Beyond the "church-state thing:" On Teaching World Religions

by Dr. Mary Beth Klee

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From Common Knowledge, Volume 7, No. 2, Spring 1994 © 1994 Core Knowledge Foundation. Not to be copied or reproduced without permission from the Core Knowledge Foundation, 801 E. High Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902.

Editor's note: The following article is adapted from remarks delivered by Mary Beth Klee at the 3rd National Core Knowledge Conference, which met in April 1994 in Ft. Myers, FL. Dr. Klee, who founded and teaches at Crossroads Academy in New Hampshire, led a session on "World Religions in the Early Grades: Teaching About Civilization and Faith."

Teaching religion in American schools is a tricky business.

Some people say, "Schools shouldn't teach about religion." Others say, "Just teach about my religion." Still others say, "It's OK to teach Eastern religions, but don't do Christianity." Faced with this, teachers often take a deep breath and say, "Let's not get into this."

Religion is the best kept secret in American education. For the past twenty years — between the fear of stepping on toes and the fear of "the church-state thing" — it has been nearly taboo.

Yet that is changing, as it should and must. The state of California recently required the teaching of comparative religions in high school. Last year the city of St. Louis funded the development of a comprehensive secondary school curriculum in World Religions.

But we who use the Core Knowledge curriculum are one step ahead of them. From the first grade on our program challenges us with rich and substantial content in World Civilization and American Civilization. And this necessarily means an end to the secrecy about religion.

In the first grade alone, children encounter the polytheistic faiths of the ancient Maya, Aztecs, and Inca, as well as the Egyptians and Babylonians. But that's not all, and not even the hardest part. First graders are also introduced to some major world religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

These topics reassert themselves throughout the later years of the Core Knowledge curriculum: for example, in the third grade study of Rome, the Byzantine empire, with the rise of Christianity; or in the fourth grade, the rise of Islam and the Crusades; or in the later study of such religiously inspired movements as abolition or the American civil rights movement of the 1960s.

We who teach this material know that the answer to the question, "Why should we teach religions?" is very simple. In the words of one Supreme Court justice, "The history of man is inseparable from the history of religion." Or in the words of another, "It might well be said that one's education is not complete without a study of comparative world religion." I would go one step further and argue that the study of world history and contemporary affairs is not just incomplete, it is often unintelligible without an understanding of world religions.

Religion has started wars and ended wars. It has inspired conquest and sometimes resulted in evil. It has also inspired glorious resistance to evil. Religious symbols adorn the flags of many nations, and religious beliefs impel the actions of millions of individuals. Moreover, religions have provided and continue to provide believers with answers to life's enduring questions: How did I get here? Who created this world and me? Does my life have meaning beyond the present? How shall I live my life? What is expected of me?

The issue, then, when it comes to religion, is not whether to teach this subject matter, but how to do it well. Without some instruction in world religions, our children's understanding of the world is impoverished, impaired, diminished. Education is a process of opening doors and providing windows on the world. To keep religion a secret in our schools is to shut the doors and close the windows.

World Religions in the Early Grades: Teaching About Civilization and Faith

(Grades 1 and 2)

The following unit was developed by Dr. Mary Beth KIee of Crossroads Academy (Hanover, NH). The Core Knowledge Foundation thanks Dr. Klee for "sharing the knowledge."

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Rationale: In order to understand the great art and literature of the world, and much of its history, we need to know about the world's major religions.

Objectives: To familiarize children with the major world religions, not proselytize for any one religion, by introducing students to significant symbols, structures, figures, and beliefs. Focus on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. (The following lessons assume that children already know their continents, and are familiar with ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations.)

