The House of Wisdom
Learners will watch a short video on astronomy in the medieval Islamic empire and investigate the special contributions of Islamic astronomers.
Unit:AstronomyIncludes
Informational text on medieval Islamic science, هارون الرشيد وابنه المأمون.. زمن بغداد الذهبي, بيت الحكمة تأليف بدور القاسمي, مريم وتنين الشمس
Final Project
Learners choose a phenomenon created by the movement of the Earth and a way to represent it through a graphical display of data. Learners create a folktale that explains the phenomenon including an understanding of why this mattered to our ancestors.
Unit:AstronomyIncludes
Final project planning sheet and rubric
Home in Place
Learners collaboratively build a story map of their school or surrounding area.
Unit:Geographies of HomeIncludes
Mapping activity sheets, Home in place slides
We Went Looking for Home
Learners begin to understand the idea of home is hard to contain. Learners brainstorm all the feelings, sensations, images, and memories that come up when they think of home.
Unit:Geographies of HomeIncludes
We Went Looking for Home but We Found… (Al-Bustan camp multimedia book)
Home is a Foreign Place
Learners take inspiration from Zarina Hashimi’s Home is a Foreign Place and create block print symbols of home.
Unit:Geographies of HomeIncludes
Zarina Hashimi slides, MoMA audio: Zarina Hashimi’s Home is a Foreign Place (English)
Are Maps Always Truthful?
Learners understand that maps can be inaccurate and explore artists who work to capture the true spirit of a place when maps fail us.
Unit:Geographies of HomeIncludes
Lesson slides
Dream Maps
Learners create multimedia maps of their dream places and worlds inspired by decolonial mapping.
Unit:Geographies of HomeIncludes
Dream maps handout
Community Maps
Learners understand that people make home and create their own community maps of the people they hold near.
Unit:Geographies of HomeIncludes
Winti Hon (وانتِ هون), Ruba Shamshoum and Amy Chiniara — animation, Community map example
Passing Down Stories
Learners explore hakawatias like Fida’a Ataya as they learn how kharareef are passed down from generation to generation.
Unit:Food & StoriesIncludes
Slides on Fida’a Ataya, Folktales from Hakaya Stories on SoundCloud (Arabic), Timeless Tales (English)
Memories for Sale
Learners read ذكرى للبيع by سارة عبدالله to explore the narrator’s emotional world as she tries to process difficult memories. Learners then engage in a social-emotional role play exercise to explore the concept of forgiveness.
Collection:Arabic Language Arts Mentor Text LessonsIncludes
Scenario cards
Jerusalem's Hidden Gate
Learners read بوابة القدس الخفية by ابتسام بركات and practice memory activism, remembering our histories in order to safeguard places, peoples, and cultures threatened by erasure. After learning about the past, learners will better understand what is happening at the present through exploring what people and organizations are working to fight against occupation.
Collection:Arabic Language Arts Mentor Text LessonsIncludes
Palestinian Archive photographs, Palestine organizations, Observation tool, Let’s document our family history and share it | لنتشارك التاريخ العائلي ونوثقه
Other HILL pursuits
Get in Touch
We'd love to hear from educators, parents and students. Tell us how you're using Athl in your classroom — or how we can help.
We aim to respond within a few working days.