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Please find below curriculum that supplements social studies content standards relating to religion. The content is curated from the #KnowYourNeighbor Back-to-School and Share Your Story social media campaigns. Content is categorized by the following topics:
- Rights of Parents and Students/Bullying Data
- First Amendment Guides
- Creating Inclusive Classrooms
- Teaching About Religious Traditions
Use this material at your own discretion in relation to your state and school district’s social studies content standards.
We hope you will find these resources useful to your efforts. Please give us feedback by writing to [email protected].
Rights of Parents and Students/Bullying Data
| Type of Resource | Description | Audience | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student and Parent Rights in Public School Education | Presentation on legal rights of parents and students in public education | Muslim students and parents K-12 | Islamic Networks Group |
| INGYouth Resource Guide to Bullying in Schools | One pager on student rights and identifying and responding to bullying | Students and parents K-12, focus on Muslim youth | Islamic Networks Group |
| Parent Resource Guide to Bullying in Schools | One pager on parental rights and identifying and responding to bullying | Parents K-12, focus on Muslim families | Islamic Networks Group |
| Know Your Rights as a Muslim Youth at School | One pager on student rights and identifying and responding to bullying | Students and parents K-12, focus on Muslim youth | Council on American Islamic Relations |
| Student’s Rights at School: Six Things You Need To Know | An article by Brian Tashman, political researcher and strategist, with a focus on speech rights, LGBT rights, immigrant rights, dress code, and other issues | K-12 students and parents, focus on immigrants, LGBT students, students of faith, etc. | ACLU |
| Bullying and Bias Against Hindu Students in American Schools | 24 page document analyzing bullying of Hindu students | 7-12 students and parents, focus on Hindu families | Hindu American Foundation |
| American Muslim Poll 2017: Full Report and Key Findings | This report offers a timely and groundbreaking look into the American Muslim community, with statistics on bullying and harassment against Muslim American students | 7-12 students and parents, focus on Muslim families | Institute for Social Policy and Understanding |
| Ten Days After: Harassment and Intimidation in the Aftermath of the Election | This report reviews how in the ten days following the election, there were almost 900 reports of harassment and intimidation from across the nation | K-12 students and parents, focus on immigrants, LGBT students, students of faith, etc. | Southern Poverty Law Center |
| Bullying Prevention Guide | This 20 page resource defines bullying, discusses the prevalence of bullying in schools and provides resources to prevent and combat bullying | K-12 parents, teachers, school administrators and community members | Islamic Networks Group |
| Mislabeled: The Impact of School Bullying and Discrimination on California Muslim Students | Survey of 600+ Muslim students shows bullying at rate twice as high as the national average | 7-12 students and parents, focus on Muslim families | Council on American Islamic Relation |
First Amendment Guides
| Type of Resource | Description | Audience | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your Guide to Religious Liberty in School | One pager on students’ rights at school | K-12 students and parents, families of faith | Baptist Joint Committee |
| The Bible and Public Schools | 20 page document on student rights and laws, legal history of conflicts, what religious materials can be used in classrooms | K-12 educators, parents and students of all religious backgrounds | First Amendment Center |
| Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Schools | 320 page document on teaching about religion in public schools, the impact on classrooms, and guides to understanding and implementation | K-12 educators, parents and students of all religious backgrounds | First Amendment Center |
| Religion and the First Amendment | A lesson plan for students to understand the First Amendment | K-12 educators for implementation and students of all religious backgrounds | PBS LearningMedia/WNET |
| Religious Diversity in the Classroom | Hour long presentation on religious diversity in the classroom. | K-12 educators | Tanenbaum and Teaching Tolerance |
| Religion and Public Schools | Links to an overview and other resources on topics of prayer in schools, evolution, school vouchers and free exercise of religion | K-12 educators, parents, and students of all religious backgrounds | ACLU |
| American Academy of Religion Guidelines for Teaching About Religion in K–12 Public Schools in the United States | 40 page document outlining how to teach about religion in K-12 public schools | K-12 educators and students of all religious backgrounds | American Academy of Religion |
Creating Inclusive Classrooms
| Type of Resource | Description | Audience | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resources-ING Midwest | This resource is designed to link young people, educators, and professional development specialists with curricular and multi-media resources that promote mutual understanding, and inclusive communities and cultural competency. | Educators for implementation, students for participation | ING-Midwest |
| Stand Up and Stand Out | Day of action and resources for students and parents to help schools prevent bullying, including a toolkit | K-12 students, parents, community members of all backgrounds | Tyler Clementi Foundation |
| Cultural Diversity Seminar for Educators | Educator seminar on cultural diversity and fostering an inclusive classroom for Muslim students | K-12 educators, community members, and parents | Islamic Networks Group |
| Know Your Classmates | Day of action to encourage students to get to know one another and nurture healthy relationships | Educators, parents and students, mainly focused on middle schools | Beyond Differences |
| School Climate Resources | Package of tools, protocols and advice for improving school climate and responding to incidents of hate | K-12 educators, parents and students of all backgrounds | Teaching Tolerance |
| Inclusive School Program | Links to several guides on creating inclusive schools, guides for staff, parents, classrooms lessons, student led initiatives, etc. | K-12 educators, students, parents, community members of all backgrounds | Not In Our Town |
| Fitting In Lesson Plan | Lesson plan to explore personal identity, feelings of belonging and exclusion | Educators for implementation focused on 1-6 grade students | Tanenbaum |
| My Traditions Lesson Plan | Students interview their families on traditions and share with their classmates to encourage dialogue and understanding | Educators for implementation focused on 2-6 grade students | Tanenbaum |
