Introduction TOPIC: Reviewing the Scavenger Hunt: What will the Freedom of Faith unit look like in English? ACTIVITY: Piecing together faith collaborative writing project TEXT: Bits and pieces of text from the Torah, Vedas, Dharma, Bible, and Quran HOMEWORK: If you need to, rewrite your groups piece of scripture and hand it in tomorrow. TUESDAY Judaism TOPIC: Multiple Perspectives, Optical Illusions, and Stereotypes: How do religious stereotypes divide & unit us? ACTIVITY: Humans of New York & stereotypes/Religion Intro; Final project Explanation; Begin discussing tradition in Judaism TEXT: Humans of New York website HOMEWORK: Share your picture, story, and perspectives on the "Humans of Geneseo High" blog. See Ms. Green's example for guidance. WEDNESDAY Judaism TOPIC: A Closer look at Jewish Traditions: What do you know? What dont you know? Is religion just religion, or is it culture too? ACTIVITY: Students will exam the idea of tradition through various songs, texts, holiday traditions, folk art, and recipes. Students will make challah bread. TEXT: Various traditional Jewish texts (songs, recipes, holiday rituals, etc.) HOMEWORK: Bring in a traditional song, recipe, or story from your culture or experiences with family/friends. THURSDAY Judaism TOPIC: Hasidism: How do perspectives and values differ from sect to sect in a religion? Can you think of any other examples of sects in other religions? Why do sects exist? ACTIVITY: Watch Hasidism documentary and complete reflection worksheet. TEXT: Secret World of Hasidism YouTube video (National Geographic) HOMEWORK: Answer Judaism question on the Freedom of Faith wiki. FRIDAY Hinduism TOPIC: A Closer look at the Caste System: Create a Silhouette ACTIVITY: After learning about the caste system in social studies and writing from the perspective of people from various castes, you will create a silhouette of a Hindu individual from the caste you wrote about. TEXT: N/A HOMEWORK: Finish your silhouette for the Freedom of Faith open house. WEEK TWO MONDAY Hinduism TOPIC: Hindu Gods, Mythology, and their relationship with humans ACTIVITY: Working with a partner, research one of the many Hindu Gods. Create a short verbal presentation to share with the class. TEXT: Websites for Hindu Gods research HOMEWORK: Answer Hinduism question on the Freedom of Faith wiki TUESDAY Hinduism TOPIC: Religion Reinvented ACTIVITY: Create your own monotheistic or polytheistic religion: What is your religions origin? What are the names of your god/gods? What are your beliefs, traditions, and religious symbol? Research other religions that we have not studied to inform your creation. TEXT: n/a HOMEWORK: Finish your Religion Invented graphic organizer WEDNESDAY Buddhism TOPIC: The 3 types of texts in the Tripitaka: How do different formats convey different messages? ACTIVITY: SOAPSTone Graphic Organizer TEXT: Various excerpts from the Tripitaka HOMEWORK: Look up a sutra that resonates with you. Add it to the Google Doc and write one paragraph in which you reflect on the major themes within it. THURSDAY Buddhism TOPIC: The Dalai Lamas response to the Invasion of TibetWhat does it say about the values of the Buddhist religion? ACTIVITY: Read an excerpt of the Dalai Lamas novel as a full class and compare the Dalai Lama to MLKJ and Gandhi TEXT: The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World (Dalai Lama) HOMEWORK: Answer Buddhism question on the Freedom of Faith wiki FRIDAY Buddhism TOPIC: Meditation and the Bodhi Tree: Reaching Enlightenment with an open and clear mind and walking down the eightfold path ACTIVITY: As a special mid-unit/Friday treat, we will go outside and meditate under a tree using the same principles that Buddha himself used. TEXT: N/A HOMEWORK: None. WEEK THREE MONDAY Christianity TOPIC: Messages in Metaphors: Buddhist koans & sutras, and Christian parables and the moral messages they convey; Brief introduction to Christian texts ACTIVITY: Messages in Metaphors graphic organizer; Connecting visualization to written metaphors (make your own metaphor) TEXT: Koans (Zen Masters), Sutras (Buddha), and Parables (Gospel of Matthew) HOMEWORK: Finish writing your own metaphor and creating a visual representation of it for the Freedom of Faith open house. TUESDAY Christianity TOPIC: Artistic Representations of the Virgin Mary and Jesus; What consistencies exist? What inconsistencies? How do line, value, and color archetypes influence the way we feel about ideas? Where do we see this in modern advertisements? ACTIVITY: How does artistic symbolism color our perception of Christianity and religion? Religion and Fine Art jigsaw activity with Hands on Writing strategy (sticky-note strategy) TEXT: Lamentation of Christ' (Andrea Mantegna), The Last Supper (Leonardo Da Vinci), The Deposition from the Cross (Jacopo Pontormo), The Crowning With Thorns (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio), The Yellow Christ ( Paul Gauguin), Christ of Saint John on the Cross (Salvador Dali), stained glass windows HOMEWORK: Answer Christianity question on Freedom of Faith wiki WEDNESDAY Christianity TOPIC: Separation between church and state; What does Under God really mean in the Pledge of Allegiance? Patriotism and Religion? Should they be one in the same? Why, or why not? ACTIVITY: Multiple Perspectives on the Pledge of Allegiance: Create a Google Form survey with your book club group to poll family and friends on this debated issue. TEXT: New York Times article Under God or Not (Beverly Gage) HOMEWORK: Send your surveys to family and friends. THURSDAY Islam TOPIC: Activate prior knowledge on Islam; Briefly discuss similarities between Christianity and Islam; Revisit the Islamic Revolution from social studies; Introduce Persepolis and discuss text format (graphic novel literacy) ACTIVITY: Begin reading Persepolis as a class. At select points, work with a partner to recap the character development of Marji, the visual representation of her narrative, and the historical timeline of the Islamic Revolution. TEXT: Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi) HOMEWORK: Read Persepolis and answer Islam question on the Freedom of Faith wiki
FRIDAY Islam TOPIC: Marji and Malala? Two perspectives on radical religion, social oppression, and social justice. ACTIVITY: Suspended Themes of Social Justice graphic organizer TEXT: Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi), Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl HOMEWORK: Finish reading Persepolis and complete your I am Malala graphic novel page for Monday. WEEK FOUR MONDAY Islam TOPIC: The conclusion of Persepolis, Final Project finishing touches ACTIVITY: Share graphic novel pages and discuss the end of Persepolis in book club groups, final project finishing touches TEXT: Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi) HOMEWORK: Finish your projects for the open house and keep in mind you will be submitting them for a final grade. TUESDAY Conclusion Open House Tonight! TOPIC: Reflect on the major unit themes of diversity, acceptance, and multiple perspectives. Review Pledge of Allegiance surveys from week 3. ACTIVITY: Put finishing touches on final projects/set-up for the Freedom of Faith open house/museum walk. TEXT: n/a HOMEWORK: Bring your parents to the open house tonight to show off your hard work throughout the unit!