| Unit | Religious Dialogue |
| Lesson Name | Learning about Lived Religion through Interviews |
| Grade Band | High school (9-12) |
| Required Material/s | Guidelines for Respectful Communication handout
Culminating Summative Assessment handouts: · Interview Consent and Release form · Interview Subject Intake form · Learning about “Lived Religion” Through Interviews handout · Interview rubric |
| Standards / Competencies | CASEL Core Competencies:
· Self-awareness · Self-management · Social awareness · Relationship skills · Responsible decision-making NCSS Social Studies Themes: · Culture Common Core ELA-Literacy: · Speaking and Listening Standards – Comprehension and Collaboration |
| Recommended Time | Culminating Summative Assessment, which can be broken down over the course of 2-3 weeks |
| Essential Question | ● How does respectful communication affirm the lived experiences of others?
● How can we practice communicating respectfully with people of different religious backgrounds? ● How can learning about the lived religion help us recognize and appreciate the humanity of others? ● How can dialogue on lived experience contribute to our understanding of religious identity and diversity? |
| Learning Objectives | ● Use ethical practices to conduct an interview, such as getting consent, gathering information and boundaries through an intake conversation, approval for questions, and following up with a personal thank you message
● Create open-ended and culturally sensitive interview questions that explore beliefs and practices of religion in others’ daily lives. ● Show active listening skills by being attentive, listening without interruption, and asking thoughtful follow up questions. ● Analyze how the experiences of a person practicing a religion compare to the historical context of how a religion developed. ● Reflect on their own personal assumptions and biases in a written reflection. |
| Important Vocabulary | ● Lived religion–a focus on how people practice religion in their daily lives, as opposed to official religions doctrines
● Intake—in an interview, an initial meeting used to gather information, set goals and build rapport. ● Consent—written permission to be interviewed and possibly recorded. |
| Activating Prior Knowledge | Review the Guidelines for Respectful Communication handout
Ask students to give examples of how religion can change over time, focusing on ideas of “lived religion” and diversity. |
| Core Instruction | In small groups, ask students to write down all the important steps to conducting an interview.
Next break students into smaller groups and have each one watch a video that focuses on what makes a good interview. Ask them to compile a list of good takeaways. Have each group share out the ideas.
Suggested videos: Katie Couric on how to conduct a good interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eOynrI2eTM Journalism: How to Lead an Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEdbKoY4wVs How to Ask Great Interview Questionshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCO5WoMJb-U
Next, give a broad overview of the interview assignment, steps #1-8. Give more detailed instructions on Steps #1-3 as a way to break down this major assignment into manageable chunks. |
| Wrap-up | Assign steps #1-3 with a due date. You may consider giving them a week to hand in consent/intake forms to you. You may also give feedback on the interview questions (step 3) before students move on to conducting the interview (step 4). |
| Assessment (if applicable) | Learning Comprehension
See student handouts and rubric for culminating assessment. |
This lesson was designed by Tracey Kassin, a member of the 2025-2026 Tanenbaum Network of Inclusive Educators. Please download to access handouts.
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