Unit plan: Ancient World Religions. World History. Fall About 13 days

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1 Unit plan: Ancient World Religions World History Fall 2011 About 13 days Abstract: This unit is comprised of three mini units. The first, delves into the nature of religion and philosophy, and gives students an opportunity to compare and contrast the two. The unit then focuses on abstract themes involving the development and evolution of religion from naturebased worship of fertility to complex religious doctrines and philosophies. This mini unit is designed to prepare students for in-depth studies of Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism in the later mini-units. The second mini-unit is devoted to a study of the ancient Hebrews, and the rise and development of Judaism. Students will learn the major principles of Judaism, as well as key figures in the development of Judaism. This study of ancient Hebrews will culminate in a democratic dialogue, in which students will link the history they have learned to the modern conflict between Palestine and Israel. Finally, the third mini-unit will delve into the history of ancient India, and the development of Hinduism, and Buddhism. Students will spend a significant amount of time examining how factors such as geographical boundaries can influence history and culture. Students will take much of the responsibilities of teaching and learning in this unit, as they will give presentations on the history and core beliefs of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Focus Questions What is religion? How has it developed, and how is it different from philosophies? \ How has the history of ancient Israel/Palestine influenced the current conflict in that region? What are the key aspects of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism? Why are Buddhism and Jainism classified as religions, if they have no set deities? Benchmarks Interpret patterns of behavior reflecting values and attitudes that contribute or pose obstacles to cross-cultural understanding. (NCSS Culture) Apply an understanding of culture as an integrated while that explains the functions and interactions of language, literature, the arts, traditions, beliefs and values, and behaviors. (NCSS Culture)

2 Investigate, interpret and analyze multiple historical and contemporary viewpoints within and across cultures related to important events, reoccurring dilemmas, and persistent issues, while employing empathy, skepticism and critical judgment. (NCSS Time; Continuity; and Change) Systematically employ process of critical historical inquiry to reconstruct and reinterpret weighing evidence for claims and searching for causality. (NCSS Time; Continuity; and Change) Demonstrate that historical knowledge and the concepts of time are socially influenced constructions that lead historians to be selective in the questions they seek to answer and the evidence they use. (NCSS Time; Continuity; and Change) Examine persistent issues involving the rights, roles, and status of individual in relation to general welfare. (NCSS Power; Authority; and Governance) Analyze and explain ideas and mechanisms to meet needs and wants of citizens, regulate territory, manage conflict, establish order and security, and balance competing conceptions of a just society (NCSS Power; Authority; and Governance) Assimilation Students will teach their peers information and broad themes regarding the history and core beliefs of three major Indian religions. They will need to draw on information from other groups, and reference prior knowledge in their presentations. Acquisition Students will reflect comprehension of assigned reading materials by completing a graphic organizer. Adaptation Students will synthesize prior knowledge of the history of the rise of Judaism and Ancient Canaan to reading on the history of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. They will apply that knowledge to a current debate happening within the United Nations on whether Palestine should be an officially recognized country. Over the course of this dialogue, students will take a stance on this debate, and defend their reasoning behind this stance, backing it up with historical facts. Application Students will complete a map activity in which they reflect knowledge on the geography of India, and make predictions on how the geography may have shaped the development and transmittance of culture and religion within India. Assessment Tasks Students will conduct group presentations on the history and core beliefs of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. This presentation will serve to reflect student knowledge, as well as allow students an opportunity to teach their peers.

3 Students will engage in a democratic dialogue on the conflict between Palestine and Israel, in order to demonstrate higher order thinking, reasoning, and creative problem solving skills. Instructional Resources Geography assignments India and Judaism (both given out on test day) Reading on Palestinian/Israeli conflict (Dialogue of Two Monologues, by Eric Black) Graphic organizers for brief readings from the textbook Handout on the 10 Commandments, to examine as a primary document Powerpoint presentations with notes on History of the Ancient Hebrews, and Intro to the History of India Netbooks for in-class research Catalogue of Lessons Lesson 1: What is Religion Thursday 10/6 This lesson offers an opportunity to engage students in some abstract theorizing on the nature of religion, philosophy, and the similarities and differences between the two. The questions What is Religion and What is Philosophy will be on the board. Students will make predictions with neighbors, and will then share with the large group. We will look at how religion develops, including brief descriptions on primal, archaic, and classical religions, and the rise of complex religion. Students will then be asked, why historians look at religion to understand cultures. Again, they will have an opportunity to confer with a neighbor in a think, pair, and share activity. They will reflect their understanding of these issues in a note-taking graphic organizer. Students will have been given a geography handout on Canaan, which they can use the rest of class time to complete. Students will also be given the readings for Democratic Dialogue Lesson 2: Geography and Rise of Judaism Friday 10/7 Students will begin by examining the geography of Ancient Canaan by going over the geography homework. Students will then be given a note guide to help them pick out the key concepts in a lecture on the rise of Judaism. They will have homework to complete about the reading in the book.

4 Lesson 3: Rise of Judaism and Exodus Monday 10/10 Class will begin with correcting the homework. We will then continue notes on the rise of Judaism, and the Exodus. We will read from the Bible as a primary document (Exodus, 10 Commandments), and examine this document against the backdrop of the history of Canaan, and identify how this document has influenced Jewish Law, as well as many other law codes in the Western world. Finally, we will examine how historians use religion to gain understanding of culture. Lesson 4: Modern History of Israel and Palestine Democratic Dialogue Tuesday 10/11 Students will have been given articles to read on the history of Israel and Palestine, as well as some newspaper articles detailing some of the violence between the two entities, as well as the recent UN talks about Palestinian recognition. Lesson 5: Geography and Ancient India Wednesday 10/12 Students will have been given a geography assignment, which we will go over. After correcting this assignment in order to solidify where each geographical point is located, we will examine how this geography has affected the development of Indian culture. Lesson 6: Ancient India and Aryans Thursday 10/13 We will continue notes on Ancient India and the Aryans, as well as an intro to Hinduism and Buddhism and their presentation project. The Cities in the Indus graphic organizer is due on this day. Lesson 7: Hinduism and Buddhism Work Days Friday 10/14, Monday 10/17 Students will be given a work day with the laptops to research an assigned section of Hinduism or Buddhism. Students will be split into groups of four or five, and will be given one of the following topics: History of Hinduism Core beliefs of Hinduism History of Buddhism Core beliefs of Buddhism History and core beliefs of Jainism Students will be graded on reflecting accurate knowledge and readiness to answer peer questions, giving a smooth and effective presentation, preparation for the presentation, and time management/participation within the group. Their group cooperation and class-time conduct will be assessed in part by a combination of group member and self evaluation. Lesson 8: Hinduism and Buddhism Presentations Tuesday 10/18

5 Students will conduct presentations on their section of Hinduism and the Buddhism. This should take all period. Lesson 9: Hinduism and Buddhism Final Presentations, Synthesis and Conclusions - Wednesday 10/19 (Half Day) Students will finish up presentations. We will then discuss in the large group the differences and similarities between the two, and the effects on Indian culture that the two have. Lesson 10: Guest Speaker - Thursday 10/20 Review for exam Friday 10/21 Unit Exam Monday 10/24