Islam

• Unit 2 Geography Challenge
  • Objectives: Familiarize students with the geographical areas encompassed by Medieval Islam
  • Time Frame: 1 day
  • Do Geography Challenge as described in HA
• Travel Channel Special: The Arabian Peninsula
  • Objectives: Familiarize students with the geography of the Arabian Peninsula and the way people adapted to each geographical region
  • Time Frame: 1 day
  • See Handout
• The Prophet Muhammad
  • Do Lesson 8 as described in HA
  • Time Frame: 4 days?
• Islam in Current Events
  • Introduce Pre-Viewing Activity - Stereotypes and Myths about Islam (scroll down slightly). Because the students know about the history of Islam, encourage them to focus about ideas that come from current events.
  • Ordinary Muslims Interviews - Frontline - Before each video, read the accompanying description of the interview (in pink, under the video itself) and have students take notes on key information regarding Islam in that country (note that info is from 2001, may have changed). After the video starts, you can ctrl-click the screen and choose full screen to see the video in a larger browser. After each video clip, discuss key vocabulary and use the following questions (from the Teacher's Guide, below) to start discussion
    • What did you notice about the relationship between Islam and the law in that country?
    • What are three things you learned about Islam in that country?
    • What, if any, influence does globalization have on Muslims in that country?
    • What is the status of women in that country?
    • What are some of the tensions that exist between Islam and other forces in the country?
    • Do different people in that country have different interpretations of Islam?
  • Teacher's Guide to "Ordinary Muslims" Interviews
  • A Call to Jihad - PBS Lesson Plan regarding Saddam Hussein's "call to Jihad" before the Iraq war
  • Sharia - PBS Lesson Plan regarding case of Nigerian woman sentenced under Sharia law

Christianity in Medieval Europe

• Monday, Jan.5 - Reflection/Teacher Evaluation, Letters and Photos for Sponsored Children
  • Prep: Copy Reflection/Teacher Evaluation, Copy Sponsored Children Info and set up "stations" with info on different children, bring digital camera
  • Go over week's plan and tonight's homework with students
  • Do Reflection/Teacher Evaluation anonymously
  • Ask students who participate in sponsorship to bring $2 donation for Dec/Jan
  • Students go to "station" of child they would like to learn about/write to. They work collaboratively on a letter and take a picture of themselves for the child.
  • Remind students to bring draft of mini-research paper tomorrow.
• Tuesday, Jan. 6
  • Prep: Prepare handout and information on research paper topics
  • Do Handout Activity
  • Give students time to work on their own papers
  • Students who finish may have time to explore research paper topics
• Wednesday, Jan. 7
  • Prep: Internet Research Scavenger Hunt
  • Do IRSH
  • Take time at the end of class to discuss new discoveries, difficulties, questions, and to remind students that final drafts of mini-research papers are due tomorrow.
• Video: David Macaulay's Cathedral
  • Response questions/writing prompts
  • Collect mini research papers and begin grading during video
• Medieval Pilgrimage Activity (5 days)

Medieval Europe/Japan

Medieval Tournament Project

Lesson Overview: Students compare and contrast Medieval Europe and Japan in the context of a competition that pits European lords, knights, craftsmen etc. against their Japanese counterparts. Students are evaluated on their participation and projects (artwork, written work, etc.) created for the tournament. Students practice their research skills with a mini-research report on one aspect of Medieval European or Japanese culture.

Student handouts: Medieval Tournament Project Handout , Project Planning Handout

Resources related to the mini-research paper: Outline Handout, Research Paper Page

Preparatory Activities:

Background reading: Chapter 2 The Development of Feudalism in Western Europe, Chapter 22 The Rise of the Warrior Class in Japan. Assign reading notes for these chapters.

Chapter 2 Experiential Activity as described in HA

Samurai Want Ad Activity as a Group Project(from Chapter 22 assessment)

Samurai vs. Ninja Activity. Read the article. Assignment: Imagine that you are a talk show host, and you're doing a show about Medieval warriors. You've invited a samurai and a ninja (and a knight, if you like) to be your guests on the show. Write the script of the show (your questions for your guests, their answers, and their interactions) demonstrating your knowledge of the similarities and differences among your guests.

