Written by: April Dowdy, Cardinal Community Academy, Keenesburg, CO

Length of Unit: 10 – 14 days

This first grade unit explores the three main monotheistic religions of the world:

Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The students will learn about the historical beginnings

of these religions and the important figures related to the three religions such as:

Muhammad, Moses, Abraham, and Jesus. They will also explore major holidays and

understand some of their customs as a result of their faith. In addition, the students will

identify each religion’s holy book, place of worship and symbol of faith. Through class

discussion and students’ writings, students will also have an opportunity to draw parallels

between these religions as well note important differences.

A. Concept Objectives

1. Students know the historical development of religions and philosophies.

(Colorado State History Standard 6.1)

2. Students know how societies have been affected by religions and

philosophies. (Colorado State History Standard 6.2)

3. Students know how various forms of expression reflect religious beliefs

and philosophical ideas. (Colorado State History Standard 6.3)

out of Egypt; Israel, Chanukah, Star of David, Torah, synagogue (page

28)

“messiah”; Christmas and Easter, symbol of the cross (page 28)

Muslims; Allah, Muhammad, Makkah, Qur’an, mosque, Symbol of

crescent and star (page 28)

C. Skill Objectives

1. The students will understand that Judaism is a monotheistic religion.

2. The students will identify Abraham as “the father of Judaism.”

3. The students will locate Mesopotamia, Egypt and Israel on a map.

4. The students will identify Moses as the Hebrew leader that led the

Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.

5. The students will understand the significance of The Ten Commandments

for the Israelites.

6. The students will know that the Ten Commandments have been the basis

for some of our present laws.

7. The students will list their own commandments.

8. The students will identify the Torah as the first five books of the Old

Testament.

9. The students will sequence the main events of the Israelites from the time

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 2

of Abraham to the time of Moses.

10. The students will identify Hanukkah (or Chanukkah) as an important

Jewish holiday.

11. The students will be familiar with the story that led the Jews to develop

the holiday of Hanukkah.

12. The students will be able to verbalize the reason for the candles on the

Menorah or Chanukiah.

13. The students will make their own Menorah.

14. The students will identify Christmas as the holiday when Christians

celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

15. The students will understand that the Old Testament is a holy book that

the Jews and Christians both read as part of their practice of faith.

16. The students will be familiar with the story behind the birth of Jesus

Christ.

17. The students will identify Jesus Christ as the believed messiah for the

Christians.

18. The students will draw a picture of the nativity scene.

19. The students will identify parables as stories that Jesus told in order to

teach a lesson.

20. The students will give their own interpretations of one of Jesus’ parables.

21. The students will recognize the cross as a symbol of Christian faith.

22. The students will know that the Christian holiday of Christmas celebrates

the birth of Jesus.

23. The students will identify Easter as a Christian holiday that celebrates the

resurrection of Jesus.

24. The students will identify Muhammad as the prophet who started the

Islam religion.

25. The students will locate Arabia on a map.

26. The students will understand that Islam has spread throughout the Middle

East and into other parts of the world.

27. The students will identify the people of the Islam religion as Muslims.

28. The students will identify the Islam religion as monotheistic.

29. The students will identify the crescent and star as a symbol for the Islam

faith.

30. The students will make compare and contrast the mosques of the Muslims

and the churches typically seen in the United States.

31. The students will identify the Koran (or Qur’an) as the holy book of the

Muslims.

32. The students will be familiar with the common dress of the Muslims.

33. The students will make comparisons between the religions of Judaism and

Islam.

A. For Teachers

Publishing, 1998 ISBN 0-385-31987-8.

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 3

0-7894-5887-X.

Connecticut: Children’s Press, 1996. 0-516-08077-6.

Children’s Press, 1997. ISBN 0-516-08085-7.

B. For Students

None

optional, Lessons Six, Seven and Eight)

Three)

1. Concept Objective(s)

a. Students know the historical development of religions and

philosophies.

