Lesson plan (English)
Topic: The Arabs and the World of Islam
Target group
5th‑grade students of elementary school
Core curriculum
5th‑grade students of elementary school
II. Byzantium and the world of Islam. Pupil:
1 ) places the extent of Arab expansion in time and space and explains the influence of Muslim civilization on Europe.
General aim of education
Students learn about the history of the third monotheistic religion - Islam.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
to indicate where Islam was Born;
to explain what are the Five Pillars of Islam;
to describe what spurred the development of Islam;
to define what the Hejira, kharaj, the Sharia law and the Ramadan are.
Methods/techniques
activating
discussion.
expository
talk.
programmed
with computer;
with e‑textbook.
practical
exercices concerned.
Forms of work
individual activity;
activity in pairs;
activity in groups;
collective activity.
Teaching aids
e‑textbook;
notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;
interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.
Lesson plan overview
Before classes
Students should prepare information about who the Arabs were and what the Arabs were doing in the first centuries of our era. Messages can come from the text „Arabian Peninsula” of the e‑textbook section Arabs and the Islamic world.
Introduction
The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.
Referring to the homework task, he asks pupils to characterize the conditions in which the Arabs lived and what thy did before the appearance of Muhammad.
Realization
The teacher introduces students to the figure of Muhammad - the creator and the most important prophet of Islam, the most important events in his life and the founding of the religion he created. He talks about revelations, which became the basis of the new faith, and the leadership skills that allowed him to attract many devotees. Then he asks students to share the common features of three great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, based on their own knowledge and the previous lesson. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and provides feedback.
The teacher presents then the so‑called five pillars of Islam and explains their meaning. Students perform Exercise 1, combining pillars with appropriate definitions. Introduces and discusses the concepts of mosque and Koran and presents the holiest place for Muslims - the temple of Al‑Kaba in Mecca. Students get acquainted with interactive illustration in Task 1 and graphics in Task 2 and perform related exercises. The teacher makes sure that the tasks have been correctly completed and gives feedback. He can show photos of famous mosques (e.g. Al‑Aqsa Mosque, Blue Mosque), their appearance and interior decor.
The teacher brings students closer to the development and spread of Islam to such vast areas; he also characterizes the policy that Muslims used in conquered countries. Students look at the map showing the expansion of Islam and follow Task 3.
While working on exercises and instructions, the teacher uses a methodical help or a set of cards in three colors: green, yellow and red. Thanks to the cards, the students signal to the teacher if they have difficulties in carrying out the orders (green - I'm doing great, yellow - I have doubts, red - please help).
Summary
To summarize the class, the teacher asks pupils to recall the most important event that is considered the beginning of the Muslim age and explain why it occurred.
Then students repeat the pillars of Islam and do Exercise 2. The teacher provides them with feedback.
At the end, the teacher asks students to think and compare how Christianity gained its followers and spread to more and more areas, and how did Islam do it? Can one see any common features? And what was the difference between these two religions?.
The teacher gives students evaluation surveys, in which they evaluate their own work during the lesson, as well as the work of their colleagues. They also state what they liked about the lesson.
The teacher sets a homework for pupils willing (it is not an obligatory part): Arabian civilization turned out to be a salvation for many ancient pieces. Find out which of them survived to our times thanks to Arabic translations.
Homework
The teacher sets a homework (it is not an obligatory part): Arabian civilization turned out to be a salvation for many ancient pieces. Find out which of them survived to our times thanks to Arabic translations.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
Politeizm – wiara w wielu bogów, którzy zajmują się odrębnymi sferami życia.
Monoteizm – wiara w jednego Boga, wykluczająca istnienie innych bóstw.
Prorok – dosłownie „osoba przemawiająca w czyimś imieniu”, w religiach były to osoby pozostające w kontakcie z Bogiem, który przez nie miał wyrażać swoją wolę i zamierzenia.
Koran – święta księga islamu, składa się ze 114 sur (rozdziałów). Według wiernych za jego twórcę uważany jest Allach, który objawił go prorokowi Mahometowi.
Szariat – prawo muzułmańskie regulujące zwyczaje religijne, prawo oraz postępowanie w codziennym życiu.
