Multicultural Lesson Plans
Appreciating Diverse Cultures and Religions
Books Used:
Samira's Eid: Arabic/English
The Swirling Hijaab: Urdu/English
All Kinds of Beliefs: Bengali/English
**Lessons can be adapted to use each of these books in any dual language combination
Focus Languages: Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, English
Topic: Appreciating Diverse Cultures and Religions
Authors: Christina Hydzik, Katie King
Affiliation: West Chester University of Pennsylvania, pupils in the Teacher Education Program for Elementary Education
Instructional Unit: Appreciating Diverse Cultures and Religions
The three lessons presented in this unit of instruction have been designed to help pupils
- learn about and appreciate different cultures, religions and customs of people around the world and in Britain;
- hear and see new languages and text;
- build an appreciation of the diverse languages present in the world and in Britain;
- learn about other countries, and people similar to and different than themselves;
- build positive relationships among pupils in the classroom to promote the acceptance of
diversity among pupils as a part of the classroom environment.
The main books used in these lessons include: Samira's Eid, The Swirling Hijaab, and All Kinds of Beliefs. The languages of the books used to design this unit include: Arabic, Urdu, Bengali and English. Each of these titles is available in many other languages, and other language combinations can be substituted for or used in addition to the dual languages presented here.
After hearing the introduction to the mini-unit, the teacher can help pupils locate the countries where the focus languages are spoken around the world. As a supplement, the teacher may offer instruction about these countries and the people who live in them currently. He or she may also share with pupils information about each of the languages, including presenting how these languages are represented in Britain and in the local community.
The teacher may also integrate learning about the languages, countries/regions/areas where the languages are spoken throughout the lessons. The CIA World Factbook Online provides excellent information on countries and people of the world. https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
Lesson Number: 1 and Introduction
Lesson Title: Introduction and Places of Worship
Estimated Length: 60 minutes
Lesson
Goals:
- Pupils will appreciate the
different beliefs of customs of other people.
- Pupils will examine different architecture of places of worship for six
different religions.
- Pupils will develop an understanding of maps.
Vocabulary:
- Christianity
- Islam
- Hinduism
- Buddhism
- Sikhism
- Judaism
- Church/Chapel/Cathedral
- Mosque/Masjid
- Mandir/Kovil
- Wat
- Gurdwara
- Synagogue
- Temple
Skills:
- Reading
- Listening
- Divergent thinking
- Map reading
- Writing
- Participating in discussions
- (Interviewing)
Learning Outcomes
Pupils will be able to locate on a map the
region with a high population of Bengali speakers.
Pupils will be able to list the places of worship for the six different
religions with the aid of a fact sheet.
Anticipatory Set
Define religion for the class.
Religion is belief in a supreme being or beings; belief in
God or gods. Religion is a belief system that is practiced through faith,
obedience, prayer, and worship.
Ask pupils to name as many religions as they can think of. List these on board
or chart paper.
Target answer:
Explain that there are many people with different beliefs
living in Britain. We all have the right to choose what we want to believe.
Ask pupils to guess what the top six most popular religions are in the world.
Procedures
Hand out Fact Sheets at this time. Write these on chart paper for display. Introduce top six religions, mention secular. When introducing each religion, read some information from the fact sheets (Symbols and holidays will be mentioned on Days 2 and 3 so save them for later).
Christianity - 2.1 billion -
In Christianity, God is almighty and rules over
all of heaven and earth. The central figure in Christianity is Jesus Christ.
Christianity is based on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. As the Son of
God, he came to earth to teach about love and brotherhood.
Islam - 1.2 billion
Based on the teachings of a man named Muhammad,
one who practises Islam is called a Muslim. A practicing Muslim follows the
teachings from the Koran. The overall purpose of life is to serve Allah (God),
to worship him alone and to construct a moral lifestyle.
