Elementary

March 10, 2022

Katz,  Karen. My First Ramadan, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2007

Children’s book with a description of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and its celebration. Early elementary level. Readaloud at Storytime with Rahouba at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh0r2cekXBk

March 10, 2022

Joha Stories, Jokes and lesson plan

Joha Stories, a collection of stories and jokes from the famous universal Muslim character of wisdom and satire named Guha, Joha, Nasruddin Hoja in different cultures. Anecdotes and jokes poke fun at human foibles and contain kernels of wisdom. The lesson brings out the meanings and morals of the stories and explores why they are beloved across the Muslim world. Hodja-StoriesSLC

March 10, 2022

Jeffrey, Laura S. Celebrate Ramadan. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated, 2007.

Description of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and its celebration.

March 10, 2022

Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World

The film explores Islamic art in several thematic segments (Space, Word, Water, Ornament, and Color), featuring objects big and small, from great palaces and mosques to f ceramics, carved boxes, paintings and metal work. It revels in the use of color and finds commonalities in a shared artistic heritage with the West and East. The film also examines the unique ways in which Islamic art turns calligraphy and the written word into masterpieces and develops water into an expressive, useful art form Like all art, it carries the fundamental values and perspectives of the artists who created it as well as those who commissioned and paid for it. A discussion guide for the film can be used as a set of lesson plans Discussion-Guide-Mirror-of-the-Invisible-World-2013.

March 10, 2022

Islamic art collections in important museums

Links to exhibits and collections on Islam at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Detroit Institute of the Arts Islamic Collection, Victoria & Albert Museum Palace and Mosque exhibit (see also sidebar links on the site), The British Museum Galleries by World Region) A few examples are https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/islamic-art AND http://www.lacma.org/art/collection/islamic-art AND https://dia.org/learning AND http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/i/islamic-art-and-design/

March 10, 2022

Islamic Art collection guide, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

Gallery Guide: Arts of the Islamic World (Smithsonian Freer & Sackler Galleries, now renamed National Museum of Asian Art) are featured by exhibit, and objects in the permanent collections are searchable.

March 10, 2022

Islamic Art and Geometric Design: Activities for Learning

March 10, 2022

Gnojewski, Carol. Ramadan: A Muslim Time of Fasting, Prayer, and Celebration. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated, 2004

Description of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and its celebration. Grades 2-5

March 10, 2022

Guidelines for Teaching About Religion in K–12 Public Schools in the United States

In 2010, the AAR Board of Directors approved the document and teaching guide Guidelines for Teaching about Religion in K–12 Public Schools (PDF) in the United States. The document is the product of a three-year initiative undertaken by the Religion in the Schools Task Force in consultation with educators and the broad constituency of the AAR. The Guidelines are written for public school teachers, administrators, members of school boards, and other citizens to provide guidance for how to teach about religion in intellectually sound ways from the nonsectarian perspective appropriate for public schools.

March 10, 2022

Streaming, Discussion Guides & Curriculum for UPF Films

This is a list of UPF documentary films with streaming, discussion guides, and lesson plans.

March 10, 2022

Harvard University Pluralism Project

A rich resource with information on world religions and their contemporary expressions. An ongoing research effort, the Pluralism Project studies and interprets religious diversity and interfaith relations in the United States One of the best resources for teaching about religions beyond the usual five major world religions.

March 10, 2022

Haynes, Charles C. and Oliver Thomas, esq. Finding Common Ground First Amendment Center, (2007 revised version)

This is a comprehensive resource guide to religious liberty in public education, including both accommodation of diverse beliefs and teaching about religion. It lays out the basis for these principles in constitutional law and provides a rich array of resources for educators.

March 10, 2022

Heiligman,  Deborah. Celebrate Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr with Praying, Fasting, and Charity. National Geographic Society, 2006

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, and Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the fast’s end, are sacred times for millions throughout the world. Celebrate Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr examines the reasons for the month-long dawn-to-dusk fast and observes some of the wide variety of celebrations at the end of the fast worldwide.

Deborah Heiligman’s text examines the historical, religious, and cultural aspect of this Muslim holiday. The book’s beautiful photographs are complemented with a map pinpointing the exact locations illustrated. The extensive back matter also includes a list of further resources such as books and Web sites, useful for the research student and paper writer in grades one to four.
The book’s consultant, Dr. Neguin Yavari gives an explanatory note about the religious and cultural significance of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr.

National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.

March 10, 2022

Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane. Celebrating Ramadan. Holiday House, Inc., 2002

The book follows Ibraham’s family through the month of praying and fasting until the feast and celebration of Eid al-Fitr that ends Ramadan, explaining the basic beliefs of Islam and the life of the Prophet Muhammad as well as offering an intimate look at a devout Islamic family.

March 10, 2022

ING Resources on Islam & Muslims

A description of Islamic Networks Group resources and offerings for various educational and interfaith settings.

March 10, 2022

Heide, Florence Parry and Judith Heide Gilliland (illustrated by Mary GrandPré). The House of Wisdom. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 1999.

Non-fiction, illustrated story of the Abbasid era translation effort that brought the knowledge of the ancient world and many cultures into the Arabic language, where it was preserved, built upon and later translated into Latin in Europe, where it helped stimulate the Renaissance.

March 10, 2022

Dover art books on Arabic, Islamic, Persian, Turkish design

Dover Publications is a heritage publisher specializing in facsimile editions of early lithographic books, inexpensive literature, art and craft books, antique mail-order catalogs, and historical design and art books in very inexpensive editions. They are an invaluable resource for the  teacher who wants to integrate  art into the social studies classroom.  The Dover Design Library is only one part of a wonderful art-historical resource for teachers that includes a world-wide collection of cultural designs from architecture, textiles, ceramics, and jewelry. Another way to find their design books is to search http://doverpublications.com using terms like Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Islamic, geometric, and a cross-cultural classic design book from the 19th century, Owen Jones, Grammar of Ornament and Arabic Art in Color by Prisse d’Avennes

March 10, 2022

Conover, Sarah and Freda Crane, (eds.). Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents. Spokane, WA: Eastern Washington University Press, 2004.

A collection of stories from authentic Islamic literary and religious sources such as Hadith and Qur’an, which illuminates Islamic morals, ethics and values in an accessible way.

Winner of the 2004 Aesop Prize, Ayat Jamilah/Beautiful Signs: a Treasury of Islamic Wisdom for Children and Parents is the second book in Eastern Washington University Press’ This Little Light of Mine series. A young adult/adult crossover anthology, it draws from not only the core of Islamic spirituality and ethics, the Qur’an, and the traditions (hadiths), but also from the mystical verse, folk tales, and exemplary figures of the Islamic narrative. Unlike any other collection of Islamic stories, Beautiful Signs gathers traditional stories from the farthest reaches of the Muslim world, which stretches from Morocco in the west to Indonesia in the east, and from China in the north to Tanzania in the south. This unique anthology, with its rich and thorough explanatory notes, will be invaluable to anyone wishing to understand, or to teach, geography, world history, or world religions. It will also be treasured by Muslim families and by all parents committed to broadening the lives and values of their children and themselves.

March 10, 2022

Constructing the Universe Activity Books, by Michael S. Schneider

March 10, 2022

Demi. Muhammad. Illustrated by author. Simon and Schuster, 2003.

An excellent and beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Islam’s Prophet.