Belief+Systems+-+Assignments

** Big Understanding: **
Beliefs are a part of one's culture. They can influence one's actions, decisions and way of life.


 * Essential Questions: **
 * 1) What does it mean to be a believer?
 * 2) How do people develop and practice their personal beliefs?
 * 3) What are my personal beliefs?
 * 4) What has influenced the development of my personal beliefs?

__** Assignment 2- Beliefs Essay Podcast ** __ > __** Assignment #1 - "This I Believe" Podcast Review ** __ Go to the "This I Believe" podcast list for Under 18 . Browse through the podcast choices and choose one that interests you. Listen to it or read the text. In your notes, summarize what the podcast is about. Include the title of the podcsat, a little something about the author and why you chose it. Then describe the person's belief and how/why they have this belief. = = = = =
 * Beliefs Essay Checklist
 *  Transition Words
 * Essay ubric
 * Podcast Rubric

2012= = = =__Assignment 5__= Directions: In groups, you will be assessing three or four other students' belief podcasts from Ms. Johnson's class (Block B&E). Look at the picture below to see who you will work with and who you will assess. Work as a group to assess each of these students on this rubric (Make a copy, then share it as view only with Mr. Tabbara and the student you are assessing). Click here to go to each student's beliefs podcast. Each group will assess three or four students which means each group will fill out three or four rubrics.



= = =__Assignment 4__= Click here for your Belief podcast directions.

=__Assignment 3- Exploring Beliefs__= Use the sources below to explore some other beliefs. On your wiki page, write about three beliefs. Your information should include:
 * 1) One belief you found that you strongly agree with. Give the title of the essay and explain why you strongly agree with it. (2-3 sentences)
 * 2) One belief you kind of agree with. Give the title of the essay and explain why you kind of agree with it. (2-3 sentences)
 * 3) One belief you that you don't support or never thought about. Give the title of the essay and explain why you never thought about it and what you think about the belief now. (2-3 sentences)

This I Believe Essays - Under 18
 * Sources **

This I Believe Essay Themes

__** Assignment #2 - "This I Believe" Essay Review ** __ Go to the "This I Believe" essay list for Under 18. Browse through the essay choices and choose one that interests you. Listen to it or read the text. On your wiki page, write a review about the essay. Include the title of the essay, a little something about the author and why you chose it. Then describe the person's belief and how/why they have this belief. = = =__Assignment 1-__ __** Pre-Unit Reflection ** __= Personal Beliefs are important values that guide your daily life. What we believe in influences who we are, how we act, and the decisions we make.

__<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'comic sans ms',sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Beliefs Resources __

This I Believe Essays - Under 18

This I Believe Essay Themes

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'comic sans ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;">__** Directions **__ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'comic sans ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;">On your wiki page, write a paragraph about your personal beliefs. Choose 3-4 personal beliefs. Religion is one personal belief that is very important to many people. However, it is not the only personal belief. What are some of your personal beliefs? In your paragraph, you may certainly include religion as one of your beliefs, but be sure to include others. Be sure to explain why you have or how you developed each belief. You may also wish to add a few images.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: 'comic sans ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you're having difficulty thinking of your personal beliefs, take a look at this podcast. For the 100 Day celebration at his school, this kindergartener made a list of 100 things he believes in. His top 30 beliefs are in the podcast. Some are at a kindergarten level, but some are quite interesting.

=__Assignment 2__ - Visual Speech Project= Our goal for this quarter is to try to answer the essential questions. We will use our answers to write a speech modeled after the stories we read in the book __What I Believe: Kids Talk about Faith.__ Your speeches will give you and the class insights into your personal beliefs. Your speech will include visuals that relate and illustrate your beliefs and views. As you work on this speech, you will learn more about belief systems and organized religion. The first step is to gather information from your family and to think about what you believe. Please answer these questions **as fully as possible**//.// If there are any questions that you don’t want to share answers to, please feel free to omit (remove) them from your speech. Think about the following questions and **discuss them with your parents**. Then record your answers as the **pre-writing** for your speech. Follow the steps below (after the questions) to create a fantabulous speech.

1. Where were you born? 2. What are your hobbies? 3. Where did you get your beliefs? 4. What are the historical origins of your beliefs? 5. Do you consider yourself religious? 6. Do you believe in a supreme being? How do you communicate with this supreme being, if you do? 7. What is your faith (religion)? 8. Do you attend a place of worship? What is it called? Where is it? 9. When do you attend your place of worship? 10. Why was the world created? Why are we here? 11. How should people live? 12. What are some concepts that guide you in your daily life? 13. Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why do bad things happen to people? 14. What happens after we die? 15. What are some of the religious festivals or holidays you and your family celebrate? 16. Are there any other questions that you would think would add insight into your personal beliefs? Write them down and answer them.