Secular/irreligious - 1.1 billion
Hinduism - 900 million
Unlike most other religions, Hinduism does not
promote the worship of one particular deity or god. According to Hindu beliefs,
Brahman is the principle source of the universe.
Buddhism - 376 million
Buddhism is based on the teachings of
Siddhartha Gautama. The ultimate goal of a Buddhists is to achieve freedom from
the cycle of reincarnation and attain nirvana.
Sikhism - 23 million
Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and
remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind, social
justice and denounces superstitions and blind rituals. There is only One God.
He is the same God for all people of all religions.
Judaism - 14 million
The most essential characteristic is the belief
in one God who created the universe and continues to rule it. It is a
system in which everyone is under God's rule.
Talk about where each religion holds its
services.
Many religions include some form of community worship. The religious community
often gathers together to celebrate and worship in buildings: churches,
temples, and mosques, for example.
Show pictures on overhead or from powerpoint of an example of each.
Christianity - Church
Islam - Mosque/Masjid
All those who enter must take off their shoes.
Cleanliness is also important. Clothing must cover the body and be loose. No
loud talking. Men and women pray in separate areas.
Hinduism - Mandir/Temple/Kovil
All those who enter must take off shoes
and socks. No pictures. No loud talking. Certain areas are restricted to Hindus
or priests.
Buddhism - Wat/Temple
Sikhism - Gurdwara
Wear loose fitting clothing that covers the
body. Take off shoes and socks. You must cover your head.
Judaism - Synagogue/Temple
Introduce the book All
Kinds of Beliefs by Emma Damon.
Explain that the book is written in two different languages and that while you
are reading it aloud to the pupils, they will be able to see the same words
written in Bengali.
Bengali is from the eastern South Asia region which includes Bangladesh and
parts of India (point these areas out on a map for the pupils)
Bengali is the 6th most popular language in the world; there are 232 million
speakers.
After pointing out the area on a map, hand out the map of Southern Asia and
allow pupils to color/highlight/circle/point to the areas of India and
Bangladesh.
A map South Asia is available from Mantra Lingua. This map needs to be saved as it will be used on Day 3.
Read the book All
Kinds of Beliefs by Emma Damon. - Since some of the symbols in the
book are small, it would be helpful to read this while sitting together. There
is a poster at the back of the book, which can be used for reference at this
time as well.
After reading the book, reread the pages that talk about where each group
worships and what is inside the place of worship.
Answer any questions the pupils may have about the
reading.
At this time, the teacher may facilitate a conversation about the languages
presented in the dual language book used. This can lead into later lessons, and
begin to build awareness of language diversity.
Closure
Lead a class discussion on aspects of
religion the pupils would like to learn about. Remind them that today they
learned about where people go to worship and tomorrow they will be learning
about some of the festivals that different religions have.
After reading the book and class discussion, pass out the Religions Worksheet
(attached). Explain to the class that over the next few days they will fill
this sheet out completely. Begin by answering Question 1 "When did it
begin?" as a class. Refer to the Fact Sheets to help answer the questions.
If there is time left in the class period have the pupils answer question 2 in
class, if not, this can be done for homework. Do not answer questions 3 or 4
yet.
Explain that you will be taking a closer look at some of the other aspects of
religion in the next few days, tomorrow will be focusing on festivals.
Possible extension/enrichment activity:
Pupils can interview parents and grandparents, or other adults, to learn about
their own or others' religious backgrounds and traditions, and also to get a
sense of generational differences in religious practices and beliefs. Help
pupils plan their interviews, keeping in mind that there may be pupils who do not
have family members they can interview. You may wish to line up willing
interview subjects among school staff ahead of time so that such pupils will
not have to struggle to find someone.
Interview planning sheet and Tips for interviewing are attached
Assessment of Pupils' Performance Outcomes
Informal assessment of the map
coloring/highlighting will be done to ensure pupils understanding of map
reading.
The pupils will complete their chart handout after each day's lesson.
This will be collected at the end to formally assess the pupils' understanding
of the lessons.
