Oct. 29: Students finished their montages and I collected their packets. With the exception of first period (which had more time than the other 3 periods) I did not penalize students for not completing the written paragraph that accompanied their montage. Last day of the first quarter.
Nov. 1: We watched a short segment of "Islam: Empire of Faith," after which students worked on a map of the Islamic world in 661 A.D. It was homework Monday night.
Nov. 2: I introduced two assignments what will need to be completed at home this week; the Ka'aba and the camel diary (see directions below). Students also began creating a mock magazine ad featuring the camel. Their magazine image should include at least one image, a slogan and a paragraph of information that explains why the camel is the perfect animal for the Arabian Peninsula.
Nov. 3: Students read a short selection from their texts in class and answered questions about the reading and then worked on their camel ads.
Directions for Ka'aba Assignment:
Home-work Building Project:
Construct a Ka’aba
The small, cubed building known as the Ka’aba may not rival skyscrapers in height or mansions in width, but its impact on history and human beings is unmatched. The Ka‘aba is the building towards which Muslims face five times a day, everyday, in prayer. This has been the case since the time of the Prophet over 1400 years ago.
The Size of the Ka‘aba: The current height of the Ka’aba is 39 feet, 6 inches and total size comes to 627 square feet. The inside room of the Ka’aba is 13X9 meters. The Ka’aba’s walls are one meter wide. The walls are all made of stone. The stones inside are unpolished, while the ones outside are polished. The Kabaa has a large black tapestry draped over it that has Muslim phrases embroidered on it.
The Ka’aba is inside a large courtyard in the l-Masjid al-arām ("The Sacred Mosque"). It is the largest mosque in the world. Located in the city of Mecca, it surrounds the Ka’aba, the place which Muslims turn towards while offering daily prayers and is considered the holiest place on Earth by Muslims. The mosque is also known as the Grand Mosque. The current structure covers an area of 400,800 square metres (99.0 acres) including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to four million worshippers during the Hajj period, the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.
Your Assignment is to construct a small model of the Ka’aba and the Grand Mosque that surrounds it. Your model should be no larger than a shoe box and must include 3 important elements:
I. A miniature Ka’aba that is shaped like a cube and is black with gold Arabic letters on it.
II. Something to represent the pilgrims (Muslims) who come to the Ka’aba to pray during the Hajj, or other sacred times.
III. The interior wall facings of the Grand Mosque’s courtyard.
There are hundred (if not thousands) of images of the Ka’aba on-line for you to model your Ka’aba after.
This assignment is due Monday, November 8.
Directions for Camel Diary (Due Friday)
Camel Caravan Diary
Write a one-page (minimum, single spaced) account of a 4-day trip from Medina to Mecca (see map on page 80-81). Edit your diary to clean up your writing and remove all spelling errors. Don’t simply turn in your first draft. A sloppy, half page of writing will receive half credit (if that!).
Remember this diary is from the point of view of a camel! Use the word “I” because you are the camel and this is a first person narrative. Use as many “camel facts” as possible from the information below. There is also useful information on pp. 87-88, and 90-91.
Your diary must also include the words in the word bank below. Underline them in your diary.
Arabian Peninsula, Oasis, Caravan , Bedouin,
Desert, Trading, Mecca, Medina,
Muhammad, Dates, Water, Sand,
Remember, a diary entry usually starts with a date, the day and month are up to you, but set your story in the year 570 A.D.
Useful information about camels:
Arabian camels, also known as dromedaries, have only one hump, but they employ it to great effect. The hump stores up to 80 pounds of fat, which a camel can break down into water and energy when sustenance is not available. These humps give camels their legendary ability to travel up to 100 desert miles without water.
Camels rarely sweat, even in desert temperatures that reach 120°F, so when they do take in fluids they can conserve them for long periods of time. In winter, even desert plants may hold enough moisture to allow a camel to live without water for several weeks. When camels do refill, however, they soak up water like a sponge. A very thirsty animal can drink 30 gallons of water in only 13 minutes.
Other adaptations help dromedaries thrive in desert conditions. Their nostrils close to keep sand at bay, and they have bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes to protect their eyes. Large, tough lips enable them to pick at dry and thorny desert vegetation. Big, thick footpads help them navigate the rough rocky terrain and shifting desert sands. Arabian camels have been domesticated for approximately 3,500 years and have been long valued as pack animals. They can carry large loads (1,000 lbs) for up to 25 miles a day. Some cultures judge a person's wealth based on the number of camels they own.
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