Teaching about Religions
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.
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/
Description of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and its celebration. Grades 2-5
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.
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.
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.
Lesson plan and Readings on Historical Background of the Abrahamic Faiths is part of the complete set of lessons for comprehension and enrichment written to accompany the Unity Productions Foundation documentary film Cities of Light, in addition to interactive online features, articles, slide shows, timelines and maps is found at http://www.islamicspain.tv. The Lesson Plan Set is available for download in pdf format (individual lesson titles and the complete set on the site at http://www.islamicspain.tv/For-Teachers/LessonPlans.htm).
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.
A description of Islamic Networks Group resources and offerings for various educational and interfaith settings.
This publication seeks to answer common questions about Islam and Muslims, in order to inform Americans about the vast majority of their fellow citizens who are Muslim. In doing so, it seeks to uphold our shared commitment to religious freedom and contribute to a climate of understanding and respect among Americans of all faiths and none.
An excellent and beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Islam’s Prophet.
Critical Thinking on Terminology about Islam and Muslims Critical Thinking about Terminology Related to Islam and Muslims: This lesson helps students critically evaluate some of the phrases and concepts used to describe Islam and Muslims. Students learn about the distinctions between using terms such as “Islamic” and “Muslim” to describe different behaviors or cultural products, and gain awareness of journalistic categories such as “Muslim world.” For use with: Video documentary FRONTLINE: MUSLIMS or as standalone lesson.
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.
Categories of teaching resources published by the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Teaching Units include: Islam and Politics; The Incense Routes: Frankincense and Myrrh: As Good As Gold by Joan Brodsky Schur (2013); Geography of the Arabian Peninsula by Joan Brodsky Schur (2013); The Illustrator’s Notebook: Parts 1-3 by Mohieddin Ellabbad (2009) and numerous others
These guidelines are intended to help public schools balance the need for school safety with the need for free expression. The balance between the two is not static: It changes depending on the specific circumstances in each case, and is affected especially by the age of the students involved. These guidelines are based on current law. They do not provide guidance for every situation. But they should provide useful guidance for school officials seeking to create a safe and free learning environment.
An excellent lecture from one of the leading experts on Shi’i Islam, Dr. Sayyid Hossein Nasr explains the differences between the two branches of Islam and their contemporary forms.
In the Biennial Willem Bijlefeld Lecture, Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr explored the history of the relationship between Sunnism and Shi’ism, which goes back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Dr. Nasr discussed the manipulation for political interests of Sunni-Shi’ite differences by forces both internal and external to the Islamic world and reflected on the future of the relationship between Sunnism and Shi’ism and the impact it is likely to have within the Islamic world itself and in its relation to the West.
The Willem A. Bijlefeld Lecture, named after the first director of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, brings a distinguished scholar to campus for a public presentation on Islam or Christian-Muslim relations to promote interreligious understanding and mutual respect in the local, national and world communities.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr is University Professor of Islamic Studies at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Nasr has lectured widely throughout the United States, Western Europe, most of the Islamic world, India, Australia and Japan. Dr. Nasr is the author of more than fifty books and more than 500 articles.
A teacher resource by Laura Billings and Terry Roberts, published by Oxford University Press in collaboration with First Amendment Center