(Prior to this unit, the students learned about Judaism, and after this unit the students will learn about Hinduism.)

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1 Unit Overview and Rationale: Ninth Grade gives students an overview of major historical civilizations, events, and people. For the week of March 26 th to March 30 th, the students of the 2 nd block class will learn about four major world religions. Religions played integral roles in earlier civilizations and they continue to do so today. Through maps, graphic organizers, and reflection students will build strong understanding of various religions Not only students will gain facts about Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, but over this unit students shall gain a new-found respect for all religions. Students are required to think about the contributions of religions, and acknowledge any misconceptions they had and contrast them with the truth. The unit objectives not only correlate to the SOL standards, but also aim to dismantle any ignorance that students may have about different religions. The unit is a part of the curriculum for Virginia. This unit will approximately take four days to be completed, so it is a small unit. The class is held between 8:50 am to 10:15 am, and it is a daily class. Ninth graders are the majority, but there is a small minority of older students ranging from 10 th to 11 th grade. This unit will consist of lessons that will captivate students and have them engage in an empathetic view of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. This unit is a part of the tested SOL standards for students in. The organization of the unit is to give students a chronological order of events in the founding of the three religions and their impact on the world. I want students to use the content to expand on their own personal knowledge to go out into the world and possibly educate others. (Prior to this unit, the students learned about Judaism, and after this unit the students will learn about Hinduism.) Goals: 1. Students will engage in academic discussion with each other. These discussions shall be done as a class or in pair share. The aim is to challenge a low energy class to speak and share their opinions. 2. Students will have a greater understanding of various religions and gain respect for these religions. (Affective) 3. Students will learned the information that is necessary to pass the Virginia Standards of Learning examination.

2 Essential Questions Students will be able to address these questions with the knowledge learned throughout the unit. What are some misconceptions about Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism? (Objectives 1, 3; NCSS Culture How is Islam similar to Christianity and Judaism? ( Objectives 1, 3: NCSS Global Connections) How has Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism contributed to the global community? ( Objectives 3, NCSS Global Connections) Objectives: At the end of unit: 1. Students will be able to have a good foundation of the major world religions along with Judaism for a previous unit. 2. Students will be able to explain the origins of these major religions. 3. Students will be able to summarize the contributions of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism to the ancient and modern world. Standards: WHI.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the civilizations of Persia, India, and China in terms of chronology, geography, social structures, government, economy, religion, and contributions to later civilizations by c) describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Hinduism; d) describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Buddhism; f) describing the impact of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. WHI. 6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of ancient Rome from about 700 b.c. (b.c.e.) to 500 a.d. (c.e.) in terms of its impact on Western civilization by h) describing the origin, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Christianity; WHI.8 The student will demonstrate knowledge of Islamic civilization from about 600 to 1000 A.D. (C.E.) by a) describing the origin, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Islam; b) assessing the influence of geography on Islamic economic, social, and political development, including the impact of conquest and trade; c) identifying historical turning points that affected the spread and influence of Islamic civilization, with emphasis on the Sunni-Shi a division and the Battle of Tours; d) citing cultural and scientific contributions and achievements of Islamic civilization. NCSS Standards:

3 Culture ( Standard One) o Students will learn how religion was an integral aspect in ancient civilizations, and still play a major part in modern societies. Individual Development and Identity (Standard Four) o Students will be able to reflect on their own perceptions about religion. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions (Standard Five) o Students will analyze how religions promote social control within societies, and propose accepted social norms regardless of people s beliefs. Global Connections (Standard 9) o Students will see how religions spread to other regions out side of the religions origins. Outline of Content: Day 1: Introduction to Christianity o Origins of Christianity Had its roots in Judaism Was led by Jesus of Nazareth, who was proclaimed the Messiah Conflicted with polytheistic beliefs of Roman Empire o Beliefs, traditions, and customs of Christianity Monotheism Jesus as both Son and incarnation of God Life after death New Testament, containing accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus, as well as writings of early Christians Christian doctrines established by early church councils o Spread of Christianity Popularity of the message Early martyrs inspired others Carried by the Apostles, including Paul, throughout the Roman Empire

