Common Core SS Standards Addressed Throughout the Reading Packet
Religions
Franceschini
Common Core SS Standards addressed throughout the reading packet:
6H.2.2 Compare historical and contemporary events and issues to understand continuity and change.
6H.2.4 Explain the role that key historical figures and cultural groups had in transforming society (e.g., Mansa Musa, Confucius, Charlemagne and Qin Shi Huangdi
6C&G.1.2 Summarize the ideas that shaped political thought in various civilizations, societies and regions (e.g., divine right, equality, liberty citizen participation and integration of religious principles).
6C&G.1.4 Compare the role (e.g., maintain order and enforce societal values and beliefs) and evolution of laws and legal systems (e.g., need for and changing nature of codified system of laws and punishment) in various civilizations, societies and regions.
6C.1.2 Explain how religion transformed various societies, civilizations and regions (e.g., beliefs, practices and spread of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism).
6C.1.3 Summarize systems of social structure within various civilizations and societies over time (e.g., Roman class structure, Indian caste system and feudal, matrilineal and patrilineal societies).
Common Core Reading Standards addressed throughout the reading packet:
· Locate and cite details, State main ideas and summarize.
· Determine meanings of words and phrases.
· Determine how information is presented (sequentially, comparatively, etc.).
· Integrate and analyze visuals (maps, charts, pictures) etc. with text.
Common Core Writing Standards addressed throughout the reading packet:
· Produce clear and coherent writing appropriate for the task.
· Use technology and internet to produce writing.
· Informative and Explanatory Writing in the context of SS
Unit Vocabulary:
Students should write the bold faced words in their vocabulary journal. They should write a definition and write the sentence as used in context. When possible, a picture, symbol or icon should accompany each
Hinduism
Hinduism-Introduction
Objectives: SWBAT explain how Hiduism began. SWBAT contrast Hinduism with the major monotheistic religions.
6H.2.4 Explain the role that key historical figures and cultural groups had in transforming society (e.g., Mansa Musa, Confucius, Charlemagne and Qin Shi Huangdi
6C.1.2 Explain how religion transformed various societies, civilizations and regions (e.g., beliefs, practices and spread of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism).
6C.1.3 Summarize systems of social structure within various civilizations and societies over time (e.g., Roman class structure, Indian caste system and feudal, matrilineal and patrilineal societies).
Hinduism began over 5,000 years ago. It is the world’s oldest religion. About 80% of all Indians are Hindu. Hinduism was not founded (started) by just one person. It began with the Harappan civilization of India and evolved (changed) over thousands of years with the Aryans. Hinduism also does not just follow one book. It has a collection of prayers and readings called the Vedas. It also has a collection of hymns (religious songs) called Upanishads. The Vedas and Upanishads act as a guide to the Hindu religion.
Hinduism is very different than Judaism, Christianity and Islam. First, both Christianity and Islam worship one God whereas Hinduism worships thousands of gods. Hindus are allowed to choose their favorite god. Second, both Christianity and Islam have only one book, the Bible for Christianity and the Koran for Islam. However, the Vedas are a collection of many separate readings. Lastly, both Christianity and Islam have one founder, Jesus for Christianity and Muhammad for Islam. Hinduism does not have one person who began it. It began with the ancient Harappan culture and evolved over thousands of years.
Essential Questions:
1) How old is Hinduism?
2) Why are the Vedas and Upanishads important?
3) Name the three ways Hinduism is much different from both Christianity and Islam. Hindu temple in india
Four Important Aspects of Hinduism
Objectives: SWBAT explain and summarize the aspects of Hinduism.
Aspect 1
There are four very important aspects to the Hindu religion. The first important belief of Hinduism is that there is one Great Spirit in the universe, which is the creator of all life. This spirit is called Brahman. However, this spirit can appear as many different gods so the Hindus worship thousands of gods. Vishnu is one god. Vishnu is the preserver of all life (in other words Vishnu keeps everyone and every thing alive). Shiva is another god. Shiva is the destroyer of all life. These are just two examples of Hindu gods out of thousands. All of these gods together make up Brahman.
Essential Questions:
1) What is the first important aspect of Hinduism?
2) What is Brahman?
Aspect 2
Hindus believe all life is sacred and all living things have souls. Our soul is like a ghost that lives inside us. A soul never dies. After a body dies the soul looks for a new body to live in. This brings us to the second important Hindu belief called reincarnation. Reincarnation is the Hindu belief that after someone or something dies its soul goes to live in a new body. In other words the soul comes back to life in a new body. It could be the body of a person, an insect, an animal or whatever else that lives. To a Hindu, a spider has a soul just like a person does. One holy animal is the cow. Hindus will not harm or eat a cow.
Questions:
1) What are the first two important Hindu beliefs?
2) What is reincarnation?
Aspect 3
A third important belief of Hinduism is Karma. Karma is the belief that a person’s behavior in life will affect how the soul gets reincarnated. If a person behaves well during his or her life then they will come back to life as someone or something better than before. For example, a person who was a slave might be reincarnated as a farmer. If a person behaves badly during his or her life then they might come back as someone or something lower. For example a person could be reincarnated as a rat or a snake. You are punished for bad things done in your previous life.
Essential Questions:
1) What is Karma?
2) What might happen if a poor person leads an excellent life? In other words, what might they come back as? What would happen if they behaved poorly?
Aspect 4
The fourth important aspect of Hinduism is the goal to reach nirvana. Nirvana is when a soul becomes part of the Great Spirit – Brahman. The goal of every Hindu is to eventually stop the reincarnation cycle of life and just be part of Brahman. This is not an easy task. It takes many lifetimes for the well behaved. Poorly behaved may never reach nirvana.
