URI Kids - Activities
URI Kids - Activities
Encountering Others: Guest Speakers
Objective:
To "attach a label with a
person". To give students the opportunity to explore in depth the experience of
a practicing religious person, and to get some of their more complicated
questions answered.
Materials:
You will need to do some
research as to possible speakers. Think about people within the organization
with which you work. Also look into local spiritual leaders. You will also need
to do some preparation with the students.
The Lesson:
Review with students the
important information about the religion that the guest practices. Discuss
appropriate questions and talk about how to take notes while listening well.
The speaker could talk with the students for a length of time, and then take
questions, or perhaps they could do a more interactive activity, especially if
your students are young. It can be very effective to actually do a ceremony of
some sort, i.e., a short Passover Seder, a song in Arabic, etc.
Follow-up/Assessment:
Ask students to reflect on what
they learned, what surprised them, and what they still have questions about.
This could be in a discussion or in writing. Make sure your group writes a
thank-you note to the guest. Their reflections will help you get an idea of the
depth of their knowledge about the person and their practice.