Religion

Each group will be responsible for teaching the class about 1 of the world’s major religions. To complete your teaching lesson, you will prepare to lead the class for a set period of time:

Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism – 2 days
Others – 1 day

The aim of your teaching will be threefold:

To introduce the class to the basic history of your religion
To introduce the class to the basic beliefs, literature, and ceremonies
To introduce the class to the influence of your religion in shaping current world affairs

Material Requirements

2 displayed maps (overhead)

The birthplace of the religion
The current world membership of the religion

Map or graph of world followers
Class copies of an example of an important piece of literature from the religion
1-page class handout summarizing the major notes from your presentation
25 multiple choice questions concerning the information you present (on disk)
Poster summarizing the history, beliefs, and influence of the religion

Ideas for optional activities:

Role-play activity
Debate between various branches of your religion
Map project
Class discussion on literature or philosophical questions
Pictures of the god or gods

Presentation Guidelines:

Students must communicate the following:

History

History leading up to the origin of the religion
Where, when, and why was the religion founded
Background information on the founder(s) of the religion
Show a map of the birthplace of the religion
Who is currently in charge, if anyone, and how are the leaders chosen?

Beliefs

The basic beliefs and principles

What are some of its beliefs about God, human nature, how the world came to be, etc?

Fundamental practices - what rituals are important?
Major books and religious texts
Important ceremonies and festivals
How do the major schisms (different 'branches' of the same religion) differ from one another?