2. Lesson Content

b. Story of the Exodus: Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt

c. Israel

3. Skill Objective(s)

a. The students will understand that Judaism is a monotheistic

religion.

b. The students will identify Abraham as “the father of Judaism.”

c. The students will locate Mesopotamia, Egypt and Israel on a map.

d. The students will identify Moses as the Hebrew leader that led the

Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 4

4. Chart paper

5. World Religions book for each student (Appendix A – cover, Appendix B

– pg. 1, Appendix C – pg. 2, Appendix D – pg. 3, Appendix I – pg. 4,

Appendix J – pg. 5, Appendix K – pg. 6, Appendix L – pg. 7, Appendix M

– pg. 8) teacher should make an overhead copy of each appendix or write

the information on a large piece of poster board to display

6. Large sheet of cardboard or poster board (one for each student)

7. Gray paint and paintbrushes for all students

8. Scissors for each student

9. Large world map

1. Religion

2. Monotheism

1. Because of the various religious backgrounds in the United States, your

students will have many different ideas about religions. I would suggest

speaking with your parents about this unit to assure them that this study is

meant to familiarize their children with different religions and vocabulary

so that they can better understand many events and ideas in history. It is

not meant to classify one religion as “right” or another as false.

2. Begin this unit by asking students what they think of when they hear the

word religion. Brainstorm and list their ideas on a piece of chart paper.

3. Explain to the students that they will be learning about the three largest

religions in the world. Let them know that these religions are all similar in

that the people of these religions believe in one god (monotheism).

However, these religions are also very different.

This gives a good introduction of religion. If you do not have access to

a great introduction of religions. Make sure students understand that there

are people that believe in many gods (i.e. Ancient Egyptians) and those

that worship one god.

From the Old Testament by Jim Weiss. This story is approximately 10

minutes long. This story explains Abraham’s struggle with idols, his

eventual belief in one God, and his journey to a new land.

6. Explain that this religion developed because of Abraham. Abraham is also

an important figure in Christianity. Ask the following questions to assure

that they students understand the story of Abraham:

poor? If you were rich? (An idol was an object, made of clay,

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 5

which people prayed to. Each idol was a god. The poor received

unpainted, plain idols. The rich received colorful, fancy idols.)

clay and didn’t believe that they were really magic.)

means “the father of many people.” The descendants of Abraham

were called Hebrews or Israelites.)

7. Show the students on a large world map where Mesopotamia (or city of

Ur) was located and where Israel is located. Explain that we call this area

between the continents of Africa and Asia, the Middle East. It is believed

that Abraham left Ur sometime shortly after 1900 B.C. If you have a

classroom timeline, you may want to note that on the timeline.

actually a descendant of Abraham. Explain what it means to be a

descendant of someone. Ask the following discussion questions after

reading the book:

e. What kind of things did God do to show the pharaoh that he was

f. After the pharaoh let them go, he changed his mind and sent an

g. When Moses went up on the mountain, what did he bring back

h. The Israelites wandered the land for forty years before they

9. Locate Israel on a world map. Explain that Israel is a very important place

to the Jews because Israel is where God originally sent Abraham.

However, they then became enslaved in Egypt until Moses came to set

them free. Although it took them many years, the Israelites (Jews)

eventually made it back to Israel. (Timeline: Moses leads the Hebrews

out of Egypt around 1300 B.C.)

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 6

10. Give each student a copy of a map of the Middle East (page 3 of World

Religions Book, Appendix D). Make a copy for yourself on an overhead

transparency. If possible, show the students a world map again so that

they can see what part of the world they are looking at and can compare it

to the smaller map.

11. First have the students color the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Red

Sea blue so that they can differentiate between land and water. Also have

the students draw over the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers with a blue crayon.

Then have the students color the area of Mesopotamia in yellow as you do

so on the overhead transparency. Remind them that this is where

Abraham was living when God told him to go to Israel.

12. Show the students where Israel is located and instruct the students to color

that area green.

13. Then have the students find Egypt on their map. Color Egypt orange. Ask

the students:

14. After coloring these three areas, have the students use their red marker to

draw an arrow from Mesopotamia to Israel to show where Abraham and

his descendants traveled. Then have them draw an arrow from Israel to

Egypt to show how the Israelites went from Israel to Egypt when they

were enslaved.

