Islam in History [4th grade]

Students will probe the questions of what exactly makes up a religion & how belief systems shape worldviews, spread, and interact as they learn about the founding and spread of Islam. Students will recognize that different belief systems meet similar needs and share common elements, learning Students will explore the history of Islam s origins and its spread and variation up to the present day. They will look at how its ideas have spread, as well as how they were received in different areas of the world. Students will also look at the Crusades as an example of beliefs in conflict, exploring various possible perspectives on the events and situations these invasions produced. In two performance assessments, students will take their new understanding of Islam to more applied settings. First, they will pose as travelers visiting Islamic lands, producing a travel log and interpreting their experience through various scrapbook items from their journeys that stress perspective. Second, students will role play all elements of Meccan society just before Muhammad returned to Mecca and established it as the center of the Islamic Faith