Szahada – muzułmańskie wyznanie wiary, jeden z obowiązków każdego muzułmanina.
Hurysa – w religii muzułmańskiej, piękna i wiecznie młoda kobieta o duchowej i cielesnej czystości, która czeka w raju na zbawionych wiernych.
Hegira – ucieczka proroka Mahometa i jego zwolenników z Mekki do Medyny. W islamie uznawana jest za początek istnienia tej religii.
Umma – wspólnota islamskich wiernych.
Ramadan – święty miesiąc dla muzułmanów, ustanowiony na pamiątkę początku objawień Mahometa.
Meczet – budynek, w którym oddaje się cześć Bogu. Potocznie określa się tak muzułmańskie świątynie.
Minaret – wysoka wieża znajdująca się przy meczecie, z której nawołuje się wiernych do modlitwy.
Kalif – tytuł następców Mahometa, będących przywódcami religijnymi i państwowymi muzułmanów.
Charadż – podatek narzucany podbitym, niemuzułmańskim ludom.
Islam – jedna z wielkich religii monoteistycznych, stworzona na początku VII w. przez uważanego za proroka Mahometa. Jej główne założenia są zawarte w świętej księdze Koranie.
Muzułmanin – inaczej mahometanin, wyznawca religii islamu.
Allach – imię Boga w religii islamskiej. W języku arabskim oznacza Boga.
Texts and recordings
The Arabs and the World of Islam
The Arabs were a herding people inhabiting the Arabian Peninsula. Their main occupations were husbandry and trade. They also guided European merchants through the lands of the Middle East and Mesopotamia. One of their most imortant cities and trade centers was Mecca. Its Kaaba temple, which, according to the legend, was supposedly erected by the Biblical Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail), considered by the Arabs to be their forefather, was its central point. The creator of Islam and its most important prophet was Muhammad, alive in the sixth and seventh centuries. He believed that through his visions he maintained contact with God, who passed his will onto him. Based on that and the later teachings of Muhammad, the Muslims (the followers of Islam) believe in one god, Allah – the creator of the world, humanity, and everything that surrounds it. Much like the Christians, they believe that after one’s death they will be judged, and that the good will be admitted to heaven, and the wicked – banished to hell. The Muslims, while they acknowledge Moses and Jesus as prophets, believe that only the prophecies passed onto Muhammad contain the truth about God and humanity.
The revelations preached by Muhammad were not received with much interest by the people of Mecca. He was only joined by foreigners and people belonging to the lower social classes. They were attracted by Islam’s rejection of divisions and championing justice and equality for everyone. When Muhammad openly condemned polytheism, popular among the rich, he antagonized not only the wealthy, but also the local leaders. Thus, he had to flee; in 622 he left Mecca and headed to Medina. There, he found not only refuge, but also new followers, envious of the wealth and influence of their neighbors. The Hejira, as the event is known in the Arabic tradition, is considered by the Muslims to be the beginning of the new religion and the Muslim era.
The number of Muhammad’s followers grew quickly through numerous conquests and subduing the neighboring Arabic tribes. Eventually, by the end of Muhammad’s life, owing to his sizable army of over ten thousand, Mecca found itself under the rule of his followers as well. Having passed away in 632, the prophet had left no heirs. The community chose Abu Bakir to replace him, granting him the title of Caliph, meaning “successor”. Thus began the rule of the caliphs, during which Islam spread into the vast territories extending from Persia, through the Arabian Peninsula, Palestine, Egypt, and North Africa, to the Iberian Peninsula, in a mere few decades. The results of the conquest were astounding, and the followers of the new religion became a great force. They did not, however, impose their religion, culture or customs upon the defeated nations. They did not destroy their territories and civilization achievements either. The subdued, non‑Muslim people was, however, obliged to pay a special tax (kharaj) in exchange for protection.
The foundation of the Muslim faith is constituted by the so‑called five pillars of Islam. They are: the faith in one God and his prophet, five‑time‑a-day prayer, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, alms, and pilgrimage to Mecca. The Muslims pray in mosques, and they consider the Quran, or the teachings of Muhammad written down at the order of Abu Bakr, to be their holy book. It is also considered the most beautiful example of Arabic literature and the source of the Muslim Sharia law.