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Secondary Level Resources

Please see the resources below.

 

Arab American Heritage Month

Full Lessons

Arab American People To Know Grades 6-8
Comparing and Contrasting refugee poem and story Grades 6-8

Texts

History of Arab American Heritage Month (History.com) Celebrating the rich and diverse culture and contributions of the diverse population of Arab Americans, National Arab American Heritage Month has been observed during the month of April since 2017. More than 3.5 Americans have Arab roots, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, with ancestries traced to 22 countries across the Middle East and North Africa.
Arab Indianapolis – YouTube This short video introduces the Arab American community in Indianapolis, from early immigration, family reunions, and American success stories to the impact of xenophobia and contemporary dynamics.
Voices from the past: Arab American oral histories, Smithsonian, National Museum of American History In 1962 Dr. Alixa Naff set out to tell the story of Arab immigrants from Syria and Lebanon. In addition to investigating an area that had received little scholarly attention, her use of oral history as the basis of the research was innovative. Links to archived interviews with Arab American immigrants are found below
Arab American Stories, Detroit PBS Arts & Culture An Emmy Award-winning 13-part series presented by Detroit Public Television that explores the diversity of the Arab-American experience. Each half hour features three short, character-driven documentaries produced by a variety of independent filmmakers which profile Arab Americans making an impact in their community, their profession, their family or the world at large. Each story is juxtaposed around a particular theme, including: Unexpected Paths, Bridge Builders, Entrepreneurs, Art & Life, Innovators, Traditions, Creating a Community, Serving the Nation, Expressions, Civic Leaders, Artists, and Lasting Contributions.
Article: Muslin Women of NASA: Tahani Amer on Taking the Lead Q&A with Tahani Amer, an American Muslim who works at NASA
Article: The historical significance of Kyrie Irving's athletic dominance during Ramadan By Amina Kilpatrick NBA star Kyrie Irving is one of many Muslim athletes fasting during Ramadan. Irving and other Muslim players have been able to perform at a high level during the holy month. Fasting is not obligated for everyone, and religious leaders agree there are other ways to honor the faith if fasting is not possible.
Poem: "That One About Patience" by Sadiyah Bashir Poem by Sadiyah Bashir who is an accomplished DC area based spoken-word artist. She was awarded the 2013 DC MIST 1st Place winner in spoken-word.
Poetry and Prose: Kazim Ali Poetry and prose written by Kazim Ali
Poetry and Prose: Tarfia Faizulla Poetry and prose written by Tarfia Faizullah (includes audio recordings)
Poem: The Muslim Women Who Raised Us by Mohamed Hassan Poem by Mohamed Hassan

Videos

10 Most Important Muslim Women In History (10:03) Short video showcasing some of the most important women in Islamic history
Shajee's Story: Middle School Students Learn about Islam (4:59) with Lesson Plan Seventh graders at Orinda Intermediate School are taking a personal approach to the study of Islam by inviting Shajee Syed-Quadri to be a guest speaker in their world history class. As president of the Muslim Student Association at Irvington High School, Shajee shares stories about what it's like to be a typical American teenager and a practicing Muslim. Lesson Plan Link can be found below.
Ibtihaj Muhammad's passion for fashion (2:08) Meet US Fencer, Ibtihaj Muhammad. Before competing in the Rio Olympic Games she launched her own clothing line for Muslim women
Eid al-Fitr (4:26) Eid al-Fitr is the Islamic celebration that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, spiritual renewal and reflection. This video segment from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly looks at Ramadan and how American Muslims observe it in a non-Muslim culture. Resource contains support materials for use with students.
How Arabic Influenced Languages Around the World (5:09) Arabic has had a major impact on the development of Spanish, English, Hindi and many other languages from around the world. This video explains how that happened-- and talks about some of the Arabic words that most of us use on a daily basis.
Islamic Calligraphy: Methods, Materials & Training with Soraya Syed (14:05) Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner.
Why algorithms are called algorithms (3:08) Why are algorithms called algorithms? It's thanks to Persian mathematician Muhammad al-Khwarizmi who was born way back in around AD780.

Shajee’s Story: Middle School Students Learn about Islam Lesson Plan

Additional Resources

Teach Mideast: Arab, Middle Eastern, and Muslim? What’s the Difference?! Grades 6-12
Teach Mideast: Arab American Heritage Month Resource Guide Grades 6-12
PBS: Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month Documentaries and programs that celebrate the diversity and history of Arab American Communities. Grades 6-12
Lesson Plan: Access Islam Each of these 10 expert-developed, media-rich lesson plans provides ideas for teaching students in grades 4-8 about Islamic holidays, traditions, and cultures. Walk your students through the entire lesson plan, or use one or more of the many learning activities
Lesson Plan: The Five Pillars of Islam In this lesson, students explore and understand the basic beliefs of Islam as well as the Five Pillars that guide Muslims in their daily life: belief, worship, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage.
Short Film Collection: Muslim Youth Voices Muslim Youth Voices presents stories that convey the richness and diversity of Muslim Americans. Over the course of three summers, 44 youth from 6 cities were given the essential tools to tell their own stories on their own terms. The workshops resulted in short films, amplifying these young people’s voices, and illuminating the many identities and experiences of youth and Muslim life in America.
Lesson Plan: Countering Islamophobia This lesson helps students explore, confront and deconstruct stereotypes targeted at Muslims. Students will learn about the impact of Islamophobia and create an anti-Islamophobia campaign to display in school.
Lesson Plan: Scholarship and Learning in Islam In this lesson, students look at several aspects of Islamic learning and scholarship. They are introduced to the madrasah (Islamic religious school), learn about the history of Timbuktu and explore Muslim contributions to math and science.
Lesson Plan: Art in the Muslim World Through the materials presented in this lesson, students will explore basic elements of Islamic art, learn about the origin and styles of the specific art of Islamic calligraphy and create their own piece of artistic calligraphy.
Lesson Plan: Women in Islam Students explore basic beliefs and practices of Islam and examine the different views of women's roles in Islam and modern American society in this lesson. They look closely at two issues that affect American Muslims: hijab and prayer. Students will learn how Muslim women have had some rights for centuries that American women did not have until the 19th and 20th centuries.
Unit Plan: Getting To Know Muslim Americans and their Faith This curriculum was designed to supplement content standards in social studies and world history as it relates to the study of world religions and their contributions to civilization. The curriculum is composed of five individual lesson plans, each of which focuses on a different section of the digital presentation, Getting to Know American Muslims and Their Faith.