Spiritual education: Lesson plans galore

(Photo by Masae)

"Man plans and God laughs" is an old Yiddish proverb.   However, when "Man's plans" are distilled into spiritual lessons, God might

instead be smiling with approval.

Clicking on to the spiritual-education.org site will yield numerous lesson plans that have an interspiritual focus.  The hearty Welcome on the Home page reveals that these lessons are "for the education of tomorrow's peacemakers – our children" and "are being used by parents and educators all over the world."  The Vision, Mission and Purpose section further explains that  these "children will not be able to live in peace until a majority of the people of the world adopt an all-inclusive view of religion and spirituality."

Not a professional teacher?  Do not dismay – the lesson plans have been designed with you in mind.  They are self-contained in that everything "you need to conduct the lesson, with the exception of some common household items, is contained in the lesson itself."  There are two targeted student groups:  ages 7-8 and 9-10.  Overall topics for both groups are the same and include the following:  The Oneness of God, How to Explore Religious Teachings Without Prejudice, The Relationship Between God and Man, The History and Teachings of the Major Religions, and The Mission of the Prophets.

The History of the Major Religions topic contains lessons on Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, the Babi Faith, and the Baha'i Faith.  A typical lesson contains components such as these:  Learning Objectives, List of Materials, Prayer, Homework Review, Activity and Story (both of which are detailed in the accompanying handouts), Sacred Writing (a Scriptural passage), Homework Assignment, Reflection and Evaluation.

Resources

http://www.spiritual-education.org/main.html

Copyright January 12, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved