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.