Materials/Equipment
Teacher's Materials:
Damon, Emma. All
Kinds of Beliefs. Mantra Lingua, 2000
Board
Chart paper
Markers
Computer
Projector
World map
Pupils' Materials:
Fact Sheets
Worksheet
Southern Asia map
Religions Fact Sheet:
Buddhism Fact Sheet
Date founded: c. 520 BCE
Place founded: Northeastern India
Founder: Siddhartha Gautama ("the Buddha")
Followers: 360 million
Size rank: Fourth largest world religion
Main locations: China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia
Sacred texts: Pali Canon, and numerous Mahayana sutras
Place of ritual: Temple, meditation hall
Purpose of life: Theravada - Become an arhat, escape the cycle of rebirth, and attain nirvana.
Mahayana - Become a boddhisatva then help others attain enlightenment.
Other: Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. The ultimate goal of a Buddhists is to achieve freedom from the cycle of reincarnation and attain nirvana.
Symbols: Lotus, Wheel, Parasol, Endless Knot, Pair of Golden Fishes, Conch Shell, Banner of Victory, Treasure Vase
Holidays:
Vary by region
Often include:
Buddha's birthday
Buddha's enlightenment
Lunar quarters
Christianity Fact Sheet
Date founded: c. 33 AD
Place founded: Palestine
Founder: Jesus of Nazareth
Followers: 2.1 billion
US Followers: 159 million in 2001
Size rank: largest world religion
Main location: Europe, North America, South America
Sacred text: Bible
House of worship: Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, meeting hall
Purpose of life: Know, love and serve God
How to live: Have faith in the true God and Christ's resurrection, do good works, participate in sacraments
Other: In Christianity, God is almighty and rules over all of heaven and earth. The central figure in Christianity is Jesus Christ. Christianity is based on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. As the Son of God, he came to earth to teach about love and brotherhood.
Symbols: Cross, dove, anchor, fish, alpha and omega, chi rho
Major holidays:
Advent
(Nov. 30 - Dec. 24)
Christmas (Dec. 25)
Epiphany (Jan. 6)
Lent (40-day period prior to Easter)
Good Friday (last Friday before Easter)
Easter (date varies)
All Saint's Day (Nov. 1)
Hinduism Fact Sheet
Date founded: 1500 BC
Place founded: India
Founder: none
Followers: 900 million
Size rank: third largest in the world
Main location: India, also United Kingdom and United States
Sacred texts: Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras, Bhagavad Gita
Place of worship: temple or home shrine
Purpose of life: to attain liberation from the cycle of reincarnation
How to live: order life according to the dharma
Other: Unlike most other religions, Hinduism does not promote the worship of one particular deity or god. According to Hindu beliefs, Brahman is the principle source of the universe.
Symbols: Om, Swastika, Lotus, Bindi
Major holidays:
Mahashivarati
(mid-February)
Holi (Spring)
Ramnavami (late March)
Dusserah (early November)
Diwali (mid-November)
Islam Fact Sheet
Date founded: 622 CE
Place founded: Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Founder: Muhammad
Followers: 1.2 billion
Size rank: second largest in the world
Main location: Middle East and North Africa
Sacred text: Qur'an (Koran)
House of worship: mosque
Purpose of life: Submit to the will of Allah and attain paradise after death
How to live: Follow the Qur'an, Hadith and Five Pillars of Islam
Other: Based on the teachings of a man named Muhammad, one who practices Islam is called a Muslim. A practicing Muslim follows the teachings from the Koran. The overall purpose of life is to serve Allah (God), to worship him alone and to construct a moral lifestyle.
