Ethics, Religion, and Culture Unit Plan

“The Colourful Map of Values, Beliefs, and Religion”

Marco Carreiro

Concordia University

EDUC 355: Teaching Ethics and Religious Culture

Dr. Recchia

December. 13, 2021

Title of Unit Plan: The Colourful Map of Values, Beliefs, and Religion

Brief Description: The students will be assigned homework previously a few days prior to this
lesson. The homework will involve having the students ask their parents about their religion and
culture, and learning about one, or multiple, objects or places that represent their family. Starting
the lesson, the students will be shown a storybook with visual cartoon designs called “Hats of
Faith” by Medeia Cohan. The storybook expresses ideas on showing the world and its diversity
through the use of different hats and what they represent. The students will then have a short
discussion with the teacher about diversity, respect, and equality. This lesson will be followed by
a group activity where all the students form a circle in the classroom as each student discusses
one big thing (object, activity, tradition, place) that represents their family and their religion at
home. After the show and tell, every student in the class will individually create a piece of either
their religion, culture or individual beliefs through arts and crafts, and stick it on the classroom
board to express how diverse our class and world can be. These lessons will show the importance
of everyone’s beliefs and treating others with respect.

Targeted Age Group: Cycle 2, Grade 3

Targeted ethical themes:

Elementary Cycle Two
- Religious practices in the community:
- Forms of religious expression in the young person’s environment

The students will discuss and express different traditions, belongings, and values that show their
religion and its various forms of diversity. This unit will focus on the variety of religions and
how they can be followed between each individual. It will also focus on diversity and treating
everyone equally with respect because everyone is different.
Title of Lesson: Hats of Faith

Brief Description: In this lesson, the class will be presented a song with cartoon visuals called
“Hats of Faith” by Medeia Cohan. The song will be talking about diversity and how everyone is
different through their physical looks and their mental beliefs. Once the video is finished, the
classroom will be asked questions surrounding diversity and values through a class discussion.

Targeted Competencies and Features:

Competency #1: Reflects on Ethical Questions
- Identifies a situation from an ethical point of view.
Competency #3: Engages in dialogue
- Organizes his/her thinking, Interacts with others, Develops a point of view.

Objectives:
Objective #1: By participating in this activity, the children will identify the subject of diversity
portrayed in the song and participate in dialogue about diversity and equality through their point
of view and what it means to them.
Objective #2: By participating in this activity, the children will listen to and examine new
experiences or feelings about the diversity from other perspectives.
Materials:
- Video of the storybook“Hats of Faith” by Medeia Cohan
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgddCI8zHHA )
- Smartboard/projector
- Journals for students (for the students to note down ideas)
- Pencils
Procedures:
Introduction
- Introduce the students to the topic of religion by asking prompt questions.
- Ex: “Do you follow a religion or culture at home? It can be through traditions like
Christmas or Hanukkah. Another option is that you and your family celebrate
something unique?” and “Do you understand that there are different religions and
cultures in the world?”
- Bring up the storybook with video on smartboard/projector, read the title and creator of
the video and give a brief explanation on what the book is about.
- Play the video for the class.
Development
- Once the video is complete, ask the students discussion-related questions and give them a
moment to write down any questions or ideas.
- Ex: “What do you think the book was about?”, “Do you agree that everyone is
different?”, or “Do you think it is important for us to learn about each other’s
beliefs and experiences? If so, why?”
- I will give the students time to think or listen to other students’ answers.
- As the students are answering, I will answer their questions if they have any before
asking a new question.
 - Once all the students have a chance to speak about the topic of diversity, or respond to
another student’s question, we will begin the transition.
Closure
- Once the discussion is finished, I will ask that all the students use their journal and pencil
to write ideas about an object or place that is of significant importance in their family and
their religion or culture. I will explain that this can be a necklace, it can be a tradition for
supper, it can be at the church, synagogue, mosque, etc.
- I will give my example by saying “This is my bracelet. Everyone in my family has a
bracelet with their name on it. This bracelet represents the culture in my Italian family.”
- The students will be able to write down ideas and draw their object/tradition/place on the
paper to help express themselves (see APPENDIX A).
- I will give them 5 minutes to prepare themselves for the next lesson.
- During the 5 minutes, I will bring in The Special Circle talking sheet (see APPENDIX B)
for the lesson. I believe it helps children focus on the speaker and allows the student
speaking to feel appreciated for that moment.
Follow-up Activity
- Once the students have finished writing and drawing their ideas, I will have them all push
back their chairs and desks to make space for the Religion circle on the floor mat.
- I will have all students sit into a circle on the floor and I will join the circle.
- During the next activity, we will all, one by one with the talking sheet, be discussing our
object/tradition/place that is of importance in that child’s family and religion and have
everyone listening and respecting their beliefs.
Rationale for procedures:
Introduction (10 minutes long)
- I will start with prompt questions to help the students transition into our new topic. I will
also give the students time to think and answer questions if they need to. I will also
remind them that the classroom is a safe space if they are not comfortable on that subject
yet. This will allow the students to listen to others opinions and answers, assisting the
objective.
- I chose this storybook with visuals in order to help the children understand a little more
about diversity and culture around the world. This specific book has great visuals with
strong colours to help the students get engaged and sing along.
Development (5 - 10 minutes long)
- I will ask simple and easy questions to start the discussion allowing time for all students
to think about the song and video they just watched.
- Starting with easy questions will allow students who engage in dialogue less to have the
opportunity to express their thoughts. The questions will become more complex as we
end the discussion, leaving room for the students to think thoroughly and listen to others’
opinions. These questions will allow students to hear opinions and views on different
religions and how they are diversified around the world, as well as the ability to express
their experiences at home. The simple questions and the complex questions will help both
groups of students, those who have difficulty in dialogue engagements and those who
enjoy expressing themselves, assisting the objective.
Assessment:
- Students will be assessed through a formative assessment:
- Engagement in dialogue and conversation by listening and expressing ideas
 - Identifying connections between topics in song and written ideas in journals
regarding religious preferences and expression.
Title of Lesson: The Special Circle

