This post is from Joe Bossio, social studies teacher at High School North
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We’ve spent the better part of the month close reading primary
sources from the Teaching Tolerance website section called “Perspectives” (http://perspectives.tolerance.org/)
For this unit, our focus has been religion, but we felt it was
important to broaden it to include secular belief systems as well, so students
as individuals and small groups researched and gave multimedia presentations in
class. The aim was to identify “points of contact” among the various
ideologies. Taoism, US Military Institutions’ Codes of Conduct, Hinduism,
Christianity, and yes, even Jediism, were among those presented.
When circumstances and subject matter allow for a visual
presentation, we utilize a bulletin board that was graciously set up by HSN
building administrators for the Multicultural Studies classes to use. Previous
board topics included “Breaking Through the Wall of Stereotypes” and “The World
Makes, North Takes.” Time permitting, we document the making the boards though
photos and videos.
We also conclude each unit with an academic discussion along the
lines of a Harkness Table arrangement. Students are required to do additional
research beyond the provided sources. In this case, the prompts for the
discussion are the following:
- Do religions do more to unite or divide people in society?
- Where would morality come from without religion?
- Does any one religion have a monopoly on extremism?
- Do religious moderates have an obligation to speak out against extremists?
Click Here to watch the full video of the bulletin board being put together (filmed on an iPhone and edited with Magisto).
-Joe
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