15. Now an arrow will need to be drawn from Egypt to Israel. However, have

this line going around in circles to illustrate how the Israelites had to travel

in the desert for many years before they reached the “promised land.”

16. Tell the students that tomorrow they will be learning more about The Ten

Commandments that Moses brought down from the mountain. To prepare

for tomorrow, cut the cardboard so that it is shaped like a large stone

tablet. Have the students paint their “stone tablet” a pale gray all over.

The students may be able to cut the cardboard themselves, depending on

the thickness.

1. The students will be evaluated based on their ability to answer the

discussion questions after listening to the story of Abraham and Moses.

2. Students will be evaluated based on their completion of the map.

1. Concept Objective(s)

a. Students know the historical development of religions and

philosophies.

b. Students know how societies have been affected by religions and

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 7

philosophies.

2. Lesson Content

a. Story of Exodus: Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt

b. Israel

c. Torah

3. Skill Objective(s)

a. The students will understand the significance of The Ten

Commandments for the Israelites.

b. The students will understand that The Ten Commandments have

been the basis for some of our present laws.

c. The students will list their own commandments.

d. The students will identify the Torah as the first five books of the

Old Testament.

e. The students will sequence the main events of the Israelites from

the time of Abraham to the time of Moses.

1. Stone tablets made of cardboard (should already be painted gray)

2. Black pen or marker for each student

3. The Holy Bible

4. Copy of The Torah

5. Poster board or chart paper with the Ten Commandments written on it (see

Appendix E for list of Ten Commandments)

1. Ten Commandments

2. Torah

3. Law or commandment

4. Exodus

1. Ask the students to recall the events from yesterday’s story about how

Judaism began and the story of Moses. Listed are some of the main

events:

a. Abraham heard from God telling him to journey to another land.

This land was eventually named Israel.

b. Years later, a lack of food forced the Israelites (or Hebrews) to

leave Israel and go to Egypt.

c. While in Egypt, the pharaoh made the Israelites work as slaves.

d. Moses was a Hebrew (or Israelite) born in Egypt and raised by the

Pharaoh’s daughter.

e. Moses left Egypt and was later told by God to go ask the Pharaoh

to let the Israelites go.

f. Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go so God sent 10 plagues to

the Egyptians.

g. The Pharaoh finally let the Hebrews go but he later changed his

mind and sent his army after them.

h. Moses split the Red Sea and they were able to escape from the

Egyptians.

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 8

i. God gave Moses The Ten Commandments on top of the mountain.

j. Because the Israelites didn’t obey God and The Ten

Commandments, they were forced to wander for 40 years.

k. The Hebrews eventually made it to their promised land, Israel.

2. Explain to the students that while the Hebrews (Israelites) were

“wandering” before they reached Israel, that Moses wrote the following

five books: Genesis (the story of the beginning of the Israelites), Exodus

(the story of their departure from Egypt), Leviticus (contains all of God’s

laws and rules), Numbers (keeps track of the population while in the

desert), and Deuteronomy (a summary of the first four books) Explain to

the students that the word “Exodus” actually means the fleeing of a large

number of people.

3. These books make up the first five books of what many people know as

the Old Testament. The Hebrew calls these first five books, The Torah.

Pass around The Holy Bible showing these first five books and a copy of

The Torah. Explain to the students that the Jews continue to live by these

books and have had to fight to keep their land that they believe God

promised them through Abraham and Moses.

4. Hang up and read the poster board containing the Ten Commandments,

giving a brief explanation for each Commandment.

5. Explain to the students that these commandments have influenced, not

only the Israelites, but many other societies as well. Many court systems

have used these Commandments as a basis for making their laws. Some

have even had the Ten Commandments hanging in their courtrooms.

6. Ask the students to think about what they would write as the Ten

Commandments if they had to think of them today. Have them list their

“commandments” on a piece of paper and then rewrite them using a black

pen or marker on their “stone tablet.”

