World Religions and Theology Lesson Plans and Resources

This page was scanned for broken links and updated on 12-12-2023.

This page contains resources and lesson plans for world religions and religious education, including links to sites of particular interest to Catholic educators.

Site Index: World Religions, Religion/History, Geography/Holy Places, Values/Ethics/Morals, Famous People, Holidays, CCD/Catechism, Catholic Education, Homeschool Resources, Bible Study

World Religions Lesson Plans and Resources:
Taking a Closer Look at World Religions
Teaching ideas for grades 6-12 from Teaching Tolerance. For excellent resources on world religions, go to The Major World Religions.

Lesson Plan Ideas: The World Religions
Lesson planning ideas for grades 6-12 from Education World.

How Have World Religions Shaped Who I Am Today?
Five lesson plans exploring the above question from Concept to Classroom.

Discovering World Religions
A 6th-grade unit plan.


Argumentative Writing/Religions of the World Unit
A 14-day unit for grade 6 from the Utah Education Network.

Resources: World Religions
From the NY Times Learning Network.

World Religions
A 6th-grade lesson plan in pdf format.

World Religions, Science, and Beliefs
A lesson pan for middle school and high school from the Pulitzer Center.

Comparative Religion Investigation: What Happens When We Die?
A lesson plan from PBS for grades 9-12.


Introduction to Europe's Languages and Religions
An activity for grades from National Geographic.

The Origins of Christianity
A lesson plan ion pdf format. See also The Origins and Spread of Christianity.

The Roman Empire and Christianity
An elaborate lesson from the Stanford History Group.

Making Sense of the Reformation in 1 Day
A 9th-grade lesson plan.

Catholic vs. Protestant
A comparison chart.

The Mormons
A teachers guide from PBS. See their lesson plan Vote or Veto: How Does Religion Affect Candidates and Voters? and Matters of the Latter Day: Ideas for Addressing Mormonism in the Classroom.

Lessons of the Indian Epics: Following the Dharma
A lesson plan exploring the Ramayana, an epic poem which provides insights into many aspects of Indian culture and the Hindu concept of Dharma.  

Religions of the World: Hinduism
A teacher's guide.

Islam
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 from Discovery Education.

Islam 101 Online Course
An online course complete with tests. See also Five Pillars of Islam.

Islam and the West
An overview and suggestions for study from the Morningside Center for Teaching and Cocial Responsibility.

Islamic Art: Exploring the Visual Arts of the Middle East
A grade 7 unit with three lesson plans.

The Story of the Jews
Classroom resources from PBS.

Blue Monday and Friends: Traditional Jewish Holidays Come Alive Through The Art of Story-Telling
A primary-grade unit.

Classroom Resources
From the Lookstein Center for Jewish Education.

Institute for Curriculum Services
Curricular resources including lesson plans about Israel and Judaism.


The Four Religions of East Asia
A middle or high school lesson plan on the religions of East Asia.

The Central Ideas of Buddhism
A 3-lesson unit.

The Three Doctrines & Legalism
A lesson plan from Mr. Donn comparing Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

World Religions: Buddhism
Information from Education World

Buddhism and the Dalai Lama
A high school lesson plan from Discovery Education. 

Khalsa Kids Teachers' Corner
Classroom resources for teaching about Sikhism. See also Resources Archive -  Sikh Coalition.

Elementary Sikh Lesson Plan
A lesson plan from the Sikh Coalition.

Middle School Sikhism Lesson Plan
See also High School Lesson Plan.

 



 






Religious History Lesson plans and Resources
Christianity Chronology
A timeline. See also A Timeline of Church History.  

From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians
From PBS Frontline, this site looks at Jesus from a historical perspective.

The Roman Empire and Christianity
An elaborate lesson from the Stanford History Group.

The Rise of Christianity
Eight high school lesson plans.

Lesson Plan on the Crusades
A 6th-grade lesson plan.

The Crusades: Voices and Perspectives
An internet-based secondary lesson plan and an assignment exploring different perspectives regarding the Crusades.  See also Letters of Crusaders.  

The Middle Ages

An elementary-grade lesson plan from Discovery Education that includes information on the Crusades.

Muslim Contributions to Civilization
"An interactive curriculum for middle and high school students."

The Hajj: Journey to Mecca
A lesson plan from PBS introducing students to the Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Galileo's Dialogue
A high school lesson plan examining how Galileo's conclusions about the position of the earth in the solar system raised objections from the Church.