Symbol: crescent moon and star, “Allah” written in Arabic
Major holidays:
Ramadan
- month long, begins Oct. 16, 2004
Eid al-Fitr - Festival of Breaking the Fast
Hajj - week long; begins 1 Muharram
Eid al-Adha - Festival of Sacrifice
Judaism Fact Sheet
Date founded: c. 1300 BC
Place founded: Mesopotamia
Founder: Abraham
Followers: 14 million
Size rank: sixth largest world religion
Main location: Israel, Europe, and USA
Sacred text: Tanakh and Talmud
Place of worship: synagogue or temple
Purpose of life: obedience to God
How to live: obey the law and atone for sin
Other: The most essential characteristic is the belief in one God who created the universe and continues to rule it. It is a system in which everyone is under God's rule
Symbols: Magen David, Menorah, Chai, Hamesh Hand, Yarmulke
Major holidays:
Rosh
Hashanah: Jewish New Year
Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement
Sukkot: Festival of Booths
Hanukkah
Tu B'Shevat: New Year for Trees
Purim
Pesach: Passover
Shavuot: Pentecost
Sikhism Fact Sheet
Date founded: c. 1500 AD
Place founded: Punjab, India
Founder: Guru Nanak
Followers: 23 million
Size rank: fifth largest world religion
Main location: India, North America
Sacred text: Adi Granth
Place of worship: Gurdwara
Purpose of life: Overcome the self, align life with will of God, and become a "saint soldier," fighting for good.
Other: Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and remembrance of God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind, social justice and denounces superstitions and blind rituals. There is only One God. He is the same God for all people of all religions.
Symbols: Ek-Onkar, Khanda, Nishan Sahib
Major holidays:
Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)
Diwali
Hola Mohalla
Lesson Number: 2
Lesson Title: Religious Festivals
Estimated Length: 45 minutes
Lesson
Goals:
-Pupils will recognize that groups of
people have religious celebrations unique to them.
-Pupils will examine different religious festivals for six different religions.
-Pupils will develop an understanding of maps.
Vocabulary:
- Samosa
- Zakat
- Eid Mabarak
- Shalwar-kameez
- Imam
- Ramadan
- Islamic lunar calendar
- Fasting
- Eid ul-Fitr
Skills:
- Divergent thinking
- Convergent thinking
- Reading
- Listening
- Map reading
- Writing
- Participating in discussions
Learning Outcomes
Pupils will be able to locate on a map the
region with a high population of Arabic speakers.
Pupils will be able to list the festivals for the six different religions with
the aid of a fact sheet if necessary.
Pupils will be able to make connections between religious festival activities
mentioned in the book Samira's Eid
and those they may experience in their own lives.
Anticipatory Set
Before allowing pupils to look at their
notes, ask pupils to name as many religious festivals and holidays that they
can. List these on the blackboard.
After gathering as much as they can give allow them to use the poster in the
back of All Kinds of Beliefs by Emma Damon to come up with any others
that they may have left out.
After asking for the names of the festivals, ask what are some things that
people do on these days. How do people celebrate a festival or holiday?
Examples:
Feasting Ceremonies Fasting
Praying Singing Gift Giving
Lighting Candles
Tell pupils that today we are going to focus
on the Islamic festival of Ramadan and to help us we are going to read the
story Samira's
Eid by Nasreen Aktar and Enebor Attard.
Explain that the book is written in two
different languages, just like the book yesterday and that while you are
reading it aloud to the pupils, they will be able to see the same words written
in Arabic.
Arabic is mostly spoken in the Arab World which stretches from Mauritania in
northwest Africa to Oman in southwest Asia. Point these areas out on a map.
Arabic is the fifth most popular language in the world. There are 270 million
speakers.
After pointing out the area on a map, hand
out the map of Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia and allow pupils to
color/highlight/circle/point to the areas of Mauritania to Oman. (Maps of
Africa and the Middle East are available from Mantra Lingua)
Explain that before reading the story we need
to discuss what Ramadan is.
Ask pupils if anyone would like to share what they think Ramadan is.
