Elementary (Grades 3-5)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

• Have chart paper and markers.

• Have a map of the world.

• Have copies of the Stories of Creation handout, one for each student, with additional copies in case needed.

• Have copies of books and reference materials and access to the internet for research.

CASEL Core Competencies

• Self-Awareness

• Self-Management

• Social Awareness

• Relationship Skills

• Responsible Decision-Making

Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards

• Reading Informational Text

• Writing

• Speaking and Listening

NCSS Social Studies Themes

• Culture

• Individuals, Groups and Institutions

• Explain what a creation story is

• Give examples of creation stories from different cultures and different religious beliefs

• Compare and contrast creation stories from around the world to the creation story from their religious or non-religious belief

• Explain why it is important to know about creation stories that are different from their own

Day 1

Ask: By a show of hands, who can tell the class a story about the
creation of the world? Ask two or three volunteers to say where they
learned the creation story, if the story is written in a book, and if
so, what is the name of the book. (Chart responses on the board or a piece of chart paper.) Ask students if they know how many religions share this creation story (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).

Post a blank “Stories of Creation” chart at the front of the room. Fill in the first row with the information students have provided in the opening.

Ask students if they know of any other creation stories. If so, put the student’s information in the chart. If some information is missing, let that column remain empty.

Ask students if they know the creation stories of the Ancient Greeks or the Ancient Egyptians. If not, add these two to the column titled Culture/Location.

Repeat the question for the creation stories of the following societies:

• The Maori people of New Zealand

• The Yoruba people of Nigeria

• The Norse people of Scandinavia and Iceland

• The Huron Native Americans

• The Blackfoot Native Americans

• Ancient China

• Ancient India

• The Aztec people of Mesoamerica

(Versions of these creation stories for your reference or use in class can be found in the resources listed in the Note to the Teacher at the top of this lesson.)

When each of these cultures’ stories are listed on the chart, ask for two or three volunteers (depending on the size of the class) to research each story so that they can write down notes, tell the story to the class and complete the chart. On a separate piece of chart paper, list the two (or three) names and the story. (Note: Depending on the size and grade level of the class, the teacher may wish to assign fewer stories and make the groups larger. If fewer stories are used, make sure that the ones chosen come from different locations from around the world.)

Provide students with access to books, reference materials and the internet to conduct their research. Circulate around the room to assist student dyads or triads as needed.

Day 2

Ask each dyad or triad to come to the front of the class and tell the creation story they have learned about. Ask the students where in the world the story came from and put an adhesive dot on the location on a world map.

After all dyads or triads have reported, ask the students what similarities and differences they see in the various creation stories. Ask students what they know about the geography of the regions where the stories came from. Ask students what impact the land where people live might have on the stories of creation they tell.

Ask: Why do you think different cultures have different stories
about how the world was created?