Religious Intolerance WebQuest
Ms. Jones
6th grade @ MS377
INTRODUCTION:
In sixth grade unit 3, we learned about major world religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. As residents of New York City, we live in a very diverse city where all religions are represented. Religion can be a major part of someone’s culture. We know many religions share some characteristics in common like public worship while also having some differences like their specific beliefs. Unfortunately, in New York City and in the world, people do not always show respect for differing religions. Religious tolerance is the acceptance and respect for different religious beliefs. Lack of religious tolerance can lead to violence, societal divide, and discrimination. Religious tolerance also affects New York City public school students, who deserve to go to school in a respectful environment no matter their religious and cultural beliefs.
TASK:
You are selected to your dream high school. In addition, once you arrive you are selected by your peers to represent the freshman class on the student council. This school is a large performing arts school that also has excellent academics. However, after your first few months at the school you notice there are some major issues regarding lack of religious tolerance. You have witnessed incidents of bullying, lack of cultural awareness, and even some biased comments. In order to take action, you decide to create an awareness campaign with your fellow student council members. You ask one of your student council advisors to sponsor your activity and you work with them to create a plan of action. She mentions that the city council has recently passed legislation requiring NYC public schools to promote religious diversity education. You decide you will get a head start on this new initiative by creating an informational flyer to display around the campus to help foster an environment of religious tolerance.
PROCESS
Before you create your flyer, you want to make sure you are well informed on the issue of religious tolerance. In order to prepare, you decide to complete the Public Policy Analyst steps to make sure you are an expert. Your advisor from the student council suggests you and your peers work in pairs of two in order to create as many flyers that represent a variety of perspectives. Complete the worksheets below before you use Canva to create your final product. Make sure your flyer includes 1) A title 2) clear information regarding the issues of religious intolerance 3) a compelling public policy idea to address the issues 3) visuals and 4) group members names. Additionally, check the rubric below to make sure you are meeting the requirements for all components.
4. Evaluate an Existing Policy
6. Select the Best Solution (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)
EVALUATION
First, each group of partners should complete all 6 worksheets to research and prepare their public policy solution. Afterwards, your group of partners will take their decision, and create an informational poster for the school. Use the rubric below to make sure your flyer will be as effective as possible!
6th Grade Social Studies: Religious Tolerance Informational Flyer Rubric
|
Criteria |
3 - Exceeds Expectations |
2 - Meets Expectations |
1 - Needs Improvement |
|
Quality of Research |
Research draws from multiple reliable sources; information is accurate, detailed, and directly related to religious intolerance in NYC schools. |
Research uses some reliable sources; most information is accurate and relevant to the topic. |
Research is limited or uses unreliable sources; information is incomplete, inaccurate, or off-topic. |
|
Effectiveness of Flyer |
Flyer is visually appealing, well-organized, and clearly promotes religious tolerance; the message is easy to understand and persuasive. |
Flyer is organized and communicates the message clearly; some elements could be improved for engagement. |
Flyer is poorly organized, difficult to understand, or does not effectively promote religious tolerance. |
|
Use of Public Policy Framework |
Demonstrates clear understanding and application of the public policy framework including problem identification, solution feasibility, and effectiveness. |
Shows basic understanding and application of the public policy framework with minor gaps in explanation. |
Shows little or no understanding or application of the public policy framework; solution lacks feasibility or clarity. |
|
Glows (Strengths): |
|
|
Grows (Areas for Improvement): |
|
CONCLUSION
Congratulations! You are finished with your unit on World Religions. Not only do you better understand the history and modern traditions of all 5 major world religions, you also know how important it is for us to be respectful and open to people of all different religious backgrounds. You took on the role of student council members and contributed to your school developing a more accepting and positive environment! While the posters were not designed for our school in particular, they are a great model for us to implement as well. Your posters will be displayed in school so your knowledge and message can spread to all students.
STANDARDS:
6.4 COMPARATIVE WORLD RELIGIONS (ca. 2000 B.C.E – ca. 630 C.E): Major religions and belief systems developed in the Eastern Hemisphere. There were important similarities and differences between these belief systems. (Standard: 2; Themes: ID, SOC)
● 6.4c Belief systems and religions often are used to unify groups of people, and may affect social order and gender roles. Students will be able to identify similarities and differences across belief systems, including their effect on social order and gender roles. Students will explore the influence of various belief systems on contemporary cultures and events.
● Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.