WEBQUEST
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE:
FINDING OUT HOW OUR BELIEFS SHAPE OUR
OPINIONS
BY
COURTNEY BRADSHAW
INTRODUCTION
The
president of the student government asks the valedictorian to give an invocation
or a benediction to the student body, which he gladly accepts. The principal
and the teachers were every excited for the student but you find this
disturbing because you feel that this is forcing you to participate in a
religious service. You spoke to the president of the student government but she
made the point that most of the students want to hear a praising or a thanking
of God for bringing them this far.
You
notified your parents and they became very upset at the fact that you were
placed in a position where you had to go along with a program that was not part
of your belief structure and was also unconstitutional.
Your
best friend became very excited about the praising of God. He shared this with
his parents they were overjoyed. You, your best friend, and both parents
entered into the principal’s office at the same time angry and overjoyed both
sharing their feelings.
TASK
The class will be challenged to look at how their belief (secular or
spiritual) affects how they understand the issue separation of church and state.
You will be introduced to the Jones vs Clear
Creek case using Compu Legal.
You will read the teacher’s summary of the Jones vs
Clear Creek case.
You will create a chart noting reactions and the passage that stimulated
the reactions.
You will break into four groups of five.
One student from each group will present what they have discussed.
PROCESS
The teacher will do a brief oral presentation about the issue of
separation of church and state.
You will read the visual from Compu legal as
a way of using image and words to stimulate discussion.
The teacher will ask their initial opinion on the separation of church and state.
The opinions will be noted by the teacher and be used to compare pre
and post opinions.
You will be given the teacher’s summary of the Jones vs Clear Creek case sitting in test taking mode.
The teacher will then instruct the students to begin to read the
teacher’s summary and while reading use this chart to note their reactions and
the passages/pages where the reactions are stimulated.
Reactions Passages/Pages
After students are broken into four groups of five they will create a
single chart to list their reactions using the large chart paper.
Students in their groups will discuss both different and similar
reactions but list the similar reaction only once.
The group will pick a student to represent them through oral
presentation.
On the blackboard the teacher will begin to help identify for each
group how their reactions might affect their opinion of separation of church and state.
RESOURCES
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/jonesfacts.html
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/jonesvis.html
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/rel/rel.html
Teacher’s summary of Jones vs Clear Creek case
EVALUATION
Understanding how belief shape opinions Rubric
|
|
Exceptional |
Admirable |
Acceptable |
Unacceptable |
|
Sharing Beliefs |
The student was clear and
strong about his/her beliefs |
The student was open about
his/her beliefs |
The student hesitates when
sharing beliefs |
The student refused to
share beliefs |
|
Connecting Beliefs to |
The student showed
extensive work connecting beliefs to the reading |
The student showed focused
work connecting beliefs to the reading |
The student showed partial
work connecting beliefs to the reading |
The student showed minimal
work connecting beliefs to the reading |
|
Discussion and Group
Interaction |
Excellent listening and
leadership skills exhibited; students reflect awareness of others' views and
opinions in their discussions |
Students show adeptness in
interacting; lively discussion centers on the task |
Some ability to interact;
attentive listening; some evidence of discussion or alternatives |
Little interaction; very
brief conversations; some students were disinterested or distracted |
|
Presentation |
The student clearly
explained how their prior belief affected their opinion |
The student explanation of
how their prior belief affected their opinion was focused |
The student explanation of
how their prior belief affected their opinion was not clearly organized |
The student explanation of
how their prior belief affected their opinion was disorganized |
CONCLUSION
To
be able to attempt to understand our belief and how they shape our own opinions
about particular issues is an admirable task. To challenge junior high school
students to accomplish this goal is asking them to think at the highest level.
Pushing young people to look at their values while using one of the greatest
value systems of the US, the Constitution, is part of the developmental process
of responsible citizenry.
How
much clearer can we become when we begin to understand how our beliefs are
shaped and what shaped them?
Social Studies Standards
Standard 1: History of the
Students will use a variety
of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the
Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students will use a variety
of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for
establishing governments, the governmental system of the
English Language Arts Standards
E1c Read and comprehend
informational materials
E2a Produce a report of
information
E3b Participate in group
meetings
E3c Prepare and deliver
individual presentation