 * Step 1: In your notebook**, answer each question clearly with specific details. You don't have to write the questions down but you should number your answers.
 * Step 2:** Read your answers to a classmate. Your classmate should put a check next to the questions you answered clearly with good details and an X next to the questions you didn't answer clearly or with good details.
 * Step 3:** Look at your answers and decide which answers should go together in the same paragraph.
 * Step 4:** Start writing your speech by organizing your paragraphs in a logical and clear way. Your speech must be between 1 1/2 pages to 2 pages.
 * Organize your speech like this:**
 * 1) Intro-Personal background (2-3 visuals)
 * 2) Faith/values background (2-3 visuals)
 * 3) Big Questions/ideas, Core values/beliefs-how do they affect your life? (2-3 visuals)
 * 4) Practices-how do you show what you believe/value? (2-3 visuals)
 * 5) Conclusion-Reflection-how does what you believe show in the kind of person you are and how you relate to the world and others (who may believe differently than you do)? How does your religion **compare** with other religions? (2-3 visuals)
 * Step 5:** Format your speech like this:
 * 1.5 line spacing
 * 12pt font (Cambria)
 * Title is **//What I Believe//**
 * Heading (Name and Date)
 * Step 6:** Find visuals that match up to each paragraph. You should have 2-3 visuals for each paragraph. Make sure your pictures match what you are talking about. Visuals may be photos of you and your family or photos from the web (this means you must cite your sources if you use pictures from the web.)


 * Step 7:** Choose a way to present the pictures. You can use PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, or others. Choose one that you are most comfortable with using. This is not the time to learn a new program!


 * Step 8:** Hand in your formatted speech and be ready to present it with your visuals on ** May 27th **. Presentations will continue through the week of May 27th.


 * Grading:** You will be assessed using the Oral Presentation rubric.

= = =__Assignment 1__- Classwork=
 * Order of Presentations (click on the name to watch his/her presentation):**
 * 1) Mahir
 * 2) Rebecca
 * 3) Olivia
 * 4) Han Seung
 * 5) Zumaar
 * 6) Kirana
 * 7) Nolan
 * 8) Harsh
 * 9) Morgan
 * 10) Mohammed
 * 11) Mikhail
 * 12) Sebastien
 * 13) Elias
 * 14) Isobel
 * 15) Nina
 * 16) Natalie
 * 17) Carson
 * 18) Rayna
 * 19) Ahnaf
 * Directions: Answer these questions in your notes. Each answer must be at least two sentences long with specific details.**
 * 1) Why was the world created? OR Why are we here?
 * 2) How should people live their lives?
 * 3) Why is there so much suffering in the world? OR Why do bad things happen to people?
 * 4) What happens after we die?

=__2010__= =__Assignment__ - Christianity & Islam= Read these two paragraphs about the history of Christianity (Jesus) and the history of Islam (Mohammed) and create a Venn diagram **in your notebook** that compares and contrasts the origins of Christianity and Islam.

Everything we know about the life of Jesus comes from the Bible. According to the Bible, Jesus was born in a Jewish family during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus, about 4 BCE. He was born in Israel, in the town of Bethlehem according to the Bible, and he grew up near Bethlehem, in Nazareth. When he was about 30, in the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, Jesus went around preaching in public. Jesus had many new ideas to talk about. He told people that after the Last Judgment at the end of time they would either go to Heaven or go to Hell. He told people that faith in God, and in Jesus as the son of God, were the most important ways of getting into Heaven. He said that God no longer wanted animal sacrifices, because Jesus himself was going to be the biggest sacrifice ever, and if you believed in Jesus then his sacrifice would be for you too. Like some other men of his time, Jesus acted like a holy man. He wore simple clothes, and wouldn't take money for anything he did for people. He healed sick people, and he traveled around. After a few years of preaching, (again according to the Bible) Jesus got in trouble with the Jewish leaders in Israel. They didn't believe he was the son of God, and so they didn't like him going around telling people that. The Jewish leaders asked the Roman governor of the province, Pontius Pilate, to get rid of Jesus, and, afraid that Jesus might be leading a rebellion against Rome, Pilate ordered his soldiers to hang Jesus from a cross until he was dead (this was a normal Roman punishment for criminals). Christianity was no longer an obscure religion and Roman emperors tried to quell the appeal of Christianity and other monotheistic religions. In 202 CE, Emperor Septimius Severus banned any Roman citizen from converting to Christianity or Judaism. Those who disobeyed the emperor were often tortured by soldiers or wild animals at sporting events. Despite this, Christianity continued to grow and is now the largest religion.
 * History of Christianity**

