Elementary (Grades 3-5)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

• Have chart paper, markers, and masking tape.

• Have a set of index cards on which the names of the following religious traditions are printed (one tradition per card): Roman Catholic, Baptist, Amish, Mennonite, Quaker.

• Print on chart paper the following words and leave space to write in a definition for each: immigrate, persecution, migrant, prohibit.

• Print on chart paper: The Constitution of the United States established America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia

• Print on chart paper: Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

• Have copies of the reading passage The Search for Religious Freedom, one for each student with additional copies as needed.

• Have copies of the Research Assignment, one for each student with additional copes as needed.

• Provide internet access and/or access to reference materials for research.

CASEL Core Competencies

• Social Awareness: perspective taking, appreciating diversity, respect for others

• Relationship Skills: communication, social engagement, relationship building

• Responsible Decision-Making: analyzing situations, problem solving, evaluating, reflecting

Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards

• Speaking and Listening

• Reading Informational Text

• Writing

NCSS Social Studies Themes

• Culture

• Groups and Organizations

• Civic Ideals and Practices

• Understand the meaning of the words immigrate, persecution, migrant, and prohibit

• Identify groups of migrants who left Europe to come to North America seeking religious freedom

• Describe the kinds of persecution that made different religious groups leave Europe

• Identify how they would feel if they were persecuted for their religious or non-religious beliefs and explain why they would have these feelings

• Explain why they think freedom of religion was included in the First Amendment to the US Constitution

• Immigrate

• Persecution

• Migrant

• Prohibit

Note to the Teacher:

Depending on the grade level of the class, you may wish to share
the paragraph below to explain what the Bill of Rights is to students:
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It
spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It
guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual— like freedom of
speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and
reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the
people or the States. And it specifies that “the enumeration in the
Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or
disparage others retained by the people”

(From America’s Founding Documents https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights/what-does-it-say).

Day 1

Depending on the grade level of the class, ask for a student volunteer to read the definition of the US Constitution aloud or read it aloud yourself. Ask the class to give some examples of some of the basic rights US citizens have. List them on chart paper. (Younger students may need some prompts.)

Display the chart paper on which the First Amendment is written. Read it aloud and ask students which rights they listed are in the First Amendment and which they didn’t remember.

Ask the class what connections they see between the three rights listed in the first amendment – freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press.

Show the class the list of vocabulary words on the chart paper. Engage students in providing a brief definition of each word and add the definition on the chart paper.

Distribute a copy of the reading handout to all students. Read aloud the passage to the class as they follow along with their copies. Recap the meaning of each vocabulary word as you come to it in the passage.

Ask: What kinds of things do you think were done to people like
the Pilgrims, the Puritans, and the followers of John Winthrop who were
persecuted for their religion? Chart responses on the board.

Say to the class: There were people of other religious beliefs
who were also migrants to North America to escape religious persecution
— Roman Catholics, Baptists, Quakers, Amish, and Mennonites.

Divide the class into five groups of four students per group. Ask a representative from each group to pick a card out of an envelope so that each group has one of the five religions.

Provide all students with the Research Assignment. Review the questions with the class and tell students to begin answering the questions at home individually.

Tell students that on Day 2 they will meet in their groups to compare their answers and may use the internet and/or reference books to answer questions they were not able to answer for homework or to check their answers.

Day 2

Schedule a library visit during which students will have access to the internet and reference books, or provide laptops and reference books in the classroom.

Provide each group with a piece of chart paper (Chart #1) and markers on which they will list:

• The name of the religion

• The colony (now US State) they settled in

• The country or countries they came from

• The reason(s) they left their homeland

On a second piece of chart paper (Chart #2), each group will list:
The feelings members of the group would have if they were persecuted for their religious or non-religious beliefs
Provide each group with wall space to post their two chart papers.

When all groups have posted their two charts, read aloud each group’s Chart # 1 then read aloud each group’s Chart #2.

Ask: What similarities do you see in the lists of feelings you would have if you were persecuted for your religious or non-religious beliefs?

Why do you think you would have these feelings (Encourage members of each group to provide their ideas.)

When you consider the feelings you would have and your reasons for them, why do you think the founders of our country put freedom of religion in the First Amendment?