Lesson 5. Take the 3Rs Oath
Step A. Prepare the Space
- Post the 3Rs Oath. Prepare the cards for the students to reconstruct the grid. Set aside the Closing Ceremony text and the patches.
Step B. Recite Oath
- Recite: Begin in appreciation. Express your gratitude for students taking seriously the challenge of helping to prevent religious-based bullying. Then invite the students to recite aloud and together the 3Rs Oath.
Step C. Follow-Up
- Check-In: Briefly follow-up with the students. Check-in with them about anything that arose from the last session. Share anything you learned in response to the questions they previously asked.
Step D. Reconstruct the Grid
- Reinforce: Invite students to reconstruct the grid, reinforcing their understanding of the vocabulary words–the names of the religions and the corresponding symbols; the names of the people who identify with those religions and the names of the places where they gather. Vocabulary is not enough to become inspire students to become religiously literate. Remind them about the purposes of the exercises: first, to identify the internal diversity within religions––not everyone is the same; and second, people express their identities in both visible and invisible ways; and third, all the places of worship featured in the images are located in the United States, further demonstrating the religious diversity of what has become a nation of religious minorities.
Step E. Officiate the Pledge
Repeat: Ask everyone to raise their right hands and and repeat each line of the 3Rs Pledge.
Step F. In Your Own Words
Reflect: Before distributing the Patches, invite students to take a moment to imagine how they will tell other teachers that they are 3Rs Ambassadors. Ask them to imagine bringing their Patch to another teacher to explain why they are helping to stop religious-based bullying. Ask students to help one another come up with and practice their answers.
Customize Closing Ceremony
Celebrate: We encourage you to customize this celebration by empowering the students to share in their own words what it means to be a 3Rs Ambassador. Use the customs familiar to your setting for awarding and acknowledging students. If helpful, enact the following script for a closing ceremony.
Invite students to form two lines facing one another with space for a walkway between them. Invite the first student to the front of the walkway and shout, “My name is _______. And I am a 3Rs Ambassador because________!” Then the student runs down the walkway to receive their Patch as everyone wildly chants, “Rights! Responsibility! Respect!” Then repeat for each student until everyone had a chance to express, in their own words, why they are a 3Rs Ambassador. Then award them their Patch.
