Download The Golden Age of Islamic Achievement

The Golden Age of Islamic Achievement
a five-part social studies unit for middle school
Created by the Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University
Written by: Courtney Ferrari, Sarah Segal, Elisheva Cohen
The Golden Age of Islamic Achievement
a five-part social studies unit for middle school
Created by the Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University
Lessons:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
History of the Abbasid and Umayyad Dynasties
Geography of Islamic Expansion
Cities of Baghdad and Cordoba
House of Wisdom—scholarship in the Abbasid Dynasty
Scholarship, Art and Architecture in Muslim Spain
Unit goal:
Students will understand the role of Islamic civilization in the medieval world: its geographic and
historical context, its achievements, scope and impact.
Curriculum framing questions for the unit:
Lesson 1:
 What events constitute the Abbasid and Umayyad Golden Ages?
 How are events in distant empires related?
 When and how did the empires begin and end?
 What events constitute the Golden Age of Islamic empires?
Lesson 2:
 What was the geographic extent of the dynasties that made up the Islamic Golden Age?
 How were these societies shaped by the physical geography of their empires?
Lesson 3:
 How are events in distant empires related?
 In what ways were the achievements of the Abbasid and Umayyad dynasties similar? In what
ways were they different?
 Where did the Golden Age take place and how did geography affect its character?
Lesson 4:
 What was the House of Wisdom and why was it important?
 Why did Caliph al-Ma’mun create the House of Wisdom and why did he choose Baghdad for its
location?
Lesson 5:
 What can objects tell us about the people who made them?
 In what ways were the achievements of the Abbasid and Umayyad dynasties similar? In what
ways were they different?
 How did the achievements of these dynasties influence the world around them?
Golden Age of Islamic Achievement: Overview
2
Learning objectives for the unit:
Lesson 1:
 Students will be able to construct a proportional, parallel timeline to compare political units.
 Students will be able to identify achievements of the Abbasid and Umayyad Dynasties.
Lesson 2:
 Students will be able to synthesize information from multiple texts and maps to create a single
map of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties and Muslim Spain.
 Students will be able to describe the extent and physical geography of the medieval Muslim
world.
Lesson 3:
 Students will use primary and secondary sources to answer questions about Baghdad and
Cordoba and create visual representation of the cities.
 Students will be able to explain the role of cities in a civilization, particularly the way in which
agriculture and infrastructure support population growth.
Lesson 4:
 Students will apply knowledge to categorize and evaluate information learned about the House
of Wisdom.
 Students will listen to and understand the story, House of Wisdom, by Florence Parry Heide and
Judith Heide Gilliland.
 Students will recognize the geographical and historical significance of Baghdad's location.
Lesson 5:
 Students will be able to describe the physical properties of an object and analyze its role in the
culture that created it.
 Students will be able to identify cultural diffusion between the Iberian Peninsula and other parts
of the world.
By the end of the unit:
 Students will be able to identify the similarities and differences between the Islamic Empires in
Mesopotamia and the Iberian Peninsula.
 Students will be able to describe the impact of ideas spread by these empires.
Curriculum Standards:
Lesson 1:
Oregon Social Studies Standards
OR.SS. 7.5: Create and compare timelines that identify major people and events and developments
in the history of civilization and/or countries of Africa, Asia and the Southwest Pacific.
Common Core Standards
6-8.RH.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies
6-8.RH.7: Integrate visual information with other information in print and digital texts
Golden Age of Islamic Achievement: Overview
3
6-8.RH.10: By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8
text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Lesson 2:
Oregon Social Studies Standards
OR.SS.7.8: Use and evaluate maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases to analyze geographic
distributions in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Common Core Standards
6-8.RH.7: Integrate visual information with other information in print and digital texts
6-8.RH.8: Gather relevant information from multiple pring and digital sources, using search terms
effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and
conclusions of other while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Lesson 3:
Oregon Social Studies Standards
OR.SS.7.2: Examine the importance of trade tours and trace the rise of cultural centers and trade
cities in Europe, Asia, and Africa
OR.SS.7.7: Interpret document and data from multiple primary and secondary sources while
forming historical questions
OR.SS.7.11: Describe the physical environment of places in the Eastern Hemisphere and how it
influences trade, culture, and the economy
Common Core Standards
6-8.RH.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
6-8.RH.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source: provide an
accurate summary of the source distinct from piror knowledge or opinion
Lesson 4:
Oregon Social Studies Standards
OR.SS.6.3. Describe the rise; the political, technological, and cultural achievements; and the decline
of ancient civilizations in Europe, Asia, and Africa prior to the Roman Empire.
OR.SS.7.2. Examine the importance of trade routes and trace the rise of cultural centers and trade
cities in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
OR.SS.7.6. Form historical questions and use a variety of information resources to find, summarize
and evaluate historical data on the people places, events and developments that have played a part in
the history of Africa, Asia and the Southwest Pacific.
OR.SS.7.15. Determine and explain the interdependence of people around the world during
significant eras or events.
Common Core Standards
6-8.RH.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
6-8.RH.5. Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
6-8.RH.6. Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded
language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Lesson 5:
Oregon Social Studies Standards
Golden Age of Islamic Achievement: Overview
4
OR.SS.7.7. Interpret documents and data from multiple primary and secondary sources (e.g., art,
artifacts, eyewitness accounts, letters and diaries, real
OR.SS.7.24. Analyze current and historical sources (e.g., artifacts, eyewitness accounts, letters and
diaries, real or simulated historical sites, charts, graphs, diagrams, and written texts) for accuracy and
point of view while forming questions.
Common Core Standards
6-8.RH.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an
accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
6-8.RH.9 Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Golden Age of Islamic Achievement: Overview
5