Medieval Names: Distribute naming packets around the room. See handout with web resources. Have students prepare nametags for the festival. Illuminated manuscript resource: www.fcps.edu/DIS/OHSICS/FineArts/pdfs/Illuminations1.pdf Japanese writing resource: http://www.japanese-name-translation.com/site/learning_resources_center.html

Lesson Plans for the Tournament Itself

• Day 1
  • Preparation: arrange the classroom for the tournament, moving desks outside and placing chairs around the perimeter of the room. Have students sit with their "team." If Japanese greatly outnumber Europeans, or vice versa, in the class, divide the class into groups of approximately the same size. Have students get into costume (if they have one) and put on their name tages, and be seated.
  • Opening Ceremony
    • Read the following :
      • Emissaries of Medieval Japan and Europe, I welcome you here today on behalf of DMS Social Studies. You have travelled far and you have traversed many centuries to arrive here on this auspicious day: the 8th of December, 2008. We welcome you to the modern day and we invite you to share your ancient wisdom with us, and with each other. Over the course of several days, in addition to presenting diverse aspects of your distant but similar cultures, you will pit your mental and physical skills against one another in the name of friendly competition. O knights, samurai, emperors, lords, and ladies - may the codes of Bushido and Chivalry guide you and lead you to honor and victory! Let the festivities Begin!
    • Have the students introduce themselves.
    • Introduce the "icebreaker" game "Two Truths and a Lie." Give each student an index card. Ask them to think about their character, and write "two truths and a lie" from that character's perspective, using their historical knowledge. For instance, a samurai might write "1. My mother was a well-known warrior; I remember one day she brought home the head of a foe she decapitated. 2. I am a devout Christian. 3. My name means "Third Son." (1 and 3 are true, 2 is a lie.) Then, collect all the index cards and put them in a basket. Draw them out one by one and read each card. First, have students guess who wrote that card. Then, once the author has been established, have students raise their hands to guess which was the lie. You may choose to assign points to teams if their members guess correctly.
    • Play Balderdash with Medieval European words. (See my xeroxed list.) Write a word on the board. Distribute slips of paper and have students write down a dictionary-type definition of the word. Collect all the slips of paper, and put them, and the slip with the correct definition, into a hat. Draw them out one by one, read the defininitions, and have students vote on which they believe is the correct definition. You may choose to assign points to teams if members guess the correct definition, or if their definition "fools" the most people.
• Day 2
  • Have students begin presenting their creative projects
• Day 3
  • Finish student presentations of creative projects.
  • Physical competitions: Pin the Sword on the Samurai, Balancing on One Foot, Staring Competition
• Day 4
  • Distribute awards (Best Dressed, Most Educational, Most Creative, MVP Europe, MVP Japan) at the closing ceremony.
  • Students complete self-evaluations

Students learn about daily life in Medieval Europe and the Christian church in Medieval Europe with a simulation of a Medieval Pilgrimage.

1. Medieval Pilgrimage
   1. Roles from Canterbury Tales?
   2. Leaving your Medieval Town
   3. Visiting a Monastery - Illuminated manuscripts
   4. The Plague - Disease and Medical Treatment
   5. Cathedral

Ancient Rome - Duty

Unit Overview: Students explore the events and individuals of the Roman world as they investigate the concept of duty. Specifically, they consider civic duties as they learn about the political development of Rome, humanitarian duties as they consider the lives of the poor and of slaves, and martial duty as they study Rome's military achievements. They also explore the humanitarian and spiritual duties expounded in the teachings of Jesus.

