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The Top World Religions
A WebQuest
for grade six and grade ten (Social Science)
Designed
by
Carla
Galbraith
Clockwise from the right
Confucianism, Hinduism, Christianity,
Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Islam
Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Resources
Introduction
This
WebQuest is designed to help you learn and understand
the foundations of the top religions of the world.
Upon
completion, you will be able to identify the similarities and differences of
these doctrines.
VOCABULARY
WORDS:
Similarities: Items that are the same as another.
Differences: Items that are
different than another
Doctrine: Religious rules, beliefs and
practices.
Grade Six:
Students in grade six
expand their understanding of history by studying the people and events that
ushered in the dawn of the major Western and non-Western ancient civilizations.
Continued emphasis is placed on the everyday lives, problems, and
accomplishments of people, their role in developing social, economic, and
political structures, as well as in establishing and spreading ideas that
helped transform the world forever. Students develop higher levels of critical
thinking by considering why civilizations developed where and when they did,
why they became dominant, and why they declined. Students analyze the
interactions among the various cultures, emphasizing their enduring
contributions and the link, despite time, between the contemporary and ancient
worlds.
Grade Ten:
Students in grade ten
trace the rise of democratic ideas and develop an understanding of the
historical roots of current world issues, especially as they pertain to
international relations. They extrapolate from the American experience that
democratic ideals are often achieved at a high price, remain vulnerable, and
are not practiced everywhere in the world. Students develop an understanding of
current world issues and relate them to their historical, geographic,
political, economic and cultural contexts.
Students consider multiple accounts of events in order to understand
international relations from a variety of perspectives.
6.3 Students analyze the geographic,
political, economic, religious, and social structures of the Ancient Hebrews.
6.5 Students analyze the geographic,
political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early
civilizations of
6.6 Students analyze the geographic,
political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early
civilizations of
6.7 Students analyze the geographic,
political, economic, religious, and social structures during the development of
10.1 Students relate the moral and ethical
principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in
Christianity to the development of Western political thought.
Students will design a
mini
Encyclopedia
of the
World Religions.
Each chapter or “book”
in the encyclopedia will be dedicated to one religion, for a total of six.
The contents are listed
below:
Cover
page with title, name and date
Book
1: Christianity
Book
2: Islam
Book
3: Hinduism
Book
4: Buddhism
Book
5: Sikhism
Book
6: Judaism
Resources
To accomplish the task,
students will research the
characteristics of each religion.
Divine being Symbol Divine book or writings
Founder or leader Pillars
or doctrine Historical events
Procedure:
1.
Students will gather
information found in their textbooks, the Internet, the library or this WebQuest.
2.
Previous
assignments should be used and are encouraged. (PowerPoint assignment, Internet
assignment, Word assignment, Excel assignment.)
3.
Each religion
will have 6 pages that describe the characteristics of the religion. (Diving being, symbol, book or writings,
founder or leader, pillars or doctrine, historical events.)
4.
Each page should
have a title, a small summary, and a graphic found on the computer or
photocopied from a source.
5.
Teacher will
supply a 1-inch, 3-ring binder for each student.
6.
Students will
supply their own paper, glue, crayons, etc.
Differentiated Instruction:
Directions for this assignment will be written on the board
as well as given on a handout. Students
may work in pairs as needed.
The top Six World Religions:
Buddhism - THE
WHEEL OF DHARMA
Buddhism is a set of teachings often described as a religion. Many recent scholars regard it as a plurality
rather than a single entity. As with other religions, some Buddhists claim that
Buddhism is not a religion. Some say it is a body of philosophies influenced by the teachings of
Siddhartha Gautama, known as Gautama
Buddha. Others say it is
teachings to guide one to directly experiencing reality.
Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means roughly
the "teachings of the Awakened One" in Sanskrit
and Pali,
languages of ancient Buddhist texts.
Buddhism began around 5th century BC with the teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama, who was born in ancient India,
and is hereafter referred to as "the Buddha."
