Summary
In this lesson, students examine the spread of Islam in four areas of the world. They work in groups to learn how the Islamic religion was introduced into Anatolia, India, Spain, and West Africa and determine the ways that Islam influenced the culture of each region.
Essential Question(s)
How did the spread of Islam influence cultural development?
Snapshot
Engage
Students evaluate three statements containing statistics about the spread of Islam.
Explore
Students examine four Islamic mosques and discuss the similarities and differences as well as where the mosques might be located.
Explain
Students read and take notes about the spread of Islam in one area, then share their notes in groups.
Extend
Students connect terms related to the spread of Islam using the Honeycomb Harvest strategy.
Evaluate
Students summarize their learning by responding to the lesson’s essential question.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
The Spread of Islam Notes handout (attached; one per student)
The Spread of Islam Readings handout (attached; one per group of four students)
Islam Honeycomb handout (attached; one per group of four students)
Pencils/pens
Notebook paper (one per student)
Preparation
Prior to teaching the lesson, print the attached Islam Honeycomb handout for each group and cut out the honeycomb cards. Consider printing on cardstock or laminating to reuse the cards in future classes.
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Begin with slide 3 and introduce students to the Fiction in the Facts strategy by telling students to read the three statements on the slide and decide which two are true and which one is false. Have students discuss their thoughts with a student next to them, then have several students share which statement they believe is false. Move to slide 4 to reveal which statements are true and false.
Display slides 5–6 to review the lesson’s essential question and lesson objective with students.
Explore
10 Minute(s)
Move to slide 7 and provide time for students to examine the four images on the slide. Tell students that the images are of Islamic mosques in different parts of the world. Have students discuss with a partner where they think where each image might be located. Ask students to discuss what each of the images have in common and how they are different. Provide time for discussion, then ask students to share their thoughts. Share the locations of each image.
Explain
30 Minute(s)
Tell students they will next learn more about the spread of Islam in four areas of the world. Place students into groups of four. Pass out the attached The Spread of Islam Notes handout to each student and the attached The Spread of Islam Readings handout to each group.
Display slide 8 and introduce the Jigsaw strategy to students. Tell students to each take one of the readings using the guiding questions on the slide. Provide time for students to take notes on the reading they have been given. Display slide 9 and provide time for each student to share with the others in their group what notes they took. Ensure that by the end of the activity, students have notes over all areas.
Extend
30 Minute(s)
Pass out the attached Islam Honeycomb handout to each group of four students. Display slide 10 and introduce students to the Honeycomb Harvest strategy. Provide time for students to arrange the hexagons to best represent their understanding of the relationship among the terms and concepts relating to the spread of Islam. Be sure to clarify that there are no right or wrong answers as long as students can justify their choices for the arrangement of the hexagons.
After providing time for students to create their honeycomb shape, have each group rotate to another group to see other arrangements to compare and contrast. Emphasize that it is likely that students will produce a variety of arrangements.
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Move to slide 11 and have students summarize their learning by responding to the lesson’s essential question on a piece of notebook paper. Collect the responses to review and check for student understanding of the lesson content.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). Fiction in the facts. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/60
K20 Center. (n.d.). Honeycomb harvest. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/61
K20 Center. (n.d.). Jigsaw. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/179