I Am a Muslim: A Modern Storybook: A Supplementary Social Studies Unit for Kindergarten

Susan Douglass

Jan 1995 · International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) & Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company

About this ebook

 This unit is built around a set of paired stories, one from the Qur'an or authentic traditions, and one related modern story. The overall objectives are: (l) to awaken the children's awareness of their identity and worth as Muslims, (2) to model Islamic behavior patterns, and (3) to cultivate a sense of identification and community with Muslims of long ago and in other parts of the modern world. While the unit is designed for kindergarten, its stories and activities may be useful for values instruction throughout the primary grades in a variety of instructional settings, including full-time, weekend and home schools. This unit, emphasizing values education, may also be useful in Muslim parenting classes. Each lesson consists of the story pair, to be presented to the children orally or dramatically, and suggested discussion guidelines and activities through which the values and related behaviors are developed and reinforced in the children's understanding. The 15 lessons are intended to implement teaching objectives in various units taught in a typical Islamic kindergarten social studies curriculum, on a selective or exhaustive basis, throughout the year.

Ratings and reviews

Islam plus social studies is Islamic Sciences.I am glad to have come across these materials.

About the author

 Susan Douglass has an M.A. in Arab Studies from the Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, and a B.A. in History from the University of Rochester. She is a doctoral candidate in world history at George Mason University. During 2006, she served as Senior Researcher for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations initiative, and served as an Affiliated Scholar with the Council on Islamic Education for a decade. Major publications include World Eras: Rise and Spread of Islam, 622-1500 (Thompson/Gale, 2002), teaching resources for the Council on Islamic Education and the National Center for History in the Schools, and a children’s book, Ramadan (Carolrhoda Books, 2002. She is contributor to online teaching resources such as the IslamProject.org, the website and teaching resources for the documentary film Cities of Light (islamicspain.tv), the Smithsonian Freer Gallery teaching guide Arts of Islam, Children and Youth in History at the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, and the San Diego State University curriculum project World History for Us All. She designed and developed the online resource The Indian Ocean in World History. As researcher and author of the study Teaching About Religion in National and State Social Studies Standards (Freedom Forum First Amendment Center and Council on Islamic Education, 2000), she has continued to study national and state world history and geography standards since 1995. She conducted teacher workshops nationwide for over a decade before developing the education outreach program at the Center for Muslim Christian Understanding, which has held workshops in 25 states since 2007.