Learning About the Religions of the World

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Learning About the Religions of the World

• 7th Grade Language Arts and Social Studies
  Interdisciplinary Unit
• Erwin Middle School
• Fall 2003

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Learning Goals

• Integrated teaching of language arts and social
  studies meets NC Standard Course of Study
  guidelines for both disciplines
• Students will demonstrate critical thinking,
  inquiry skills, and using language to respond to
  personal, social and cultural issues.
• Students will investigate and assess the major
  religions and ethical systems of Africa and Asia.

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Adolescent Novels about World Cultures

• Shabanu  Daughter of the Wind (Pakistan) by
  Suzanne Fisher Staples
• Homeless Bird (India) by Gloria
  Whelan                    
• Master Puppeteer (Japan) by Katherine
  Paterson            
• Waiting for the Rain (South Africa) by Sheila
  Gordon     
•               
• The Storyteller's Beads (Ethiopia) by Jane
  Kurtz          
•                
• Ties that Bind, Ties that Break (China) by Lensey
  Namioka                
• Breadwinner (Afghanistan) by Deborah
  Ellis                        

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Shabanu Daughter of the WindSuzanne Fisher
Staples

• Set among the Cholistanis people, a nomadic tribe
  in modern Pakistan, this is a coming of age
  story. Shabanu, who is strong willed, must learn
  to bend her will to her fathers command that she
  marry an older man to settle a feud that
  threatens the family.

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Homeless BirdGloria Whelan

• Koly, married and widowed at 13, is cast adrift
  in a society which has no place for her. Through
  courage and hard work to develop her skill in
  needlework, Koly manages to crave out a life and
  a measure of happiness.

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The Master PuppeteerKatherine Paterson

• Muna searches for his father, a samurai warrior,
  in 12th century Japan.

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Waiting for the RainSheila Gordon

• In this novel about life in South Africa, Tengos
  dreams of getting an education are frustrated by
  a school boycott, and he is drawn into the fight
  against apartheid.

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The Storytellers BeadsJane Kurtz

• Two young girls, a Christian orphan and a blind
  Jewish girl are forced to flee from Ethiopia in
  the 1980s. The girls overcome their animosity
  for each other and become friendsshows survivors
  helping each other.

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Ties that Bind, Ties that Break

• In 1911 China, Ailins grandmother plans to have
  her feet bound to make her suitable for marriage.
  Ailin is able to avoid this requirement, and
  winds up as a nanny for an Amer-ican missionary
  couple in Americashows the pressures placed on
  children by culture.

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The BreadwinnerDeborah Ellis

• When the Taliban hauls away her father, Parvana
  realizes she must disguise herself as a boy and
  become the breadwinner for the familyan
  exploration of the harsh realities for girls and
  women in modern day Afghan-istan.

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Developing Background Knowledge

• Reading Comprehension improves when readers have
  background knowledge to connect to the text.
• Teachers can build background knowledge through
  pre reading strategies, such as K-W-L,
  brainstorming, and research activities.
• This year-long integrated unit which introduces
  students to the cultures of Africa and Asia
  begins with a Web-based research project on the
  religions of these regions.

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Religions of the World
Confucianism
Islam
Buddhism
Judaism
Hinduism
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Distribution of World Religions
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Integrated Unit Designed byCammy Jacobelly,
Jeanne McGlinn, Kelly Hansen, Jim McGlinn