General References

• Beliefs and Believers, Michael Pollard, Garret Educational Corporation, 1992. (children's book)
• Comparing Religions, various authors, Thomson Learning (New York) 1993. A series including the following titles:
• Birth Customs; Food and Fasting; Death Customs; Initiation Customs; Marriage Customs; Pilgrimages and Journeys.
• Eyewitness Visual Dictionary of Buildings,Dorling Kindersley, Inc., 1992.
• Faith and Belief.- Five Major World Religions. An 18-minute color video, introducing students to the five major faiths. Knowledge Unlimited. (1-800-356-2303)
• What Your First Grader Needs to Know, ed. E. D. Hirsch, Jr., Doubleday, 1991; Revised Edition, 1997.
• World Religions Poster Set. Knowledge Unlimited. (1-800-356-2303)
• The World's Religions: Understanding the Living Faiths, Peter D. Clarke, Reader's Digest Books, 1993. A "coffee table" reference book, excellent visuals, good background text for teachers.

Guiding Principles for Teaching World Religions

• The educational goal is to familiarize and not to proselytize.
• Be descriptive, not prescriptive. Focus on those aspects that provide the foundations for understanding the role of religion in world civilizations and cultures.
• Maintain a tone of respect and balance. Always recognize that, during the study of any major living religion, you may be dealing with a faith that is near and dear to the hearts and lives of one or many of your students. It is not appropriate to disparage any faith by implying that it is a thing of the past.
• If a child should ask, "Which one is true?" then the appropriate response is, "Ask your parents or someone at home." To elaborate: "People of different faiths believe different things. You've asked an important question, and different people would answer it in different ways. The best people to help you answer this are the people you can talk with at home."

WHAT ARE WORLD RELIGIONS?

Introduction: There are many different religions in the world, and five major world religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Each has its own symbols, writings, ceremonies, churches, and beliefs.

Visual Overview: Begin with visual images. Show children visual symbols of the major religions (for example, Star of David, cross, etc.), and pictures of places of worship: temples, churches, mosques, shrines, stupas. (The Knowledge Unlimited "World Religions" poster set provides good visuals.)

Discussion: Ask the children which symbols and buildings they recognize. Ask which religions they know about and what they think religion is. You may get very straightforward answers: "It's what you think about God." Or you may get completely unexpected answers: "It's like which country you live in"; or, "I think I'm Christian. No! My mom says I'm Irish."

Explain that from ancient times human beings have been curious about very big questions: Who made me? Who made the earth? Is there a God or gods? What will happen after I die? How should I live? All religions try to answer these big questions.

Ask the children to recall their study of ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia. What kind of gods did they believe in? (Animal gods, many gods, passionate gods, gods that judged.) Do we believe in animal gods nowadays? Does anyone? We'll find out.

Ongoing Project: Have the children assemble a booklet about the major world religions. Begin by having the children make the cover for their World Religions booklet by cutting, arranging and pasting the symbols of the religions on brightly colored paper, and decorating the borders.

JUDAISM

Introduce Judaism as one of the world's oldest living religions and Jews as "People of the Covenant" ("covenant" means an agreement, a bond). Reflect with the children that much of what we know about the early Jews comes from their sacred writing — the five books of Moses known as the Torah. (Point out that Jews and Christians share certain books of the Bible.)

[You may wish to read aloud and discuss with children the pages on Judaism in the Revised Edition of What Your First Grader Needs to Know, ed. E. D. Hirsch, Jr.; see pages 127-129.]

Judaism, under Abraham, sprang from an area your first graders may already know well — ancient Mesopotamia near the Euphrates River. While the children work on an art project, listen to the story of the covenant with Abraham, Abraham and the Idols, marvelously retold by Jim Weiss on cassette. This tale will help the children understand the unique Jewish contribution to world religions of the notion of one god (as opposed to many, as in ancient Egypt, Babylon, or Greece).

Art projects: For placement in the World Religions booklet: Assemble a Star of David from six strips of colored paper. Color, cut and paste a seven-branched menorah.

Continue the Covenant theme. From Sandol Stoddard's A Child's First Bible, read aloud the Moses story (from birth through Exodus and the Ten Commandments).

