Islamic Studies Curriculum East Meets WestPresented by Dr Aisha Sherazi, Principal Abraar SchoolISNA Education Forum 2006

ConsiderationsMany texts available on the market

Islamic Schools have some constraintsCostAppealStyleLevel

Other ConstraintsNational curriculumGrowing in sizeUses hands-on activitiesTakes into account learning stylesAllows for Integration in an Assessable way

Islamic Studies TeacherUsually very respectedCan be very traditional in approachPresents material in a disjointed fashion

Lets look at an example of Integration

Ancient Egypt Social Studies ProjectHow can we integrate effectively?

BRAINSTORM

ARTLANGUAGE ARTSMATHSCIENCE

Integration

Allows students to see bigger picture

Allows students to apply Islam to all aspects of their lives

Allows teachers to assess for more than one subject at a time

Allows teachers to save effectively on instructional time

How Does This Apply to Islamic Studies?Good teachers do it already! but they cant assess it!because it is not part of their curriculum

Childrengetting many different facts but they are all broken into different partsno opportunity to reassemble facts

Our Islamic Studies CurriculumCurriculum DevelopersDo you speak the language teachers will understand?

Ontario CurriculumSpiral curriculumClear expectationsClear assessment guidelineshttp://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/

Our Islamic Studies CurriculumHas Three Elements

BelievingKnowledge Base

DoingActive Learning Part

SharingDawa Part

BELIEVINGREQUIRED KNOWLEDGE BASE

Given throughRole Modeling

Use of LiteratureFiction (stories, poetry etc.)Non-fiction (Quran, Hadith, Encyclopedias, etc.)

DOINGTHE ACTIVE PART OF LEARNINGApplication of knowledge Base through ActivitiesHands-onExample: Allah the All-Knowing, Whats in the box? Adjectives Research/ Exploration (Internet)Example: Muslims in Canada, How many in each province? Provinces in Canada Writing (Journal, fiction, non-fiction)

SHARING

THE DAWA PART

Connecting and building bridgesInviting guest speakers, and guest listenersRallying the spirit of the Muslim community and the community at largeReinforcing what has been learnedConnecting what has been learned with the real world

Topics

SeeraBelievingKnowledge TransferProphet Muhammad (pbuh)His childhoodExpand on his time in the desertTalk about his visit to YathribHow thoughtful he was as a boyHis marriage to Khadija (ra)His leadership and strength of characterThe revelation at the cave of Hira near the Mountain of Light (stress of the importance of the phrase READ! In the cave)

DoingGet students to build a small cave in the corner of the classroom. From time to time, each child gets a turn to go and have thinking time in the cave. Ask them:What is it like in the cave? Is it dark? How do you feel when you go there? What do you think about when you are there? REFLECTION

Curriculum ConnectionsIntegratingLANGUAGE ARTSNOUNSProperImproperADJECTIVESPHONICSUSING NEGATIVESRETELL A STORY IN PROPER SEQUENCEPUNCTUATION

SharingDesign a magazine that shows different getaway places, where people could go and think and contemplate, like a travel brochure. Provide pictures and photos from magazines to enable the students to produce their own. Share the magazine with other grades in a presentation, so that other students benefit from the ideas.

Prophets (Prophet Shuayb (as))BelievingBrainstorm with students about Prophet Shuayb (as). Do they know who he was?Knowledge transferThat Prophet Shuayb (as) was sent to the people of MadyanThat it was a rich place, located on a trade routeThey were prosperous peopleBut they were not nice people to deal withThey were dishonestThey used to look for easy and quick profits through cheatingWhenever they measured or weighed an item to sell, they overestimated it and charged the buyer more than it was worthBut when they bought something themselves, they underestimated it in order to pay less than its worthPeople felt unsafe when passing through because they made them pay money or they would take over their caravans

Prophets (Prophet Shuayb (as))Believing (continued)Prophet Shuayb told the people of Madyan to worship Allah and have no other God than Himto be more honest and to pay or charge the correct amount of money for goods, but they did not listenthat a little lawful halal profit is better than lots of haram or unlawful goodsnot to disturb passengers travelling through the townMost did not listen and called him crazy!They dared him to drop a piece of the sky on their headsBut some did listen, and Allah saved themFor the rest of them, for seven days there was extremely hot weather. The wind stopped blowing, it felt like there was no air to breathe!Then Allah sent a huge cloud, they thought that they would go under the shadeBut instead of giving them shade, huge blazes of fire rained down on themAllah finally sent an earthquake that shook the earth beneath them, and made them drop to the ground on their kneesThey were taken into the ground and never seen again

Curriculum ConnectionsIntegrationLANGUAGE ARTSCHARACTERSINFORMATION AND IDEASRETELL A STORY IN PROPER SEQUENCE

DoingHave students design a stable structure and then place the structure on a base board, then get students to shake the board to mimic earthquake conditions. Reflect with them on the aspects of movement, as well as the stability of their structure. Is there any structure that is stable enough to withstand Allah swt?Do they think they could build something that could withstand an earthquake?