Brief Description: In this lesson, the students will be sitting in a circle meanwhile either
expressing their beliefs, values, and religion at home, or they will be listening to the diversity of
their peers’ and their differences. This will allow the students to engage in a meaningful way,
having all students express what is important to them and their family, as well as learning to
understand that everyone is different but still equal.

Targeted Competencies and Features:

Competency #2: Demonstrates an understanding of the phenomenon of religion
- Makes connections between forms of religious expression and the social and cultural
environment, Considers various ways of thinking, being and acting.

Objectives:
Objective #1: By participating in this activity, the children will identify forms of religious
expression within individuals and understand that everyone is different.
Objective #2: By participating in this activity, the children will express their beliefs, values, and
culture in a religious tradition within an educational and social environment.

Materials:
- The Special Circle talking sheet (APPENDIX B)
- Students’ Journals
- Floor mat

Procedures:
Introduction
- Ask the students if they all had a chance to write at least one big idea down based on the
topic of religious and cultural objects/traditions/places. Make sure the students all have
their papers with them.
- I would also ask the students if they would prefer we go in order of the circle or to raise
their hand if they wanted to present.Once that decision is made, we can continue the
lesson.
Development
- I will start off the lesson by presenting my own important religious object which would
be my necklace. I will explain that my necklace has the golden corn (cornicello cornetto
corno in Italian) as a generational object passed down by my Italian family and culture. I
will also mention that I have a Jesus and Mary pendant as a part of my religion. Lastly, I
will say that this necklace is important to me because my family has been passing it down
for generations and it represents my family’s heritage.
- I will remind all the students that they can be as free or expressive as they would like
during their presentation, but also remind them to listen and show appreciation of others.
- Once I start off with my example, I will choose the next person ready to present and ask
if they would like to stand up or sit down as they present as I pass them the talking sheet.
 - After every person who presents, I will make sure that we all clap and say good job as a
sign of respect, reminding all the students that it is a safe space.

Closure
- Once all the students have presented, I will end this lesson by asking the group questions.
- Ex: “How did you feel during your presentation? Nervous, happy?”,“Did you
learn anything new about others’ values and beliefs?” or “Would you treat any of
your friends here differently?”
- After a few students have a chance to speak their thoughts, I will close the activity by
thanking everyone for their amazing contributions and give one final round of applause to
everyone.
Follow-up Activity
- As we remain seated in the circle, I will introduce them to our final lesson in this unit
which involves designing our personal religious object/tradition/place through arts and
crafts.
- I will show the students the big bristol board labeled “The Map of Values” (see
APPENDIX C) and explain to them that we will be adding our own personal artwork
onto the board to express our beliefs and values.
- Once the full explanation is complete and all questions are answered, I will send them
back to their desks.

Rationale for procedures:

Introduction (2 minutes)
- I believe it is important for the students to understand that we acknowledge them and are
fully listening to them if we sit in a circle because circles have no edges, meaning there is
no one that would be excluded.
- It is also important to make sure everyone is ready and comfortable because the topic
may be tough to talk about for certain students, but it is important for everyone to
understand how diverse we are as a group.
- Allowing students to choose between an order or raising hands is important because
certain students would prefer to not be first. Giving them the responsibility of deciding
certain aspects is great for their development as human beings as well.
Development (20 - 30 minutes)
- Having everyone sit in a circle, listening to others' presentations while having the ability
to look at their writing or drawings is beneficial for many students, including the
presenter. The objective is for children to listen and understand how diverse we are in our
beliefs and identify different forms of religion. Having students listen to others’
experiences can help explore various ways of thinking about religion
- Allowing the students to present their religious elements from home not only benefits
their public speaking but also helps them relate and understand the religious forms of
expression to others in the classroom and the world. Their objective is to express their
beliefs, values and culture, but to also learn in a strong and respectful environment.
Assessment:
- Students will be assessed through a formative assessment:
- Attentive listening of peers and answering questions related to the topic.
- Engage in presentation and explore the reasoning to their choices.
Title of Lesson: The Map of Values

Brief Description: In this lesson, the children will design their own religious element that is
important to them, their family, and their religion through the use of arts and crafts. They will
then add their art piece to the Bristol board labeled “The Map of Values” where all the students
will showcase their presentation about their religious diversity and express their creativity.

