Overview Students will work together to form a portrait
of the history of the Middle East and how specific people, places, events,
and groups affect the search for peace in the region.
Time
Three one-hour long class periods
Objectives
Students will gain an overview of the history of the Middle East and various
issues involved in establishing peace in the region.
Break the class into four groups:
People, Places, Events, and Groups & Isms. Give all students
a copy of the Middle East Primer worksheet. The groups’ tasks are to identify the
items on their assigned list, creating a brief (2-5 sentences)
description of each one that explains the item’s relation to the
situation in the Middle East. They should also find an interesting and
informative way to share the information with their classmates. Group
members must decide how to divide the work.
Have each group present their findings
to their classmates in whatever format they’ve chosen. Allow for a
"question & answer" period.
Assessment
Class members, group participants, and the
teacher should complete the
Middle East Primer Assessment for each of the four presentations.
Use the group presentations to create a
class quiz about the information. Allow students to use each other’s
materials for the quiz.
Create a large class map of the
Middle East. Add notecards around the map identifying important places and events that
are crucial to the current situation in the Middle East.
Assign students an essay in which they
explain the major obstacles to peace in the Middle East based on their
research.
Understands how the Balfour Declaration
affected British policy toward Palestine and the political goals of the
Arab League and the Zionist Movement, and how the White Paper Reports
affected Jewish and Arab inhabitants of Palestine
Identifies and uses the strengths of
others
Evaluates the overall progress of a group
toward a goal