Galileo and the Inevitability of Ideas
Another secondary lesson plan. This one concludes by examining Galileo's trial before the Inquistion. See also The Gallileo Project.

The Protestant Reformation
A lesson plan for grades 9-12. See also Making Sense of the Reformation in 1 Day. For additional lesson plans and resources on this topic, go to my World History Page.


Martin Luther
A lesson plan from
the Stanford History Education Group's Reading Like a Historian curriculum.

Simulation of the Trial of Martin Luther
An AP history activity.

Simulation of the Trial of Martin Luther
An AP history activity.

Understanding History, Religion, and Politics in Jerusalem and Beyond
A lesson plan from PBS.

The History of the Catholic Church in Latin America and Liberation Theology
Though this collection of materials is labeled as a "unit," it does not contain complete lesson plans. However, it does include substantial background information, a list of behavioral objectives, a set of questions, vocabulary, suggested assignments, student projects, and a bibliography. Therefore, the site could be quite useful to someone preparing to teach a unit on this topic.

Religious Freedom and Democracy
Readings and activities exploring the history of religious freedom.

Scopes Trial Lesson Plan
A lesson plan Stanford History Education. See also Historical Thinking Matters: Scopes Trial for a 5-day lesson plan, The Scopes Trial Began Today in 1925 for a "calendar event" for grades 5-12. For background information, see The Antievolution Crusade of the 1920s and Clash of Cultures in the 1920s: The Scopes Trial.

Holocaust Lesson Plans and Resources
Many lesson plans from my history page including the Holocaust Teacher Resource Center Lesson plans.

Church and State Separation: The Challenge and Debate
A lesson plan from PBS for grades 10-12.

Researching Religious Peacemakers
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 from the Tanenbaum Foundation.

Mock International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
From Lesson Planet.

Geography/Holy Places Lesson Plans
Jerusalem:
History Of The Holy Land
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 which explores the importance of Jerusalem to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Understanding History, Religion, and Politics in Jerusalem and Beyond
A lesson plan from PBS.

Exploring the Middle East: Hands-On Approaches
Three lesson plans developed during the 2002 Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.

Mapping the Middle East.
A lesson plan for grades 9-12.

Peace in the Middle East
A lesson plan from the World Peace Society.

Prospects for Peace in the Israeli - Palestinian Conflict
A lesson plan from the above organization in which students design a peace plan to resolve the Middle East conflict.


Map and Background Info: Geography and History of the Arabian Peninsula and Overview of Islam
An activity from The Islam Project.


The Temple Mount, Holiness, and Holy Places
A lesson plan complete with Jewish and Israeli source documents.

The Geography of Mormonism
A lesson idea from PBS.

Sacred Places: California Missions from Different Perspectives
An elementary-grade lesson plan in which "students
explore the concept of a sacred place by looking at works of art representing sacred spaces and studying the California missions."

The Hajj: Journey to Mecca
A lesson plan for grade 5-13+ from PBS.

Journey to Mecca
An Educator's Guide.

European Tour: History and Tradition
A high school lesson plan in which students learn about the Vatican and Sistine Chapel.

The Art of the Sistine Chapel
A lesson plan for grades 9-12.

Vatican: The Holy See
Access Vatican museums and archives or find information about the Pope.


Values/Ethics/Morals Lesson Plans
Forming Consciences
A lesson plan for elementary-age students from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. See their lesson plans for junior and senior high school students.

Peace and Aggression: A Challenge of Our Time
An interesting unit examining the morality of war and dissent within the historical context of the Vietnam war.

Non-Violent Protest Through The Ages
A middle school unit examining non-violence and exploring the ideas and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Henry David Thoreau, and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development: Discussion Activity
An activity I used in my Human Development class. It could easily be adapted for use with high school students. See also Moral Development and Gender for a discussion-based lesson plan featuring the ideas of Carol Gilligan.

Activities that Teach Values
Activities complete with worksheets from the Utah Education Network.

The Mystery of the Undiscovered Values
A 5th-grade unit which seeks to foster the development of values and personal integrity through the study of mystery and detective fiction.

What Are My Personal, Family, and community Values
Several activities from Advocates for Youth including Introduction to Values.

Clarifying Values
An elaborate lesson plan.

Virtue in Action Teacher's Guide: A Promise Kept
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 based on former Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weiss' promise to a boy with a brain tumor.

