Download Muslim Community and Education Centre Islamic Studies Syllabus

Muslim Community and Education Centre
Islamic Studies Syllabus (January 2009)
Rationale
The following syllabus has been devised to provide continuity of learning whilst at
the same time allowing for flexibility.
The intent of the syllabus is to primarily seek the pleasure of Allah, to encourage a
love for Allah, to promote a respect for oneself and for others, through the pursuit of
virtue.
The syllabus will use the ‘Goodword ISLAMIC STUDIES’ as a base text. This series
has been reviewed carefully to ensure its educational worth and to provide a firm
basis to allow for teachers to develop given lessons with the assurance of continuity.
It is not envisaged for it to be prescriptive, but to provide a foundation for lessons to
be taught. A teacher may feel at liberty to adjust various aspects of it to accommodate
things of relevant or topical interest. For example, due to the Islamic calendar being
lunar then the key dates within the calendar will change each year. For example, it is
prudent to focus on aspects relating to Ramadan during the month of Ramadan. As a
result the teacher can look at the programmes of study and adjust them accordingly.
Indeed, there is a wealth of materials available and a teacher may wish to select a
given topic and prepare an appropriate number of lessons using a variety of resources.
By the end of the year then most of the areas would have been covered.
A child’s learning is gradually built upon a foundation, whereby given areas will be
returned to in future years at a more advanced level. For example, a child’s
understanding of Ramadan will differ from that of a 6 year old to that of a 17 year old.
The level of complexity within planning will take this into account. The Goodword
series takes this into account raising topical areas appropriate to maturation.
Furthermore, areas such as Salah will be repeated often. It is an important element of
our curriculum for all Muslim children to learn to pray. Differentiation, as will all of
the learning, play an important part, however certain things to need to be oft repeated
to allow such important functions to become a natural part of life. It is a good way to
develop and to maintain good practice.
A synopsis of all of the texts is to be found on pages 4 to 8 of this guide. This will
provide an ‘at a glance’ view of the content of the books to facilitate planning and to
view continuity. The texts are then related to the landscape ‘Curriculum grid’ so that
one can identify where such a part of the programme should be taught.
The Curriculum Grid
The curriculum grid is designed to be easy to follow on one overview sheet. It is
divided into 9 years, to run from ‘Wahid – Year 1’ through to ‘Tis’a – Year 9. All ten
books are used. Books 1 and 2 are used in Year 1 due to the content of each being so
short.
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Upon examining the grid one will notice that in each year there are three rows, each
row being roughly equivalent to a terms’ work, which is subdividing a term into 10
lessons. Each year will be about 33 to 35 Saturdays, allowing for some flexibility,
although the programme is designed for flexibility throughout to allow for the
development of learning to be tailored to the children’s needs.
Each lesson in each term is numbered accordingly, 1 to 10 and in each box, next to
the lesson number will the be book and chapter number. For example, in Year 4,
during the fourth lesson of the second term, children will be using book 5, studying
chapter 5 of the Goodword series. It therefore will read as ‘4. 5.5’. This should help
to facilitate record keeping, especially if the teacher wishes to adjust things
accordingly. They can use this as tick list to supplement their records.
Note, some of the chapters will be allocated one lesson, others up to 5. This is
directly related to the quantity of content in each chapter and provides a rough
indication of how much time should be spent on that given area. The teacher is again
at liberty to augment the number of lessons accordingly.
Lesson planning
Lesson planning will be a fundamental element of this. It is educationally unsound to
take a text and use it exclusively. It is well known that education is destroyed by
‘death by double page spreads’. The content of the texts is to be used to develop
lesson planning. Many aspects of it may well be used, however it is important for the
teacher to seek additional resources to supplement this so as to provide variety and
stimulus, be it visual through the use of video material, through to the use of ICT
(PowerPoint presentations). Media such as art, poetry, debate, etc should be used.
Please note, it is traditional for teachers to produce lots of ‘closed exercises’. These
are typically stand alone, summative questions that children can do. They may be
filling in boxes or doing comprehension exercises etc. There will always be a place
for closed exercises; but they are often of limited educational worth, especially if they
are used frequently. The Goodword series has a lot of them, so take care when using
them as if they can make the child feel ‘bored’, that is they are to them irrelevant. In
which case avoid them, seek some other form of activity that is likely to stimulate
them, allowing them to develop a wider range of skills. This is of greater educational
worth.
Lesson planning is relatively straight forward, but it is a skill. Such a skill is
developed over time, with a lot of experimenting. It is envisaged that models of
lesson planning can be used to enable teachers to be able to do this for themselves.
The most important part of this programme of study is the actual lesson planning
itself. This cannot come from a text book, although text books and other materials
will help to provide resources for this.