1. Introduction to Theme: Duty
   1. Discussion: How should we live our lives, in the classroom and out? What kind of behavior do we expect of each other? What kind of behavior do we aspire to?
   2. Assignment: Ask students to brainstorm the different influences on their behavior, like intuition, morality, conscience, peers.
   3. Homework: Introduce logs. Homework: Define "duty" in logs.
   4. Discussion: What is duty? Share the "duty" homework. Who or what do you have a duty to serve? What are some times that you acted dutifully? When have you shirked your duties? How did you feel in each situation? What are the duties of different people in your family, or of other people you know? Why are their duties different? What are your duties in the classroom? (Note down student ideas to make a behavior guide.)What are the teacher's duties? Discuss Cicero's concept of duty. Suggest "dilemmas" when duties conflict: country vs. family, yourself vs. family, country vs. god/gods, yourself vs. country, etc. What does duty mean in your personal philosophy? Students discuss amongst themselves: who or what do they have a duty to serve.
   5. Notes, define "duty" together. Make a T-chart, with the people and places they have a duty to on the left, and how they can "do that duty" on the right.
   6. Activity: Complete the "bust handout" drawing your face on the Roman bust and writing your own wise words about duty on the plaque below.
   7. Assessment 1, Writing a Topic Sentence and Body Paragraph.
      1. Day 1: Define assessment. 
         1. Describe the importance of the topic sentence and supporting paragraph (the steel beams in the skyscraper of your research paper). 
         2. Suggest several topic sentences based on our discussions of duty. Some possible prompts: My most important duty is to myself. Sometimes you have to weigh different duties and decide which is more important. Our duties make our lives more meaningful.
         3. Write down students' ideas for topic sentences. Choose one to write about as a class. Have students write down any sentences they might want to write about tomorrow.
         4. Courtroom analogy. Have students come up with "evidence" to support the topic sentence. Have students write their own paragraphs, ordering and refining the ideas on the board. Share.
      2. Day 2:  Write on the board
         1. - In your log, write the title: "Assessment #1- Topic Sentence and Supporting Paragraph"
         2. - Write the date in the upper right hand corner.
         3. - Begin by writing down your topic sentence (it can be a sentence from yesterday's list, or your own).
         4. - Under the topic sentence, write a paragraph (at least 5 more sentences) that supports the topic sentence.
         5. - Remember, each idea in your paragraph should help prove that the topic sentence is true, using logic or examples. The sentences in your paragraph should flow in an order that makes sense.
         6. - When you finish, turn in your logs and work silently on your busts or do silent reading.
2. Geography and Expansion of Ancient Rome
   1. Geography Challenge 6
      1. Day 1: Geography Challenge as described in HA.
      2. Day 2: Make-up work (have Assessment Handout, Busts, Geography packets ready). Correct Geography Challenge together. Introduce tableaux, examples from art.
   2. Lesson 32 - Geography and the Early Development of Rome. Create tableau for Romulus and Remus. Lesson 32 as described in HA.
   3. Lesson 33 - Rise of Republic - More or less as described in HA, modify simulation to emphasize concept of civic/humanitarian duties of each social class. Tableau: Plebeians Rebel. Discussion: What is our duty toward people who are treated unfairly? What can we do about it?
   4. Discussion: Duty and global responsibility, service projects.
   5. Lesson 34 - Republic to Empire- Column Assignment as described in HA. Reading: from Julius Caesar. Tableau: Caesar's Assassins. Discussion: Murder in the name of civic duty. Tableau: Cincinnatus.
3. Trial of Julius Caesar.
   1. Assessment #2 - Put aside the role that you played in the trial. Think about all the things you heard from the witnesses in the trial. As a DMS student, do you believe that Caesar was a tyrant or a hero? Write a paragraph to support one of the following topic sentences, using at least 4 specific examples that you learned from the trial.
      1. Julius Caesar was a power-hungry tyrant who destroyed the Roman Republic.
      2. Julius Caesar was a hero who saved Rome with his leadership.
4. Notes on Julius Caesar's Death - Rotten Romans p. 60 Tableau: Our Punishment for Caesar
5. Read 34.6 Rome Becomes an Empire. Notes Discussion: The Pax Romana; is there such a thing as a benevolent dictatorship? Rotten Romans: Nasty Emperors
6. Assessment 2: Topic Sentence and Supporting Paragraph. Write a paragraph supporting one of the following topic sentences: It is justified to kill a dictator who abuses his or her power. Killing is never justified, even if the victim is an power-hungry dictator. It is okay to conquer and rule other countries if you help their citizens to live better lives. It's never right to invade and rule other countries, even if you think it's for their own good. Some people will always have better lives than others, and there isn't anything we can do about it. When we see people treated unfairly, it is our duty to ________________.
7. Activity: Roman Architecture Watch video on Colosseum. Explain that you are splitting the class into "work groups" just like those who built the Colosseum. Give each work group sugar cubes and flour/water "mortar." Ask them to build an arch using Roman techniques. Reward the fastest, strongest, and most beautiful arches. Use PBS website on baths/aqueducts - Possible computer lab day. Computer activities? Discussion: Do we have a duty to maintain public spaces/infrastructure? Why or why not?
8. Culminating Activity: Rome Day. Break students into groups and assign each group a section of Chapter 35, Daily Life in the Roman Empire. Tell students that we will be having a "Rome Day" event to learn about Romans' daily lives, and that each group will be responsible for a 5-10 minute presentation that teaches the rest of the class about the key information from their section. Ask students to read their sections in groups, and brainstorm ideas for their presentations (for instance, the food group could do a "Food Network-Ancient Rome" TV show, and the housing group could pitch an idea for a "new" housing project in Ancient Rome." Also, give each group an assignment for food or refreshments. Give groups one class period to prepare. Celebrate Rome Day!
9. Lesson 36 - The Origins and Spread of Christianity, as described in HA. Tableau: Sermon on the Mount. Discussion: Duty in the gospels. Jesus vs. Caesar for president? Golden rule. Is it a duty? Is it our duty to live our beliefs? What keeps us from doing so?

Medieval Europe - Faith

Islam and the Crusades- Tolerance

Medieval Africa - Respect

China - Justice

Medieval Japan - Strength, Loyalty, Courage?

Renaissance - Inspiration