Lesson Title: How DID We Get That Word? – The Arabic Influence on Vocabulary

Name: Anne Brinsmade-DeFelice and Maria Barbella

School: Friendly High School, Fort Washington, MD (Prince George’s County)

Grades taught: 9 – 12

Appropriate grades for lesson plan: 6 – 12

Disciplines taught: Spanish, English, Business

Appropriate disciplines for lesson plan: Spanish, Flex, Language Arts, Social Studies. NOTE: Lesson may be taught completely in Spanish, in a combination of Spanish and English, or completely in English, depending on the subject area and level in which it is taught.

Approximate length of time required to teach lesson plan: 270 minutes (3 classes of 90 minutes in an A/B day schedule)

Big Idea: Cultural Re-mix – among the Islamic, Spanish, and associated cultures, continuing to the modern era

Essential Learner Outcomes targeted:

• The student will demonstrate an understanding of the history, diversity, and commonality of the peoples of the nation and world, the reality of human interdependence, and the need for global cooperation through a perspective that is both historical and multicultural.
• The student will demonstrate an understanding of geographic concepts and processes to examine the role of culture, technology, and the environment in the location and distribution of human activities throughout history.
• The student will demonstrate the ability to respond to a text by employing personal experiences and critical analysis.
• The student will demonstrate the ability to evaluate the content, organization, and language use of texts.
• The student will plan, monitor, and evaluate his or her own learning experiences.
• The student will think creatively and strategically to achieve goals, make effective decisions, and solve problems.
• The student will plan, participate in, monitor, and evaluate communication experiences in a variety of situations.

Lesson Objectives:

• The student will be able to understand the extent of influence of the Arabic language on Spanish and English.
• The student will be able to demonstrate the sources and means of this insemination.
• The student will be able to relate to the model of Al-Hassan al-Wazzan al-Fasi (Leo Africanus).
• The student will be able to determine Arabic influences in his own life.

Abstract: Using historical data and maps, students will examine words of Arabic origin, define words with which they are unacquainted, arrange the words into categories, and determine the reason/source for the words’ inclusion in our vocabulary. Students will read and analyze selections from the travel account of Leo Africanus in order to humanize the process.

Lesson Components:

a. Motivation/Warm Up:

Teacher will show a likeness of Leo Africanus from the cover of Leo Africanus by Amin Maalouf and ask students to write down what they imagine to be his country of origin, religion, language, occupation, etc.
Students will share written impressions.

b. Activities:

• Students will read selections from writings of the travels of Leo Africanus daily. (Twenty minutes of reading is required in each class daily.) Each reading will be followed by discussion, questions, and map work.
• Words of Arabic origin will be distributed to groups of students. The students will then arrange the words into their own, or predetermined categories, using the dictionary to define unfamiliar words.
• Students will analyze the resulting categories, with regard to aspects of social life, goods, activities, etc. represented by the vocabulary words.
• Teacher will present and display maps, objects, and visuals to illustrate the areas and items under discussion.
• Students will map the sources of the goods, craftsmen, etc. represented by these words and discuss the reasons why this vocabulary might have come into the language. (Ex. The Silk Road trade, foods that were enjoyed, articles of clothing worn, scientific terms, military terms, etc.)
• Students will utilize web sites to research the areas discussed and prepare reports.
• Students will determine who might be a modern-day Leo Africanus, either by identifying an actual contemporary figure or by developing an imaginary character and his/her adventures.
• Students will analyze personal use of the vocabulary of Arabic origin in the context of their own daily lives.

c. Assessment: Students will demonstrate understanding and mastery of the material by:

• Identifying words of Arabic origin from lists and writings
• Locating sources of vocabulary (foods, services, mercantile goods) on maps
• Writing a brief piece (essay, poem, letter) implementing the target vocabulary to describe a selected area of commerce or daily life
• Presenting a scene dramatizing an encounter Leo Africanus might have had during his travels

d. Closure: Students will present the scenes they have developed to other classes in the school team and answer questions about the characters, situations, and settings.

Materials/Resources:

Al-Hassan al-Wazzan al-Fasi, “The History and Description of Africa,” excerpted in Douglass, Susan L., Beyond A Thousand and One Nights: A Sampler of Literature from Muslim Civilization, (Fountain Valley, CA: Council on Islamic Education, 2000), pages 177-180.

Douglass, Susan L. and Karima Alavi. The Emergence of Renaissance: Cultural Interactions between Europeans and Muslims, (Fountain Valley, CA: Council on Islamic Education, 1999), pages 49-52.

Ecker, Heather. Caliphs and Kings: The Art and Influence of Islamic Spain, (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 2004)

Image of the Catalan Atlas and Mansa Musa at www.ruf.rice.edu/?anth/arch/mali-interactive/pictures/empires.jpg

Jacobs, Michael. Alhambra, (New York: Rizzoli, 2000)

Mack, Rosamond E. Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art, 1300-1600, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002)

Stanley, Tim. Palace and Mosque: Islamic Art from the Victoria and Albert Museum, (London, Victoria and Albert Publications, 2004)

Teaching about Islam and Muslims in the Public School Classroom: A Handbook for Educators, (Fountain Valley, CA: Council on Islamic Education, 1995)

Wilkinson, Philip. Islam, (London, Dorling Kindersley Ltd., 2002)

Web Sites:

National Gallery of Art http://www.nga.gov/
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery http://www.asia.si.edu/
The Silk Road Dance Company www.silkroaddance.com
The Silk Road Project www.silkroadproject.org
The Silkroad Foundation www.silk-road.com
The Textile Museum www.textilemuseum.org/
Medieval and Renaissance information www.Luminarium.org
Middle School friendly website http://renaissanceconnection.org/main.cfm

Plans for Lesson Assessment: Ongoing lessons will continue to utilize the vocabulary with Arabic influence, as well as include discussions of the historical, geographical, commercial, artistic, and social issues studied in this lesson.

Keywords: Arabic influence on Spanish/English vocabulary

Image of the Catalan Atlas and Mansa Musa at www.ruf.rice.edu/?anth/arch/mali-interactive/pictures/empires.jpg