Art project: paint watercolor illustrations of the Moses story in mural form — for example, God appearing to Moses in the burning bush, the plagues, Hebrews fleeing Pharaoh's men as they cross the Red Sea, and Moses ascending Mount Sinai and receiving the Ten Commandments.

Follow-up activities and reading: Focus on Passover as the Jewish celebration of deliverance out of bondage. Read Maida Silvermann's The Festival of Freedom. If possible, have a Jewish parent come in and talk about Seder, bringing ceremonial foods and asking the four questions.

Resources for Judaism

1. "Abraham and the Idols" in the cassette Tales of the Old Testament, Jim Weiss (Greathall Productions; 800-477-6234).
2. Abraham's Great Discovery, Bernard Zlotowitz, NightinGale, 1991.
3. A Coloring Book of the Old Testament, Bellerophon Books, 1991. (800) 253-9943
4. "Judaism" in Calliope, magazine of World History for Young People, March/April 1994. (800) 821-0115
5. Jonah and the Great Fish, Warwick Hutton, Atheneum, 1983.
6. The Exodus, Miriam Chaikin, Holiday House, 1987.
7. Noah's Ark, Jane Ray, Dutton Children's Books, 1992.
8. The Festival of Freedom (Passover story), Maida Silvermann, Simon and Schuster, 1988.
9. Hanukkah, The Festival of Lights, Jenny Koralik and Juan Winjgaard, Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard, 1990.
10. The Little Old Man and His Dreams, Lillian Ross, Harper and Row, 1990. A real tear-jerker of a Hanukkah story!
11. Picture Book of Passover, David Adler, Holiday House, 1992.
12. The World's Birthday; A Rosh Hashanah Story, Barbara Diamond Goldin, Harcourt Brace, 1990.
13. In the Month of Kislev: A Story for Hanukkah, Nina Jaffe, Viking, 1992.
14. Days of Awe: Stories for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Eric Kimmel, Penguin Group, 1991.

CHRISTIANITY

Introduce Christianity as an outgrowth of Judaism, and introduce the main Christian symbol, the cross. We set the historical stage for Christianity by discussing with our first graders that for centuries - through persecution and foreign domination (by Egypt, Babylon, Rome) — Jews were waiting for the "Messiah" or savior that had been promised to them in their sacred writings.

In the first century B.C.E., those expectation ran high. Israel was under Roman occupation. Jews prayed for a messiah who would free them from their persecutors and usher in a world at peace. Into that world was born Jesus of Nazareth. He was born in Bethlehem, at first revered as a teacher ("rabbi") and prophet, but in time came to be seen by his followers as the Messiah or Savior they had waited for.

A brief account of basic facts about Christianity may be found in What Your First Grader Need to Know . [See the Revised Edition, page 129-132, for a good read-aloud introduction.] We read Carol Heyer's stunningly illustrated volume, The Easter Story (Ideals Children's Books), as an excellent picture book overview.

Follow-up Activities: Christianity has inspired many great works of art. We introduce Handel's "Messiah" as the way Handel attempted in music to celebrate Jesus' life. We play sections of it (for example, "For unto us a child is born" and the Hallelujah chorus). The children paint whatever they feel as the Hallelujah chorus swells. ALL our kids — Christian and non-Christian — love this activity!

What did Jesus teach? Jesus' life and his stories are recorded in the part of the Christian Bible called the New Testament. We read from Tomie DePaola's Parables of Jesus to introduce some of these stories — "The Good Samaritan" and "The Unforgiving Servant." From Farnsworth's Illustrated Children's Bible, we tell the story of "The Rich Young Man."

Resources for Christianity

1. A Child is Born: The Christmas Story, Elizabeth Winthrop, New York, Holiday House Book, 1983.
2. A Child's First Bible, Sandol Stoddard, Illustrated by Tony Chen, Dial Books, 1990.
3. A Coloring Book of the New Testament, Bellerophon Books,1991. (800) 253-9943
4. The Illustrated Children's Bible, Bill Farnsworth, Harcourt Brace, 1993.
5. The Parables of Jesus, Tomie DePaola, Holiday House, 1987.