Record keeping
It is envisaged that teachers will use ICT to develop resources. It is important for
them to use this as part of their record keeping, maintaining a note of what they have
prepared and what has been taught and what is still to be taught. Such materials can
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then effectively been kept electronically as a record of what has been taught and as a
future resource for all. This will greatly facilitate our resource base and the quality of
our programme of study for the future.
Resource collection
It is envisaged that resources will be kept electronically. It is easy to store such
material on ‘Google’ for all to access. This will minimise the use of paper, maintain
an easier format to coordinate resources and be readily available to all. Hard copies
of materials and materials that are not electronic will need to be kept provided they
will be of value in future years.
It is important to note, that given with experience, certain resources will turn out to be
really valuable, whilst others, despite having a lot of planning, will not be worth using
in the future. I often refer to the really good resources as being ‘Golden nuggets’.
These are worth keeping and sharing. Clearly this material still has to be coordinated.
Should a ‘Golden nugget’ be produced for Year 4 lesson 5 chapter 5, and then it
should be designated for that part of the programme of study. It is not wise to have
the same resource being replicated elsewhere without good educational reason.
Connections to other areas
Continuity is important. One will note that the Goodword series has at the end of
most of the books a Surah or more from the Qur’an and often a number of Du’as. I
have not included these in the planning as we do have the curricular areas of Arabic,
Qur’an and Enrichment. It is envisaged that the Qur’an recitation, the memorisation
of Surahs and Du’as will take place elsewhere. The relationship between Islamic
Studies and the other areas is important. As the programmes develop in the different
areas it is important to build continuity. It could well be that Year 4 are focusing on a
given Surah or Du’a, this could be supported by Islamic Studies or vice versa. It is
important to have a vision of the whole child and where we as a community would
wish them to be when they finish their time with us in the school.
May Allah strengthen us and reward us all as we continue to strive to gain his
pleasure in building a strong virtuous Ummah. May Allah accept our efforts and
enable our programmes of study to achieve such aims. Insha Allah.
Br. Muhammad.
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Goodword Islamic Studies 1
1. Allah made the sun and the moon: – pictures with captions
2. Allah made the animals: – pictures with captions
3. Allah made birds: – pictures with captions
4. Allah gives us food to eat: – pictures with captions
5. Prayer: – short dua
6. The true faith: – Iman – short dua
7. The five pillars of Islam: – pictures with captions
8. The call to prayer: – Adhan – transliteration of the Adhan
9. The five daily prayers: – names of the five daily prayers
10. Doing wudu or ablutions for prayer: – how to do wudu
11. I love the Qur’an: – short paragraphs
12. I believe in Allah: – short paragraphs
13. The Prophet Muhammad: – short paragraphs
14. Prayer: - dua
15. Tala al-Badr: - nasheed
16. Important Phrases:- dua
17. Surah Al-Fatiha
18. Surah Al-Ikhlas
19. Surah Al-Falaq
20. Surah An-Nas
Goodword Islamic Studies 2
1. Allah made everything: – poem, tracing, make your own Eid Card
2. Allah made the plants and animals: – poem, tracing
3. Allah Created People: – poem (ayat), questions, tracing
4. Praise be to Allah: – poem (ayat), model of mosque, tracing
5. A Very Special Prayer: – Al-Fatihah, questions, colour prayer mat
6. Doing Wudu or Ablutions, important phrases
7. Five Daily Prayers: – ayat and poem
8. How to Say Your Prayers: – the Salah, questions
9. The Holy Qur’an: – poem, questions, tracing, colour Qur’an stand
10. The Prophet Muhammad (SAWS): – poem, questions, colouring, tracing
11. The Prophet Yunus and the Storm at Sea: – poem
12. The Prophet Yunus and the Big Fish: – poem, questions, join the dots
13. Surah al-Fatihah
14. Surah al-Masad
15. Surah an-Nasr
16. Surah al-Kafirun
17. Surah al-Kauthar
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Goodword Islamic Studies 3
1. Faith and Belief in Islam:- What is Iman? Belief in the Oneness of Allah (atTawhid); Belief in the Angels (al-Malaikah); Belief in the Books of Allah (KutubAllah); Belief in the Prophets of Allah (Rasul-Allah); Belief in the Last Day (Yawm
al-Qiyamah); Belief in the Life After Death (al-Akhirah) – exercises
2. Religious Duties in Islam:- The Pillars of Islam; Shahadah; Salah; Zakah; Sawm;
Hajj – exercises
3. Prayer in Islam:- Fard prayer; Wajib prayer; Sunnah prayer; Nafl prayer – exercises
4. Qur’an: the Holy Scripture of Islam:- exercises
5. The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS): – exercises
6. Festivals in Islam: - Eid al-Fitr; Ramadan; Eid al-Adha – exercises