BUILDING

DoingGet them to research what structural design features man has come up with to try and withstand the possibilities of earthquakes.Have the students measure items accurately. First let them estimate, then let them weight and measure items (hand out small cards with different low weights on them).. Have them weigh out candy, or some other item that they desire for each other. Make sure they are hungry when they are doing it! Tell them they get to eat the amount that is written on cards Ask them how they would feel if their partner had cheated them out of what was being weighed.

Curriculum ConnectionsMATH MEASUREMENTCOMPARE AND ORDERMEASUREESTIMATE

Curriculum ConnectionsSCIENCEBUILDINDIRECT MOTIONSTRUCTURES STABILITYFORCES AND MOVEMENTDIRECT MOTIONDESIGN

SharingStudents may fundraise for victims of earthquakes.

They may also invite speakers who have witnessed or have an expert understanding of earthquakes (e.g. speaker from the Science Museum, or local university, writer/ author).CHARITY

Curriculum ConnectionsLANGUAGE ARTSSELECTSPEAKDISCUSS TECHNICAL LANGUAGELISTEN

Ibadat: Meaning of Al Taharat and WuduBelievingKnowledge TransferStudents should know the importance of keeping cleanThat At-Taharah means cleanliness and purity and is very important in the life of a muslimThat the Prophet (pbuh) was very careful about keeping his body and teeth cleanThat the Prophet (pbuh) said, At Tahuru Shatrul-Iman (Taharah is half of faith)That wudu is performed before prayer

Ibadat Meaning of Al Taharat and WuduBelievingKnowledge Transfer (continued)How wudu is performedThat a full bath/ shower where all of you gets wet is called GhuslThat Salah (prayer) is not accepted without proper personal cleanliness and wuduThe Prophet told us Whoever goes for Jumaa prayer should take a bath (Ghusl)The Prophet used to keep his mouth clean with miswak (today people use toothbrushes), it pleases AllahIt is sunnah to keep the finger nails short and cleanA good Muslim always looks nice and smells cleanThe story about Hasan and Hussein teaching the old man wudu

DoingHaving discussed with students the importance of keeping clean, and read various materials with them, get students to make a CHECKLIST of all the things they should remember about keeping clean. Am I clean?- Do I smell nice?Are my teeth clean?- Are my hands and face clean?Are my clothes clean, neat and tidy?Will others want to spend time with me based on my appearance?

They should write a POEM, the first line should be: Keeping clean is very good, the students should put the work up, and if possible read it aloud to younger grades.

Go through the steps of wudu, and then get students to make POSTERS for the different steps of wudu.

EXAMPLES

Curriculum ConnectionsLANGUAGE ARTSVISUAL ARTSCREATEPLAN

Sharing

Place posters in the school washrooms for display purposes to help remind them and others about how to make wudu.

Students should go home and clean up their room, or help around the house in cleaning without being asked. They should be asked to keep it a surprise for their parents. When they come in the following day, they should be given time to talk about the reaction of their parents.

They should also initiate a school clean up, where they are responsible for keeping the school clean during the day. Groups should be assigned areas that they are responsible for, and they should check it routinely throughout the day.

Curriculum ConnectionsLANGUAGE ARTSRETELLLISTENRULES OF CONVERSATION

Iman The Five Pillars of IslamBelievingKnowledge Transfer Students should know:La Illaha IlAllah, Muhamadu-Rasool Allah means There is No God but Allah, and Mohamed is the Messenger of AllahThat Allah is OneHe has no partnersHe has no childrenHe has no parents

Iman The Five Pillars of IslamBelieving (continued)He is the CreatorHe created everythingNothing created HimCreated things need to eat and sleep, but Allah needs nothingCreated things die, Allah has no beginning and no end and He cannot diePeople made statues and worshipped them, but we do not do that, we worship only Allah, we cannot see Him, but we know He is always thereHe is The All SeerThe numerous references in the Quran that deal with this topicfor example al-Baqarah 2/255, al-Furqan 25/58, al-Hadid 57/3, al-An'am 6/59, at-Talaq 65/12, ash-Shura 42/11, al-Mu'minun 23/91-92)

DoingGet students to put their hands in a box full of things, but they should not be able to see what is inside the box. Before removing an item, they should DESCRIBE it. When they remove the article, they should describe it using ADJECTIVES again. REFLECT with students what it is like to have limited vision. Ask them, does Allah know what is in the box? Does He see what is inside the box? How does He know? How does He see?HANDS ON

Sharing

Students should prepare a play or presentation for the school on Allah and His All Knowing, All Seeing qualities.