Target answer:
Ramadan is the ninth month of Islamic lunar calendar. This
means that at the sighting of the new moon in the 9th month, the observance
will begin. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the
daylight hours in a complete fast. This means that starting when the sun comes
up and ending when the sun goes down, they do not eat anything. Muslims do this
to help strengthen their belief in Allah or God. Ramadan started on September
23th in 2006 so in 2007 it should start around September 10th, and in 2008 it
should start around August 28th. The Islamic lunar calendar is about 13 days
shorter than the solar year (which is the calendar that we follow) so every
year the start of the month of Ramadan changes. The Islamic holiday of Eid
ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan. Eid ul-Fitr means the
Festival of Breaking the Fast and is a time of great celebration.
Explain that in the book you will read, the family is observing Ramadan, and
the story ends with the festival of Eid ul-Fitr.
Read the book Samira's Eid.
During the reading, the following vocabulary words should be addressed to aid
comprehension.
Samosa - a fried bread stuffed with potato onion and
peas
Zakat - donations made by Muslims to the poor,
similar to that of tithing for Christians
Eid Mabarak - a greeting meaning "Blessed
Festival"
Shalwar-kameez - Shalwar is the pajama like pants,
and the kameez is a long shirt or tunic
Imam - the prayer leader
After reading the story ask pupils to think
of anything that they have read in Samira's Eid
that might be similar to something they do when they are celebrating a holiday
or festival.
Example:
Sending letters Going to Mosque or place of
worship Gift Giving Saying Greetings
Praying Gathering with family/friends Feasting
Closure
As a class brainstorm some other festivals
that you could celebrate. Remind pupils of Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, May Day.
The festival can be another celebration involving family such as Grandma’s Day
in France, or any other form of celebration.
Possible suggestions are:
Publishing Day - when pupils finish writing their first
story/poem/other writing piece
The birthday of a favorite author
Decide as a class on one that you will celebrate later that year. The date can
be chosen as a class if there is adequate flexibility or by the teacher if not.
Assessment of Pupils' Performance Outcomes
Informal assessment of the map
coloring/highlighting will be done to ensure pupils understanding of map
reading.
Informal observational assessment will be used to evaluate pupils' abilities to
make connections between the book and their own lives.
The pupils will complete their chart handout after each day's lesson.
This will be collected at the end to formally assess the pupils' understanding
of the lessons.
Materials/Equipment
Teacher's Materials:
Aktar, Nasreen, and Enebor Attard. Samira's Eid.
Mantra Lingua, 2004.
Damon, Emma. All
Kinds of Beliefs. Mantra Lingua, 2000.
World Map
Pupils' Materials:
Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia Maps
Fact sheets and worksheet from day 1
Lesson Number: 3
Lesson Title: Clothing/Symbols and Conclusion
Estimated Length: 45 minutes
Lesson Goals:
-Pupils will appreciate the symbols
and dress for the different religions.
-Pupils will understand what a symbol is what it represents.
Vocabulary:
- symbol
- hijaab
- bedouin
- sari
- nomad
Skills:
- Reading
- Listening
- Map reading
- Writing
- Participating in discussions
Learning Outcomes
Pupils will be able to locate on a map the region with a high population of
Urdu speakers.
Pupils will be able to list two of the symbols and draw one for each of the six
different religions with the aid of a fact sheet.
Pupils will be able to make connections between clothing and symbols mentioned
in the book The
Swirling Hijaab and those they may experience in their own lives.
Pupils will write a short paragraph explaining the class holiday that they
created over the past few days.
Anticipatory Set
As a class re-read the pages in the book All Kinds of Beliefs that deal with symbols (the first page) and clothing (the third page). Ask the pupils what they noticed as the similarities and differences between the different religions. Ask the pupils what are some of the symbols and different styles of clothing that were shown in the book. Lead a discussion about what they have noticed in the past two days that could relate to the lesson today on clothing and symbols.
Procedures
Start with asking the pupil
what a symbol is?
Target response:
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, sounds or colors
used to represent ideas or concepts.
Ask them what are some
symbols that they are familiar with. Write the responses on the
board.
