World Religions Unit Plan

Unit Plan:
World Religions
By Makenzee Bruce
HIS 396, Fall 2016
Subject: World History

Grade: 9
Theme: Introduction To World Religions
Goals: Standard 2: World History
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major
ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad
sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.
Objectives: Students will be able to name the five major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Students will be able to define the following vocabulary terms: religion, monotheism,
polytheism, atheism, and deity.
Students will begin to recognize the symbols of the five major world religions and their
significance to their respective religions.
Materials Needed: Graphic organizer to be used over the course of the unit to help students
organize their thoughts
Detailed Lesson:
Warm-Up:
-Present the main vocabulary terms to the students and allow them to try to define the terms on
their own on a separate sheet of paper, and to give an example of each term as well. After a few
minutes, ask students to present their thoughts and knowledge. ~10 Minutes
-Correct errors in definitions by presenting the actual definitions to the students. ~3-5 Minutes
-Introduce students to the five major world religions and their symbols. Ask the students what
they know about the religious symbols and what their significance is to that particular religion.
Fill in the gaps of the students knowledge by explaining the significance of the symbols. ~10-15
Minutes
Crucifix in Christianity: Represents the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified upon
Star of David in Judaism: While not uniquely Jewish in nature, it came to represent the
Jewish faith especially during the Holocaust, when Jewish people were identified with
yellow badges shaped like the Star of David with the word Jude (German for Jew)
embroidered on them
Star and Crescent in Islam: Associated with Islamic rule under the Ottoman Empire, still
used on flags of highly Islamic countries today (Ex: Algeria and Pakistan)
Om in Hinduism: Om refers to Atman, the soul and inner self of an individual, and to
Brahman, the all-encompassing truth of the universe
Eight Spoke Wheel in Buddhism: The wheel, called a Dharmachakra, generally has eight
spokes that are a reference to the Eightfold Path of Buddhism
-Ask the students if they know of other religions. If they do, have the students explain what they
know about this other religion. If not, ask the students why they think that these are the five
major world religions and not other religions. ~10-15 Minutes
Wrap-Up:
-Before the students leave, have them write which religion they would most like to learn about in
the coming days, and something that they might like to learn about from that religion on a slip of
paper. Have the students hand in this slip of paper before they leave.

Grade: 9
Theme: Hinduism
Objectives: Students will be able to identify where Hinduism originated from.
Students will identify the sacred texts, major beliefs, and practices of Hinduism.
Students will explain how Hindu beliefs affected the establishment of the caste system in modern
India.
Materials Needed: Whiteboard
Detailed Lesson:
Warm-Up:
-Have students take out a piece of paper and have them recall the definitions of the vocabulary
terms that were defined in the previous class (religion, monotheism, polytheism, atheism, and
deity). ~5 Minutes
-Ask the students what they already know about Hinduism. If there are few answers, connect this
unit back to early river valley settlements by explaining that Hinduism was originally established
in the Indus River Valley area. Although there is not one specific human figure that can be
indicated as a founder of Hinduism, it is known as the oldest religion in the world. One of the
sacred texts of Hinduism, the Bhagavad Gita, was written as early as 3,300 BCE, when the Indus
River Valley Civilization began to settle and flourish. Other sacred texts of Hinduism, the Vedas
and Upanishads, were written between 1700 BCE and 600 BCE. ~10 Minutes
-Introduce the main Hindu gods, Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the
Destroyer, to the students. Address the fact that since there are multiple gods, Hinduism is
polytheistic. However, these are not the only gods in the religion, and it is said by some that there
are over 330 million Hindu deities. Hindus believe that they will continue the cycle of
reincarnation until they achieve moksha. Moksha can only be achieved by following dharma
throughout the cycle of reincarnation until enough good karma has been obtained to move up
within the caste system. ~10 Minutes
-Introduce the students to the caste system. Discuss the positions within the caste system and
how the caste that youre born into effects the way that you will live your life. People in the
higher castes had access to the best jobs that there were, while people in the lower castes got the
worst jobs. The Untouchables, who are deemed as outcastes because they are even lower
than Sudras on the caste pyramid, had to adjust their schedules entirely so as not to be seen by
members of higher castes, because even the sight of them was supposedly a pollutant. ~10
Minutes
Wrap-Up:
-Have students begin to write a few short paragraphs about whether or not they would want to
live in a caste system. Take this time to go around and clear up confusion among students as
well. ~10 Minutes

