At first sight, the Arabian Peninsula might seem like an unusual topic for a unit study! It’s not a continent or even a famous region like the Middle East. Also, you won’t see it commonly listed in unit study topic suggestions for homeschoolers.
However, it’s PERFECT for Muslim homeschoolers. It is easy to seamlessly combine Islamic content with geography and history. Plus, it helps kids feel an affinity to and attachment to the cradle of Islam and the region of the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace).
Read on for suggestions on what to include, ways to teach and even a free lesson and lapbook!
What exactly is a unit study?
A unit study is an exploration of a theme or topic that incorporates multiple subject areas into the study plan. They often include hands-on learning and interactive elements to make lessons interesting and engaging.
Some unit studies include all formal subjects into the theme for example maths, english, science, geography and history. However other unit studies focus on only a few subjects such as an oceans unit that combines science and geography or a Medicine unit that includes history and science.
As Muslims we enjoy incorporating Islamic content into our children’s education where relevant and possible. Unit studies offer a natural opportunity to educate our children about Islam in a way that really sparks their interest.
Why did I create the Arabian Peninsula unit study?
In the summer of 2021, I ran a summer project via WhatsApp titled ‘Africa and Islam’. The popularity of it blew me away, I expected around 20 participants and there were over 1000 families that joined! It showed me how much interest there was from Muslim families for Islamic unit studies.
Thinking about where to explore next, I realised that even though I’ve lived in Jeddah a while, I didn’t really know much about the local geography. The Arabian Peninsula seemed like a great area to focus on as the home of Makkah and Madinah and the centre of so much Islamic history.
What topics could you include?
When I started planning the Arabian Peninsula Unit Study I realised how much there was to include! I settled on 10 topics/lessons but there is definitely more to explore.
Here are the 10 topics and some suggestions for others you could include.
1. What is a Peninsula?
2. Regions of the Peninsula?
3. Prophets of the Peninsula
4. Makkah Virtual Field Trip
5. Madinah Virtual Field Trip
6. Places of the Seerah
7. Yemen
8. Hajj and the Meeqat
9. How Islam Spread Throughout the Peninsula
10. Arabian Animals and Individual Country Study
Other ideas:
Madinah as a centre of learning
How the Ka’ba changed throughout the years
Gulfs and the Red Sea: how Muslims traded and travelled
Mountains of the Peninsula: From Uhud to the Sarawat Mountain range
How can you teach multiple kids of different ages?
Many homeschooling parents confess that the biggest challenge they face is engaging multiple kids of different ages in the same topic. There are lots of techniques and strategies you can use such as differentiation and scaffolding, similar to a classroom teacher who teaches kids of different abilities.
The most effective method for us was to have a ‘main lesson’ that we did together as a group. It usually involved three stages:
- Ask questions to spark interest
- Introduce main idea
- Group activity
Then, we would have different activities for younger and older kids. This meant that while they were all engaged in the same lesson, each child had ample opportunity to do activities that not only interested them but challenged them the right amount. The trouble with ‘teaching to the middle’ is that younger kids stop paying attention when they don’t understand the lesson and older kids get bored when they find the material too simple.
Here’s a simple example:
Prophets of the Peninsula Lesson
Questions:
Which prophets can they name?
Which ones do they think lived or travelled in the Arabian Peninsula?
Main idea: Several stories of the prophets feature locations in the Arabian Peninsula
Read passages about Salih, Hud, Ibrahim, Sulayman and Bilqis (peace be on them)
Talk about similarities between the stories
You can ask older kids to read aloud to the younger children or to explain words to them.
Group Activity:
Find the cities on a map.
Worksheets.
Extension Activities:
Younger kids: Prophet’s board game
Older kids: Mini book or flipbook and lapbook.
What activities can you include to make learning interactive?
There are so many different activities you can include but here are just a few suggestions:
Lapbook
Create your own mini book
Posters
Leaflets
Quizzes
Board game
Make your own taboo game
Art work
Cook local recipes
Virtual Field Trips
Write letters
Create models
Map making
Pennant displays
Podcasting
Presentations
Create your own videos
Diagrams
Timelines
Puzzles
Free Arabian Peninsula Lesson and Lapbook
I hope you have found this information about the Arabian Peninsula Unit Study helpful. If you would like to get a FREE lesson complete with a lesson plan, activities and lapbook click here.
Short on time? Would love to do this unit study but don’t have the time to research and create your own? You can also purchase the Arabian Peninsula Unit Study from my shops on Etsy or TPT.
It has been brilliant hearing how other Muslim homeschooling families have enjoyed the unit study:
I loved the way how Islamic history, geography and Islamic studies were incorporated together in this resource. My 10 year and 6 years old loved the whole unit study and I along with them learned a lot. My kids specially enjoyed making the lapbook and are so proud of their work.
I highly recommend this resource to teachers and homeschooling parents.
- Muhammad B.
You can read other reviews and download the first lesson here.
Here are some other blog posts you may be interested in:
Should you integrate Islamic Studies or teach it separately?
The Impact of Well-Designed Resources on Your Muslim Homeschool