7. Invite students to share their own commandments with the class when they

are finished.

8. Have the students work in groups of 3-4 to complete Appendix F.

Students need to read the sentences and place them in order of what

happened.

1. Students will be evaluated based on completion of their own

commandments and completion of Appendix F.

1. Concept Objective(s)

a. Students know the historical development of religions and

philosophies.

b. Students know how various forms of expression reflect religious

beliefs and philosophical ideas.

2. Lesson Content

a. Judaism: Chanukah

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 9

b. Judaism: Star of David

3. Skill Objective(s)

a. The students will identify Hanukkah (or Chanukah) as an

important Jewish holiday.

b. The students will be familiar with the story that led the Jews to

develop the holiday of Hanukkah.

c. The students will be able to verbalize the reason for the candles on

the menorah or chanukiah.

d. The students will make their own Menorah.

2. Appendices B & C (pages 1 & 2 of book)

pictures)

pictures)

7. Clay (a lump approximately the size of a small melon for each students)

8. Plastic knives

9. Glue

10. Poster paints and paintbrushes

11. Small candles (nine candles for each menorah)

1. Synagogue

2. Hebrew Bible

3. Torah

4. Hanukkah or Chanukah

gives a great overview of the customs of the Jewish people. After reading

the book, explain to the students that even though Jews live all over the

world, many live in a city called Jerusalem. Point to the city of Jerusalem

on a large classroom map

2. Fill in the parts of Appendix B (page 1 of book) labeled people, worship

place, and holy place. Complete as an entire group, encouraging the

students to complete the sentences appropriately. The sentences should be

Hebrew Bible. They call the first part of the Bible the Torah.

3. Explain to the students that the Jews celebrate many holidays. Explain

that one of these holidays is Hanukkah.

4. Have the students listen to the story of Hanukkah as told by Jim Weiss on

approximately 26 minutes long, but it is excellent and will keep students

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 10

engaged. However, you may want to plan for two different times to listen

to the story.

have access to the audiotape.

6. Listen to the tape first by yourself. When asking the following discussion

questions, you may opt to stop the tape and ask some of the questions

during the story, rather than after.

(He forced them to worship the gods of Greece. They were

forbidden to pray to God.)

mountains.)

(Judah)

“Maccabee” which meant Judah “the hammer.” These soldiers

were eventually called the Maccabees.

went to clean up the temple and light the menorah.)

menorah? (The Greeks had destroyed the jars that held the special

oil for the menorah. They only found one jar of oil, enough to

burn for one day.)

days and nights.)

candle for each night of the holiday.

7. Explain to the students that the candleholder is called a menorah or a

chanukiah. A menorah can be found in homes of Jewish people and in

synagogues where they worship.

8. Show the students pictures of a variety of menorahs. A picture of a

menorah is found on Appendix C (page 2) and can also be found in the

following books:

9. Also, explain to the students that many menorahs also have the Star of

David located in the middle. David was a famous king in Israel. The Star

of David is not only a symbol of the Jewish religion, but it is also located

on the Israeli flag.

10. Have the students make their own menorah by following the directions on

Appendix G. There are also directions for an alternate menorah on

Appendix H.

11. After completing the menorah, have the students go back to their world

religions book and review what they’ve already completed about Judaism.

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 11

Then complete as a whole group the section labeled symbols. See if the

students remember the name of the symbol located at the bottom of

12. Next, read together the section on holidays and fill in the blanks together.

menorah, and Yom Kippur.

1. The students will be evaluated based on their ability to answer questions

throughout the lesson.

2. The students will be evaluated on their completion of the Menorah.

3. The students will be evaluated on their completion of Appendices B and

C.

1. Concept Objective(s)

a. Students know the historical development of religions and

philosophies.

b. Students know how societies have been affected by religions and

philosophies.

c. Students know how various forms of expression reflect religious

beliefs and philosophical ideas.

