Lesson Plans & Curricular Resources
Browse lesson plans by topic below. Visit our Summer Institue page for additional lectures, resources, and activities from recent institutes.
CLICK THE ICON TO DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ACCOMPANYING HANDOUTS
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN WORLD WAR I: A STUDY IN MAPS
BY JOAN BRODSKY SCHUR (2015)
Grade Level: High School (9 - 12)
Subject Areas: History, Geography
Content Area: The Ottoman Empire, the modern Middle East, World War I
Synopsis: This lesson plan includes four activities (one for each class period): 1). Making inferences from maps about the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire, 2). Examining arguments as to whether or not the Ottomans should have remained neutral in World War I, 3). Making a Strategic Plan to save the Empire, and 4). Assessing the effectiveness of the Ottomans in waging war. Throughout the lesson, suggestions are made for advanced classes to assess the complexities of decision making facing the Ottoman Empire because of diverse communities within the empire who might not remain loyal to it. Many of these minorities had been encouraged by various European powers to agitate for national homelands.
CLICK THE ICON TO DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ACCOMPANYING HANDOUTS
THE SEARCH FOR NEW IDENTITIES DURING THE DEMISE OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
BY JOAN BRODSKY SCHUR (2015)
Grade Level: High School (9 - 12)
Subject Areas: History
Content Area: The Ottoman Levant,, the modern Middle East, World War I, Use of Memoirs/Diaries
Synopsis: This lesson plan draws on excerpts from the diary of Ihsan Salih Turjman (1893 - 1917) to illuminate the complex and shifting identities of Ottoman Arab citizens during World War I. Students study a map and document from 1906 to understand administrative divisionswithin the empire, after which they analyze four secondary sources that describe the evolving relation of Turk to Arab in the Ottoman Empire. Students read exceprts from Turjman's diary with a focus on how his identity as a n ottoman citizen was tested during the war.
CLICK THE ICON TO DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ACCOMPANYING HANDOUTS
THE BATTLE OF GALLIPOLI: COMPARING PRIMARY SOURCES
BY JOAN BRODSKY SCHUR (2015)
Grade Level: High School (9 - 12)
Subject Areas: History, Geography
Content Area: Turkey, the modern Middle East, World War I
Synopsis: In this lesson on the Battle of Gallipoli, students compare a variety of types of documents (including letters, diaries, dispatches, and commission reports) from British, Anzac, and Ottoman sources. Working in groups of three, students choose one sources as the basis of a Historical Inquiry Broadcast providing contextual information, a documentary photograph, and points of comparison to a second document, in a Podcast or alternative format.
THE CROSSING: THE REFUGEE CRISIS, CLOSING THE EMPATHY GAP, AND HUMANITARIANISM
BY BRENDAN MULLINS (2017)
Grade Level: High School (9 - 12)
Subject Areas: Social Studies, Government
Content Area: General Middle East, North Africa, Hispaniola, and the Americas. Specific Middle East case studies were Palestine, Yemen, and Syria.
Synopsis: This is a discovery-based unit designed to create paradigm shifts of student perceptions of stereotypes, refugees, our responsibilities towards the global crisis, and what it means to be a Humanitarian. I chose a Humanities approach to create student interest and build empathy throughout the unit. Ultimately, our goal is to create an action in the form of artistic expression or discussions students can have outside the classroom when faced with prejudices and stereotypes of refugees.
Click the icon to download the lesson plan
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ACCOMPANYING HANDOUTS
LEARNING TO LISTEN: TEACHING THE MIDDLE EAST MIGRATION CRISIS THROUGH REFUGEE NARRATIVES
BY BARBARA PETZEN (2016)
Grade Level: High School (9 - 12)
Subject Areas: Human Georgraphy
Content Area: General Middle East, Mediterranean, Europe
Synopsis: This lesson gives students the information and context to explore the human narratives of individual refugees from the Middle East, and to analyze those narratives to discover the causes of migration, the paths and obstacles migrants and refugees face as they travel, and the difficulties they face in finding new homes and adjusting to new circumstances. Students will also examine contemporary debates over immigration in Europe and the U.S. in the context of the refugee crisis.
CLICK THE ICON TO DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ACCOMPANYING HANDOUTS
FIRST FEMINISTS OF EGYPT: THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY
BY JOAN BRODSKY SCHUR (2017)
Grade Level: High School (9 - 12)
Subject Areas: History, Social Studies, Sociology
Content Area: Egypt, the modern Middle East, culture & gender
Synopsis: This lesson plan for four 50 minute classes, with three assignments, provides a documentary-based study of Egyptian Mulsim feminists in the early 20th century. it enables students to assess the movement's goals within the context of Egyptian society and through the voices of its leaders. students assess their goals in relation to the British imperialist Lord Cromer. Based on this lesson, students will be able to compare Egypt's women's movements to others they may learn about in the United States, Europe, or elsewhere in the world.
