Summary
This lesson invites students to explore three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students begin the lesson by sharing their prior knowledge of the three religions and collaborating with partners to expand their understanding through discussion. Student groups then read articles about three religions and compare and contrast each belief system using a Venn diagram. At the end of the lesson, students reflect on their learning and consider personal, community, and global connections to monotheism.
Essential Question(s)
What are the main beliefs of the three major religions?
Snapshot
Engage
Students record prior knowledge about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam using the innermost circle of an Inside Out graphic organizer.
Explore
Students share their prior knowledge in small groups and record any knowledge gained in the second circle of an Inside Out graphic organizer.
Explain
Student groups participate in a Jigsaw activity in which they each read an article about one of three monotheistic religions. Students add any new information to the outermost circle of their Inside Out graphic organizers.
Extend
Students compare and contrast three monotheistic religions using a Venn diagram.
Evaluate
Students reflect on their learning in a Mirror, Microscope, Binoculars activity.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Inside Out handout (attached; one per student)
Jigsaw Reading handout (attached; one per student)
Venn Diagram handout (attached; one per group of three students)
Mirror, Microscope, Binoculars handout (attached; one per student)
Engage
15 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Introduce the lesson title using slide 2 then display slides 3–4 to introduce the essential question and learning objectives.
Display slide 5 and pass out one copy of the attached Inside Out handout to all students. Have students use the innermost circle of the Inside Out diagram to brainstorm and record everything they know about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Begin the 10-minute timer and walk around the room as students work.
Explore
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 6. Have students find two Elbow Partners and share what they wrote about each religion. Ask them to record any new information they learned from their partners in the second, or middle, circle of the Inside Out handout. Begin the 10-minute timer.
Invite each group to share out one or two ideas they discussed. As students listen to other groups, encourage them to add any new information they learn in the second circle of their handout.
Explain
25 Minute(s)
Display slide 7 and pass out the attached Jigsaw Reading handout to each group. Use the Jigsaw instructional strategy to divide the reading among the students in a group. Tell students that each person must read about one of the religions present in the reading. That person is the “expert” on that religion and should share out the information they learn about that religion with their partners. Notify students that each group member must also read the introduction of the reading titled, “Three Religions, One God.”
Show slide 8. Introduce students to the CUS and Discuss annotation strategy. Tell students that as they read, they should circle important people, underline important books or writings, and star core beliefs of the religion. Allow students approximately ten minutes to read and annotate their articles.
Display slide 9. Ask students to share with their groups what they circled, underlined, and starred in their articles. Tell students that as group members share, they should record information about their group members’ religions, in addition to information about the religion they read about, in the outermost circle of the graphic organizer. Begin the 10-minute timer on the slide.
Invite groups to share out the information they learned from the reading and their partners. As students share, walk around the room and ensure that each student has all three circles of their organizer filled out.
Extend
25 Minute(s)
Display slide 10 and distribute one copy of the attached Venn Diagram handout to each student. Direct students’ attention to the Venn Diagram example on the slide and explain how they should fill in each section of the handout. Tell students to work with their small groups to write down information about each religion in the individual circles of the handout. Encourage them to consider important people, beliefs, and writings. Have students then write down similarities between two religions where the circles intersect and have them record similarities between all three religions in the center space.
When it appears that the majority of students have completed their Venn Diagram handouts, invite groups to share out. Encourage the rest of the class to listen and make changes to their own handouts.
Evaluate
15 Minute(s)
Display slide 11 and use the Mirror, Microscope, Binoculars instructional strategy to invite students to reflect on the lesson. Distribute one copy of the Mirror, Microscope, Binoculars handout to each student and ask them to consider what they learned during the lesson. Invite them to use their own personal views to respond to the following questions on the handout:
Mirror (internal reflection):
How has this lesson helped you better understand your own belief system?
How has this lesson helped you recognize why people have different worldviews?
Microscope (close inspection):
In what ways do you see these religions represented within your community?
Binoculars (global reflection):
How do you think religion connects people?
What role do you think religion has played in past conflicts?
How does religion impact current conflicts?
Invite students to share out their responses. Have them turn in their handout at the end of the lesson.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). CUS and discuss. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/162
K20 Center. (n.d.). Elbow partners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/116
K20 Center. (n.d.). Inside out. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/93
K20 Center. (n.d.). Mirror, microscope, binoculars. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/3020
K20 Center. (n.d.). Jigsaw. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/179
K20 Center. (n.d.). Venn diagram. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/2918
K20 Center. (2021, September 21). K20 Center 10 minute timer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gy-1Z2Sa-c