Islam Expansion of Muslim Empire and Trade

Islam Expansion of Muslim Empire and Trade

Goals & Objectives

Students will understand the three phases of Muslim expansion into Asia, Africa, and Europe and how this expansion altered trade routes and goods. Students will apply their knowledge on how geography can effect a civilization and its success and failures on the quick success of Muslim expansion. Students will analyze the three phases of Muslim expansion by completing the guided notes, that include critical thinking questions, and the vocabulary terms sheet. Additionally, students will engage in classroom and partner discussions on various maps, paintings, and critical thinking questions that describe the three phases of Muslim expansion. Students will analyze, describe, and, in some cases, predict how this effected trade throughout the world, the Muslim merchant culture, and how geography effected the quick success of Muslim expansion.

California State Content Standards

7.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Islam in the Middle Ages.

4. Discuss the expansion of Muslim rule through military conquests and treaties, emphasizing the cultural blending within Muslim civilization and the spread and acceptance of Islam and the Arabic language.

5. Describe the growth of cities and the establishment of trade routes among Asia, Africa, and Europe, the products and inventions that traveled along these routes (e.g., spices, textiles, paper, steel, new crops), and the role of merchants in Arab society.

Common Core Literacy Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy in History. WHST. 6-8. 2d: Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy in History. WHST. 6-8. 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy in History. WHST. 6-8. 10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy in History. READ. 6-8. 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.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy in History. READ. 6-8. 7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

Driving Historical Question

How does geography affect a civilization? How did geography affect Muslim Expansion?

Lesson Introduction (Anticipatory Set/Hook/Accessing Prior Knowledge) Time: 7-9 min.

A question will be written on the board: “Think of the geography here, how do you think it has affected the growth and development (economic, social, religion, etc.) of this area?” Students will have 5 minutes to write in their journals on this question. Once the 5 minutes is up, set a timer for 2 minutes and tell students to talk to their neighbor about their thoughts on the question.

Vocabulary (Content Language Development) Time: 30-35 min (same time as lecture)

A vocabulary sheet will be given with the guided notes. As vocabulary words are hit during the lecture, students will add to the definition that is already provided in the description column. It will be homework, however, to go back and draw pictures to represent each vocabulary word. The Key terms and given definitions include:

- Abu Bakr: First Muslim caliph after the death of Muhammad

- Caliph: successor to Muhammad as leader of the Muslims

- Umar ibn al-Khattab: 2nd Muslim caliph.

- Jihad: the Holy struggle; either an internal struggle to live by Muslim principles or waging war to spread Islam.

- Khalid ibn al-Walid: Arab general who captured Damascus.

- Sunnis: larger of the two main branches of Islam

- Shiites: one of the two main branches of Islam

- Caliphate: government ruled by a caliph

- Dynasty: family that hold political power through many generations

- Treaty: written agreement between countries or people

- Abu al-Abbas: The first Abbasid ruler, also known as the “blood spiller.”

- Sultan: Muslim ruler

- Urban : having to do with a city or cities

- Textile: woven fabric

- Social Mobility: ability to rise in society

- Souk: marketplace in North Africa and the Middle East

- Letter of Credit: written record issued by one bank that allows a person to take money out of another bank.

The definition is purposefully basic so that they add to this definition based on the information they learn in the lecture.

Content Delivery (Method of Instruction) Time: 30-35 min

The teacher will deliver a lecture presentation on the three phases of Muslim Expansion, the spread of Islam, and the impacts these changes made on trade routes and goods sold throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia. The lecture will discuss the four caliphs that immediately followed Muhammad, the Umayyad Dynasty, the Abbasid Dynasty, Islamic Turks and Mongols, the splitting apart of the Empire due to invasions from primarily Turks and Mongols, and the Ottoman Empire. Additionally, the lecture will describe the evolution of trade routes due to Muslim expansion, popular goods during this time, methods of traveling, and the significance of merchants in Islamic societies. Finally, students will be encouraged to explore the idea of geography, how it affected Muslim Expansion and trade, and, further, how geography affects societies today.

Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities) Time: 30-35 min (same time as lecture and vocabulary sheet)

Throughout the lecture, the teacher should stop to have the students discuss the maps and a few of the pictures. The teacher should switch between having students discuss these materials as a whole class and in small partner groups. The teacher must also stop the lecture to discuss the questions presented in the PowerPoint. Students should be allowed 2 minutes to discuss the questions (these questions range on Bloom’s Taxonomy) with partners and then the teacher should ask a few students to share their ideas before moving on with the lecture. Guided notes will be given for students to fill out during and after the lecture, in addition to a vocabulary sheet.

Lesson Closure Time: 5-7 min

If there is time, students will engage in the “snowball game.” Students will answer the question: “How did geography play a role in the quick success of Muslim Expansion?” on a blank piece of paper. This should only take two minutes; teachers should use a timer. After students have completed the question, students will be instructed to crumble up their paper and when the teacher says “snowball fight” students will toss their paper. Students will quickly pick up a “snowball,” read it, and through it again when the teacher says “snowball fight.” The teacher should try and do this at least twice, three or four times would be best. Before leaving, students will uncrumble a snowball and had it to the teacher before leaving. There will be a place in the guided notes for students to record their favorite snowball idea either before they leave or once they get home.

If there is not enough time, however, students will complete a quick write on the same questions stated about. Students should turn it in to the teacher before leaving the class.

Homework for this class will be to draw their own map and highlight the trade routes created after Muslim expansion. It will be due the next day.

Assessments (Formative & Summative)

Entry Level – The teacher will ask students the following question: “Think of the geography here, how do you think it has affected the growth and development (economic, social, religion, etc.) of this area?” This is to assess the students’ previous knowledge of geography and its influences on civilizations. As students are writing in their journals and talking to their partners, the teacher will walk around to assess students’ previous knowledge on the topic.

Progress Monitoring/Formative – During the lecture the teacher will stop to ask questions and promote discussions on several sources (maps and pictures). These questions span through Bloom’s Taxonomy levels. As the teacher is lecturing, the teacher should also walk around to make sure students are engaged with the guided notes and the vocabulary sheet. If students are struggling varying adjustments will need to be made.

Summative – Evaluation of students guided notes that include answers to the various questions, analyses of some of the sources, and their favorite “snowball” will help the teacher determine if the objectives and goals of the lesson were met. It will also help the teacher determine if students had difficulties in some topic areas and if the lesson and lecture was successful or not. If the “snowball activity” is not done, the exit slip will also serve as a summative assessment. Additionally the homework assignment to create a map highlighting the trade routes will be used as a summative assessment because it will demonstrate that students understand the importance of these routes, in terms of their locations, and that they are able to visualize how this looked.

Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs

The vocabulary sheet – where the basic definitions are already given and students are required to add descriptions to the definitions and create pictures that represent individual words – and guided notes provide a scaffold to aid ELL students and students with disabilities. Depending on the severity, the guided notes may have to be filled out more to allow this student to focus on just one of the sheets, the vocabulary sheet. The guided notes will be very similar to the PowerPoint and a multitude of pictures will be shown as well. Questions span from knowledge/comprehension to Synthesis/Evaluation in order to allow advanced students to go deeper into the content as well.

Resources (Books, Websites, Handouts, Materials)

The DBQ Project – Why did Islam Spread so Quickly?

Hart, Diane (2006). Medieval and Early Modern Times: Teacher’s Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education Inc.

Google Images