Christianity - THE CROSS, THE HOLY BIBLE
Christianity is a monotheistic
religion
centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as
depicted in the New Testament. Christianity teaches that Jesus
is the Son of God
and the Messiah
prophesied
in the Old Testament, and that the New Testament
records the Gospel
that was revealed
by Jesus.
Christianity began as a sect within Judaism,
and includes the Hebrew Bible
(known to Christians as the Old Testament) as well as the New Testament
as its canonical scriptures. Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity is
classified as an Abrahamic religion.
Hinduism - THE SACRED SYLLABLE
Hinduism is a religious
tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is
often referred to as Sanātana Dharma by its practitioners, a Sanskrit
phrase meaning "the eternal law".
Hinduism is the world's
oldest major religion that is still practiced.
Its earliest origins can be traced to the ancient Vedic civilization. A conglomerate of diverse beliefs and
traditions, Hinduism has no single founder.
It is the world's third largest religion following Christianity
and Islam,
with approximately a billion adherents, of whom about 905 million live in India and Nepal. Other countries with large Hindu populations include Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka,
Pakistan,
Indonesia,
Malaysia,
Singapore,
Mauritius,
Fiji, Suriname,
Guyana
and Trinidad and Tobago.
Hinduism contains a vast body
of scriptures. Divided as Śruti (revealed) and Smriti
(remembered) and developed over millennia, these scriptures expound on theology,
philosophy
and mythology,
and provide spiritual insights and guidance on the practice of dharma
(religious living). In the orthodox view, among such texts, the Vedas and the Upanishads
are the foremost in authority, importance and antiquity. Other major scriptures
include the Tantras,
the sectarian Agamas, the Purāṇas and the epics Mahābhārata
and Rāmāyaṇa. The Bhagavad
Gītā, a treatise excerpted from the Mahābhārata,
is sometimes called a summary of the spiritual teachings of the Vedas.
Islam - THE CRESCENT MOON, THE QUR’AN
Islam is a monotheistic
Abrahamic religion originating with the
teachings of Muhammad,
a 7th century Arab
religious and political figure. The word
Islam means "submission", or the total surrender of oneself to
God (Allah). An adherent of Islam is known as a Muslim, meaning
"one who submits (to God)".
There are between 1.1 billion and 1.8 billion Muslims, making
Islam the second-largest religion in the world,
after Christianity.
Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad, God's final prophet, and regard the Qur'an and
the Sunnah
(words and deeds of Muhammad) as the fundamental sources of Islam. They do not
regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion, but as the restorer of the
original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.
Islamic tradition holds that Judaism and Christianity distorted the messages
of these prophets over time either in interpretation, in text, or both.
Islam includes many religious practices. Adherents are generally required
to observe the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five
duties that unite Muslims into a community.
In addition to the Five Pillars, Islamic law (sharia)
has developed a tradition of rulings that touch on virtually all aspects of
life and society. This tradition encompasses everything from practical matters
like dietary laws and banking
to warfare.
Almost all Muslims belong to one of two major denominations, the Sunni
and Shi'a.
The schism developed in the late 7th century following disagreements over the
religious and political leadership of the Muslim community. Roughly 85 percent
of Muslims are Sunni and 15 percent are Shi'a. Islam is the predominant
religion throughout the Middle East, as well as in parts of Africa and Asia. Large communities are
also found in China, the Balkan
Peninsula in Eastern Europe and Russia.
There are also large Muslim immigrant communities in wealthier and more
developed parts of the world such as Western
Europe. About 20 percent of Muslims live in Arab
countries.
Judaism - THE MENORAH, THE STAR OF DAVID
Judaism is the religion
of the Jewish
people, based on principles and ethics embodied in the Hebrew Bible
(Tanakh)
and the Talmud.
According to Jewish tradition, the history of Judaism begins with the Covenant between God and Abraham
(ca. 2000 BCE), the patriarch and progenitor of the Jewish people.
Judaism is among the oldest religious traditions still in practice today.
Jewish history and doctrines have influenced other religions such as Christianity,
Islam
and the Bahá'í Faith.
While Judaism has seldom, if ever, been monolithic
in practice, it has always been monotheistic
in theology.
