World History (10th Grade) Lesson Plan: Introduction to World Religions Objective: Students will identify (knowledge) the

five main world religions, research (knowledge) their main components, construct (apply) a brochure on one religion, and teach (apply) classmates about that religion. Goal: B.12.14 Explain the origins, central ideas, and global influence of religions, such as Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity Materials Needed: Text Books Paper Coloring Utensils Religious Photos Introduction - 5 minutes Tell students that almost every single human throughout the world lives within a culture. Cultures are composed of traits that meet the needs of the people within them. Ask students what some traits are that meet basic needs. If students are stuck, offer one or two suggestions, such as food and shelter. Wait for students to mention religion; if no one does, introduce the idea. Explain to students that religion heavily influences the daily lives of people and that the class will focus on identifying the 5 main religions, researching their components, constructing a brochure, and teaching each other about what they have learned. Steps for Instruction - 35 minutes 1. Hand out criteria sheet. 2. Assign students to research roles (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, & Islam) 3. Have students locate books 4. Students can begin to work their brochures. 5. Allow students time to meet in pairs and discuss their work Strategies for Students This lesson appeals to auditory, verbal, visual, kinetic learners. Those students with special needs will be permitted additional time to complete the assignment outside of class. Closure - 5 minutes Students will be asked to summarize their findings. Which religion was founded first and where? How do the rest follow in chronological order? Where were the others founded? Which one has the largest following today? Why might these have gained such large followings? Assessment Students will be formally assessed on their brochures according to the rubric.

World Religion Brochure Criteria

Developing

Met Accurately lists when the Religion was founded and by whom

Advanced

Accurately describes at least two core beliefs

Identifies, labels, and draws a symbol of the religion

Accurately identifies and describes the roles of leaders within the religion

Accurately describes at least two worship practices

Accurately describes at least one ritual

Correctly identifies holy book

Correctly identifies major sects

Stephanie Rudnicki Lesson Topic: Introduction to World Religions Date: 3/23/11 Park High/10th Grade/ 18 students Cooperating Teacher: Michele Ludvigsen Planning & Preparation: My plan provided opportunities for active engagement through the utilization of different learning styles. Through use of discussion, reading, and a performance task assignment, I was able to engage kinesthetic, audio, and visual learners. My plan had originally incorporated a pair-share activity at the end, where students would share their project with different partners until all students had seen the five world religions. However, the reading activity and performance task took longer than planned and students were only able to meet with one partner. Classroom Environment: I kept the opening discussion casual and students remained respectful to each other. When asking questions, I employed wait time strategically. If students were still unable to answer, I expanded on my question with examples and allowed for more wait time. I had students work alone as they read so that they were more apt to stay on task. After most students were finished or had made significant progress, I allowed them to work with nearby partners and share what they had read. By keeping students near each other, there was less roaming around the classroom with the exception of some students returning books or handing in completed work. In general, these strategies were mostly successful. However, I did underestimate how long it would take students to read, which reduced the amount of time and number of partners students could share with later. In the future, I might have students read in groups of like religions to benefit struggling readers. Faster reading progress would then allow students to meet later with representatives from all of the religions. Instruction: I believe my instruction strategies were largely successful. However, because I underestimated the amount of time some students needed to read, my closure was rushed. Had students read in groups which paired struggling readers with advanced readers, the class may have had more time to meet with students who had studied other religions. Assessment: Students were assessed both formally and informally. Informal assessment examined student involvement and participation through use of an observation checklist.

Students were formally assessed on knowledge and application. Students identified a world religion and its main components and then applied this knowledge through the construction of a brochure. From examining student work, the class was well on its way to meeting the lesson objective; however, while most students were very successful in meeting the criteria that they did include within the brochure, not all students had included all criteria. I believe students would have been more successful with additional time to work. Professional Responsibilities: My cooperating teachers evaluation of the lesson was very similar to my own self-assessment. She found my introduction to be very successful and was pleased that I explained new vocabulary to students. She agreed that it would have been more beneficial to students to interact with all five religions. She suggested having groups of five in the future. While I believe this would work well with some classes, I am not sure that the class I am currently working with has had enough experience with group work to perform successful in such large numbers. Michele also suggested that I more closely monitor the pairs that students work in, making sure that they interact with new partners and new religions. Reflection: I thought this lesson was fairly successful but would have benefitted from more time or restructured groups. This lesson has demonstrated just how important preassessment is in planning. While I was aware that students were not very familiar with the subject matter, I overestimated all students abilities at interacting with the chosen reading materials. In the future, I will implement pre-assessment which gauge how well students read so that I can structure the class and plan time according to the needs of students.