Download Notes on Ch - Fort Thomas Independent Schools

WORLD CIVILIZATIONS
WORLD RELIGIONS
Details and Directions:
The birth of World Religions is one of the most influential events in human history. Religions have shaped the
globe and world politics since their beginning. In order to learn about the various religions that have been
founded throughout human history, students will form groups of 2-5. For this unit, students will select a world
religion and study the beliefs and its impact in history. Each group will be given three class periods to conduct
research and complete the visual aid for the presentation.
After the group has developed a decent understanding of the major beliefs/tenants of the faith, they will do the
following:
1. Each member of the group will complete the attached chart for their topic. This is an individual
grade, not one to be completed by the group as a whole.
2. Design a visual aid for a presentation to the class (either Power Point or Prezi)
3. Give a 5-10 minute presentation that explains the history and beliefs of the religion and the major
effect that religion had on the world.
4. Write a 2-page synopsis of the major historical impact of the religion and the current status (how
many followers? Where is the faith followed? Important moments in history?)
Religions/Topics You May Choose
 Hinduism
 Buddhism
 Shintoism
 Jainism
 Judaism
 Christianity
 Islam
 Zoroastrianism
Items to Find During Research
1. Current World Population
2. Origins of Religion
3. Important People
4. Holy Book(s)
5. Symbols of the Faith
6. Major Beliefs
7. Everyday Practices and Major Observances
8. Diffusion (Spread) of Religion
9. Religious Divisions
Steps of the Research Process:
1. Choose Group  Once all groups are chosen, each group will be assigned a religion by the teacher.
2. You will receive 3 days in the library to complete your research and visual aid.
3. Before you can start creating your visual aid during class time, each group member must individually
complete the chart for your particular religion with the research discovered in books and online. This is
an individual grade, so each person must research all aspects of the religion. Any groups that share
information or copy information will receive a zero for this portion of the assignment.
4. Once all research is complete, each group should create a presentation in either Power Point or on
Prezi.com that highlights the main details of your religion.
5. Once groups have presented their information to the class, each group is expected to submit a 2-page
(typed, double-spaced) overview of their assigned religion. (See rubric for details on this assignment)
-This 2-page analysis must include parenthetical references for full credit.
Requirements for the Visual Aid
1. All group members must contribute to the creation of the Visual Aid.
2. Each group is required to create a visual aid that highlights the main aspects of their religion (see the categories
above and on your individual religion chart) in either Microsoft Power Point or through the resources available on
Prezi.com.
3. Your visual aid must cover all TEN of the topics listed on the above page.
4. Each slide or content area must contain at least ONE relevant and appropriate visual (picture, map, image, etc.)
5. All content must be summarized in your own words  content in your presentations must NOT be copied and
pasted from a website. All presentations that do this will lose points for the presentation and visual aid grades.
6. Each presentation must have a title slide with the name of the religion and the names of all group members.
RELIGION: _______________________________________________
Current World
Population
(How many practitioners
in the world today?
Where are they located?)
Origins of Religion
(When and where was the
religion started? Why was
it created?)
Important People
(Who started the religion?
Leaders of religion
throughout history?)
Holy Book(s)
(What are the major
books of the religion?
When written? What do
they say? Quotes)
Major Beliefs
(Monotheistic or
Polytheistic? Names and
Roles of god(s)? Do they
believe in afterlife? What
is it like? How does one
reach it?)
Everyday Practices and
Holidays/Observances
(How do people practice
this religion?
Requirements for
Practitioners? What are
major dates – why?)
Diffusion (Spread) of
Religion
(Where does it start?
Where does it spread?
When and who spreads
it?)
Religious Divisions
(Are there different
branches of this religion?
Names and why?
Interactions between
religion and politics?)
Symbols of the Faith
General Info about World Religions Unit (Starting places/ideas to look up)
1. Hinduism
Holy Book: 4 Vedas, Bhagavat Gita
Date of Birth: Oldest Major faith
Major Beliefs: Dharma, Reincarnation, Caste System; Polytheistic
2. Buddhism
Holy Book: Tipitaka, Sutra
Date of Birth: 6th century B.C.E.
Major Beliefs: 4 Noble Truths, Reincarnation; 8 Fold Path; Nirvana
3. Zoroastrianism
Holy Book: Avesta
Date of Birth:6th century B.C.E.
Major Beliefs: Monotheism
4. Shintoism
Holy Book: Kojiki
Date of Birth: 8th century CE(Nara/Heian periods)
Major Beliefs: Kami
5. Jainism
Holy Book: Kalpasutra, Agama
Date of Birth: 9th century CE
Major Beliefs: Ahimsa, Satya
6. Christianity
Holy Book: Old/New Testaments
Date of Birth: 1st-19th CE (depends on which branch one follows)
Major Beliefs: Jesus as Prophet/son of God, Sermon on the Mount
7. Judaism
Holy Book: Torah, Tanakh
Date of Birth: 3000 BCE
Major Beliefs: 10 Commandments; Covenant
8. Islam
Holy Book: Qu’ran (Koran)
Date of Birth: 6th century CE
Major Beliefs: 5 pillars, Muhammad is Allah’s prophet
Good Places to look: http://www.teachersdomain.org/special/awr09/
http://www.worldreligions.ca/index.php/resources/overviews
World Religions Encyclopedia (book)
Any religious .org websites (organization websites) about the religion