Grade: 9
Theme: Hinduism
Objectives: Students will compare and contrast the rigid structure of the caste system and the
socioeconomic hierarchy of the United States.
Students will understand the long lasting effects of the rigid caste structure in India as things are
in the present day.
Detailed Lesson:
Warm-Up:
-Have the students draw a diagram of the caste system and label what caste belongs where on the
caste pyramid. ~5 Minutes
-Ask some of the students to read their responses of whether or not they would like to live in a
caste system. Hopefully there will be some dissention about whether or not the students would
like to live in a caste system so that there can be some debate within the classroom about why
they chose differently. If not, have students break up into small groups to discuss why they all
chose the same answer to see what made the answers vary from student to student. ~10-15
Minutes
-Now that the students are more familiar with the rigid structure of the caste system, ask the
students to create a hierarchy for people within the United States, and ask whether or not this
hierarchy is as rigid as the caste system. How are the two similar? How are they different? ~1015 Minutes
Wrap-Up:
-Show the students some recent news articles to show how the caste system still dominates life in
India today. Untouchables, now called Dalits, are still heavily persecuted against and horribly
mistreated, and the caste system is still incredibly strong, despite having been outlawed. ~5-10
Minutes

Grade: 9
Theme: Buddhism
Objectives: Students will be able to identify where Buddhism originated from.
Students will identify the sacred texts, major beliefs, and practices of Buddhism.
Students will recognize similarities between the practice of Buddhism and Hinduism.
Detailed Lesson:
Warm-Up:
-Have students brainstorm in small groups what they already know about Buddhism. After a few
minutes, have the groups share their knowledge with the rest of the class. ~5 Minutes
-Briefly summarize the tale of Siddhartha Gautama, the man who became the Buddha. Although
he was born into the life of a Hindu prince in India between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE,
he renounced it all when he saw the suffering of other people for the first time. He meditated on
the subject for a good long while, and discovered that a state called nirvana could be achieved by
acknowledging the Four Noble Truths and following the Eightfold Path. ~5-10 Minutes
-Display the steps of the Eightfold Path for the students to view, have the students discuss what
the steps mean to them, and how they could apply the steps of the Eightfold Path to their
everyday lives in school. ~15-20 Minutes
Wrap-Up:
-Have the students write at least two changes that they could make to their everyday lives in
school based on the Eightfold Path on a separate slip of paper. Have the students hand in the slip
of paper before they leave as an exit slip.

Grade: 9
Theme: Judaism
Goal: Standard 2: World History
Objectives: Students will begin to be able to identify where Judaism originated from.
Students will begin to identify the sacred texts, major beliefs, and practices of Judaism.
Materials Needed: Internet Access, Library Access, Poster Board, Scissors, Glue, Markers
Detailed Lesson:
Warm-Up:
-Students will write down the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism on a separate sheet of paper, and
we will review the topic briefly if necessary. ~5-7 Minutes
-The class will be divided into eight groups, and each group will be given a subtopic within
Judaism that they will research and present an informational poster on the following day.
-The topics are:
Who are the Jews? (Who are they, where do they live, and what do they believe?)
The Torah (What is it and what is in it?)
The Temple (What is it and what is its significance?)
The Synagogue (What is it, is there one in your town? How is it designed? Who are the
active people in it? What is done there?)
The Jewish way of life (Duties, food, Shabbat)
Rites of Passage (Brit Milah, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Marriage, Death and Mourning)
The Jewish Year (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Chanukah,
Purim, Pesach)
Persecution (Diaspora, general persecution, Holocaust, Israel)
-The students will have the whole class period to work on their presentations.
Wrap-Up:
-The students will come up with five quiz questions about their topic that could be used on a quiz
after every group has presented. I will form a short quiz using two questions from each group
(for a total of 16 questions) that the students will take the following day. ~5-10 Minutes

Grade: 9
Theme: Judaism
Objectives: Students will be able to identify where Judaism originated from.
Students will identify the sacred texts, major beliefs, and practices of Judaism.
Materials Needed: Scissors, Glue, Markers
Detailed Lesson:
Warm-Up:
-Students will join their groups and put the finishing touches on their presentations. ~5 Minutes
-Each group will have three (3) minutes to present their projects.
-After all of the groups have presented, answer any lingering questions and add information that
was not covered by any of the students.
Wrap-Up:
-Students will take the brief assessment quiz that is comprised of the questions that they formed
about their own presentations the day before.

