How the Environment of the Arabian Peninsula facilitated 2 ways of life: nomadic and sedentary
This lesson will examine the harsh environments of the Arabian Peninsula and how it supported two ways of life: nomadic and sedentary. It will also thoroughly discuss these two ways of life.
Goals and Objectives
Students will understand how the environment of the Arabian Peninsula affected how people lived and settled in the area. Students will outline the sections on “The Arabian Setting” and “A Tribal Culture” from their textbook using a foldable. Students will analyze a map of the Arabian Peninsula and infer how this may have affected Arabs. Students will annotate and record important details on their foldable of two documents discussing current nomadic tribes in Africa collaboratively with a partner. Using the several notes they have recorded, the students will participate in a debate on whether they would have wanted to be nomads or members of a sedentary tribe during this period of study.
California State Content and Common Core Standards
7.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Islam in the Middle Ages.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6: Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2b: Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2d: Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- Identify the physical features and describe the climate of the Arabian Peninsula, its relationship to surrounding bodies of land and water, and nomadic and sedentary ways of life.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6: Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2b: Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2d: Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Driving Historical Question
How did the climate of the Arabian Peninsula effect how Arabs lived?
Lesson Introduction
The teacher will pass out paper to the students and instruct them to fold it 2 times in order for there to be 4 boxes on each side. On the front, students will write Arabian Peninsula, Map, Nomadic Tribes, and Sedentary Tribes. On the Back, students will write Pro-Nomads and Anti-Nomads. Next, the teacher will instruct the students to go to page 67 in their textbook and look at the map. Students will have 2 minutes to write as much as they can on what they see on the map. After the 2 minutes, students will be asked to get with their “shoulder partner” to predict how people may have lived or how the environment might have affected Arabs during this time. The teacher will randomly select three to five students by the use of cards to see what the student and their partner came up with.
Vocabulary
These vocabulary
words will be addressed during the read aloud of the text. The teacher should
encourage students to underline or highlight these words.
Rub al-Khali
Oasis
Nomadic
Sedentary
Bedouins
Rub al-Khali
Oasis
Nomadic
Sedentary
Bedouins
Content Delivery
The teacher will instruct students to follow along as the teacher reads the text. The teacher will stop after each paragraph to think-aloud about the material presented and right down notes. Towards the end of the “A Tribal Culture” the teacher should ask the students what they think is important from each paragraph. This should take anywhere from 7-10 minutes. The purpose of this is to demonstrate to students how to extract important information from a text and record this information in a quick, efficient manner.
Student engagement
Next the teacher will pass out a sheet of paper with two exerts: one highlights the positive characteristics of nomadic tribes and the other highlights some of the negative characteristics. Students will work with their shoulder partners again to read, determine if it is a pro or anti nomadic culture argument, annotate the document, and record important points made. The teacher will give the students a maximum of 10 minutes to do this with their partners.
After this partner work, students will meet with a group that did the other exert and teach each exert to each other. Students should record what they learn about the other exert on their foldable. The teacher should set a timer so that each group gets 5 minutes to talk about their exert and for the other two students to record the information.
**It is likely that this might take up an entire class period. If it does than the closing activity should be for students to share one thing they learned before leaving the class. The lesson introduction for the next day should be for the teacher to ask the class questions about the previous day’s lesson to make sure that students retained the information.**
The students will participate in a debate using the notes from their foldables. The teacher will divide the class in half. One group will argue that if they were living at this time they would want to be nomads, the other group will argue that life in a sedentary tribe would be better. The class will argue for 10-15 minutes. Then the teacher will stop the debate and tell students to move to the side that they agree with. The class will debate for another 10 minutes. Each group will have two minutes to come up with a closing statement. Each group will present their closing statement before concluding the debate. During the debate students will have two small coins. Each time they speak they must throw one in the middle.
After this partner work, students will meet with a group that did the other exert and teach each exert to each other. Students should record what they learn about the other exert on their foldable. The teacher should set a timer so that each group gets 5 minutes to talk about their exert and for the other two students to record the information.
**It is likely that this might take up an entire class period. If it does than the closing activity should be for students to share one thing they learned before leaving the class. The lesson introduction for the next day should be for the teacher to ask the class questions about the previous day’s lesson to make sure that students retained the information.**
The students will participate in a debate using the notes from their foldables. The teacher will divide the class in half. One group will argue that if they were living at this time they would want to be nomads, the other group will argue that life in a sedentary tribe would be better. The class will argue for 10-15 minutes. Then the teacher will stop the debate and tell students to move to the side that they agree with. The class will debate for another 10 minutes. Each group will have two minutes to come up with a closing statement. Each group will present their closing statement before concluding the debate. During the debate students will have two small coins. Each time they speak they must throw one in the middle.
Lesson Closure
For the last 5 plus minutes, students will do a quick write. In this quick write students will be asked to argue why they chose their side in the debate. Remind students that a good way to argue is to point out information from the opposing side, and then prove it wrong. The quick write should be in paragraph form. Before leaving the class, students will turn this in to the teacher.
Assessment
Entry Level
During the Lesson Introduction, the teacher will assess if students can recall their prior knowledge on how environment impacts its inhabitants and how. This will be important because the teacher will need to explain why the two primary ways of life were nomadic and sedentary and why the people settle in specific places. This will take much more time if students do not understand this initial connection.
Taking notes on the text will also demonstrate how well students are able to take effective notes. The teacher should try and ask students what they think should be written down to get a better idea of where they are at in their note-taking abilities.
**If the lesson needs to be split into two days, which is likely if you are not on a block schedule, than the entry level assessment for the second day will be to assess prior knowledge on the two documents concerning nomads. It will be important to make sure that students can recall this information before moving on to the debate.
