High School Lesson Plans: Religion

From the Archives

Posted on September 15, 2006

Previously filed under: Europe and Middle East, Grades 9-12

These resources are appropriate for grade levels 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th.

Lesson Plans:

Religion and Globalization

This unit focuses on religious perspectives on globalization. In the introductory discussion, students will discuss the role of values in shaping perspectives about globalization, through consideration of an article on globalization written by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a Globalizaton101.org "Ask the Experts" interview. Then, students will consider how religious values generally may conflict with both economic and cultural globalization. Next, they will learn about the specific responses to globalization of certain religions. Finally, they will learn about how some religions have benefited from globalization.

Time needed for lesson plan: 4-5 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Globalization101.
Religious Conflict
There are thousands of holy sites scattered across India, where centuries ago, Muslim rulers are said to have destroyed sacred Hindu temples to build mosques. In 1992, Hindu nationalists tore down one of these mosques in Ayodhya, in the province of Gujarat, claiming it had been built on the site of a temple marking the birthplace of a Hindu deity. Since then, the Hindu nationalist movement has pushed to build a new Hindu temple where the mosque once stood.In February 2002, a Muslim mob firebombed a train carrying Hindu activists, who wanted a temple re-built on the Ayodhya site. The incident sparked India's worst religious violence in a decade. A retaliatory killing spree followed, as Hindus left hundreds dead and thousands homeless.

Using Hindu-Muslim conflict in India as a case study, students will investigate violent acts carried out in the name of religious conviction. They will examine these two perspectives:
1. Religious belief is a legitimate justification for violent disputes over holy sites.
2. Religious belief is not a legitimate justification for violent disputes over holy sites.
Time needed for lesson plan: 2-3 classes

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Wideangle.
Supression or Liberation: Islam, Hijab, and Modern Society

Often the practice of religious beliefs comes into conflict with the norms and standards of modern society. This is the case in Islam with hijab, the scarf that women use to cover their head and neck, as well as with other garments worn to maintain modesty. Some people who are not Muslim, as well as some people who are, see the garment as a way of repressing women and making them fade into the background of society. However, some women who wear hijab view it as a symbol of the strength of their beliefs and respect for their own bodies.

Through the materials presented in this lesson, students will explore basic beliefs and practices of Islam and examine the different views of women's modesty and hijab among Muslims and in modern society. They will read articles and view video clips available on the Internet to understand hijab and the different views, and they will understand and express their own points of view on the topic in discussions and a persuasive article.

Time needed for lesson plan: 3-4 classes

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit Wideangle.
The Spread of Buddhism
This lesson assumes that students have already been introduced to the basic ideas of Buddhism and have some background about the various regions in Asia. This lesson uses Buddhist art to trace the spread of Buddhism in Asia. Students will study, compare and contrast famous Buddhist art and Buddhist sites in Asia, noting differences they see in the images. These differences can help students realize how Buddhist art reflects local values as it spreads. In the process, students will generalize on how ideas change and adapt as they travel from one place to another.

This lesson is one in a series developed in collaboration with The Asia Society, with support from the Freeman Foundation, highlighting the geography and culture of Asia and its people.

Time needed for lesson plan: 2 hours

To link to the actual lesson plan, please visit National Geographic.

To return to the main Global Envision lesson plan page, please click here.

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Keywords: high school, Islam, buddhism, Muslim, Lesson Plan, religion

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