Understanding American Values
A lesson plan for grades K-5 from Discovery Education.

Character Education Lesson Plans
Many lesson plans from Peaceful Solution Character Education Incorporated.

How to Integrate Character Education into the Curriculum
An informative article.

Catholic Relief Services Social Teaching Lesson Plans
Many lesson plans for all grade levels dealing with issues such as poverty, hunger, migration, and peace building.

Argument in an Athenian Jail: Socrates and the Law
A lesson plan for grades 8-12 analyzing the relationship between individual rights and the rule of law in contemporary society through the study of Socrates and the arguments he presents in the Crito.

Working on WMD
A high school discussion activity exploring the values conflict over nuclear weapons.

Critical Thinking with Fables Old and New
A lesson plan for grades 3-12 from Education World in which students think critically about the morals of a variety of fables.

GoodCharacter.com
Character education teaching guides with discussion questions, writing assignments, and student activities for all grade levels plus a number of other resources for teachers. See also Live Wire Media for a nice selection of character education videos.




Famous Religious Figures Lesson Plans
From Jesus to Christ: A Portrait of Jesus' World
From PBS Frontline, this site looks at Jesus from a historical perspective.

Jesus and the Rise of Christianity
A high school lesson plan from Discovery Education.

The Birth of Christ
Four lesson plans from Kids Sunday School Place. See their many other lessons.      

A Note from Jesus
From Resources for Catholic Educators, this junior or senior high school lesson plan allows students to reflect on a scripture passage and invites them to respond by writing a short prayer to Jesus.

Assumption of Mary - Mary as a Disciple
A discussion-based activity. See also Mary is the Mother of Our Church.

Our Lady of Guadalupe
A 6th-grade lesson plan.

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes
Lesson plan ideas for the high school level.

Classroom Activities on Saints
Several excellent suggestions. See also Catholic Online Directory of Saints and Angels.  

Pope John Paul II
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 from the Discovery Education.

Habemus Papam! Pope Francis Lesson Plan
From the Religions Teacher.
Nine Activities and Lesson Ideas to Teach About Pope Francis' Visit to the United States

Change Agent: Examining How and Why the Pope Can Make a Difference
Resources and information from the NY Times Learning Netwo

Mother Teresa
A lesson plan from Learning to Give.

Rainbow and Noah's Ark Craft Genesis 9:8-17
A Bible-based lesson plan complete with printables. It is appropriate for kindergarten or preschool students. See also The Story of Noah's Ark.

Simulation of the Trial of Martin Luther
An AP history activity. See also Martin Luther and the Reformation.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A large collection of lesson plans and resources from my history page.
 
Desmod and the Very Mean Word
A teacher's guide for this book by Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams. See also
Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

A lesson plan complete with substantial background information.

Jewish Clergy in the Civil Rights Movement
A lesson plan from the Jewish Women's Archive. See also Abraham Joshua Heschel, Jewish Heroes Congress and Leader's Guide: Abraham Joshua Heschel's The Sabbath "A Sanctuary in Time."

Islam: Story of Muhammad
A lesson plan for grades 11-12.

Muhammad, Islam, and the World: An Overview
From The Islam Project.

Mohandas Gandhi: The Art of Nonviolence
A 10th-grade unit from Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. See also Gandhi Today for an excellent site with a great deal of information about Gandhi.

Buddhism and the Dalai Lama
A high school lesson plan from Discovery Education.
       
The Teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
A 6th-grade lesson plan from NYLearns. Go to their Educational Resources page to search for other similar lessons.


Shirin Ebadi: Nobel Prize Winner
A reading and teaching activities on the Iranian human rights activist and her beliefs about Islam, democracy, and human rights.

Religious Holidays Lesson Plans
Catholic Thanksgiving Day Lesson Plans on the Eucharist as Thanksgiving
An elementary, middle, and high school lesson plan.


Christmas Traditions
Many lesson plans and resources from Mr. Donn's pages

C
hristmas Tree
Lesson ideas from The Religion Teacher..

Christmas Around the World
Activities and lesson plans from Education World.

L
as Posadas
A lesson plan for kindergarten.

The Christmas Lesson
An ESL/EFL activity.

Feliz Navidad: A Mexican Christmas Unit
An interdisciplinary unit for grades K-2.

The Polar Express
Activities and lesson plans for this Christmas book by Chris Van Allsburg.

