree with, or disagree with?
I have also included a sample of the requirements for their unit project.
UNIT PROJECT
This project is an assessment of your understanding of the novels you read and a way in which I can assure that you will read the novels in their entirety. The final project grade is the majority of your final grade. I will grade you on the following during this unit:
Final Project: 60%
Journals: 20%
Participation: 20%
These are the requirements for your final project:
1. You must make a comparison of the two novels including their two different religions and the different cultures that these religions come from: what are the similarities in the two religions, the differences? What did you find intriguing and unique about these religions? How does the culture influence the religion? How does the religion influence the culture? Show examples of their practices, ceremonies and rituals that are different or similar. Include any personal insights you have. I will also expect on example of outside information other than the texts. You may get this information off the Internet, from other books or from an interview.
2. Format: You must include a one page typed introduction explaining your presentation and ideas behind it. You may do the oral presentation in any format you want, but it must last fifteen minutes, and be creative as possible! You may decide you want to do a speech on it, or possibly a more artistic approach. You may bring in visual aids, music, instruments, costumes, photographs, poems, or even food relating to this culture. You must approve your choice with me first.

If there are any questions regarding this project feel free to ask for help, you have five weeks to complete this, Good luck!

Assessment Task
Learning area: Social Studies
Level: High School
Content Standards: Diverse Perspectives
Task: What's your read on this

A student shall evaluate events and actions from diverse U.S.A and world perspectives by identifying:
A. how race, culture, gender and disability may influence beliefs, actions and worldview.
B. How data and experiences may be interpreted differently; and
C. issues, topics, or concepts around which disagreement or ambiguity exists, including describing points of view concerning the issue, investigating reasons for identified points of view, investigating reasons for alternative viewpoints, and analyzing how the interpretation of an issue is affected by omitted viewpoints.

Products/Evidence of Learning:

"Heaven" drawing

Reading novels: 25 pages a day

Personal Journals: done five times a week with relevant statements and questions regarding the text

Final Projects/Individual Perspectives Report: see presentation requirements

Task description:

Overview: Students will each read separate fictional novels on religion. They will investigate different points of view on the two religions.
They will show their different takes on the novels through their personal journals and final presentations.

1. Draw a picture of your own version of what "heaven" is like or not like. We will than share these drawings with the class, each person explaining why they chose to represent heaven in this particular way.
2. Choose two fictional novels on religion from the approved list; each book will represent a different religion. You will have in-class reading time twice a week.
3. Compare and contrast these two religions. Analyze and question them. Write your interpretations of the two books. Write your thoughts, discoveries and questions down in your personal journals.
4. Construct a final project that you will share with the rest of the class what you have learned and interpreted from reading these books. You will need to describe the similarities and differences between the two religions in your presentations, focusing on the type of god/gods they have, their style of prayer, and their religious customs and ceremonies. You must include a one page typed introduction explaining your presentation, and an informal outline to be given to myself. You may present this in any manner you like, the more creative the better! You may use drawings, pictures, music, food, costumes, puppets, anything as long as you display your knowledge effectively. The project must be approved by myself.

Checklist for Task 1

Y=yes
N=no evidence shown
Student Teacher
___ Evidence that the two assigned novels have been carefully read _____________________________________________________
___ Evidence that the journal assignments have been done effectively and critically _________
___ Evidence that the final presentation is completed by including:
___ a fifteen-minute presentation _____________
___ a one-page outline/introduction ____________
___ a comparison of the two religions___________
___ a creative way of presenting ______________
Learning Area: Social Studies
Level: High School
Content Standard: Diverse Perspectives
Task: Sharing, discussing and learning about different viewpoints regarding a concept that is under frequent disagreement

Products/Evidence of Learning:

Small group work/discussions: I will assign each student a position in the group and will expect a summary sheet of their questions and discussions.

Response to speakers: I will prompt the students with questions and grade on if they ask the speaker relevant questions.

Large group discussions: I will grade on participation. Each student must participate at least once in Friday's class by either asking the speaker a question or contributing to the large group discussion.

Task description:

Overview: Students will get into small group discussions twice a week and once a week they will listen to a speaker and engage in a large group discussion. . This will also be a time in which the students can help each other in understanding the text and in evaluating and critiquing their ideas for their final presentations. The students will listen to a speaker and then respond with questions. The large group discussion will enable students so hear the different viewpoints that their peers have regarding religion.

1. Get into small groups. You must be in a group with your peers that are reading at least one of the same novels as you are. I will switch these groups around frequently. Discuss with your group members your interpretations of the texts. Make a list of five questions, responses or interpretations to be handed in to myself at the end of the hour. This is also a chance for you to talk to each other about your final projects, share and generate ideas amongst yourselves. This small group work will last about 20 minutes.
2. Every Friday a speaker representing a specific religion will come to our class. We will have five speakers total, hence our five-week unit. You are expected to attentively listen during the speaker's presentation and you are then required to ask questions.
3. In the remaining part of Friday's class we will hold a large group discussion. You will get into a large circle. This is the time for you to ask questions regarding your reading, your presentations or any confusion you may have about the texts. I want you to talk about your viewpoints on the readings or the speaker. This is an open discussion and I expect every one to participate.

Checklist for Task 2

Y=Yes
N=No evidence shown
Student Teacher
___ Participation and involvement in small groups:
___ you made observable, helpful and insightful contributions ________
___ question sheet________________________________________

___ You listened to the speaker:
___ you asked a question regarding the speakers
presentation____________________________________________
___ Participation in large group discussion:
___ showed respect for other peoples view points_________
___ made a least one relevant comment_________________
___ remained quiet while others talked_________________
___ used appropriate language________________________
___ raised your hand before speaking__________________
___ stayed in your seat_____________________________