4 Day 2: Introduction to Islam o Origins of Islam Muhammad, the Prophet Mecca and Medina on the Arabian Peninsula: Early Muslim cities o Spread of Islam Across Asia and Africa and into Spain Geographic extent of first Muslim empire o Beliefs, traditions, and customs of Islam Monotheism: Allah (Arabic word for God) Qur an (Koran): The word of God Five Pillars of Islam Acceptance of Judeo-Christian prophets, including Moses and Jesus Day 3: Introduction to Buddhism o Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) o Four Noble Truths o Eightfold Path to Enlightenment Assessments and Evaluations: Pre-Assessments: Formative: Students will have to provide their knowledge on the various religions in an informal warm-up activity. Class Participation Do It Now: Morning Activities to get students thinking about the content for that day. Daily writing exercises to prepare students for short answer questions on the unit quiz. Evaluation Sheets Summative: A unit quiz consisting of select-response questions, and writing prompt as a short answerquestion. The Islamic civilization unit is a part of a much larger unit, therefore the knowledge gained in this unit will be assessed in a greater general test. The unit quiz will be beneficial for me to assess the students learning through my instruction.

5 Notebook Check: This is routine through my mentor teacher, so I will continue it through my instruction also. Unit Calendar: Introduction Christianity Islam Buddhism Formal Introduction to the Unit Power Point Worksheet: This is to be completed in class and then used as a guide on the basic information of the religions. Evaluation Sheet Warm-Up Origins of Christianity Rise of Christianity in Rome Graphic Organizer The Proverbs Worksheet Class Discussion Evaluation Sheet Warm-Up Muhammad Walks by Lupe Fiasco (Song Analysis) Origins of Islam Graphic Organizer Map of Muhammad s Travels What do you think? (Cartoon Analysis) Evaluation Sheet Warm-Up The Story of Buddha Power Point Inspiration Graphic Organizer Clip from Little Buddha The Teachings of Buddha We are what we think we are Morality Spring Break Challenge *Last Day before Spring Break ^_^ Daily Lesson Plans with Materials/Resources: Monday (Completion of the Rome Unit): Review Answers of Quiz 1 and Quiz 2 Complete Rome Power Point Complete Rome Video Overhead projector Tuesday: Rome Final Assessment (Quiz)

6 Introduction to o Individual Work World Religion Worksheet o Group Work o Formal Introduction to the Unit of World Religion A visual Power Point of images Worksheets Printer Copier Overhead Projector Wednesday: Christianity o Warm-Up: Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Reflection upon students responses o Christianity Rise in Rome The Origins Graphic Organizers Power Point o Proverbs Worksheet Discussion as a class o Evaluation Sheet: Is it possible for people to skew religion for their own personal gain? (Constantine claiming Christianity as the official religion of the Eastern Roman Empire) Whiteboard Dry Erase Markers Overhead Projector Copier Printer

7 Thursday: Islam Do It Now: What do you know about the religion Islam? o List thoughts on the board Lupe Fiasco s Muhammad Walks o Listen to the song o Read through the lyrics/discuss Hand out copies to the students Place a copy on the overhead projector o How did this song confirm anything you knew or taught you something new? Graphic Organizer of the foundations of Islam Tracing Muhammad s travels (Map) o Importance of Mecca and Medina Cartoon of the Two Different Women ( American and Muslim) Write what you think the cartoon is trying to say? What are some misconceptions or stereotypes you had about Muslims or the religion Islam? Distribute evaluation sheet o Without the usage of your notes: Name as many as you can remember of the five pillars Overhead Projector Whiteboard Dry Erase Makers Audio Friday Buddhism Do It Now: What does it means to be true/real/honest with yourself? o Introduction to Buddhism Buddha s Life Power Point Edited Graphic Organizer o Morality Challenge Create a small journal to keep over Spring break: daily write down the nice, selfless things that you did over break.

8 Overhead Projector Dry Erase Marker Differentiation: The class is very diverse. There are two ELL students, one who speaks Spanish and the other French. Yet, both gentlemen work very well together. There are also students that have already failed the course previously, and are still not motivated in class to pass. There are a few students that are ahead of other students and finish their work rather quickly. My task will be to keep all students engaged, and have activities where students are constantly interacting with each other about the topic. Accommodations: I would prefer to give physical copies of images I may use because a high number of students wear glasses in the class. I want them to be able to be able to see clearly the connections or points I will be relaying to the class. Also, by the time I teach this unit I hope that I will be able to move some of the students seating because some students are distracted by the people they sit beside. Oddly enough there are not any 504 plans or IEPs, but it is obvious to see which students will need extra help.