Summary
Students take on the role of detectives and investigate the core beliefs, practices, and historical development of the three major monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. During their investigation, students will uncover similarities and differences among these faiths, explore the cultural and historical impact of each, and present their findings as if solving a case. By piecing together evidence, students will gain a deeper understanding of the influence and impact of monotheism in world history.
Essential Question(s)
How do the connections and distinctions between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam shape our understanding of history, belief systems, and cultural interactions?
Snapshot
Engage
Students activate prior knowledge by brainstorming everything they know about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in a timed Collective Brain Dump, setting the stage for inquiry.
Explore
Students analyze case files and research assigned religions using a Jigsaw approach, piecing together historical and theological details to reconstruct missing information.
Explain
Students will jigsaw their research into a concise, visual one-slide summary, identifying key aspects of each religion and making connections across traditions.
Extend
Students apply their understanding by constructing a Detective Board using yarn and text connections, visually mapping shared elements and distinctions between the religions.
Evaluate
Students present their Detective Boards and reflect on their discoveries in a written 3-2-1 exit ticket, explaining the most surprising or impactful findings.
Materials
Lesson slides (attached)
Case File: Comprised of Case Dossiers for each of the three belief systems and the Mission Briefing. Attached (one packet for each group of two or three students)
Balls
Poster-sized Sticky Notes
Markers
Tape/Thumbtacks
Yarn (3 colors)
Laptops or Chromebooks
Engage
5 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to facilitate the following lesson. Begin the lesson by showing slides 2-4, which introduce the title of the lesson, the essential question, and the learning objectives. Emphasize that the essential question will be addressed throughout the lesson.
Assign students to pairs or groups of three. Each group should choose a member to serve as the recorder and write down the group's ideas. Display slide 5 explaining the directions for the Collective Brain Dump strategy. Play the embedded time tracker video for five minutes. The student pairs or groups are to brainstorm all they know about the religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Then, each group will have a representative share out their ideas to the rest of the class.
Explore
15 Minute(s)
Display slide 6 to introduce the investigative premise: historical files on monotheistic religions have been stolen, and the students must recover the missing information.
Distribute Case Files to each group. Each Case File includes a Mission Challenge that tasks students with recovering lost historical details and making connections between different religious traditions. Explain their mission: to identify the similarities and differences of each religion. Groups may assign dossiers to each person in the group.
Students will now begin to Jigsaw and take time to individually research their assigned religion using the information sheet in the Case File. Number off each group from 1 to 7. Display slide 7. Using the Dossiers as a primary source, each group will focus on one key aspect across their assigned religions (below):
Origins
Sacred Texts
Beliefs about God
Prophets and Key Figures
Practices and Rituals
Ethical Teachings
Historical Interactions
Explain
25 Minute(s)
Students regroup based on their assigned Dossier (Judaism, Christianity, or Islam) and participate in a Hot Potato review activity. Display slide 8. The facilitator passes out a ball (hot potato) to a participant and calls out a number, assigning the first student to begin sharing key findings on a designated topic (e.g., Origins, Sacred Texts, Core Beliefs). After that student has shared their findings on their designated topic, they then pass the ball (the hot potato) to a peer, who adds relevant details or clarifications. Once this student has completed his contribution, the process continues until the facilitator introduces a new topic, prompting a new assigned student to start the discussion. After the review, groups synthesize their findings into a concise, visual on Key Notes Shared e-Slide Summary that highlights major takeaways.
Students will then return to their original group. Display slide 9.
Each group creates a one-slide summary to represent their religion’s origins, sacred texts, beliefs, key figures, and practices visually. Students should also cite at least two credible sources to validate their information.
Provide adequate time for students to contribute to the shared slides document.
Extend
10 Minute(s)
Transition to slide 10 and introduce the instructional strategy Detective Board. Ask if anyone has heard of a detective board before and allow time to discuss if they have. Then, provide a more foundational image of a detective board by showing students the “Peter Makes and Evidence Board || The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)” clip.
Display slide 11 and instruct students to return to their original groups. Distribute Post-It Posters, three skeins (bunch) of different colored yarn, markers, scissors, and tape.
Groups will then construct their Detective Boards, visually linking key religious concepts using text and yarn connections.
As they work, students will assign a group member to act as their “lead detective.” The rest of the class designates one peer per group to act as a “prosecutor.” Prosecutors will circulate and or listen to group presentations-in-progress and ask challenging questions, pushing groups to justify their choices and make deeper connections. They might ask questions like “Why do you think Abraham is a central figure in all three religions?” or “How is your yarn connection between law and ethics across traditions supported by evidence?”
Once the boards have been completed and discussions have occurred, each group should finalize and prepare to present their board in the next phase.
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Display slide 12. Students will present their detective boards, explaining their findings and key discoveries.
The teacher will assess learning through:
Student presentations
Detective boards as artifacts of learning
Group discussions captured via Swivl Multi-Mic Mode for later review.
Finally, students will reflect on their learning via a 3-2-1 instructional strategy. Display slide 13 and encourage students to respond individually to the following prompts:
What are 3 things you learned?
What are 2 things you are still considering?
What was 1 thing you found most surprising or impactful during your investigation?
Resources
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Esposito, J. L. (2011). Islam: The straight path (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Hocken, V. & Bikos, K. (n.d.). Common era (CE) and before common era (BCE). Time and Date. https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/ce-bce-what-do-they-mean.html
Hodgson, M. G. S. (1974). The venture of Islam: Conscience and history in a world civilization. University of Chicago Press.
K20 Center. (n.d.). 3-2-1. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/117
K20 Center. (n.d.). Collective brain dump. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/111
K20 Center. (n.d.). Detective board. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/3530
K20 Center. (n.d.). Jigsaw. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/179
K20 Center. (n.d.). Hot potato. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/4465
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Webb, M. (Director). (2012). The amazing spider-man [Film]. Sony Pictures.
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