UKS2 Topic: Early Islamic Civilisation Block I: Legacy of Early Islam

Session 5 & 6 Then and now
National Curriculum / History: Understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources; Thoughtfully select and organise relevant historical information.
Teaching Objectives / To recognise similarities or themes in the work of ancient scholars and how they relate to modern knowledge and understanding.
National Curriculum / English: Identify the audience for and purpose of writing, selecting the appropriate form.
Teaching Objectives / To collaborate with others to plan and create a group presentation.
Resources
Information sheet entitled Information text: success criteria checklist. Books, e.g. 1001 Inventions and Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization (National Geographic Kids)/ Arab Science and Invention in the Golden Age by Anne Blanchard & Emmanuel Cerisier/ Islamic Weapons: Maghrib to Moghul by Anthony C. Tirri. / Weblinks
Refer to previous sessions.
Whole class: Please note: A museum (or similar) visit at this point could greatly enrich the children’s understanding of the legacy of the early Islamic scholars. Remind chn of their plenary discussion from the previous session. Ask them if they have thought of any other notable ‘modern’ figures doing that kind of research/thinking/teaching. Tell chn that they are going to collaborate with a group to create a poster presentation that links the work of an ancient scholar/early work within a specific discipline with modern-day understanding. The poster will stand alone as a presentation and the chn will also be expected to present it to the class or a wider audience. You might want to group the chn in advance or allow them to self-group, depending on their areas of interest. Discuss the various categories/disciplines that the scholars fall into, e.g. medicine & surgery, alchemy, vision & optics, astronomy, machines & devices, mathematics, maps & exploration, polymaths, teaching. Allow groups a short time to decide which discipline they will focus on, or allocate groups with your choice of discipline (allowing for a wide coverage of disciplines). If you choose to allocate themes, an amusing way of doing this randomly is to write each theme on a small piece of paper, roll it up and slot it into a balloon. Inflate the balloon, then have each group choose one to pop to find their theme! Ask chn what will make a successful poster, then refer to the Information sheet entitled Information text: success criteria checklist (session resource).
Hard/Medium/Easy
Chn to collaborate in their groups to research their chosen theme, dividing tasks as necessary to include use of web and paper-based sources. Teacher to move between groups, ensuring less confident readers have access to appropriate reading matter, and that all chn are focused on finding and recording material that will help them meet the success criteria. Once the research is complete, chn to plan the layout of their poster presentation, carefully considering how to showcase both ‘ancient’ and contemporary understanding. Drafting of content can then follow. Allow time for careful proofreading within groups as well as prompting to self-assess against the success criteria checklist. Facilitate the printing of images, while encouraging chn to also produce their own illustrations/diagrams.
Plenary / Ask chn to evaluate how eye-catching and interactive their poster will be. Ask them to identify two things to improve when the finished poster is created in the next session; record on a Post-It note.
Outcomes / Children will:
·  Attempt to identify common themes within the work of early Islamic scholars
·  Identify their own success criteria for a poster presentation
·  Collaborate in groups of 2 or 3 to research the chosen presentation theme, using web and paper-based sources; then plan a poster presentation that links the work of an ancient scholar/work with modern-day understanding in that discipline
·  Carefully choose how to present information and ideas to showcase both ancient and contemporary understanding

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