| Puerto Rico School Climate Survey | A detailed report examining the relationship LGBTQ students have with their fellow classmates and communities in Puerto Rico | Educators and parents, especially relating to the LGBTQ community | GLSEN |
| New Public School Holidays: Teachable moments that Foster respect | Blog from Debbie Almontaser on the importance of educator awareness and inclusion of minority holidays | Educators, parents and community members of all backgrounds | The Interfaith Center of New York |
| Golden Rules Educational Experiences | Curriculum and other resources for engaging students with multicultural activities which foster greater understanding and empathy | K-12 educators for implementation, students for participation | Arizona Golden Rules Educational Experiences |
| Race: The Power of Illusion | A guide and interactive experience for better understanding race and how it impacts our relations with our community | Educators, community members, parents, students of all backgrounds | PBS Learning/KQED |
Teaching About Religious Traditions
| Type of Resource | Description | Audience | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resources-ING Midwest | In addition to providing resources about Islam that complement the classes of social studies and global studies, including world religions, the site provides K-12 resources that support teaching with diversity and inclusion, challenging stereotypes, discrimination, and Islamophobia | Educators for implementation, students for participation | ING-Midwest |
| Documentary Films on American Religious Life | A list of classroom friendly films to discuss religion with students | Educators for implementation, students for participation | Interfaith Center of New York |
| Novels Set in American Religious Communities | A list of classroom friendly novels and short stories to discuss religion with students | Educators for implementation, students for participation | Interfaith Center of New York |
| Guidelines for Teaching Religion | A guide to discussing religion in classrooms to encourage conversation and dialogue | Educators for implementation, mainly high school students for participation | PBS Learning Media/KQED |
| Civility, Religious Pluralism and Education | Ten page document on the pedagogy of teaching about world religions and lived religions | Middle and high schools educators | Interfaith Center of New York |
| Sharing Best Practices for Creating Inclusive Schools | A webinar featuring heads of organizations sharing best practices for creating inclusive schools and materials for educators, including the #KnowYourNeighbor campaign, Hindu American Foundation, Islamic Networks Group, Beyond Differences | Middle and high schools educators | National Council for the Social Studies |
Multifaith Curriculum
| Multifaith Curriculum: Shared Values Among Faiths | Lesson plan highlighting core values shared by five of the world’s major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam | Middle and high school educators and students | Islamic Networks Group |
| Multifaith Curriculum: Living the Faith | Lesson plan on the five major world religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—and how they are practiced in the United States | Middle and high school educators and students | Islamic Networks Group |
| Resources from Religious Worlds Program | A list of lesson plans, resources for sites visits, student field research, and conversations with faith practitioners. to help expand students’ knowledge of various religions | Middle and high schools educators and students and parents of all backgrounds | Interfaith Center of New York |
| World Religions Exploration | An online tool to learn more about religion, faith, and major world religious traditions | Elementary and middle school educators, students, and parents of all backgrounds | United Religions Initiative |
| Interreligious Understanding Game | An activity to help students challenge their own understanding of faith and learn more about other traditions | Middle and high educators and students | Tanenbaum |
Curriculum on Islam
| Who Are American Muslims? | A lesson plan for educators to lead conversations about American Muslims through video and dialogue | Middle and high school educators, students and parents of all backgrounds | Teaching Tolerance |
| Promoting Understanding: Islam | A toolkit for teachers to educate their students on Islam and answer questions about Muslims | Middle and high school educators and students | PBS LearningMedia/KQED |
| Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes | Curriculum of seven lesson plans, each one of which focuses on a different section of the presentation Muslim Women Beyond the Stereotypes | Middle and high schools history and social studies classes | Islamic Networks Group |
| A History of Muslims in America | Curriculum of eight lesson plans, each of which focuses on different parts of the presentation, A History of Muslims in America | Middle and high school history and social studies classes | Islamic Networks Group |
| Muslim Contributions to Civilization | Curriculum of six lesson plans, each of which focuses on different parts of the presentation, Muslim Contributions to Civilization | Middle and high school history and social studies classes | Islamic Networks Group |
| Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith | Curriculum composed of five lesson plans, each of which focuses on different parts of the presentation, Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith | Middle and high school history and social studies classes | Islamic Networks Group |
| Emir Abd El-Kader: A Muslim Hero for Our Time | Curriculum is composed of five individual lesson plans which accompany the digital presentation titled Emir Abd el-Kader: A Muslim Hero for our Time | Middle and high school history and social studies classes | Islamic Networks Group |
| Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Muslims | Academic responses to difficult questions many have about Muslim Americans, including topics such as general beliefs, Sharia Law, ISIS and Islamophobia | Educators, community members, parents, students of all backgrounds | Islamic Networks Group |
| An Overview of Ramadan and Fasting Presentation | This powerpoint provides an overview of Ramadan and fasting in the Muslim tradition | K-12 parents, teachers, school administrators and community members | Islamic Networks Group |
| Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith Presentation | This powerpoint is a broad overview about Muslims and their faith, history, and contributions to the world and to the United States | K-12 parents, teachers, school administrators and community members | Islamic Networks Group |
| Islamophobia and its Impact Presentation | This powerpoint aims to inform audience members about the problem of Islamophobia, it’s sources and impact | K-12 parents, teachers, school administrators and community members | Islamic Networks Group |
Curriculum on Hinduism
| Understanding Hinduism Toolkit | A guide to explaining common misconceptions about Hinduism | Middle and high school history and social studies classes | Hindu American Foundation |