Curriculum ConnectionsLANGUAGE ARTSSPEECHADJECTIVESGESTURE, TONE OF VOICELINKING WORDSEXPRESS IDEASVOCABULARY

The Muslim World Muslims in Canada Part 2BelievingKnowledge TransferMuslims Today in CanadaStudents will take part is a research project that looks at the contributions of Canadian Muslims to Canadian SocietyConsiderations:Statistics on how many Muslims there are in CanadaStatistics on how many Muslims there are per provinceHow many Muslims are involved in government (Federal and Provincial) at any level?How Muslims contribute to Canada and make their mark as Muslims in general?Pictures/ photos of Muslim gatherings in CanadaPictures/ photos of mosques in Canada

Doing

Students should contact different Muslim organisations in Canada. They should request information about the organisation.They should write them letters to thank them for the contribution. Students can then compile the information and make a Muslims in Canada Binder. It could even be hardbound in a book format.

Curriculum ConnectionsLANGUAGE ARTSREVISEMedia WorksCommunicateEDIT/ PROOFREADWRITESOCIAL STUDIES

Sharing

Students should write to the Public Library and ask them if they are interested in displaying it for a while.

They should invite their local MP in to the school to give a presentation on the contributions of Muslims in Canada.

CITIZENSHIP

CompanionsBelievingKnowledge TransferStudents should know that:Abu Bakr was a wealthy merchant and respected citizen in MeccaHe was a good friend of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)When the prophet first received the revelation, Abu Bakr was the first person after Khadija to accept Islam. He did not even think about it, he accepted it straight away, without questionHe helped use his wealth for good by freeing slavesWhen the Muslims went through hardships, Abu Bakr faced them too, he did not lose faithWhen there were less than forty Muslims in the early days of Islam, Abu Bakr was beaten very badly when he went to the Kaba. He only cared about the Prophet and did not care for himself. He only relaxed when he heard the prophet was alright

CompanionsBelievingKnowledge Transfer continuedStudents should know that:When Abu Bakr heard that they would migrate to Madinah he replied, Together! Together! to the prophet, the prophet replied that they would indeed go together. Abu Bakr (ra) burst into tears of joy, he was so happy to go with the prophetWhen the prophet was asking the Muslims to give what they could to help the Muslims, Abu Bakr gave everything he had, all his money and everything in his house. The Prophet asked him if he had left anything for his wife and children, he replied, Only Allah and His messengerAbu Bakr was elected the first caliph (leader) after the prophet passed away

Doing

Reflect with students about the topic of friendship. What is friendship? What does it mean to be a true friend? Who is their best friend? Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) said: None of you is a true believer until and unless he loves for his fellow men what he loves for himself. (Hadith)Students should work with teacher on making a list of traits that friends should have.

DoingExamples are:HONESTYSENSE OF HUMORLOYALTYABILITIESRESPECTFULNESSINTERESTSKINDNESS TALKATIVESYMPATHETICTRUSTWORTHYPATIENTGENEROUSINTELLIGENT

They should then be given a list of the words. The teacher will read out the word. They should find it in their list of words. When they find it, they should give that trait a number from 1-3, 1 being less important, 3 being more important.

DoingStudents should write their name on the paper, and their score, and then pop it into a box that the teacher should place at the front of the class. To make it easy for the teacher, he/she should have a separate box for each word. This way you will not have to sort through all the words randomly!The teacher should collect the words from each box.The teacher can sort through the words at a later stage and see how many students were able to read the words from hearing them (using phonics).

DoingThe teacher should then write down what the scores were for each word. The teacher should work on making a chart with the class to see which friendship traits were more important to the studentsTeacher should reflect on the concept of Muslims and our relationships with each other. In Islam fellow Muslims are referred to as their brothers and sisters. How does Allah want us to see each other?What is the difference between a friend and a brother? Or a friend and a sister?

DoingMake a chart with students comparing friends on one side and brothers/ sisters on the other side. The list should look something like this:Friends Brothers/ Sisters Help each other Help each other Should share Have to share even if they dont want to sometimes! Care for each other Care so much for each other Cooperate Have to cooperate or it makes life difficult for everyone Mostly live apart Mostly live together Etc.Reflect with students about equality, that all humans are created equal in the eyes of Allah.

DoingQuran says: The noblest of you, in the sight of God, is the best in conduct. (49:13)Our behaviour makes us good or bad in His eyes. Reflect how this makes us united as Muslims.Help them see Islamic ways to prove this, for example, when we pray, we all pray side by side, the rich stand with the poor, the strong with the weak. When we go for Hajj, we wear Ihram so that even our clothing is equal for that important ibadat.Get students to keep a friendship log book, where they give themselves check marks when they displayed good friendship traits, and good brotherly/ sisterly behaviour. Teacher should look over them each week at random to encourage the students.