Progress Monitoring
While students work with their partners to analyze, annotate, and record notes on their assigned exert, the teacher should be walking around to make sure the students are identifying the exert accurately as a pro or con argument and if they are recording efficient notes. The teacher should also monitor how students are teaching their assigned exerts to each other and that the students are recording appropriate notes from their peers.
The last progress monitoring assessment will be during the first part of the debate where students argue for a side that may not be what they agree with. The teacher needs to make sure that students are using facts from their notes to support their claims and that the students are not getting off track in relation to the information or their arguments.
*If the lesson takes two days, the oral exit slip the first day will demonstrate if the students retain appropriate information from the texts.
Summative
There will be two summative assessments. The first assessment will be the second half of the debate where students argue for the side they agree with. If students use both of their tokens they get full participation points. The only way to lose participation points is for saying something inappropriate during the debate or making students feel uncomfortable through inappropriate behaviors. The purpose of this is to get students to participate, but for them also have the opportunity to hear from all of their peers.
The second assessment will be the quick write paragraph. This will demonstrate individual knowledge of the material and the ability to use various sources in their argument. Format should be in paragraph form, but it is the ideas that are of most importance.
Together these two documents are worth 50 points. The debate is 15 points and the quick write is 35 points. For poor format/grammar the most that should be taken is 5 points. Students cannot receive full credit on the quick write if they do not cite both exerts, the text, and the map. For each missing source, the student will lose 3 points.
During the Lesson Introduction, the teacher will assess if students can recall their prior knowledge on how environment impacts its inhabitants and how. This will be important because the teacher will need to explain why the two primary ways of life were nomadic and sedentary and why the people settle in specific places. This will take much more time if students do not understand this initial connection.
Taking notes on the text will also demonstrate how well students are able to take effective notes. The teacher should try and ask students what they think should be written down to get a better idea of where they are at in their note-taking abilities.
**If the lesson needs to be split into two days, which is likely if you are not on a block schedule, than the entry level assessment for the second day will be to assess prior knowledge on the two documents concerning nomads. It will be important to make sure that students can recall this information before moving on to the debate.
Progress Monitoring
While students work with their partners to analyze, annotate, and record notes on their assigned exert, the teacher should be walking around to make sure the students are identifying the exert accurately as a pro or con argument and if they are recording efficient notes. The teacher should also monitor how students are teaching their assigned exerts to each other and that the students are recording appropriate notes from their peers.
The last progress monitoring assessment will be during the first part of the debate where students argue for a side that may not be what they agree with. The teacher needs to make sure that students are using facts from their notes to support their claims and that the students are not getting off track in relation to the information or their arguments.
*If the lesson takes two days, the oral exit slip the first day will demonstrate if the students retain appropriate information from the texts.
Summative
There will be two summative assessments. The first assessment will be the second half of the debate where students argue for the side they agree with. If students use both of their tokens they get full participation points. The only way to lose participation points is for saying something inappropriate during the debate or making students feel uncomfortable through inappropriate behaviors. The purpose of this is to get students to participate, but for them also have the opportunity to hear from all of their peers.
The second assessment will be the quick write paragraph. This will demonstrate individual knowledge of the material and the ability to use various sources in their argument. Format should be in paragraph form, but it is the ideas that are of most importance.
Together these two documents are worth 50 points. The debate is 15 points and the quick write is 35 points. For poor format/grammar the most that should be taken is 5 points. Students cannot receive full credit on the quick write if they do not cite both exerts, the text, and the map. For each missing source, the student will lose 3 points.
Accommodations
Having the teacher complete the notes in a read-aloud/think-aloud format English learners, striving readers, and students with special needs will be able to follow along. This will provide a framework for how students should approach analyzing a text and taking notes on the same text. Student will then work with partners to go through the same process of analyzing a shorter text and taking notes. Students who are English learners, struggling readers, or have special needs will be strategically partnered with a proficient English speaker that is relatively more advanced than them. Students will then work in slightly bigger groups of four to share ideas. This group work will help students who are struggling and need accommodations because they will be able to listen to their peers and discuss their ideas in a smaller, less intimidating, environment.
Lastly, during the debate and quick write, students will be able to use their notes and are only required to speak twice. If they do not speak during the debate, however, it will not put them in the position of failing the assignment. These students should be encouraged to come into class during lunch or to stay and tell the teacher to ideas to receive full credit. This will allow students a safer environment to express their ideas. These students should also only be expected to use three of the sources to receive full credit in the quick write.
Depending on the proficiency level of the English Learner and the severity of the special need of a student, it make be necessary for the student to use bullet points instead of a paragraph form or for a list of sentence starters to be given to the student. These modifications will depend on the student.
Lastly, during the debate and quick write, students will be able to use their notes and are only required to speak twice. If they do not speak during the debate, however, it will not put them in the position of failing the assignment. These students should be encouraged to come into class during lunch or to stay and tell the teacher to ideas to receive full credit. This will allow students a safer environment to express their ideas. These students should also only be expected to use three of the sources to receive full credit in the quick write.
Depending on the proficiency level of the English Learner and the severity of the special need of a student, it make be necessary for the student to use bullet points instead of a paragraph form or for a list of sentence starters to be given to the student. These modifications will depend on the student.
Resources
- Overhead camera (or whiteboard if not available)
- Hart, Diane (2006). Medieval and Early Modern Times: Teacher’s Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education Inc.
- Colored paper
- Timer
- 2 exerts from:
o http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001405/140563e.pdf
o http://www.farandfurther.com/somalia-travel/somali-nomads.htm
- Hart, Diane (2006). Medieval and Early Modern Times: Teacher’s Edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education Inc.
- Colored paper
- Timer
- 2 exerts from:
o http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001405/140563e.pdf
o http://www.farandfurther.com/somalia-travel/somali-nomads.htm