1. Celebrations With your class, talk about different ways families celebrate important events such as the birth of a child, becoming an adult, weddings, the New Year and other holidays. Think about a special event that is celebrated in your family. Write down the answers to the following questions. (These questions are known as The 5 Ws and How. All newspaper stories answer these questions.) Who celebrates this special event? Where do you celebrate? What are you celebrating? Why is this celebration important? When does the celebration take place? How do you celebrate? Use your answers to write a paragraph or two about the celebration. Add a picture. 2. Special Events Find a newspaper picture about someone who is celebrating. Who is in the pictures, and what are they celebrating? Is it something that is celebrated by many people, or just by this individual or group? How are they celebrating? Write a sentence or two describing the picture. 25
3. Birth Notices Parents sometimes place a birth notice in the newspaper to celebrate the arrival of a new baby. Read some newspaper birth notices to find out the kinds of information they include. Write a birth notice for yourself, as it might have appeared after you were born. Now read a story about the birth of Jesus or another religious figure. Write a birth notice for him as it might have appeared in a newspaper at the time. Follow-up: Using newspaper obituaries (death notices) for style, write an obituary for Jesus or another religious figure as it might have appeared following his death. 4. Holidays As a class, create a list of important holidays celebrated by various religious groups (e.g. Christmas, Passover, Ramadan, etc.) From the list, choose one celebration from a religion with which you are unfamiliar. Find out as much as you can about this holiday, and write a news story about it. Remember to include answers to the 5 Ws and How. If possible, interview someone who celebrates this holiday and include a quotation or two about what the holiday means to him or her and how the family celebrates. 26
5. Traditional Food Many religious holidays are celebrated with special foods. As a class, discuss why you think food is such an important part of many celebrations. What special foods are part of your family s celebrations? Why? In the newspaper, find a recipe for a holiday dish. Prepare the recipe and share it with the class. Follow-up: Discuss why you think other religious holidays such as Ramadan involve abstaining from food and drink. 6. What s On Newspapers include listings of cultural and religious events happening in your community. They might list times for church or temple services, for instance, or a concert by a gospel choir, or a lecture by a visiting religious leader. With a partner, create a What s On listing of religious activities or cultural events influenced by religion that are happening in your community in the coming weeks. Compare your list with those of your classmates, and create a master list to post in the classroom. 27
7. Buildings & Momuments Identify various religious buildings and monuments in your community. Choose one, and learn as much about it as you can. Design a travel ad encouraging tourists to visit this site. Include a brief history of the building or monument, where it is located, why it is important, what makes it special, etc. Add a picture. Before you begin, examine newspaper travel ads for design ideas. Follow-up: Create a travel ad or write a travel story about a religious building or monument in another country. 8. Music Music is an important part of many religions, and religious music has inspired many of our most famous classical and contemporary composers. With your class, make a list of all the kinds of music you can think of that have been inspired by religion. Do you know of any current singers who got their start singing religious music? Listen to several pieces of religious music. Now, individually, listen to a CD of music that has been inspired by religion. What do you feel and think about as you listen? Write a newspaper-style music review of the CD. Include the name of the musician(s), the style of music, what you think of it, etc. Would you recommend it to a friend? Why or why not? Examine some newspaper music reviews for style. 28
9. Art Pretend an exhibit of religious artwork has come to a local museum. You are the newspaper s art critic, and have been asked to review one of the masterpieces. Choose a painting, drawing or sculpture with a religious theme, and write a newspaper-style review of it. Who is the artist? When was it created? What does it represent? What do you think of it? Read some art reviews for style. 10. Clothing Follow-up: Follow news stories in which religious clothing is the source of conflict (e.g. the wearing of a hijab while playing sports). Try to identify both sides in the conflict. Those who belong to various faith groups often wear special religious clothing. Divide the class into groups, with each group researching the special clothing worn by a particular faith (Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Natives, etc.). Show your results in the form of a newspaper fashion page. Include a description of each article of clothing, its history, what purpose it serves, who wears it, etc. Examine the newspaper s fashion section for design ideas. Share your newspaper page with the rest of the class. Discuss why you think different faith groups wear different kinds of clothing. Why might the clothing change over time? What are the advantages and disadvantages of wearing religious clothing? 29
11. Native Spirituality Before Europeans brought Christianity to Quebec, the land was inhabited by native peoples who led a rich spiritual life. Native spirituality is based on the belief that all forms of life are inter-connected. The greatest importance is placed on the land, Mother Earth. Find newspaper articles showing that man is or is not showing respect for the natural environment. With your class, discuss the attitudes towards nature that human beings are showing in these articles. Do you agree or disagree with the way they are behaving? 12. Historical Figure Follow-up: Use your partner s answers to write a newspaperstyle profile of the religious figure. Start with the most interesting or important thing you learned about this person. Include facts about his or her life, main accomplishments, any controversies, etc. What affect did this individual have on the lives of the people of Quebec? Pretend you are a journalist sent to interview a religious figure from Quebec s Catholic past. List 5-10 questions you would like to ask this person. With a partner, gather information about the historical figure from your library or the internet. Use your questions and the information gathered to role play an interview, with your partner acting as the historical figure. 30