Easter Lesson Plan
Though these activities are designed for those who home school, they may also work in non-public-school classrooms.

A Tale of Two Easters
Explains why in most years Western Christian churches and Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on different dates.

Calculate the Date of Easter Sunday
Have your students calculate Easter Sunday dates for all years 326 to 4099!

Easter Theme Page
Lesson plans, arts and crafts. Mostly non-religious.

Rosh Hashana as a Day of Judgment
A middles school lesson plan. See also Lesson 2.

Teaching Children about Rosh Hashanah
Information and suggested activities.

The Chanukah Mystery!
From the Lookstein Center for Jewish Education Chanukah Resources.

Timeline for Hanukkah
A lesson plan for grades 6-8.

Hanukkah, The Festival of Lights
A lesson from Education World. See also Hanukkah Teaching Resources.


Yom Kippur Tefillah
A discussion guide.

Lesson: God's Great Sign (Exodus/Passover Story)
See also Passover Lesson Plan for 3rd & 4th Grade.

A Ramadan Lesson for Middle School
From Bright Hub. See also Let's celebrate Ramadan!

Diwali
A lesson plan for grades K-5.

CCD/Catechism
Saint Rose CCD Religious Education Handbook
See also Saint Maurice Parish CCD Handbook.

CCD Program Parent/Student Handbook
From the Catholic Toolbox.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
Second Edition English Translation from saint Borromeo Catholic Church.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
From the Vatican.

Catechetical Office Resources
See also RCIA for Children.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
Online version from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Resources for Catholic Education
Resources for Catholic Educators
A large collection of resources indexed alphabetically. Take a look at the large selection of lesson plans, worksheets, and activities for Catholic religious education contained within this site.

Engaging Faith
Many excellent lesson ideas and activities for Catholic educators.

The Catholic Toolbox   
Tools for the classroom or home including activities, lesson plans, and worksheets.

The Church Building/Body
A high school lesson plan from the above site in which students reflect on "the language of faith" as expressed through church architecture and liturgical environment.

Catholic Relief Services Social Teaching Lesson Plans
Many lesson plans for all grade levels dealing with issues such as poverty, hunger, migration, and peace building. See also their Global Issues Lesson Plans.

Catholic Lesson Plans
Several lesson plans from the Religion Teacher including Rites of Confirmation.

Forming Consciences and Citizenship
Lesson plans for junior and senior high school from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Catholic Educators Resource Center: Education
Many resources for Catholic educators.

Saint Mary's Press: Activity Resources
Activities for Catholic high school theology teachers.

Christianity and Architecture
An extensive resource for Catholic educators.

Catholic Encyclopedia
An on-line version of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, so don't expect up-to-date information, but a useful resource none the less.

Catholic Information Network
A huge site with information on spirituality, Catholic news, recent church documents, church doctrine, daily readings, inspiration, and links.

Catholic Answers
Answers to questions about the Catholic faith.

National Catholic Education Association

Catholic Online Directory of Saints and Angels
Information about hundreds of saints and angels. A great resource for those teaching in Catholic schools.

Shroud of Turin Website
View and learn about this famous and controversial religious artifact. Scroll to the bottom of the page to the Website Library for history as well as scientific papers and articles.

Vatican: The Holy See
Access Vatican museums and archives or find information about the Pope. See also Vatican City State.

Catholic Online

 

Homeschool Resources
Catholic Scholars Online
Ideas and lesson plans for Catholic education (and particularly home schooling) gathered from a variety of source

Love2learn.net
"Favorite resources for Catholic homeschoolers."

A to Z Home's Cool!
The ultimate homeschooling website with articles and resources that would be particularly helpful to parents who are considering homeschooling their children.

Catholic Homeschool Sites

Links to homeschool  sites.

Catholic Heritage Curricula
A source for Catholic homeschooling curriculum materials.

Bible Study
A Byte of Bible a Day
A lesson plan for grades 10-12.

Bible Lesson Plans
See also Bible Study Lesson Plans.


Sunday School Resources
Free Bible studies lessons, activities, songs, etc.

Kids Sunday School  Lessons
Many Bible-based lessons for both the Old and New Testament.


Bible Activity sheets
Many worksheets in pdf format.

Bible Gateway
Search online Bibles.

Biblical Studies on the Web
A scriptural index and online journals.

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Please let me know if you find any links on this site that no longer function. My name is
Edmund J. Sass, Ed.D.
You can reach me at
esass@csbsju.edu