Talk with the pupils of the different dress that certain religions wear. Begin
by asking if there is something special that they were for their religion. What
does that clothing represent or mean? Refer to the book All
Kinds of Beliefs, to talk about the meaning of other religion's
clothing. Specifically mention the hijaab. The hijaab is a head covering that
Islamic women wear to show their respect for Allah and the Muslim faith. At
this time the book Samira's Eid
can be brought out for reference, the women in the book wear hijaabs when they
are not in their own home.
Tell pupils that today we are
going to focus on Islamic clothing, specifically the hijaab, and to help us we
are going to read the story The
Swirling Hijaab by Na'imh bint Robert and Nilesh Mistry.
Explain that the book is
written in two different languages, just like the books from the past two days
and that while you are reading it aloud to the pupils, they will be able to see
the same words written in Urdu.
Urdu is mostly spoken in South Asia in the countries of Pakistan Afghanistan
and India. Point these areas out on a map.
Urdu is the 20th most popular language in the world. There are 160 million
speakers.
After pointing out the area
on a map, have the pupils bring out their maps from day one of Southern Asia,
allow pupils to color/highlight/circle/point to the areas of Pakistan,
Afghanistan, and India. India was also colored for the Bengali speaking people.
Read the book together with
the class and as you are reading point out some of the unfamiliar vocabulary
with the pupils.
Possible vocabulary terms to discuss:
Bedouin - nomadic Arab, refer to definition below for
"nomad"
Sari - a piece of clothing worn by Indian women, made of cotton or silk
Nomad - a member of a tribe that has no permanent home but moves about from place to place
according to the seasons in search of food, water,
and grazing land.
When you finish reading the
book discuss as a class what they saw. Lead the discussion to talk about
what some of the symbols that were presented were.
Example:
On the page with the sail boat, on the sail there is a
picture of the crescent moon and star which is symbolic of the Islamic faith.
On the next page there is a picture of the little girl and her mother with the
hijaab over their head in the traditional style.
Discuss why they had
particular meanings and what those meanings were? Talk about the
different styles of dress and what they represented?
After the pupils seem like they
have a good understanding of the book, pass out the attached hand out which
contains symbols from each of the six religions we have been discussing. The
pupils will need this to help complete the worksheet they have been filling out
for the past 2 days.
The pupils will then brainstorm a symbol to go with the class holiday that they
created the day before.
Closure
Pupils will be given class time to finish the
worksheet that they have been working on over the past 2 days.
The pupils will then write a short passage, or group of sentences about the new
holiday that their class has created.
Pupils will be given time during class to write about their holiday. Here
they will write the name of the holiday, the date it will be celebrated, the
purpose or meaning behind it, the place it will be held (to connect to the
place of worship), the dress, the symbol, and anything else that they would
like to add that they have learned over the past three days.
Assessment of Pupils' Performance Outcomes
Informal assessment of the map
coloring/highlighting will be done to ensure pupils understanding of map
reading.
Informal observational assessment will be used to evaluate pupils' abilities to
make connections between the book and their own lives.
Formal summative assessment will be used to determine the level of
understanding with the pupils' paragraphs and worksheets.
Materials/Equipment
Teacher's Materials
Damon, Emma. All
Kinds of Beliefs. London: Mantra Lingua, 2000.
Robert, Na'imh Bint, and Nilesh Mistry. The
Swirling Hijaab. London: Mantra Lingua, 2002.
Paper
Blackboard
World Map
Pupils' Materials:
Fact Sheets from day 1
Worksheet from day 1
Southern Asia Map from day 1
Unit Closure
In order to bring closure to the unit learning, reinforce the concepts presented earlier, and focus especially on language and religious differences, the teacher may guide a grand discussion about culture and how people express culture differently, how religion and language are part of a person's culture, how both globally and nationally, there are many people who have similar cultures and there are many many cultures, languages and religions in our world.