Understanding Other Religious Beliefs

Activity Outline

• Goal of Activity

  • The goal of this activity is to expand students' understanding of religions different than their own.

• Time Allotment: 70-80 minutes

• Objectives:

  • "At the end of the lesson, students will be able to define, discuss and write about religious freedom and communicate, orally and in writing, about religion with sensitivity and respect."

• Steps of Activity (70-80 minutes)

  • In notebooks students will, " list the names of as many different religions or faith traditions you know about. Share your lists with the class.” As students share responses, create a master list on chart paper."

    • "Note: If students struggle with this activity, make suggestions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Atheism, Baha’i Faith, Sikhism, Shinto, Confucianism, and others."

  • "Explain: “In the United States, religious freedom is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Religious freedom can be defined as ‘the right to practice any religion you choose, or to live without any religion at all, without the government getting involved.’ Put this definition into your own words and tell it to a partner.”

    • "(Note: Explain that “without the government getting involved” means “the law cannot tell you what you can and cannot do in the way you practice your religion.”)"

  • Have students pick a religion to research online and in your library. Have students "gather information about one religion, and create a poster to present the information. The poster should include interesting facts about major beliefs, sacred texts, festivities and ceremonies, rituals, clothing, places of worship, and so on.”

    • Make sure that all the religions are represented.

  • Have students show them your posters so you can cross-check the information for accuracy.

  • Have students present their posters to the class. While groups are presenting, have students fill out this worksheet for each religion.

Discussion

I chose to include this activity because religion is often one of the facets of identity that is swept under the rug. However, religion can be a huge part of some people's lives, and simply ignoring it is like ignoring a huge part of who they are. It is important that we allow students to be their whole selves in our classroom, and that means that we don't require them to leave their religious beliefs at the door. This activity gives students with a religious background not only to share their beliefs but learn about others. It allows students who do not come from religious backgrounds to better understand people who do practice a religion.

This activity allows students to make real-world connections. While students are doing research about the religion they choose, they will be researching the real people who own these beliefs and see why people believe what they believe. This lesson also helps to honor the students' experience. This project allows students to share their own stories and look for the stories of others.

Resources

Understanding Other Religious Beliefs Lesson Plan

Worksheet

References

Understanding other religious beliefs. Learning for Justice. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.learningforjustice.org/classroom-resources/lessons/understanding-other-religious-beliefs