KEYS SKILLS

Learning aboutfrom religion

  • Research skills
  • Interpreting information
  • Analysing religious stories
  • Comparing & contrasting different religious stories
  • Evaluating how these stories affect daily life.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  • To gain knowledge of the features of the Synagogue.
  • To understand the features of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony.
  • To evaluate the importance of the Synagogue for Jews.

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This project is equal to six weeks worth of homework and so you are expected to spend 6-10 hours on it in total. This project is to be done by yourself although you can ask your parents and teachers for help.

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Your tasks have been set out to include:

  1. Planning and research
  2. Using ICT, Computers and the Internet
  3. Working independently

How much do you know about Judaism?

Do The Research!!!

Topic 1 – What is the Synagogue?

The Synagogue is the Jewish place of worship. In this

section you will be asked to find out what a Synagogue

is like and what kinds of activities go on there. This will

require you to do independent research using the internet.

For this task you will need to use the following websites:

Rabbi Scheinerman’s Homepage:

Hanley Synagogue virtual tour:

Click on the picture of the Synagogue to go on the guided tour.

Task 1: Learning about the Synagogue

  1. In Hebrew there are three names for the Synagouge. What are these? What do they show about the purposes of the Synagogue?
  2. The Torah is the Holy Book of the Jewish faith. Take the virtual tour of Hanley Synagogue. How do stories from the Torah (which consists of five books Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) feature in the design of the synagogue?
  3. Rabbi Scheinerman’s homepage describes how a typical worship service at a Synagogue happens. In no more than 150 words, describe a Jewish worship service. You must do this in your own words.
  4. Besides worship, what other activities might happen at the Synagogue?

Task 2: Learning from the Synagogue

  1. Rabbi Scheinerman’s homepage gives a list of rules to obey when visiting a Synagogue. Copy and paste this into your work.
  2. Why do you think the Rabbi advises you to follow these rules?

Topic 2 – The Synagogue and the community

Places of worship are often the centre of religious

communities. In this section you will have to find out

about how Jews use the synagogue and how these

actions affect their lives.

For this task you will need to use the following website:

Task 1: Learning about different types of Judaism

  1. Using a dictionary, find out was is meant by the term “denominations”
  2. What are the five different denominations or movements listed on the website?

Task 2: Learning about Reform and Orthodox Judaism

Read the articles on Reform and Orthodox Judaism on the website. These articles are complicated and you may not understand all the words. However, if you read the questions below and pick out the right information you should get an understanding of these two different types of Judaism.

  1. Make a table like the one below. Fill it out with the features of Orthodox and Reform Synagogues that you will not find in Synagogues belonging to the other movement.

Things you will only find in a Reform Synagogue / Things you will only find in an Orthodox Synagogue

Topic 3 – What are the differenttypes

of Judaism?

Within Judaism there are several distinct

Groups who have different beliefs about the

way the Jewish faith should be practiced. In

this section you will be asked to look at how

these groups practice their beliefs in the

Synagogue.

For this task you will need to use the following website:

Task 1: Learning about different types of Judaism

  1. Using a dictionary, find out was is meant by the term “denominations”
  2. What are the five different denominations or movements listed on the website?

Task 2: Learning about Reform and Orthodox Judaism

Read the articles on Reform and Orthodox Judaism on the website. These articles are complicated and you may not understand all the words. However, if you read the questions below and pick out the right information you should get an understanding of these two different types of Judaism.

  1. Make a table like the one below. Fill it out with the features of Orthodox and Reform Synagogues that you will not find in Synagogues belonging to the other movement.

Things you will only find in a Reform Synagogue / Things you will only find in an Orthodox Synagogue
  1. The article on Orthodox Jews says that ‘they believe the entire Torah… was given to Moses by God at Sinai and remains authoritative for modern life in its entirety’. This means they believe they believe the rules of the Torah are the actual word of God. Most Reform Jews do not believe this. How do you think this would make the life of a Reform Jew and the life of an Orthodox Jew different?

The Holocaust

Task- what was the holocaust and how did if have an effect on Jewish people?

The holocaust was a time where Jews were treated badly because of who they were, Jews. Millions of Jews were killed in the 1930,s where many were split up from their loved ones, killed or sent to concentration camps where their living conditions were horrific. Many would say that the Jews lost their identity. Many Jews were killed because Jews were considered to be wealth and run good successful business and Hitler was not happy with this, and therefore Jews were killed on mass so Hitler could gain power.