13. Catholic Heritage Until the late 1950s, the Catholic Church had a strong influence over all areas of Quebec life, from politics and education to culture and family life. Evidence of Quebec s Catholic heritage is still all around us. Look around your own community. What evidence can you find of Quebec s Catholic heritage (churches, hospitals, street names, museums, cemeteries, religious symbols, music, etc.)? Write a news story sharing your findings. Add pictures and a headline. 14. My Class During the past 50 years, more and more immigrants have come to Quebec from other countries, bringing with them many different religious traditions Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, etc. How many different religious traditions are represented in your class or school? Design a questionnaire and carry out a survey. Use the results to write a newspaper story about the diversity in your class. Include a graph or other illustration. 31
15. A Different Faith Interview an adult from a faith that s different from yours. Before you begin, write down 5-10 questions you want to ask this person. (When you are talking with him or her, you don t have to stick to these questions, but they give you a starting point.) Write a newspaper feature story about this person and his or her faith. (A feature story starts with the most interesting information, and contains more description than a regular hard news story.) 16. Religious Diversity Imagine that you are a journalist visiting a very special school. Each class consists of students from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, along with students who have no religious affiliation. Everyone celebrates different holidays, has different prayer rituals, wears different clothing, etc. The goal is to learn, work and play together in harmony. Discuss with your class: What would be the advantages of such a school? What would be some of the problems? What rules would have to be established to make sure that everyone gets along and learns as much as possible? Write a newspaper column (opinion piece) about the benefits and challenges of this special school. Remember, a column allows you to include not only the facts, but also your thoughts and feelings about those facts. Read several newspaper columns before you begin. Note: In The Gazette, columns tend to include a photograph of the columnist. 32
17. Religious Conflict Sometimes religious diversity can lead to conflict. Find a news story that provides an example of religious conflict and discuss it with the class. What is the conflict about? Who is involved? What does each side of the conflict claim? Do you think the conflict could be resolved if each side listened to and understood the views of the other? Why or why not? Make a list of possible solutions to the conflict. 18. Dear Annie Imagine that someone in your class is being bullied because of his or her religion. Why might the bullies be picking on this student? How do you think it makes the victim feel? Write a letter to Annie s Mailbox asking for advice about how to help resolve this situation. Give your letter to a classmate to answer. 33
19. 10 Tips With newspaper items for inspiration, list 10 things we could do to become more tolerant and respectful of the religious beliefs and practices of others. 20. Leaders Follow-up: Do you think the current leaders will have a long-lasting influence on their followers? Why or why not? Write an editorial to explain your views. Remember to back up your opinions with facts. With a group, choose one of the great religious leaders (e.g. Jesus, Abraham, the Buddha, Muhammad, or a religious leader from Quebec s past). Find out as much as you can about what made this individual a great leader, and make a presentation to your class. When all the presentations are complete, list the qualities these religious leaders had in common. Now find newspaper coverage of some of today s leaders. List their leadership qualities. How do they compare with the qualities of the great religious leaders of the past? Write an essay to explain your views. 34
21. Quote of the Day The front page of the newspaper often includes an inspirational quotation of the day. As you learn about the teachings of various spiritual leaders, list a series of 5 inspirational quotes that you think would be suitable for the front page of the newspaper. The quotations should apply to everyone, not just individuals of a particular faith. 22. Obstacles Follow-up: Do you know anyone who has overcome difficult challenges in their life? Share the story with your group. What can you learn from such stories? Many religious leaders overcame great obstacles in their lives. They suffered everything from the death of loved ones to ridicule, persecution and physical attacks. As a class, discuss some of these obstacles. How did these leaders respond to the challenges? In the newspaper, find an article about someone who has overcome great obstacles in his or her life to achieve something special. What were the obstacles? How did this individual overcome them? 35
23. Community Service A common theme in religion is service to others. Discuss why you think this is so. Do you think all people have an obligation to help those who are less fortunate? Why or why not? Why do you think some people don t help, even if they are able to? Find a news story about a person or group who is currently helping people in need. Share it with your class. What do you think motivates this person or group? How is it making a difference to those in need? Follow-up: Make a list of things you already do to help others (e.g. tutoring a younger child, carrying a neighbour s groceries). When you are finished your personal list, brainstorm, as a class, a list of things one could do to help others on a daily basis. You could also contact a local community service group and find out how young people can help. Post the information in your school. 24. Inspirational Movie Pretend you are a filmmaker turning a story from the Bible or another sacred book into a movie. Outline the plot. (Use the 5 Ws and How.) What is the main thing you want the viewer to learn from this movie? Who would you cast in the leading roles? Why? Create a newspaper ad for the movie. Use movie ads from the entertainment section for design ideas. 36