Targeted Competencies and Features:

Competency #1: Reflects on ethical questions
- Examines several cultural, moral, religious, scientific or social references

Objectives:
Objective #1: By participating in this activity, the children will explore their own beliefs, values
and culture as they create their artwork
Objective #2: By participating in this activity, the children will identify several references in
others’ religious artwork and ask new questions relating to the topic.

Materials:
- Arts & Crafts bundle packs from Dollarama
- Large Bristol Board (48” x 36”)
- Glue & Scissors
- Pencils & Markers
- Construction Paper

Procedures:
Introduction
- As all the students are sitting at their desk, I will start by explaining the next lesson.
- I will explain that in this activity, I would like them all to design, through arts and crafts,
their religious or cultural element that brings importance to them and their family, as they
had mentioned before.
- I will mention that they can use any of the tools provided, but to make sure their artwork
is not bigger than the size of their head. Also, a reminder to keep everything in the
artwork appropriate and respectful.
- I will also quickly show everyone my drawing of my necklace and the use of colours
around the image.
- I will continue by handing everyone out their materials, and then walking around if
students need help.
Development
- Everyone will be sitting at their own desks, having everyone create their own creative
ideas.
- As I walk around to help students with ideas, I will continue to show the students my
image to help with any ideas or give them confirmation of their own ideas.
 - The students should be making an art piece with a maximum size of their head, and
incorporating as many of the materials as they would like to express their ideas.
- Once all the students are finished, I will ask that they sign their name on their artwork
and give it to me as I glue it to “The Map of Values” (see APPENDIX C).
Closure
- Once all their artwork is glued onto the board, I will have the students go and look at
everyone’s artwork and give them a chance to appreciate all their efforts.
- I will also ask the students to write 1 generous comment about everyone’s artwork on the
board. I will also suggest that if any student has a question about another student’s
artwork to also write it on the board for the other student to answer.
- As everyone views the artwork, and writes their comments, I will have them all
congratulate each other on their masterpieces.
Follow-up activity
- As the lesson ends, I will have my students hang the board collaboratively on the
classroom door before they return to their seats.
- Once they return to their seats, I would allow them to speak toward a peer, read a book,
draw in their journal, or even grab a snack for a few minutes as we mentally return to
class.

Rationale for procedures:

Introduction
- Before starting any lesson, students need to understand what they are doing or they might
start to worry and panic, especially when it is something subjective. I will make sure to
remind them that this is all freedom of expression and I want them to do their artwork
how they want. I will assist them as much as they need, but the majority of their artwork
must come from their beliefs and their heart. The objective of this lesson is to explore
their own beliefs and values and understand why their religious element means so much
to them.
Development
- I believe every lesson needs a balance between written expression and visual expression,
both being forms of art. The students will have had moments to learn and understand that
everyone is different and diverse, but it’s important for them to understand that their
forms of expression are also very different. Having the students create their own artwork
on a piece of their religion, but also viewing others’ artwork and seeing the references to
either their experiences or their peers’ experiences helps them understand the art’s
importance. The students will notice many artworks looking similar or reminding them of
their own religion at home, but it may also bring up new ideas, questions, or thoughts.
The objective of this lesson is to also provoke thoughts and references in the students and
have them become references in their experiences or others’ experiences.
Assessment:
- Students will be assessed through:
- Use and exploration of materials to represent their religious element.
- Unique and thoughtful comments related to a specific student’s artwork.
 References

Québec education program - quebec.ca. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2021, from
http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/dpse/formation_jeunes/ecr
_elementary.pdf.

Albanese, A. (n.d.). Teaching religion in Full Day Kindergarten. Mrs. Albanese's

Kindergarten Class. Retrieved November 28, 2021, from
https://www.mrsalbanesesclass.com/2018/07/teaching-religion-in-full-day.html.

Mrs Cats’ Classroom. (2020). Hats of Faith - Medeia Cohan - YouTube.

Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgddCI8zHHA

Recchia, H. (2021). EDUC 355: Teaching Ethics and Religious Culture. Concordia
University.
APPENDIX A
 APPENDIX B

Caption: (The Special Circle talking sheet in Lesson 2) (inspired by:

https://www.mrsalbanesesclass.com/2018/07/teaching-religion-in-full-day.html ; Created by
Marco Carreiro)
 APPENDIX C

Caption: (The Map of Values Bristol board for classroom in Lesson 3) (Created by Marco
Carreiro)