Mohammed was born in the Arab trading city of Mecca, in the Arabian peninsula, between 570 and 580 AD. At the time Meccans were polytheistic. Mohammed's parents were part of a family of caravan traders. Mohammed himself however grew up poor because both his parents died when he was still very young. His grandfather brought him up. When he grew up he became a trader himself traveling and trading and meeting many Christians and Jews. When Mohammed was almost forty, he said he had heard an angel from God speaking to him for the first time. The angel, Gabriel, told Mohammed that there was only one God, that it was wicked to worship other gods. All of these ideas were already common in Mecca, where there were some Christians and many Jews. Mohammed also heard Gabriel telling him the words of the Koran. At first the Meccans seem to have felt that Mohammed's preaching was harmless, but later, as he got more support from the lower classes, and really began to say that people should not worship the old gods, the rich Meccans threw Mohammed out of town. People beat up and even killed his followers, who began to be called Muslims. Some of them fled to Ethiopia. Mohammed himself fled to the nearby town of Medina, a farming town where Arabs of various tribes lived together with many powerful Jews and some Christians. Mohammed's flight to Medina in 622 AD is called the Hijrah in Arabic, and it is the date where the Muslim calendar begins. Mohammed gathered a following in Medina. In 630 AD he returned to Mecca with an army and conquered it. After he won another victory against Arabic tribes in 630 AD, other Arabic tribes began to send messengers to Mohammed to say that they would submit to his rule, because he was so successful that he must have God on his side. Islam began to spread and is now the second largest religion.
 * History of Islam**

Sources: http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/religion/christians/jesus.htm http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/islam/history/mohammed.htm

=__Assignment__ - Buddhism= With a partner, write an eight-line acrostic poem using the letters in the word 'Buddhism'. Your poem should include these things: This is how you should write your acrostic poem.
 * one line that tells one similarity between Buddhism and Hinduism
 * one line about what the "middle way" means
 * four lines that summarize four events in the Buddha's life from birth to enlightenment
 * two lines that explain ideas about suffering from the //four noble truths//
 * B**
 * U**
 * D**
 * D**
 * H**
 * I**
 * S**
 * M**

=__Assignment -__ Speech Project= Our goal for this quarter is to try to answer the essential questions. We will use our answers to write a speech modeled after the stories we read in the book __What I Believe: Kids Talk about Faith.__ Your speeches will give you and the class insights into your personal beliefs. As you work on this speech, you will learn more about belief systems and organized religion. The first step is to gather information from your family and to think about what you believe. Please answer these questions **as fully as possible**//.// If there are any questions that you don’t want to share answers to, please feel free to omit (remove) them from your speech. Think about the following questions and **discuss them with your parents**. Then record your answers as the **pre-writing** for your speech. Follow the steps below (after the questions) to create a fantabulous speech.

1. Where were you born? 2. What are your hobbies? 3. Where did you get your beliefs? 4. What are the historical origins of your beliefs? 5. Do you consider yourself religious? 6. Do you believe in a supreme being? How do you communicate with this supreme being, if you do? 7. What is your faith (religion)? 8. Do you attend a place of worship? What is it called? Where is it? 9. When do you attend your place of worship? 10. Why was the world created? Why are we here? 11. How should people live? 12. What are some concepts that guide you in your daily life? 13. Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why do bad things happen to people? 14. What happens after we die? 15. What are some of the religious festivals or holidays you and your family celebrate? 16. Are there any other questions that you would think would add insight into your personal beliefs? Write them down and answer them.

> you are and how you relate to the world and others (who may believe differently than you do)?
 * Step 1: In your notebook**, answer each question clearly with specific details. You don't have to write the questions down but you should number your answers.
 * Step 2:** Read your answers to a classmate. Your classmate should put a check next to the questions you answered clearly with good details and an X next to the questions you didn't answer clearly or with good details.
 * Step 3:** Look at your answers and decide which answers should go together in the same paragraph.
 * Step 4:** Start writing your speech by organizing your paragraphs in a logical and clear way.Your speech must be between 1 1/2 pages to 2 pages.
 * Organize your speech like this:**
 * 1) Intro-Personal background
 * 2) Faith/values background
 * 3) Big Questions/ideas, Core values/beliefs-how do they affect your life?
 * 4) Practices-how do you show what you believe/value?
 * 5) Conclusion-Reflection-how does what you believe show in the kind of person
 * Step 5:** Format your speech like this:
 * 1.5 line spacing
 * 12pt font (Cambria)
 * Title is **//What I Believe//**
 * Heading (Name and Date)

=__**Assignment**__ - Hinduism= Create a **personal Mandala** that shows, in **pictures** and **colors** (not letters, words, or numbers), information about you and your beliefs. Different sections of the Mandala must clearly answer the following in **only** pictures and colors: =__**Assignment**__ -Judaism= Write an eight-line acrostic poem __**in your notebook**__ using the letters in the word 'diaspora'. Your poem should include these things: This is how you should write your poem.
 * What are your religious beliefs? If you're not religious, what do you believe?
 * Where did your beliefs (or non belief) come from?
 * Why do you think the world was created?
 * How should people live?
 * Why is there so much suffering in the world?
 * What happens after we die?
 * one line that tells what the word diaspora means
 * four lines that describe the four central beliefs and teachings of Judaism
 * three lines that tell ways that Jews have been able to preserve and pass along these central beliefs and teachings
 * Diaspora means...**
 * I**
 * A**
 * S**
 * P**
 * O**
 * R**
 * A**