Click the icon to download the lesson plan
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ACCOMPANYING HANDOUTS
THE MUTLI-LAYERED LIVES OF MUSLIM WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
BY GRETA SCHARNWEBER(2010)
In August 2010, NYU hosted a three-day workshop that introduced educators to the complexity and diversity of daily life for women living across the Middle East and North Africa. By closely examining the lives of individual women (through memoir, film, short stories, and more), they learned surprising details about childhood, marriage, sexuality, politics, and the diverse life experiences of Muslim women. The course featured a variety of primary and secondary sources; click the icon on the left to access the list of primary and secondary sources, along with information about how to obtain them.
CLICK THE ICON TO SEE THE LIST OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
THE YEAR THAT SHOOK THE WORLD: THE 1979 IRANIAN REVOLUTION
BY BRENDAN MULLINS(2016)
Grade Level: High School (9 - 12)
Subject Areas: GLobal History and Geography
Content Area: Iran and the Middle East
Synopsis: This lesson introduces students to the Iranian Revolution. Students will identify the causes of the revolution and decide which cause was most responsible for the revolution. Additionally, it begins exposing students to Iranian and U.S. perceptions of the revolution.
CLICK THE ICON TO DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HANDOUT A - Batman a Death in the Family
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HANDOUT B - Once Upon a Time - Important Questions
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HANDOUT C - Read All About It Field Prompt
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HANDOUT D - Iranian Revolution Notepad
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HANDOUT E - Excerpt - Iranian Revolution in U.S. Textbook
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HANDOUT F - Causes of the Iranian Revolution - Field Sites
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HANDOUT G - Iranian Revolution Causes Quiz - Student's Copy
OPERATION AJAX
BY MARIUM RIZVI (2016)
Grade Level: Middle School( 8-9 grades)
Subject Areas: U.S. History
Content Area: Iran and the Middle East
Synopsis:Students will first utilize the graphic novel, Operation Ajax: The CIA Coup the Remade the Middle East to initially engage and discuss the 1953. After completing the graphic novel activity students with rotate in centers, analyzing and discussing a series of primary sources related to the 1953 coup as well as the evolution of the relationship between Iran and the United States.
CLICK THE ICON TO DOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLAN
STATECRAFT IN THE MIDDLE EAST
BY ABBE KARMEN (2016)
Grade Level: High School( 10th grade)
Subject Areas: U.S. History
Content Area: History, Geography, Religion, Social Studies
Synopsis: The themes of this lesson include the construction of nations and of national identity and the role of outside nations in building territorial identities based on self-interest. The objective of this lesson is to inform students about the complicated history of the “creation” of the modern Middle East and to bring to the fore the significance and rich history of the peoples of the region before and after the era of European colonialism. A central learning outcome of this lesson is for students to gain an understanding of the internal and external factors that are at play during the creation of a nation.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD LESSON PLAN
A is for Arab: Stereotypes in U.S. Popular Culture
This exhibition, publication and film program draw from the comprehensive research archive of Dr. Jack G. Shaheen, author of Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People.
Traveling Exhibition: A is for Arab: Stereotypes in U.S. Popular Culture
Powerful, accessible and compelling, the A is for Arab traveling exhibition reveals and critiques the stereotypical portrayals of Arabs and Muslims in U.S. popular culture. Providing historical context about these images, which range from film stills to comic books to editorial cartoons, the portable and affordable display available for rent (only $250 for non-profit, educational institutions) aims to educate and stimulate discussion about the impact of stereotypes on both individual perceptions and national policy.
Publication: A is for Arab: Archiving Stereotypes in U.S. Popular Culture
A is for Arab: Archiving Stereotypes in U.S. Popular Culture features photographs of objects and materials from the Jack G. Shaheen Archive, and documents U.S. popular culture representations of Arabs and Muslims from the early-20th century to the present.
Film Program: Reel Arabs Vs. Real Arabs: Historicizing/Critiquing/Remaking the Arab Image in Popular Culture
Help your students separate the reel from reality. Take a 100-year historical tour of representations of Arabs and Muslims on film (and discover how Hollywood really began with Orientalist Arab stereotypes) by hosting this film program curated by Jack Shaheen at your school.
Middle East Outreach Council
Perspectives Newsletter for Educators (free downloads and lesson plans) The Middle East Outreach Council is a nationwide network of resources and information on the Middle East for K-16 educators. MEOC distributes a newsletter each semester called PERSPECTIVES, and is currently edited by the Hagop Kevorkian Center's Outreach Coordinator, Fidele Harfouche. Each issue of Perspectives focuses on a theme related to the Middle East and provides strategies for teaching, lesson plans, background information, and lists of resources. Check here for upcoming issues. To inquire about being a MEOC member, please write to fh38@nyu.edu or see www.meoc.us.