Overview – Academic

Lesson Plans & Videos on World Religions

ING is pleased to make its content available online to educators in middle and high schools as well as colleges and universities. ING's online curriculum includes its most popular digital presentations related to teaching about Muslims and their faith: “Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith,” “A History of Muslims in America,” “Muslim Contributions to Civilization,” and “Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes.”

We also provide two of our multifaith panel presentations: “Shared Values” and “Living the Faith,” which address the topics as they relate to five major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Look for more Multifaith topics in the future.

We’re also happy to introduce a new series of lessons on Muslim heroes starting with Emir Abd El- Kader.

These curricula were designed to supplement content standards in social studies and world history and address many of the themes created by the National Council for the Social Studies Curriculum Standards and the National Center for History in the Schools at UCLA. Many of these themes are also addressed in state social studies content standards of leading states like California, Texas, and New York.

Each curriculum includes the digital presentation as well as lessons which accompany the presentation. Each lesson includes notes that describe each slide in the presentation. In addition to the presentation notes, each lesson also includes discussion questions and other activities. The lessons also include links to films, as well as discussion questions about the films. Each lesson concludes with references and suggested resources.

We’re also pleased to add to some of the lessons a recording of a live presentation delivering the topic and material in case this medium works better for your classroom.

These curricula were designed to be used either jointly or independently, depending on the time available and your desired focus. Our mission at ING is to promote understanding through education, increase religious literacy and interfaith engagement, and prevent harassment and bullying in schools. It is our hope that through this curriculum, we can provide balanced information to educators that will help supplement their curriculum in a manner that is relevant, engaging and informative.

What Educators Are Saying about ING's Online Curricula

"This set of curricula from ING provides teachers with a useful set of tools to use in their classrooms when teaching about Islamic history and the global contributions of Muslims. The presentations and supplemental films enable students to see Muslims in a new light." – Dr. Reza Aslan, professor, UC Riverside, and author of No God, But God.

"These curriculums benefit my students tremendously in helping them to come to understand Islam in a fuller way--recognizing the history, complexity, and depth of the tradition. I use these curricula in my dialogue and human rights classes." – Dr./Sr. Marianne Farina, CSC Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Theology, Department Chair of Theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology.

"The curriculum for Getting to Know American Muslims and their Faith covers important points that many Americans are not aware of in relationship to Islam. I commend you on the resources you chose and the PowerPoints you produced. I liked the way you drew connections between Islam and other faiths. Well done!"  Marcella Fox, Carondelet High School, Concord, CA

"I reviewed the Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith curriculum, and it looks very good.  I have used this presentation with ING speakers in my classroom for the last twelve years.  I also like the updates at the end of the presentation on misconceptions about Islam and Muslims, and pluralism." – Michael Steeb, Moreau Catholic High School, Hayward, CA.

"I am excited about these new curriculums in my classroom, they are extremely well-written and organized.  They can be used immediately as a "stand alone" unit or can be added to by the teacher.  The inclusion of an ING speaker, or a video of a live presentation, will only enhance the curriculum." - Judy Smith, Most Holy Trinity School, San Jose, CA.