Religions and Beliefs of Ireland

Overview

This project guides teachers and students in an exploration of some of the religions and beliefs of Ireland. It provides suggestions for organising the project, fact files on the different religions/beliefs, lesson plans and references.

There are 3 phases in the project:

Phase 1: This involves teacher presentations and student research. The different religions/beliefs are explored: History, Beliefs, Customs and Attitudes, Places of Worship, Artefacts and Holy Books.

Phase 2: Visiting places of worship/meetings place and interviewing representatives from different religions/beliefs or inviting representatives to the school.

Phase 3: Bringing it all together through classroom activities and by preparing the project work, publishing it on a website and presenting it to the class.

Rationale

• I first did this project with my class in 1990. Since then Ireland has become a much more multicultural society. Undoubtedly, this project goes a long way to contributing to an increased awareness and appreciation of diversity.

"Where children are not given the facility to study adequately the history and traditions of sections of society which belong to a different culture and religious ethos from their own, they cannot easily acquire the understanding and appreciation of these groups which will be necessary if they are to live and work harmoniously with them in later life". (Irish Episcopal Conference, 1976, Directory of Ecumenism in Ireland, paragraph 55)

• Doing project work encourages independent learning and the development of good communication skills. It provides opportunities for students to filter the information they have obtained in the classroom and to explore feelings, beliefs and attitudes in relation to these facts.

Objectives

Through active involvement in this project students will:

• learn about some of the different religions and beliefs in Ireland
• develop an awareness of different cultures and traditions
• begin to appreciate and respect diversity
• develop skills - interviewing, listening, observation, communication, research, planning, decision-making and organizational
• develop self-confidence
• work independently and in teams
• present the information they have gathered in an interesting and attractive way so that other people can learn from it
• use ICT to enhance their project work.

Integration

This project integrates well with other areas of the curriculum.

• Reading/Study Skills - using reference materials, reading about religions, seeking out new material/references.
• Writing - project work (display techniques), factual and creative writing, notetaking, form filling.
• Maths - graphs to represent facts, statistics, drawing comparisons in mathematical terms.
• Gaeilge - scéalta faoi naomhanna in Eirinn, Lá Fhéile Bríde, La Fhéile Phádraig. Na hainmneacha Gaelach sa tír atá baint acu leis an reiligúin.
• Geography - Looking at where religions/beliefs originated, special places for different religious groups, maps showing predominant religion/belief etc.
• Stories - about religions and people from around the world
• Art and Craft - sketching, rubbings, painting, model building, designing, making cards, etc.
• Language Development - asking questions, reporting back, discussing, debating etc.
• Effective Listening and good communication techniques
• History - looking at the origins and development of various beliefs, exploration of graveyards etc, artefacts and what they symbolise.
• Drama - role play.

Using ICT

Computers, digital cameras, sound recorders and scanners are great resources for the project. The students take photos, scan images, type their reports and place them on the internet. Research can be done through visiting other web sites and using cd rom encyclopedias. Work published on the internet by one class can be a resource for other classes in the school. Powerpoint presentations are also easy to prepare and are an effective way to present project work. Worksheets and information sheets can be downloaded in word format and used in the classroom. The project can easily be adapted to meet the technology available in schools and provides a framework for the integration of ICT into curricular areas.

Teachers' Materials

• Fact sheets about each religion/belief - in word format for ease of printing and photocopying
• Guidelines for organising visits to places of worship/meeting places
• Organising a visit to the school by a representative of a religion/belief
• 4 lesson outlines with accompanying worksheets.

Student Guidelines

• A guide for the student for each stage of the project.

Reference Materials

• Names of books
• Useful websites
• Lists of contacts in Dublin