2. Lesson Content

“messiah; Christmas

3. Skill Objective(s)

a. The students will identify Christmas as the holiday when

Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

b. The students will understand that the Old Testament is a holy book

that the Jews and Christians both read.

c. The students will be familiar with the story behind the birth of

Jesus Christ.

d. The students will identify Jesus Christ as the messiah for

Christians.

e. The students will draw a picture of the nativity scene.

1. Holy Bible

4. Chart paper

5. Large piece of white construction paper for each student

6. Paints, markers, crayons, chalk (teacher choice)

1. Sin

2. Messiah

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 12

1. Because Christianity is the most common religion in the United States, ask

the children what they already know about the Christian faith. Make a list

on a piece of chart paper.

2. Explain to the students that the Christian’s Holy book is the Holy Bible.

Show them how the bible is split into two sections: The Old Testament

and The New Testament.

3. Remind the students that the Jewish people also read from The Old

Testament and believe it to be the word of God. However, the Jews call

the first five books the Torah and they do not read The New Testament.

4. Tell the students that there are actually similarities between the Jews and

the Christians. They both believe in the same God, and only one God.

They also teach the same stories from the Old Testament, such as that of

Abraham and Moses.

5. Another big similarity is that they believe in a “messiah” coming to save

the people from their sins. Take time here to explain the word messiah

and sins. Sins are things that people do wrong, like when they don’t

follow the Ten Commandments. A messiah is someone that comes to save

the people. In the Old Testament it was predicted many times that a

messiah would come to save the people.

6. The Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the messiah who has already

come. The Jewish people do not believe that Jesus is the messiah that was

predicted in The Old Testament. They are still waiting for their messiah to

come.

7. The New Testament is largely about Jesus Christ, his life and what he

taught when he was alive. Ask the students what they already know about

Jesus. (For timeline: It is believed that Jesus lived between 4 B.C. and 29

A.D.)

8. Ask students if they know of any Christian holidays that we celebrate.

Write the word Christmas on the board. Show the students how the word

Christ is in the word Christmas. On Christmas, one of the biggest

holidays in the United States, Christians celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

9. The Christians believe that Jesus is a direct descendant of Abraham. You

may want to define descendant again at this point. In the first book of

Matthew in The New Testament, Matthew gives a list of all the people

related to Abraham. You may want to read this list. The students will

likely enjoy all of the unusual names. Stop when you get to King David to

remind students that this is the same famous king of the Jewish people.

One of the Jewish symbols is the Star of David.

10. Read to the students the story of the birth of Jesus, Luke 2: 1-20. This is a

famous scripture that is often read in churches and by Christian families

during the Christmas season. Read from a version of the Bible that is easy

to understand, such as the New International Version. You may also

choose to read from a children’s Bible.

11. Ask the following questions after reading the story:

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 13

Joseph.)

had ordered that there be a census taken. Explain to the students

that a census is when all the people are counted. However, at that

time the people had to go back to the town where they were born in

order to be counted.)

stable where animals can be covered and are fed. These stables

were often found in caves and were often dark and dirty.

probably because of the census that was going on at that time.)

of God? (An angel appeared and told them that Mary would give

birth to the messiah. They were instructed to name him Jesus.)

12. Show the students pictures of the nativity scene. Large nativity scenes are

often seen in front of churches during the Christmas season and even at

Christian homes. A picture of a nativity scene can be found in the

Culture: Christian by Carol Watson.

13. Note the differences and similarities between the different nativity scenes.

Also point out the three wise men that are also in this scene. They

followed a star in the sky to find Jesus, which is why the star is also a

common symbol at Christmas. Actually make a list with the students of

all the key components of a nativity scene.

14. Using the medium of your choice (paints, crayons, chalk, etc.), have the

students make their own picture of the nativity scene. The following

components should be in their nativity scene: baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph,

the Three Wise Men and the star in the sky that the wise men followed.

The students can also add animals that may have been in the stable with

them.

1. The students will be informally evaluated based on their answers to the

discussion questions about the story of Jesus’ birth.

2. The students will also be assessed based on whether or not they included

all of the key components of the nativity scene.

