Grade Level/Unit:

• Grade Seven: The Growth of Islam

H/SS Content Standards:

7.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of civilizations of Islam in the Middle Ages, in terms of:

1. the physical features and climate of the Arabian peninsula, its relationship to surrounding bodies of land and water and the relationship between nomadic and sedentary ways of life
2. the origins of Islam and the life and teachings of Muhammad, including Islamic teachings on the connection with Judaism and Christianity
3. the significance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah as the primary sources of Islamic belief, practice and law, and their influence in Muslims' daily life
4. the expansion of Muslim rule through military conquests and treaties, emphasizing the cultural blending within Muslim civilization and the spread and acceptance of Islam and the Arabic language
5. the growth of cities and the trade routes created among Asia, Africa and Europe, the products and inventions that traveled along these routes (e.g., spices, textiles, paper, steel, new crops), and the role of merchants in Arab society
6. the intellectual exchanges among Muslim scholars of Eurasia and Africa and the contributions Muslim scholars made to later civilizations in the areas of science, geography, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, art, and literature

Historical and Social Science Analysis Skills Grades 6-8

Chronological and Spatial Thinking

3. students use a variety of maps and documents to identify physical and cultural features of ...countries.

Research, Evidence and Point of View

3. students distinguish relevant from irrelevant information, essential from incidental information and verifiable from unverifiable information in historical narratives and stories.

5. students detect different historical points of view on events and determine the context in which the statements ere made.

Language Arts Standards, Grade 7: Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials): Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material: Students understand and analyze the differences among various categories of informational materials (e.g., textbooks, newspapers...) in terms of their structure and purpose; analyze text which uses cause and effect patterns. Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of world literature. They articulate the expressed purposes and characteristics of different forms of prose (short story....)

Writing Strategies: Students use research and technology to identify topics; ask questions; and develop ideas leading to inquiry, investigation and research. Students write summaries of reading materials that contain materials' main ideas and most significant details, are written in the student;'s own words, except for material quoted from the source, reflect the underlying meaning of the source, not just the superficial details.

Listening and Speaking: Students deliver focused, coherent presentations that convey ideas clearly and relate to the background interests of the audience: [They] organize information to achieve particular purposes and to appeal to the background and interests of the audience; arrange details, reasons, descriptions, and examples effectively and persuasively in relation to the audience. Students deliver well-organized formal presentations employing traditional rhetorical strategies: They deliver research presentations that include evidence generated through the formal research process, [and] cite reference sources appropriately.

Purpose of Lesson:

• The purpose of this lesson is to enable students to gain insight into the daily lives of Muslims and to develop empathy for them.

Length of Lesson:

• Two to three weeks

Materials:

• Black construction paper for scrapbook, pencil, paper, glue stick, scissors Internet access, maps, markers, large paper for banner

Interdisciplinary Connections:

• Language Arts - poetry, short stories, journal writing Math - estimate the cost of the trip to Syria estimate costs of food, clothing, etc Geography - mapping skills

Adaptations for Special Needs:

• To adapt this lesson to a variety of student needs, the teacher can use one or more of the following suggestions:
  1. Have students work on the project with partners or small groups.
  2. Slow the lesson pace down or speed the lesson pace up
  3. Eliminate or add sections of the lesson to fit the needs of the students

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