25. Ten Commandments As a class, list the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament. Break into smaller groups, and look for news stories that show someone breaking or keeping one of the Commandments. Rewrite the lead paragraph of each story, emphasizing the commandment it deals with. 26. Timeless Themes Many stories from the Bible, the Torah, the Qur an and other sacred writings deal with themes that are still very relevant today e.g. good/evil, generosity/greed, peace/war, justice/injustice, tolerance/prejudice, compassion/jealousy, honesty/dishonesty, success/challenges, etc. Choose a story from the Bible or from other sacred teachings. List the themes dealt with in the story. Now find one or more stories from the current newspaper that deal with the same theme. What are the similarities and differences? 37
27. Good and Evil Divide a large sheet of paper in two. On one half, write Man is good. On the other, write Man is evil. From today s newspaper, paste or list items that might demonstrate one statement or the other. Are there some news stories that could go on both sides? Why? If you were to use the newspaper as your only source, would you think that man is basically good or evil, or a combination of the two? Why? Does the newspaper reflect all aspects of real life? Why or why not? 28. Justice According to the Bible, the main charge against Jesus was that he claimed to be King of the Jews. Under Roman law, anyone who claimed to be a king was guilty of treason against the emperor, and the standard punishment was crucifixion. Discuss how our justice system compares with justice in the time of the early Christians. What do you think would happen to Jesus today? Write a newspaper story as it might apear if Jesus were alive today. 38
29. Eye for an Eye Follow-up: Discuss Gandhi s idea that an eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind. Explain the quote and give examples of situations that help illustrate it. Using examples from the newspaper, write an essay contrasting the Old Testament notion of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth with Jesus commandment to turn the other cheek. 30. Walk a Mile A Native-American proverb advises: Never judge other people until you have walked a mile in their moccasins. With a group, discuss how this saying could apply to a story in today s newspaper. 39
31. Other Faiths Follow-up: Discuss the effect that the support of well-known people such as movie stars has on faiths like Scientology or Kabbalah. Research one of the lesser-known faiths, such as the Bahá í Faith, Hare Krishna, Jainism, Rastafari, Sikhism, the Wiccan Church, Zoroastrianism, etc. Write a news story explaining the origins, beliefs, practices, etc. of this faith. Remember to include the 5Ws and How. Share it with your class 32. Creation, etc. Use newspaper words and pictures to create a collage illustrating a religious or spiritual theme such as creation, faith, grace, salvation, peace or love. 40
33. Meaning of Life Follow-up: Watch any other movie you think deals with one of life s big questions. Write a review of the movie as it might appear in a religious or spiritual publication. Filmmakers have long explored some of the big questions of life, such as: Where do we come from? Is there life after death? Is man basically good or evil? Why does man have to suffer? What is salvation? What is man s destiny?, etc. Examine the movie ads and reviews in today s newspaper and identify any movies dealing with these or related themes. What question(s) do you think the filmmaker is trying to answer? If possible, watch one of these movies to find out what answers the film proposes. Are they plausible? 34. Controversy Use the newspaper and other sources to prepare a presentation (oral or written) on one of the following controversial topics (or a related topic of your own, approved by the teacher). Use information from a variety of faiths. Try to make your report as objective and balanced as possible. The role of women in religion Religion and war Religion and politics Reasonable accommodation of religious minorities 41
35. Religious News With a group, design a four-page newspaper based on religious books or stories from the past. Include news articles, opinion pieces, ads, entertainment, sports, etc. For example, of you choose the Book of Exodus from the Old Testament, you might include news stories about the escape of the Israelites from Egypt and how they received their laws; a profile of Moses or the Pharaoh; an editorial about whether or not the parting of the Red Sea was a miracle; a travel ad for Mount Sinai; a weather report; a horoscope for the Israelites; and a Help Wanted ad for a chariot driver. 36. Future News Create the front page of a faith-based newspaper as it might appear 100 years from now. Include news stories about the religious or spiritual issues you think will be important then. 42
37. Keeping Up Some religious institutions are trying to keep up with the times and attract young people. A recent newspaper ad, for instance, described a temple s services as free and fun, and a news story told about a church hiring fashion designers to give their statue of the Virgin Mary a make-over. Do you think these initiatives will make a difference in keeping or attracting young people to religion? What else do you think religious institutions could be doing? Create an editorial cartoon or cartoon strip showing how you think religious institutions could adapt to today s world. 38. Crossword Examine crossword puzzles in the newspaper to see how they are created. With a partner, list 15-20 important words from your study of religious culture (Hinduism, Buddha, monotheism, ritual, crucifix, etc.). Write a definition for each word. Create a crossword puzzle using your words. Give it to another pair to solve. 43
39. Show You Know Over a period of several months, gather the newspaper articles dealing with religion and spirituality that have been discussed in class. Use the information to create a quiz show for your classmates. Come up with a name and a format for your show. Challenge your classmates to compete. 40. Religion Today Follow-up: Write an editorial expressing the opposite point of view. What did you learn from this exercise? Do you think religion has a place in today s world? Why or why not? Write a newspaper opinion piece about the value of religion in today s world. Use issues and events in the news to support your views. 44