Why Teach About the 5 Major World Religions?
One of my favorite social studies topics to teach about is the 5 major world religions. My students also love learning around this topic! Whether they research a world religion that they already knew something about or are learning about a religion that they are not familiar with, they always find information that is interesting to them.
The study of religion has been around for thousands of years. It is an important part of many people’s lives, and understanding different religious beliefs can help us better understand each other.
It’s so important that our students see their own cultures represented in our learning. As well as this, it helps our students to develop empathy towards people in their communities that may come from different backgrounds than their own.
What are the 5 Major World Religions?
Here’s a quick run-down on the 5 major religions and just a snippet of information to get you started.
- Judaism, the religion of Jewish people, was founded by Abraham. Their Holy Book is the Torah.
- For Christians, their religion is Christianity. They believe that Jesus was the son of God and their Holy Book is the Bible.
- For Muslims, their religion is Islam. The founder of the religion was Muhammed and their Holy Book is the Koran.
- Hinduism is a religion followed by Hindus. They follow the Four Vedas and it is a polytheistic religion, which means they believe in more than one god.
- For Buddhists, they follow the religion of Buddhism. They follow the teachings of Buddha.
Each of these religions has its own set of beliefs, values, and traditions. They also share some common beliefs and practices.
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Teaching About 5 Major World Religions Beliefs, History, and Practices
So, how do I differentiate the task to ensure that all students can access the material? Here I will tell you about a Social Studies task that I give my students and how I adapt it to their needs. You may like to incorporate these lessons into learning about different cultures as well as religions.
I created a chart for students to fill-in as they learn about the different religions. There’s different ways you can incorporate this in your class.
You can assign the religions to students and have them conduct research on one or more of the 5 major world religions. If a student has a particular interest in a religion, you might like to let them choose.
Another option would be for your class to complete the chart together.
You might also like to have students share the information they have found either in pairs, small groups or as a presentation to the class.
Depending on your students’ individual needs, they may need more scaffolding with support to find information either via the internet, your class textbook, or notes.
You can get a copy of the 5 major world religions chart here. I also created a completed chart as reference for teachers and to check students’ answers.
5 Major World Religions Mini-Book Project
Personally, I’m a big fan of project based learning. This style of teaching lends itself so well to differentiating lessons so that all students can access the material and experience success in our classroom.
When I design lessons around project based learning, it’s essential that I consider the end goal. Where do I want my students to be by the end of this period of learning? What do I want them to produce?
When I plan my lessons, I consider in what ways materials can be easily adapted for my English Language Learners, special education students, and students who need extra support.
I have students create a mini-book on one of the 5 major world religions. I scaffold the project by giving my students a checklist to work through to make sure that they know what information needs to be included.
Students include important information like the founder of the religion, popular religious holidays, where in the world it is commonly practiced, and more!
If you are interested in using my 5 World Religions chart and mini-book, you can find these activities here.
I would love to hear from you. How did this learning go in your classroom? How did your students respond to the task? Feel free to reach out to me on my social media or email.
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