7. Morals and Manners in Islam: - with parents, with teachers, with neighbours, with
friends, towards fellow Muslims, towards non-Muslims
8. Halal and Haram in Islam: – exercises
9. The First Man: - The creation of the universe, the creation of man, from the gardens
of Paradise to Earth – exercises
10. A Rightly Guided Caliph: - Abu Bakr – exercises
11. Supplications (Dua) for Daily Life
12. Some Short Surahs:- Al ‘Asr; al Humazah; al-Fil; Quraysh – The Islamic Calendar
Goodword Islamic Studies 4
1. Faith and Belief in Islam: - At-Tawhid; (Shirk; Allah and His Attributes); AlMalaikah (Duties of Angels); Kutub-Allah (The Purpose of Scripture); Rasul-Allah
(The Qualities of the Prophets, The Prophets and Messengers Mentioned in the
Qur’an, The Use of Salam – exercises
2. Prayer in Islam: - Five daily prayers; Salat al-Jama’ah; Fard; Salat al-Jumu’ah;
Wajib Prayers; Tarawih Prayers; Salat al-Janazah; Prayer for Rain; Dua – exercises
3. Fasting in the Month of Ramadan: – Fasting; Laylat al-Qadar; Itikaf – exercises
4. Qur’an: The Holy Scripture of Islam: - The Qur’an; Manners Relevant to the
Qur’an. exercises
5. The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS): – His life; Justice; A Christian King
Helps Out; The Year of Sorrow; An Extraordinary Experience; The Migration to
Madinah. exercises
6. The Sacred Mosques: - The Mosques, Masjid al-Haram; Al-Masjid an-Nabawi; AlMasjid al-Aqsa – exercises
7. Morals and Manners in Islam: – morals; Manners Relating to Cleanliness; Brushing
the Teeth; General cleanliness; Eating and Drinking Manners – exercises
8. Halal and Haram in Islam: - Halal and Haram; Food and Drink (Wine, Drugs and
Narcotics; Unlawful Animals); Dress, Ornaments and Cosmetics – exercises
9. The Story of the Prophet Musa (AS): - exercises
10. A Rightly Guided Caliph: Umar: - exercises
11. Supplications (Dua) for Daily Life
12. A Surah from the Qur’an: – Ar-Rahman.
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Goodword Islamic Studies 5
1. Faith and Belief in Islam: - The Last Day (The Angel Israfil and the
Trumpet, The Resurrection, Al-Mizan; the Scale, The Records); The Hereafter
– al-Akhirah (This World – ad-Dunya, The Next World – al-Akhirah, Paradise
– Jannah, Hell – Jahannam – exercises
2. Charity in Islam: - Zakah, Sadaqah, Sadaqat al-Fitr – exercises
3. Hajj in Islam: - The Umrah (The Ihram, The Tawaf, The Sa’i); The Hajj (Day
One: Yawm at-Tarwiyah, Day Two: Yawm al-Wuquf, Day Three: Yawm anNahr, Day Four, Five (or Six): Ayyam at-Tashriq – exercises
4. Qur’an: the Holy Scripture of Islam: - Division of the Qur’an, Reading the
Qur’an (Punctuation Marks), Translations of the Qur’an, Commentaries on the
Qur’an – exercises
5. The Life of the Prophet (SAWS): - A New Beginning, The Peace Treaty; A
Clear Victory; Inviting to Islam; A Forgiving Conqueror, A Simple Man –
exercises
6. The Hadith Literature: - Some Ahadith Worthy of Reading – exercises
7. The Exemplary Virtues of Sahabah: - Abu Hurayrah’s Respect to his
Mother; The Simple Living of Ibn Umar; Abu Ubaydah’s Equality; The
Justice of Umar – exercises
8. The Best of Friend of Allah: - Ibrahim- exercises
9. The Story of the Prophet Yusuf: - exercises
10. A Rightly Guided Caliph: Uthman: - exercises
11. Supplications (Dua) for Daily Life: - Dua’s
12. A Surah from the Qur’an: - Muzzammil
Goodword Islamic Studies 6
1. The True Faith – Iman: - The seven basic beliefs – exercises
2. The Two Brothers: - Habil & Qabil – exercises
3. The Five Pillars of Islam: - Faith – Iman, Salah, Sawm, Zakah, Hajj –
exercises
4. The Story of the Two Gardens: - exercises
5. Islam: – A World of Love and Peace: - poem
6. The Angel and the Three Men: - exercises
7. Prayers – Salah: - points to remember – exercises
8. Travels of the Prophet Ibrahim (AS): - exercises
9. Offering Prayers: - (praying the Salah) – exercises
10. Prayers of the Prophet: - exercises
11. I Love Eid: - poem
12. The Baby in the River: - Musa (AS) – exercises
13. Thank You, Allah!: - poem
14. A Treasury of Hadith: - exercises
15. A Surah from the Qur’an: - Al-Qamar (The Moon)
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Goodword Islamic Studies 7
1. Islam: An Introduction: - order and regularity in nature – exercises
2. Articles of Faith: - Tawhid; The Beautiful Names of Allah – exercises
3. Belief in Angels: - exercises
4. Belief in the Books of Allah: – exercises
5. Belief in the Messengers of Allah: - exercises
6. Belief in the Last Day: – exercises
7. Hadith and Sunnah: - The Chain of Transmission – exercises
8. Prophethood and some Prophets
9. The Story of the Prophet Hud: - exercises
10. A Rightly Guided Caliph: Ali Ibn Abi Talib: - exercises
11. Islamic Society: - exercises
12. The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: - Exemplary behaviour and the Call to
the People; The Founding of Divine Rule – exercises
13. Surah Ya’sin
Goodword Islamic Studies 8
1. The Qur’an: The Base of Islam: - An Eternal Concept – exercises
2. Oneness of Allah (Tawheed): - Acknowledgement of Allah as one’s Lord –
exercises
3. Prayer (Salah): - The Call to prayer; Prescribed Conditions for Prayer; –
exercises
4.