/ The Holocaust

The Holocaust was the mass murder of six million Jews and millions of other people leading up to and during the Second World War.
The killings took place in Europe between 1933 and 1945. They were organised by the German Nazi party which was led by Adolf Hitler.
The largest group of victims were Jewish people. Nearly 7 out of every 10 Jews living in Europe were murdered.
Most of the victims were killed because they belonged to certain racial or religious groups which the Nazis wanted to wipe out. This kind of killing is called genocide.
The Nazis also killed large groups of people who they thought were inferior. We will never know exactly how many died but there were many millions of non-Jewish victims, including:
The Nazis also murdered politicians, trade unionists, journalists, teachers and anyone else who spoke out against Hitler.

The Nazis did not believe in equality between people. They believed some people were superior to others. In a fair society, all people should have equal rights and equal opportunities. People are not the same but they should be equally valued.

Questions:

1-Define the term equality.

2-Why is it important to have equality in the society we live in today? Give reasons for your answer.

3-What problems may we face if there was no equality?

Give reasons for your answers

Analysing the image.

During the 1920’s the Nazis staged huge gatherings to gain mass support. However these gatherings created peer pressure. This meant that individuals felt pressure to act like other around them

Look at the image below. It is a mass Nazi gathering. It was taken in 1934 in Nuremburg. Look closely at the image to appreciate the fact that the blocks are made up of thousands of people. At the bottom of the image is Hitler with one man on either side of him.


Answer the following questions:

1-What do you notice about the use of straight lines in this image and what might it suggest about the way Nazis should behave?

2-How do you think it might feel to be one of the people in this crowd?

3-In what may does the layout emphasise Hitler’s importance?

Choose with task five or task six.

Using the information already provided the internet and too the following sources you will write a news article for the school about the Holocaust

Things you need to include:

  • When and where the holocaust took place
  • Why this event caused so much suffering and pain
  • The effect it had on Jews and too the effect it may still have on them today.
  • Why is it important that we still remember the events of the Holocaust today and what can we learn from this

You may also like to include your own view on the holocaust, and how it made you feel.

OR

Using the information already provided the internet and to the following sources you will write a news article for the school about the Holocaust

Write a poem or song lyrics in the memory of all those Jews who died during the holocaust. Use the information you have already gathered as well as own thoughts and feels about the Holocaust.

From one year to the next

At the end of the year in Judaism Jews would reflect on the previous year and think about the future year to come.

‘We move along with the rhythms of time, and we constantly change. We differ from other living things in our ability to remember the past and look forward to the future.’

Think about your own life this past year and try to answer the following questions.

1-What are the most important lessons that you have learnt?

2-In what ways have I changed? For the better, for the worse?

3-What are the main things that I hope will happen in the following year?

  1. For my family and friends?
  2. For the world?

Extension-

What are the most powerful words you have heard in the past year?

What words made people feel happy?

What words made people feel better?

Which words do you always want to remember?

ISBL Evaluation sheet

Read and complete this evaluation sheet, it will help you improve your grade.

1: Presentation and ICT Skill

Though we do not award marks for presentation there will be some rewards for the best laid out projects. If you can answer yes to all the below questions you may be in with a chance of winning.

1.Is your work presented clearly and easy to read? (To make sure of this please use just one font and use font size 12 or 14)

2.Does it make suitable use of pictures?

2. RS related Skills

Your ability to use RS skills will determine the level you receive. Use this checklist to make sure you are getting the level you are capable of.

  1. Have I used key religious words in my answers?
  2. Have I explained why creation stories affect the ways believers live their lives
  3. Have I given my own opinions on creation stories and backed them up with good reasons?
  4. Have I found some similarities and differences between religious stories?
  5. Have I described the similarities and differences between religious stories?

3: Your views

Did you enjoy doing this project? Please explain why so we can make changes to future homework projects

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4: Parent/carer’s views

How did you feel your child got on with this project? Are there any things you thought needed to be changed about it? Do you feel that it has helped them to achieve in RS?

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How to send us your work:

  1. Save your work to your computer, USB etc.
  2. Open up your folder
  3. Go onto school website:
  1. students
  2. activity area
  3. myclasslink login
  4. click here
  5. yes
  6. username and password
  7. work post box
  8. Drag your folder across into your teacher’s folder.

i.e.cdupey, jclark, yibrahim, smawson, acleanthos

You can also send us your work by email. You will be shown how to do this in your lesson.

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Edmonton County RS Department The Synagogue Yr 8