Photo of the Kaaba in Mecca

On Tuesday/Wednesday, we are watching the National Geographic video Inside Mecca. This video follows three Muslims from around the world who travel to Mecca to participate in the Hajj. By watching this video, students will learn about some of the important spiritual beliefs and traditions of Islam. Related photos are available on the National Geographic web site, and you may click here for more information about Mecca and the Hajj.

If students are absent, they can watch the movie online (Google video link). After the watching the video, students completed a short response paper, but that doesn’t need to be made up if students were absent.

Quiz Terms

• Allah = Muslim name for God.
• Alms = A donation made to the poor. Muslims give money as part of Zakat, the 3rd pillar of Islam.
• Bedouin = A person who lives in the desert and moves his livestock between grazing areas, similar to a nomad.
• Caliph = A Muslim religious and political leader.
• Fast = Going without food or water. Muslims do this during the month of Ramadan.
• Hajj = The trip to Mecca that Muslims must make at least once in their lives.
• Hijrah = Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina. It also marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
• Kaaba = Building in Mecca that is the most sacred site for Muslims. It holds the Black Stone.
• Mecca = City in Arabia where Muhammad was born and the holiest city for Muslims.
• Minaret = A tall tower attached to a Mosque from which the Call to Prayer is made.
• Mosque = A Muslim house of worship.
• Muhammad = The founder of Islam who is considered by Muslims to be the last and greatest prophet.
• Oasis = Part of a desert with a source of water so plants can grow.
• Pillar = a duty for Muslims to follow. There are Five Pillars for Sunni Muslims.
• Shahada = Statement of faith that “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet”. This is the first pillar.
• Shia = Muslims that followed the leadership of Ali after the death of Muhammad.
• Sufism = Muslims that practice meditation, long fasts, and write poetry to show their personal relationship with God.
• Sunni = Muslims that followed the leadership of Abu-Bakr after the death of Muhammad. They make up 85% of all Muslims world wide.

Muslims performing the 2nd Pillar of Islam, known as Salah

We are studying the Five Pillars of Islam, which are the basic duties all Sunni Muslims are expected to fulfill. Students are taking notes about the Five Pillars and writing creative, original sentences to understand related vocabulary. We are also looking at the origin between the split between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Spectrum students have an additional assignment to read about how this division affects the ongoing conflict in Iraq.

Assignments

Both assignments are due Tuesday (December 15)/Wednesday (December 16) during the block periods.

Revelations of the Prophet (5 Pillars of Islam)

Sunni and Shia “Talk to the Text” – required for period 4 Spectrum and a challenge assignment for periods 1, 2, 3, and 6. Challenge assignments are required for only a few students that we spoke with individually. Other students may choose to do the assignment. It is counted as an extra assignment (not extra credit). Doing well on a challenge assignment will raise a student’s grade, but doing poorly will lower a student’s grade.

Here are the assignments we are doing as classwork for the first half of this week:

• The Rise of Islam Reading Guide (due Tuesday/Wednesday)
• Expansion of Islam Map Study (due Thursday)

Map showing the Muslim population of the world as a percentage of each country.