SharingStudents should have the following goals for the term. Explain to them that they have to think of innovative ways to be able to express the sharing of their friendship.List some examples. (Teacher should remind students. They should write about it in their journals when they have done the tasks)1. Share appreciation Show someone how much you appreciate them2. Share time Volunteer time for projects that benefit others in your community, country, and world. Can they think of ways to do this? Even in Grade 1?3. Share knowledge and ideas Tell someone about a great book that you read so they can benefit from it too. Teach a new concept or idea that you've learned.4. Share kindness Perform a random act of kindness for someone: a smile, compliment, or a favour just for fun. These will multiply and spread very rapidly!

SharingThe students should try and draw, or take photos to describe the ideas they had, Here is a photo of me sharing a book with a friend, Here is a photo of me sharing my project with the class etc.When they have achieved their goals, they should research with the help of their parents, or an older sibling how Abu Bakr displayed these traits in his life.

A Change of ApproachIsnt it better we teach our children to reflect?Isnt it better that our students learn A few good things?Rather thanMany facts that they cannot implement?

SummaryThis approach allows students to get a bigger picture of their studies and the world around themThey link Islam with CitizenshipIslam is no longer detached and separateHomeroom Teachers spend the most time with students, and hence have most flexibility in teachingTeachers save on Instructional Time, and get more of their curriculum covered through use of Integration

Jazak Allah Khair for listening

Identify nouns as words that name people, places and things. Use capital letters for proper nouns), (Mountain of Light, Cave Hira, Mecca, Yathrib as proper nouns, cave, man, angel as improper nouns) Use adjectives correctly for description (the cave was cold, dark, scary, Prophet Muhammad was kind, thoughtful, strong, honest)Use phonics to spell more difficult words, multi syllable words, that end in -ing, (travelling, thinking, contemplating, walking, sitting)Use the negative correctly (I will not lie, He did not cheat)Retell a story in proper sequence, identify the main idea and the characters, and discuss some aspects of the story (give reasons why you prefer one character over another)Use punctuation to help them understand what they read (e.g. what would the difference be if we wrote Read. Compared to Read! when the angel spoke to Muhammad (pbuh)

retell stories, demonstrating an understanding of basic story structure and including information about characters, action, and story ending;talk about characters and situations in stories, and information and ideas in non-fiction materials;

Estimate, record and measure the mass of objects, using the standard unit of kilogram or parts of a kilogram (e.g. half or quarter)Estimate, measure and record the capacity of containers, using the standard unit of the litre or parts of a litreCompare and order a collection of objects, using standard units of mass (e.g. kg and l)

use appropriate materials to strengthen and stabilize structures that they have designed and made and that are intended to support a load

distinguish between different kinds of motion and indicate whether the motion is caused indirectly (e.g. by an earthquake) or directly (by applied force)describe ways in which forces alter the shape or strength of different structures (e.g., a load may cause a cardboard box to buckle);describe ways to improve the strength and stability of a frame structure (e.g., use of triangulation or a cross-member);describe the effects of different forces on specific structures and mechanisms (e.g., a structure collapses when the load is too heavy; a latch on a gate opens when pressed).

listen to discussions and ask questions to clarify meaning;speak on a variety of topics in classroom discussions using some specialised language and select words carefully to convey their intended meaning

Create some simple media worksIdentify, in a plan, their specific choices of subject matter and tools, materials, and techniques Listen to discussions on familiar topics and ask relevant questionsRetell stories and recount personal experiences, presenting events in a coherent sequenceApply the rules of participating in conversation and working with others

Language Arts/ Visual ArtsUse adjectives appropriately for description Use appropriate gestures and tone of voice, as well as natural speech rhythms, when speakingUse speech for various purposesUse linking words such as because, if, and after to organise ideas in a speechUse appropriate vocabulary and oral language structures to express emotions in a variety of situationsuse a variety of sentence typesbegin to use resourcesuse words from their oral vocabulary, personal word lists, and class lists compiled through brainstorming

Communicate information, using media works, oral presentations, written notes and descriptions and drawings (e.g. design a poster advertising life in a new land (Canada) for Muslims)Produce pieces of writing using a variety of formsRevise and edit their work, using feedback from the teacher and from peersProofread and correct their final drafts

Curriculum ConnectionsLanguage ArtsCommunicate ideas and information for specific purposes and to specific audiencesCurriculum Connections Language ArtsUse phonics as an aid in learning new wordsuse words from their oral vocabulary as well as familiar words from class-displayed word listslisten to and comment positively on the contributions of others in group and class dicussions

Curriculum Connections Language Arts.Create some simple media works