ISLAM

For background on Islam we read the children's sections from Pollard's Beliefs and Believers (pp. 30-31) which tell of the origin of Islam in Arabia, approximately 610 C.E. [A.D.]. These sections describe Mohammed (a young man who questions the many gods and idols worshipped by his countrymen), his vision of an angel calling him to preach faith in a single God, his flight to Medina, return to Mecca, gathering of his revelations in the Koran, and mosques as the traditional places of worship for Muslims.

[Another child-friendly read-aloud introduction to Islam may be found in the Revised Edition of What Your First Grader Needs to Know, pages 132-134.]

Art project: The children cut out the Crescent and Star, a symbol of Islam, for inclusion in their booklet. They color a map showing the geographic location of Islam, from Saudi Arabia to North Africa and elsewhere. In small groups, the children pore over a chart of flags of the world, and name all the flags that include the Crescent and Star. (Islam is the major religion of 44 countries. The Crescent and Star are found on the flags of Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Turkey — to name a few. Children could also do this exercise with the Star of David and the Cross.)

Islamic Art and Architecture: The Muslim world has produced extraordinary art and architecture. We note that Muslim law prohibits figurative art (showing the human form) and that Muslim designs therefore tend to be geometric with elaborate arabesque motifs (you don't have to use those words, but that's the idea). Using the Eyewitness Visual Dictionary of Buildings sections on "Islamic buildings," we look at some of the prominent features of Islamic mosques — minarets, ogeearches, dome roofs, and mosaic designs. We show the Taj Mahal as a classic example of Muslim architecture.

Art Project: Using gold foil, mosaic chips and outlines of the building of your choice (Taj Mahal, Alhambra), the children create their own Islamic design.

Note: We have found very few age-appropriate materials on Islam, and would welcome your suggestions.

HINDUISM

For background, you can use Pollard, Beliefs and Believers (pp. 334-35), or adapt material on Hinduism from the March 1993 issue of Calliope. [See also the section on Hinduism in the forthcoming Revised Edition of What Your Second Grader Needs to Know to be published in late summer of 1998.]

Introduce Hinduism as the world's oldest living religion, centered predominantly in India. It is very different from Judaism, Christianity and Islam, because Hindus believe in many gods, though some Hindus believe the many gods to be different aspects of one god.

We use the Time Life World Religions book as a visual aid to describe the character of some of the main Hindu deities -Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver), and Shiva (Destroyer). We also discuss the Hindu belief in reincarnation: that for the soul to be perfect, it is reincarnated several times in different animal or human forms. Your deeds in one life determine your next incarnation. (A particularly greedy, selfish human may be a worm the next time around!) The Hindu belief in reincarnation and the sacredness of animal life leads to the conclusion that animals ought not to be taken for human needs and a special reverence for animals — especially monkeys and cows.

Reading and Project: For their World Religions booklet, the children trace the Sanskrit word "Om," the most common symbol of Hinduism and a prayer word used for meditation.

Hindu Stories and Texts: Ramayana. Point out to the children that unlike Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Hinduism does not have one book of scripture. There are many books, but one of the most important is the Ramayana, which collects stories of the Hindu deities and their adventures. We read Govinder Rain's Rama and Sita, an excellent retelling of the epic tale from the Ramayana in which Prince Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu) attempts to rescue his wife Sita from the demon King, Ravana. This book has spectacular illustrations of Rama, Sita, Ravana and Hanunan (the King of the Monkeys), all of which are recurring motifs in the art of India.

[Note: This book has gone out of print, but the story of Rama and Sita will be included in the Revised Edition of What Your Second Grader Needs to Know, forthcoming in late summer of 1998.]

