On a sunny Monday morning in Mrs. Rodriguez’s Third Grade classroom, seven happy students walked in and sat in their seats.

“Good morning class!” Mrs. Rodriguez began with a smile. “Since yesterday was World Religion Day, today we are going to learn all about religion. Can anyone tell me what religion is?”

Six of her student’s hands shot up, but one stayed down.

“Religion is something very important to many people from different places in the world,” Mrs. Rodriguez explained. “Every religion revolves around faith, or belief in things that you cannot see, like Gods or Spirits. These different types of faith create different cultures and worldviews. Religion can also teach practices to live by, like being kind to others, telling the truth, or praying. Different religions also have different traditions, like attending church or temple, celebrating certain holidays, or wearing specific clothes.”

Religion

“To begin our lesson, we are going to go around the room and share some things about our own religions.” Mrs. Rodriguez stated. “I have written some questions on the board and I would like you to share your answers to these questions with the class. Who would like to go first?” She looked around the room and noticed her student Adam raising his hand up high. “Let’s start with you, Adam!”

“My family is from Israel and we are Jewish!” Adam began excitedly. “We believe in one God and he has many names, but most of the time we call Him God or Adonai. We pray three times a day facing Jerusalem, the center of our religion. On Saturdays and on special holidays, we go to the Shabbat service at our local synagogue. My favorite holiday is Passover because on those days we celebrate God freeing our people from slavery.”

“Thank you for starting us off, Adam! Who would like to go next?” asked Mrs. Rodriguez. 

She looked around the room and noticed her student Asumi timidly raising her hand

 “You’re up next, Asumi!”

“My family is from Japan and we are Shinto,” Asumi started shyly. “We believe in Spirits called Kami, which exist inside of everything. We pray once a day at our home altar. We visit our local shrines for special holidays and festivals. My favorite holiday is Shogatu, or New Year’s Day, because a kami enters our home and we get to welcome it together after cleaning the whole house.”

“Thank you for sharing, Asumi! Who would like to go next?” asked Mrs. Rodriguez. 

She looked around the room and noticed her student Rehan eagerly waving his hand in the air. 

“Your can go next, Rehan!”

“My family is from Sri Lanka and we are Buddhist,” Rehan said gleefully. “We believe in Spirits called Devas, and we follow a man named Buddha who achieved enlightenment. We meditate at least once a day in the shrine room of our house. On days where there is a full moon, we go to the local temple. My favorite holiday is Vesak because on that day, we celebrate the Buddha’s birthday.”

“Thank you for sharing, Rehan! Who would like to go next?” asked Mrs. Rodriguez. 

She looked around the room and noticed her student Fatima holding her hand high. 

“It’s your turn, Fatima!”

“My family is from Egypt and we are Muslim,” Fatima began proudly. “We believe in one God and He has many names, but we call Him Allah. We pray five times a day on mats facing Mecca, the center of our religion. On Fridays and on special holidays, we go to the Jumah service at our local mosque. My favorite holiday is Eid al-Fitr because on those days, we celebrate the end of Ramadan, a long period of fasting.”

“Thank you for sharing, Fatima! Who would like to go next?” asked Mrs. Rodriguez. 

She looked around the room and noticed her student Shivansh calmly raising his hand. 

“You’re up next, Shivansh!”

“My family is from India and we are Hindu,” Shivansh said softly. “We believe in many Gods, but the most important ones are named Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. We perform puja twice a day in the shrine room of our house. We visit our local temples for special holidays and festivals. My favorite holiday is Diwali because on that day, we celebrate the victory of good over evil.”