Essential Questions:
1) What is nirvana?
2) What are the four important aspects of Hinduism?
3) What is the goal of every Hindu?
The Caste System
Objectives: SWBAT ID the different castes. SWBAT evaluate the role of reincarnation in the caste system.
The ancient Aryans put all people into groups. Each group was called a caste. Castes are social groups that rank people into high positions in society and low positions in society. The caste system became part of the Hindu religion long ago. In ancient India there were four main castes. These castes from most important to least important were the Brahmins (priests), the Kshatriyas (kings and warriors), the Vaishyas (landowners and businessmen) and the Sudras (workers- peasants and slaves). Another group of people was totally out of the caste system. These people were called the Untouchables or Outcastes. These people were considered so low in society that no one from the other castes would go near them, talk to them or touch them. They had to do the worst jobs like picking up garbage and cleaning sewers.
Clothes are a symbol of caste
People were born into a caste. You could not move up to another caste or move down to another caste. For example if you were born into the warrior caste you could not move up to the Brahmin caste. The only way to change castes was through reincarnation. Remember that this is the belief that your soul is born again into another body after you die. The Hindus believe that if you live your life as a good person you will be born into a higher caste in your next life. If you live your life as a bad person then you will be born into a lower caste or even an animal or insect.
The four major castes are also divided into smaller castes called jatis. For example within the businessman caste there are many jatis. For example a shoemaker is one jati and a tailor is another jati. A person could not marry or socialize with a person from another caste. For example someone from the peasant worker caste could not marry a person from the warrior caste. The clothes people wore showed their caste and jati.
Essential Questions:
1) Who began the caste system?
2) What are the four main castes?
3) Which group of people was considered so low that they were not even a caste?
4) What role does reincarnation play?
The Caste System Today
Hinduism is both a religion and as social system. The caste system determines where you are in society and the people who you should be with. The castes in which people are born into affect their jobs, friends, and people they marry. You cannot marry outside your caste. However, within the last 50 years some Hindus have tried to change the caste system because many people feel it is unfair. Mohandas Gandhi was the leader of India in the 1930’s. He was one of the first leaders to speak against the caste system. He especially did not like the way the untouchables were treated. By 1950 the government of India passed a law that forbids (not allow) discrimination against people from the lower castes. Discrimination means treating people unfairly because of the color of their skin or because of their position in society.[1] This was especially done to help the untouchables because many Indians treated them very badly.
Even though laws have been passed there is still a lot of discrimination against lower castes. In the big cities there is less discrimination but in the small villages there is still a lot of discrimination against the untouchables. For example the untouchables must drink from different wells and use different bathrooms. Just because a government passes a law it does not make everything perfect right away. Hinduism and the caste system have been around for thousands of years. It often takes a long time to change people’s feelings and beliefs.
Essential Questions:
1) Why do many Indians want to change the caste system?
2) Who was Gandhi? Why was he important?
3) When did the Indian government end discrimination based on caste? Who did this help the most?
4) Why is there still a lot of discrimination against lower castes today?
5) In what way was segregation of African Americans similar to practices against the Untouchables of India?
Buddhism
Introduction
Objectives: SWBAT explain the significance of Siddhartha Gautama. SDWBAT interpret the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Fold Path. SWBAT argue ad justfy opinions about Buddhist philosophy of life.
6H.2.4 Explain the role that key historical figures and cultural groups had in transforming society (e.g., Mansa Musa, Confucius, Charlemagne and Qin Shi Huangdi
6C.1.2 Explain how religion transformed various societies, civilizations and regions (e.g., beliefs, practices and spread of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism).
India was also the birthplace of another great world religion, Buddhism. This religion began about 500 BC. It began with a man called Buddha. He did not believe in the Hindu Gods. Buddha also did not like the caste system. He felt many of the people were not treated fairly. He felt that all people were equal and that everyone must be treated equally. Buddha taught that people should be good to one another. Many Indians liked what Buddha was teaching. The people who began following Buddha were called Buddhists. Although there are Buddhists in India, Hinduism was and still is still the predominant religion in India. Predominant means what most people do or want. About 83% of the people of India are Hindus. Buddhism spread to China and other South and Southeast Asian countries and made its largest impact in these regions.
Buddhism Part 1
Buddhism actually began in India but most of the people of India remained Hindus. However, Buddhism did spread to both East Asia and Southeast Asia and became the predominant (most popular) religion.
A prince from Nepal named Siddhartha Gautama began Buddhism. He began his religion around 500BC. He was a very rich man. He wanted to know why there was so much suffering and pain in the world. Why couldn’t everyone be happy? One day he had a vision. He became very concerned about the poor. He then gave up all of his wealth and began to spread his new beliefs. He then changed his name to Buddha, which means the enlightened one or in other words, the one who knows everything.
Essential Question:
1. Who was Siddhartha Gautama and why was he important?
Complete each sentence:
1. Siddhartha Gautama changed his name to ______
2. Buddhism actually began in ______.
3. Siddhartha Gautama wanted to know why there was so much ______and ______in the world.
Buddhism Part 2
Buddhism is a bit different than other religions. It does not have a belief in a supreme god. Buddhism accepts the Hindu beliefs of Karma and reincarnation, but it rejects the caste system.[2] Buddha was concerned with all human suffering. He did not like the caste system because it kept people in bad situations.
Buddha based his religion on four basic beliefs. He called these the Four Noble Truths:
1) Our lives are full of pain and suffering.
2) Our pain and suffering are caused by our desire to have things.
3) We need to get rid of our desire to have things in order to end our pain and suffering.
4) We must follow the eight-fold path in order to end our desire to have things. (see next reading for eight-fold path)
