Category: Religion

Format: Article

Description: A Teaching Tolerance article on hostile school environments and bullying created by religious ignorance. The article discusses Muslim and Sikh student experiences, and why and how to teach about religious extremism. The article includes an activity at the bottom to help students to investigate religious diversity and the religious extremist minority. The toolkit is religiously neutral and can be used with many different religions with each group of students focusing on one religion and sharing their findings with the class.

Link: https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2015/extreme-prejudice

Format: Article

Description: In this article, Nicole Jenks May discusses the work she and her group of colleagues from different religious backgrounds do to help library staff better serve teens who identify as conservative. The team defines conservative as, “teens who prefer not to read about certain kinds of things—sex, drug use, and teens who are perceived as being bad influences—in their recreational reading.”  The article offers tips for serving conservative teens, advice on  planing inclusive displays,  and highlights recommended titles.

Link: http://www.slj.com/2015/03/collection-development/serving-conservative-teens/#_

Citation: May, Nichole Jenks. Serving Conservative Teens,” School Library Journal, March 4, 2015.

Format: Website, report

Description: This study conducted by PEW, surveyed more than 35,000 Americans from all 50 states about their religious affiliations, beliefs and practices, and social and political views. The website contains an  interactive map and several reports.

Link: http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

Citation: “PEW Religious Landscape Study,” Washington, D.C.: PEW Research Center, 2017.

Format: Learning Module

Description:
A five-part webinar series on teaching religious diversity in a school setting. The series begins by covering legal issues and misconceptions on teaching religion in school, and a discussion on creating a respectful class environment, both of which are available for free on Youtube. The series then contains a module each for elementary, middle, and high school educators; these require a site registration, however the trancripts of the webinars are freely avalable. Each part of the webinar includes a video, and further work like after session packs and helpful articles.

Link: https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/religious-diversity-in-the-classroom