Guide to Learning: Lesson
3
Use this "guide sheet" page to
structure your progress through the learning task. (Buttons for the
various steps are at left, and also below). To get the most learning
benefit, work through the steps in order, and attend closely to the narrative
that accompanies each step.
Introduction
»1» Your Perception of U.S. Demographics (Activity)
»2» U. S. "Religion Stew" (Reading)
»3» Revising Your Notions (Activity)
»4» Describing
Religious Diversity (Reading)
Each person's mental "lens" on the
world sort of warps and wavers aspects of "what is" (as
determined from an academic and authoritative standpoint). This is as
true in the realm of ultimate beliefs as any other.
»Step 1» Your Perception of U.S. Demographics (Activity)
 | Try your hand
at identifying the U.S. mix of religious diversity by envisioning and
recording the
topmost population groupings (nationwide). |
Go to Activity (Step 1)
»Step 2» U.
S. "Religion Stew" (Reading)
|
Study the informational reading, paying due regard to what is known about the
nation's religious diversity (data). |
What's in our nation's religious diversity soup?
Teachers know that Christianity dominates as a major ingredient in the United
States mixture, but the population has many other "ultimate beliefs" groups as well. The
demographics on religion vary widely across the country. Nonreligious persons
too are part of the mix. Any U.S. teacher is likely to have youngsters from any of
these as pupils.
As you read the material, try to build in your mind a picture the
worldview composition of the United States. You want yours to be a
realistic conception of our nation's religious demographics.
Go to Reading (Step 2)
Afterwards:
| Q: Is there any information in the "religion stew" article (or within
material it referenced that you may also have examined) that would cause you to
update your notions concerning of the top belief groupings
nationwide? |
| Q: Have you noticed inexplicable variations in data?
(How confident can you be of the percentages attributed to various groups?) |
Important! Be sure you complete the
reading before you attempt the activity below.
»Step 3» Revising Your Notions (Activity)
| Revamp your understandings if
need be, so that the "big picture" of national religious diversity
you have in your mind accurately reflects recent data. |
Go to Activity (Step 3)
»Step 4» "Describing
Religious Diversity (Reading)
| Using a civic perspective, weigh the merits of a familiar phrase
in light of how neutral it is at depicting the diversity |
This paper presents the problems of using one
phrase alone when at times another can put forth the idea with less
partiality.
Go to Activity (Step 4)
This is the end of
Lesson Three Learning Tasks We suggest
you return to the Lesson 3 Home page and revisit the structure of this lesson.
Then, go
to "Testing Your Knowledge" and: 1) review for your test, 2) take the test, and 3)
self-check the test.
Lesson 3 Home
|