1. Concept Objective(s)

a. Students know the historical development of religions and

philosophies.

b. Students know how societies have been affected by religions and

philosophies.

2. Lesson Content

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 14

3. Skill Objective(s)

a. The students will identify parables as stories that Jesus told in

order to teach a lesson.

b. The students will give their own interpretations of one of Jesus’

parables.

2. Writing paper for students

1. Parable

2. Messiah

1. Have students recall from yesterday’s lesson the events that led to the birth

of Jesus.

2. Explain to the students that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the

messiah that was predicted in the Old Testament. Remind them that the

Jews differ from the Christians in that they believe they are still waiting

3. Explain to the students that the New Testament contains the life of Jesus.

Also explain that as Jesus grew into adulthood, he traveled around

teaching and talking with people about the love of God and how God

expects people to treat each other.

4. Tell the students that Jesus often used stories to get across to people what

he was trying to teach. These stories are called parables. A parable is a

story that teaches a lesson. If your students have read fables, they may be

able to see similarities between fables and the parables that Jesus told.

However, Jesus’ parables always had real people as the characters, and

they were stories that could really happen. Fables often use animals as the

characters, and many of the stories could never happen in real life.

Hoffman and Jackie Morris. This book contains eight different parables,

with wonderful illustrations, that have been rewritten so that a child can

understand.

6. Read the parable of The Good Samaritan, which begins on page 10.

Jesus tells this parable is response to a person asking him, “Who is my

neighbor?” Ask the students who they think the Jew’s neighbor was?

7. Ask the students if they’ve ever heard of someone being called a “Good

Samaritan.” Tell the students that even today when someone does

something to help another person, we say he or she is a Good Samaritan.

8. Read another parable to the students, “Forgiveness” located on pages 27-

28. After reading this story, have the students write in their own words

what they think that Jesus was trying to teach in this story.

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 15

9. Have the students share their writings. This would also be a great time to

introduce (or reintroduce) the saying: “Do unto others as you would have

them do unto you.”

1. The students will be evaluated based on their interpretation of Jesus’

parables. All logical interpretations should be accepted.

1. Concept Objective(s)

a. Students know the historical development of religions and

philosophies.

b. Students know how societies have been affected by religions and

philosophies.

c. Students know how various forms of expression reflect religious

beliefs and philosophical ideas.

2. Lesson Content

cross

3. Skill Objective(s)

a. The students will recognize the cross as a symbol of Christian

faith.

b. The students will know that the Christian holiday of Christmas

celebrates the birth of Jesus.

c. The students will identify Easter as a Christian holiday that

celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.

1. Hard boiled eggs (enough for each student to decorate at least two)

2. Egg cups for students to place their eggs while painting

3. Poster paints

4. Paint brushes

5. Appendices I & J (pages 4 and 5 of World Religions Book)

None

1. Explain to the students that even though many people listened to Jesus

teach and came to follow him, others hated him. Some people who hated

him were the Jewish leaders who didn’t believe that he was the Son of

God, or Messiah. Many Jews believed that if he were really the Messiah,

he would lead them in a fight against the Romans who were in control at

that time. However, Jesus spoke that people should act in love and was

not going to lead them in war.

2. Jesus was eventually arrested and killed. Read to the class page 24 from

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 16

have access to this book, you can tell the story in your own words or use

What Your First Grader Needs To Know by E.D. Hirsch (page 132).

3. Tell the students that this is why the Christians use the cross as their

symbol. They believe that Jesus died on the cross as a “payment” for their

sins. Christians believe that if they accept Jesus as the Son of God and ask

for their sins to be forgiven, they will go to heaven.

4. Ask the students if they remember from the story what Christians call the

5. Ask the students what the name of the holiday is when Jesus rose from the

that time and then later ascended into Heaven.

6. For Christians, this is a great miracle and is why they continue to celebrate

Easter. Ask the students what they think of when they hear of the holiday,

Easter. You will likely get responses such as: Easter Bunny, decorating

eggs, Easter egg hunts, family dinners, and maybe even attending church.