5.
6.
7.
Fasting (Saum): - Do’s and Don’ts in Saum; Voluntary Fasting – exercises
Zakah: - Nisab; Assets; Rate of Zakah; Spirit of Zakah – exercises
Hajj: - The Elements of Hajj; Umrah – exercises
A Compiler of Hadith: - Imam Malik; Some Ahadith from al-Muwatta –
exercises
8. The Story of the Prophet Isa (AS): - exercises
9. The Conquest of Makkah: - exercises
10. Islamic Society: - The Rights of the Orphan, Haram and Halal – exercises
11. Man’s Accountability: - Ayah from the Qur’an
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Goodword Islamic Studies 9
1. Islamic Studies: - What is Islam; From Adam to the Prophet Muhammad; The
expansion of Islam after the Prophet
Scope; - Islam and human life: - Social life; Economic life; Moral life; Family life –
exercises
2. Man in the Universe: - The universe as a purposeful system of creation; The creation
of man; Man as a finite being; The Islamic view of life – exercises
3. Articles of Faith in Islam: - What is Faith; Faith in Allah – Tawhid, Angels,
Destiny; Faith in the Prophethood; Faith in the Hereafter – exercises
4. Prophethood in Islam: - Concept of prophethood; role of prophets in society; some
prominent prophets – exercises
5. Faith in Practice: - Impact of faith on behaviour; development of responsibility;
social behaviour and taqwa – exercises
6. The Prophet Muhammad at Makkah: - Early life, Nabuwath; Life at Makkah;
Hijrah – exercises
7. The Life of the Prophet Muhammad at Madinah: - Emergence of the community;
characteristics of the Madinan community – Brotherhood, Fraternity, Sincerity –
exercises
8. The treatment of other communities: - Treaties with non-Muslims; policy towards
non-Muslims; rights of non-Muslims – exercises
9. Dawah: - Preaching of Islam; Sulahi-Hudaybiya; conquest of Makkah; Last Sermon;
Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets – exercises
10. Day-to-day life of the Prophet: - Worship; Family life; Attitude towards neighbours,
slaves and strangers – exercises
Goodword Islamic Studies 10
1. The teachings of Islam: - Justice; Liberty; Equality; Tolerance – exercise (closed)
2. Islamic Character: - Greetings; Relations; Respect for life; Respect for feelings;
Respect for parents and elders – exercises
3. Human values in Islam: - concept of; significance of; upholding of – faithfulness,
honesty and truthfulness, obedience, politeness, mercy, being well intentioned, purity
and cleanliness – exercises
4. Human Rights in Islam: - importance of; brief account of the following – right to
life, property, sefl-respect, freedom of speech and thought, asylum, privacy and
personal freedom, seeking knowledge, relations, children, belief, freedom of
expression of dissent – exercises
5. The Status of Women: - status in pre-Qur’anic times; rights in terms of – equality,
inheritance, marriage, between man and woman, mahr – exercises
6. Introduction to the Qur’an: - revelation; chain of revelation – Torah, Zaboor, Injeel,
Qur’an; Qur’anic view of revelation; the first revelation – exercises
7. Knowledge and Qur’anic Teachings: - concept of knowledge – importance of,
universality; scientific approach; the Qur’anic commandments – lawful, unlawful –
exercises
8. Economic Teachings of the Qur’an: - economic activity of man; private and public
enterprise; concept of Zakah and Sadaqah; utilization of economic resources –
exercises
9. Introduction to the Hadith: - meaning of; compilation of; types of; important
collections – exercises
10. Introduction to Fiqh:- meaning of; origin and development of; sources of – Qur’an,
Hadith, Ijma, Qiyas – exercises
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