It differs from many religions in that central authority is not vested in a
person or group, but in sacred texts and traditions.
Throughout the ages, Judaism has clung to a number of religious principles, the most important
of which is the belief in a single, omniscient,
omnipotent,
benevolent,
transcendent God, who created the universe and continues to
govern it. According to traditional Jewish belief, the God who created the
world established a covenant with the Israelites,
and revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of the Torah, and the Jewish
people are the descendants of the Israelites. The traditional practice of
Judaism revolves around study and the observance of God's laws and
commandments as written in the Torah and expounded in the Talmud.
Sikhism - THE KHANDA
Sikhism, founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak
Dev and nine successive gurus
in fifteenth
century Northern India, is the fifth-largest religion
in the world. This system of religious philosophy
and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat
(literally the counsel of the gurus) or the Sikh Dharma. Sikhism
originated from the word Sikh, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit
root śiṣya meaning
"disciple" or "learner", or śikṣa meaning "instruction."
The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in Vāhigurū—represented
using the sacred symbol of ēk ōaṅkār, the Universal God. Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation
through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a
non-anthropomorphic concept of God,
to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe
itself. The followers of Sikhism are
ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus,
or enlightened leaders, as well as the holy scripture entitled the Gurū
Granth Sāhib, which includes selected works of many
philosophers from diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds. The text was decreed by Gobind Singh,
the tenth guru, as the final guru of the Khalsa Panth.
Sikhism's traditions and teachings are distinctively associated with the
history, society and culture of the Punjab.
Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (students or disciples)
and number over 23 million across the world. Most Sikhs live in the state of
Punjab in India
and, prior to the country's partition, millions of Sikhs lived in what is
now the Punjab province of Pakistan.
Encyclopedias will
be graded using the rubric below.
A 24 - 17 points
B 16 - 9 points
C 8 points
Lower than 8 points
must be resubmitted.
Rubric
for
Encyclopedia
of World Religions
|
ACTIVITY |
Exemplary |
Proficient |
Partially Proficient |
Incomplete |
POINTS |
|
Research and Note taking |
6 points Notes indicate you accurately gathered a variety of information, recorded and interpreted significant facts, meaningful graphics, and evaluated alternative points of view. |
4 points Notes show you gathered relevant information, and included graphics. |
2 points Notes show that you misinterpreted statements, graphics and questions and failed to identify relevant arguments. |
0 points Notes show you recorded no resources, did not find graphics and ignored alternative points of view. |
|
|
Content |
6 points The content is written clearly and concisely with a logical progression of ideas and supporting information. |
4 points The content is written with a logical progression of ideas and supporting information. |
2 points The content is vague in conveying a point of view and does not create a strong sense of purpose. |
0 points The content lacks a clear point of view and logical sequence of information. |
|
|
Layout |
6 points The layout is visually pleasing and contributes to the overall message with appropriate use of headings, subheadings and space. |
4 points The layout uses horizontal and vertical space appropriately. |
2 point The layout shows some structure, but appears cluttered and busy or distracting with large gaps of space or uses a distracting background. |
0 points The layout is cluttered, confusing, and does not use spacing, headings and subheadings to enhance the readability. |
|
|
Writing Mechanics |
6 points The text is written with no errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. |
4 points The text is clearly written with little or no editing required for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. |
2 points Spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors distract or impair readability. |
0 points Errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, usage and grammar repeatedly distract the reader. Major editing and revision is required. |
|
|
TOTAL POINTS |
|
|
|
|
|
Conclusion
Religion
plays an important role on our history.
This lesson will prepare you to understand future wars, laws, and
politics as you continue in the Social Sciences.
This
lesson teaches the history of religion, but does not persuade you to
make a choice.
Parent notification and
permission forms were collected prior to this assignment.
Our World History
textbooks
Wikipedia.com
Mrs. Collins’ World
History Classes (Fall 2007)
Students of various
cultures who shared and explained their beliefs to us.
Resources
Use your previously submitted work as a
research resource.
Last
updated on