7. Tell the students that the tradition of decorating eggs at Easter came about

because eggs are a symbol of life. It is a reminder of the new life that

Jesus gave to those that believe and accept him.

8. Invite the students to decorate their own eggs. Have the students paint the

symbol of Christianity, the cross, on at least one of their eggs.

9. Complete pages 4 and 5 of the World Religions Book as a group while

you write the correct answers on the overhead. (Appendices I & J)

Encourage the students to help fill in the blanks. The blanks on

Appendices J & I should be filled in as follows: Christians, Jesus Christ,

church, Holy Bible, Christmas, Easter, and cross.

1. Students will be evaluated based on completion on Appendices J & I.

1. Concept Objective(s)

a. Students know the historical development of religions and

philosophies.

b. Students know how societies have been affected by religion and

philosophies.

2. Lesson Content

are called Muslims; Allah, Muhammad

3. Skill Objective(s)

a. The students will identify Muhammad as the prophet who started

the Islam religion.

b. The students will locate Arabia on a map.

c. The students will understand that Islam has spread throughout the

Middle East and into other parts of the world.

d. The students will identify the people of the Islam religion as

Muslims.

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 17

e. The students will identify the Islam religion as monotheistic.

3. Appendices K & M (pages 6 & 7 of World Religions Book, make

overhead copies)

4. Large world map

1. Allah - Arabic name for God

2. Koran (Qur’an) – holy book of the Muslims

1. Explain to the students that they will be learning about another major

world religion that practices monotheism, the religion of Islam. Ask the

Oppenheim. Ask the students the following questions after reading the

book:

he looks so old, people make fun of his looks, and he is not made

to feel special.)

(To know the hundredth name of Allah.)

Allah and asked him to tell Qadiim his hundredth name.)

times every day? (He laid out his father’s prayer rug and prayed to

Allah?)

practice Islam. It is the Arabic name for God.)

3. Explain to the students that even though the story is fictional, it is true that

the Muslims do recite the ninety-nine names of Allah as found in their

holy book, the Koran (or Qur’an). They do not know the true name of

God. This is also a similar belief in the religions of Judaism and

Christianity.

4. Fill in as a group the first part of page 6 of their world religions book.

Encourage students to help fill in the blanks on the section labeled:

5. Explain to the students that the Islam religion started with this man named

Muhammad. Muhammad was born in about 570 A.D. You may want to

note this on a classroom timeline so the students can see the time span

between the teachings of Jesus and that of Muhammad. Read the story of

Needs to Know. Ask the students the following questions in order to

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 18

clarify the reading:

the city of Mecca live? (He traveled and heard about the idea of

one God from the Jews and the teachings of Jesus from the

Christians.)

Mecca worshipped many gods. They were also proud and greedy.)

(Abraham)

Allah? (He saw an angel in a vision that spoke to him about

Allah.) Explain to the students that it is also this same angel who

told him what to put in the Muslims holy book, The Koran (or

Qur’an).

should follow only one God, Allah? (Many were angry. He was

eventually driven out of Mecca, his home city.)

made it back home. After other conquests, all of Arabia eventually

accepted Muhammad as the messenger of God, or Allah.)

6. Explain to the students that Islam not only spread throughout Arabia, but

also throughout the Middle East and in various areas throughout the world.

It is currently the fastest growing religion.

7. On a large world map, have students locate the area that is considered the

Middle East. Remind the students that many Jewish people also live in the

Middle East. Explain to the students that this area of the world commonly

in the news because they are often at war. Both the Jews and the Muslims

believe that God gave certain areas of land to them.

8. Using an overhead of page 8 of the World Religion Book, have the

students locate Arabia. Color Arabia red.

1. Students will be evaluated on their answers in response to the discussion

questions after the readings.

2. The students will be assessed on their completion of Appendix M, page 8

of their World Religions Book.

1. Concept Objective(s)

a. Students know the historical development of religions and

philosophies.

b. Students know how societies have been affected by religions and

philosophies.

c. Students know how various forms of expression reflect religious

beliefs and philosophical ideas.