Grade: 9
Theme: Christianity
Objectives: Students will be able to identify where Christianity originated from.
Students will identify the sacred texts, major beliefs, and practices of Christianity.
Students will define the following terms: sect, disciples, apostles, Gospel, and messiah.
Materials Needed: KWL Worksheet
Detailed Lesson:
Warm-Up:
-Hand out the KWL worksheet and have students fill out what they know and what they want to
know about Christianity. Come together as a class to go over what the students know and want to
know. Correct any errors given by the students as they arise. ~10 Minutes
-Begin the lesson by clarifying what is meant by Christianity. Christianity refers to any branch
of religion derived from the teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and are based on the Bible as
sacred scripture. Although there are countless sects of Christianity, they all ultimately fall under
the same category. ~5 Minutes
-Ask students if they are familiar with the story of Jesus Christs birth. Although it is likely that
most students have, it cannot be assumed that all students know this. If a majority of the class
knows the story, summarize it using a few key, but brief details. If a majority of the class does
not know the story, introduce the story to them so that they are at least familiar with it. ~5-10
Minutes
-Ask students to name any sects of Christianity that they know, or recall ones that were brought
up by students from their KWL worksheets. Have the students that name one sect describe some
of the traditions of that particular sect, or at least how they know of that particular sect. ~5
Minutes
-Explain to the students the importance of the 12 Apostles. They were initially his disciples, but
after his death (caused by the betrayal of Judas Iscariot) they wrote the Gospel and spread the
word of his teachings. They ended up being pretty good at their jobs, considering Christianity is
the largest religion in the world today. ~5 Minutes
-Explain the significance of the cross as a symbol of Christianity. When Jesus was sentenced to
death by Roman governor Pontius Pilate (who did so because Jesus teachings posed a threat to
his power and rule over his people), he was crucified (nailed upon a cross for all to see until he
died). The cross came to represent the place where Jesus had died to repay for the sins of
humanity. ~5-10 Minutes
Wrap-Up:
-Have students fill out the Learned portion of their KWL worksheet, and answer any clarifying
questions posed by the students.

Grade: 9
Theme: Islam
Objectives: Students will be able to identify where Islam originated from.
Students will identify the sacred texts, major beliefs, and practices of Islam.
Students will define the following term(s): prophet, pilgrimage.
Materials Needed: KWL Worksheet
Detailed Lesson:
Warm-Up:
-Hand out the KWL worksheet and have students fill out what they know and what they want to
know about Islam. Come together as a class to go over what the students know and want to
know. Correct any errors given by the students as they arise. ~10 Minutes
-Introduce Muhammad and explain his significance in Islam. Muhammad is considered by
Muslims to be the last Holy Prophet sent by Allah (Islam name for God) to restore Islam as the
original faith. Explain the belief that the Quran was written by Muhammad as words of Allah
that the archangel Gabriel spoke unto him. This happened in the year 610 CE, and by the time of
his death in 632 CE, Muhammad had managed to unite most of the Arabian Peninsula (now
Saudi Arabia) under an Islamic rule. ~10 Minutes
-Introduce and define the Five Pillars of Islam. Muslims who put their faith before their secular
life actively participate in the activities of the Five Pillars of Islam. ~10-15 Minutes
Shahada (faith, There is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger)
Salat (prayer, observed 5 times a day, facing toward Mecca while doing so)
Zakat (charity, giving away a certain percentage of ones wealth if they are able to)
Sawm (fasting, not eating during the sunlight hours of the month of Ramadan to represent
the month that Muhammad was in the cave being spoken to by Gabriel)
Hajj (yearly pilgrimage done in the month of December to Mecca, the birthplace of
Muhammad and site closest to where he was spoken to by the archangel Gabriel, most
people cannot make the hajj annually, so they strive to make it at least once in their
lifetime)
Wrap-Up:
-Have students fill out the Learned section of the KWL worksheet, and answer some of the
lingering questions that the students have about Islam.

Grade: 9
Theme: Islam
Objectives: Students will gain a better understanding of how far Islam has spread.
Students will identify countries with a high population of practicing Muslims.
Materials Needed: Internet Access
Detailed Lesson:
Warm-Up:
-Students will name the Five Pillars of Islam and the action that goes with each one. ~5 Minutes,
maximum
-Students will be divided into five groups, and each group will be assigned one of the five
countries with the highest population of Muslims. Each group will do some research on how
Islam spread to this country. Each group will do a small presentation of their research at the end
of class. ~30 Minutes
Wrap-Up:
-Each group has roughly 2-3 minutes to present their findings on their country. The countries will
be identified on the world map to give a visual aid to the spread of Islam.

Grade: 9
Theme: Comparing and Contrasting the Three Abrahamic Faiths
Objectives: Students will compare and contrast similarities and differences between the three
Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Students will identify common themes, places, and persons between the three religions.
Students will identify key differences between the three religions as well.
Materials Needed: Internet Access, Library Access, Poster Board, Markers, Scissors, Glue
Detailed Lesson:
-Students will be put into pairs or small groups (no more than four, if class size permits), and
they will review the information that has been presented to them about the monotheistic religions
that have been covered over the past few days (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).
-Students will outline key similarities between the three religions, such as people, places, and
practices.
-This whole class period is dedicated to helping students gain a clear understanding of all three
religions and how they relate to each other. If students still have questions, this is the time to
have them answered clearly and concisely.
Wrap-Up:
-Students will share their visual aids with each other, making sure that the information that they
all have is accurate and consistent.

World Religions Unit Plan

Încărcat de

Informații document

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

World Religions Unit Plan

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Unit Plan:

Subject: World History

Subject: World History

Subject: World History

Subject: World History

Subject: World History

Subject: World History

Subject: World History

Subject: World History

Subject: World History

Subject: World History

S-ar putea să vă placă și