Summary
In this lesson, students assume the role of detectives and investigate core beliefs, practices, and historical development of the three major monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. During their investigation, students uncover similarities and differences among these faiths, explore cultural and historical impact of each, and present their findings. By the end of the lesson, 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.
Explore
Students analyze articles about religion and share their findings with peers.
Explain
Students summarize their knowledge of one religion into a one-slide visual summary.
Extend
Students create visual representations of their understanding of the three religions, connecting shared elements and drawing distinctions between them.
Evaluate
Students present their visual representations and reflect on their discoveries, highlighting the most impactful findings.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Key Notes Shared Slides (attached)
Monotheism Mission Briefing handout (attached; one per three students)
Judaism Dossier handout (attached; one per three students)
Christianity Dossier handout (attached; one per three students)
Islam Dossier handout (attached; one per three students)
Manilla folders
Balls
Poster-sized sticky notes
Markers
Tape or thumbtacks
Yarn (three colors)
Student devices with internet access
Preparation
Prior to the lesson, prepare multiple manilla folders to serve as “case files” for the Explore phase of the lesson. Prepare one manilla folder per three students. In each manilla folder, include one copy of the Monotheism Mission Briefing handout, one copy of the Judaism Dossier handout, one copy of the Christianity Dossier handout, and one copy of the Islam Dossier handout. The three dossiers will serve as the primary source documents for students. Set these folders aside until the Explore phase.
Engage
5 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to facilitate the lesson. Display slides 2–4 to share the title of the lesson, essential question, and learning objectives. Emphasize that the essential question will be addressed throughout the lesson.
Organize students into groups of three and have each group take out a sheet of paper. Have each group select a member to serve as the recorder to write down the group’s ideas. Display slide 5 and share the Collective Brain Dump strategy. Have groups brainstorm everything they know about Christianity, Judaism, and Islam on their papers. Begin the five-minute timer on the slide and allow students time to work.
Invite a representative from each group to share out their ideas with the whole class.
Explore
15 Minute(s)
Display slide 6 and share the premise for the activity: Historical files on monotheistic religions have been stolen. Students must recover lost historical details and trace connections and differences between monotheistic religious traditions.
Distribute the prepared manilla folders to each group, each containing one copy of the Monotheism Mission Briefing handout, Judaism Dossier handout, Christianity Dossier handout, and Islam Dossier handout.
Have students read the Monotheism Mission Briefing to gain a better understanding of the activity. Then, have students engage in the Jigsaw strategy to divide up the dossiers so that each person in the group reads about a different religion.
Before students begin reading, number each group from 1–7. Display slide 7. Share that each numbered group should look for particular details about one of the following aspects that corresponds with their assigned number as they read their assigned articles.
Origins
Sacred Texts
Beliefs about God
Prophets and Key Figures
Practices and Rituals
Ethical Teachings
Historical Interactions
For example, if a group is assigned the number four, each person should read one of the articles about Judaism, Christianity, or Islam while focusing on prophets and key figures.
Have students begin reading their assigned articles.
Explain
25 Minute(s)
Have students form new groups based on which dossier they read. There should be one group for each of the three religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Display slide 8 and share the Hot Potato strategy with students. Give each group one ball to serve as the “hot potato.” Have students stand or sit in a way that they can easily pass the ball between themselves.
Call out one of the topics from the previous slide (origins, sacred texts, etc.). Have students begin passing the ball among themselves in their groups. When a student catches a ball, they should share key facts related to the topic with others in the group. Once they share, they should pass the ball to another student, who should share relevant details or clarifications.
When you believe students have shared enough information on the topic, call out a new topic and have them repeat the process. Continue with as many topics as you see fit.
Have students return to their original groups and lead a whole-class discussion in which students review concepts from the Hot Potato activity.
Display slide 9. Have each group create a one-slide summary about their assigned religion’s origins, sacred texts, beliefs, key figures, and practices. Have students also cite at least two credible sources to validate their information.
Provide adequate time for students to contribute to the shared slides.
Extend
20 Minute(s)
Transition to slide 10 and introduce the Detective Board instructional strategy. Ask students if they have heard of a detective board before. Help students picture what a detective board is by showing the clip Peter Makes an Evidence Board from the movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Display slide 11 and have students return to their original Jigsaw group in which each student read about a different religion. Give each group three poster-sized sticky notes, three different colors of yarn, markers, scissors, and tape.
Show slide 12 and have students begin working to create their Detective Boards. Have them designate one of the three posters for each religion and record information about each religion on the posters. Once they have recorded all important information, have them visually link key concepts between religions using yarn connections and any text explanations.
As students work, have each group select one member to act as their “lead detective” during the final presentations. The lead detective will answer questions from the class and guide the presentation.
Allow students time to work and finalize their boards.
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Display slide 13. Have students present their completed boards and explain their findings and key discoveries.
Have each group present by bringing their board to the front of the room. Have each of the non-presenting groups select one person to act as a “prosecutor.” As the presenting group shares, have the prosecutors circulate the room and ask challenging questions, pushing the presenting group to justify their choices and make deeper connections. Share that prosecutors could 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?”
As students share, assess learning through presentation quality, detective boards, or group discussions.
After all groups have presented, display slide 14. Have students engage in the 3-2-1 strategy to reflect on their learning by responding 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.
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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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Winchester, L. J. (2021, March 5). Peter makes an evidence board | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afyd92nr558
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