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 19

2. Lesson Content

crescent and star

3. Skill Objective(s)

a. The students will identify the crescent and star as a symbol for the

Islam faith.

b. The students will identify the mosque as the worship place for

Muslims and describe their mosques.

c. The students will be familiar with the common dress of the

Muslims.

d. The students will identify the Koran as the holy book of the

Muslims.

e. The students will make comparison between the religions of

Judaism and Islam.

3. Appendices K & L (pages 6 & 7 of World Religions Book)

1. Mosque

1. Review with the students what learned yesterday by asking the following

questions:

(Muhammad)

2. Explain to the students, that just like the Christians and the Jews, the

Muslims have a worship place. They call their worship place a mosque.

Have students fill in the appropriate blank on page 6 of their World

Religions Book.

3. Although the mosque came well after Muhammad was alive, it is an

important part of the Islamic community. Explain to the students that they

not only worship in the mosque, they also have social gatherings there and

some are places where students are educated. In Islamic nations, their

religion is part of everything in their lives.

picture of the Islamic Mosque located in Washington D.C.

feature does each mosque have? (An Islamic Mosque is typically very

ornate and huge! Also, most mosques tend to have at least one dome at

the top of the mosque.) Most children would agree that it is quite different

than the traditional churches often seen if the United States.

6. Complete page 7 of the World Religion Book. The first sentence should

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 20

Langley. Explain to the students that the Koran is often decorated

beautifully like the one in the picture and kept in a special covering or

7. Also show the students the picture of the Pilgrimage to Mecca on page 54

wearing long flowing robes and often have their head covered.)

This is typical of the dress in Islamic nations.

Mecca. Do you remember why Mecca was so important? (Mecca

is where Muhammad was born. He was driven out of Mecca but

eventually conquered his enemies and came back to his home city.)

8. Tell the students that Muslims are required to travel to Mecca once in their

lifetime to remember what Muhammad did. The call this the “Pilgrimage

to Mecca.”

9. Show students the symbol of the Islamic religion on page 54 of the same

book. Also have them look at the picture on page 7 of their World

Religions Book, which shows not only the Islam symbol, but also the

Koran and a mosque. Have students fill in the final blanks appropriately

crescent moon is a moon that is only partially seen, as in their symbol.

10. Wrap up this lesson by asking students what they’ve learned about the

Muslim religion. The information located on pages 6 and 7 of the World

Religions Book are the key points of this religion.

11. Have students complete Appendix N, which has the students compare and

contrast the religions of Islam and Judaism.

1. The students will be evaluated based on their responses to the questions

presented throughout the lesson.

2. The students will be evaluated based on their completion on Appendix N.

VI. CULMINATING ACTIVITY (at least 30 – 45 minutes)

A. In order to review what has been taught about the world’s three major religions,

use the Bingo card located on Appendix O to write the answers to the following

questions. Make copies of the Bingo card and mix the answers on each card so

that they are different.

2. People who practice the religion of Judaism are called ___________.

3. The worship of only one God is called ________________.

First Grade, World Religions 2001 Colorado Unit Writing Project 21

7. What holiday do the Jews celebrate that calls Jewish people to remember

when the Temple lamp burned for eight nights when there was only

8. Who brought the Hebrews (also called Israelites) out of slavery in Egypt?

9. What did God give Moses on top of a mountain that gave the Israelites

10. What do the Jewish people light on eight consecutive nights during the

11. Christians believe that this man came to save them from their sins, the

12. Jesus traveled talking to people about God and telling stories to help

14. On what day do the Christians remember how Jesus rose from the dead

16. On what was Jesus crucified? This is also the symbol of the Christian

17. The holy book for the Christians is the _______________________. This

includes the Old Testament that the Jews also read from as well as the

18. People who practice the religion of Islam are called

19. The Islam religion began with the prophet _______________________.

22. What is the Muslims holy book called? They believe that this is the word

24. All three of the world’s major religions began in what part of the world?

(The Middle East) Be sure that the students can locate the Middle East on a world map.