Follow-up: The children color some of the main deities of Hinduism from the Bellerophon Coloring Book of Ancient India. We focus on the symbol of Shiva dancing, which is often synonymous with Hinduism.

Other follow-up activities and reading: Read Jeanne M. Lee's Silent Lotus, the lovely tale of a deaf-mute Hindu girl who uses her talents to dance for the gods and worshipers in the temple of Angkor Wat (Cambodia.) We have elaborated on this by having the children cut the silhouette of Angkor Wat (the most famous of Hindu temples) out of gold poster board. We send the children back to their chart of world flags, and ask them which Asian country has Angkor Wat on its flag? (Cambodia)

Resources for Hinduism

1. Ancient India. A Coloring book. Bellerophon Books.(800) 253-9943
2. "Hinduism," in Calliope, the magazine of World History for Young People, March/April 1993. (800) 821-0115
3. Rama and Sita: Folk Tales of the World, Govinder Ram, London: Blackie and Son, Ltd., 1987. Fabulous illustrations in this retelling of the sacred Indian legend, which is part of the Ramayana.
4. Silent Lotus, Jeanne Lee, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1991.

BUDDHISM

Buddhism, an offspring of Hinduism, is the dominant religion of Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Tibet, Cambodia, Laos, and a major influence throughout the rest of Asia. Like Hinduism, Buddhism and accepts the notion of reincarnation — countless cycles of birth, death and rebirth (hence the Buddhist symbol, the Wheel of Life). But in contrast to Hindus, Buddhists follow the teachings of one central figure — the Buddha or "Enlightened One."

The Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince around 536 B.C.E. His many teachings (the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, etc.) are complex for this age group, so we focus on a few principal precepts, for example, to abstain from the taking of life, to live a life of mercy and simplicity, respecting all living things. See the appropriate sections from Pollard, Beliefs and Believers (p.38).

[See also the child-friendly introduction to Buddhism in the Revised Edition or What Your Second Grader Needs to Know, to be published in the late summer of 1998.]

Buddhists believe that before taking human form the Buddha had many incarnations, called bodhisattvas. We read a gorgeous picture book about one of them called The Golden Deer, by Margaret Hodges. In it the Buddha is incarnated as a deer, offers his life to save a pregnant doe, and along the way instructs an Indian King in the way of mercy to all creatures.

Follow-up art projects: Reproduce the Buddhist symbol on brightly colored paper and have the children trace the outline in gold marker. For the ambitious: make a papier mache "stupa." See the pictures of these gilded, dome-like shrines with minarets in The World's Religions (p. 158) and The Eyewitness Visual Dictionary of Buildings, "South and East Asia" (pp.44-45).

The Jataka Tales: Many of the tales of Buddha's former lives (bodhisattvas) are collected in the Jataka (JAH-ta-ka) tales. Some of these are amusingly and endearingly retold by Annette Beven. Among our favorites: The Spade Sage and The King of the Mangoes.

Follow-up Reading and Activities: For a wonderful chapter book follow-up, don't miss Elizabeth Coatsworth's The Cat Who Went to Heaven (1930, but still in print and a classic!). It chronicles the life of Siddhartha Gautama through the eyes of a Japanese artist who paints a mural for his temple, and his cat who desperately wants to be in the painting.

Resources for Buddhism

1. The Cat Who Went to Heaven, Elizabeth Coatsworth, orig. published 1930; available from Scholastic. (800) 325-6149
2. The Golden Deer, Margaret Hodges, Macmillan, 1992.
3. The Spade Sage and The King of the Mangoes, Annette Deven, Dharma Publishing.

DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION

We close this unit on world religions with a Paideia style seminar discussion, even with our first graders. In groups of no more than seven, we ask them to think back over the major religions they've studied. How are they similar? How are they different? What was the most surprising or interesting thing you learned? The children invariably make the points that help you, as a teacher, pull the material together in a meaningful way.

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Last updated: Fri, March 14 2008