My top resources for teaching... Early Islamic Civilisation
A selection of resources to support teaching a unit on Early Islamic Civilisation
The 2014 National Curriculum states that pupils must study ‘a non-European society that provides contrasts with British history – one study chosen from: early Islamic civilization, including a study of Baghdad c. AD 900; Mayan civilization c. AD 900; Benin (West Africa) c. AD 900-1300.’ More and more schools are choosing to focus on Early Islamic civilisation. Not only does this fascinating period of history provide an interesting contract to life in Anglo-Saxon and early medieval Britain but also highlights the wealth of advancements and knowledge that existed in the East during this time which have influenced our lives today. It also links well to RE and PSHE lessons as well as the British values of tolerance and individual liberty.
One drawback in choosing this topic is that it is probably more unfamiliar to teachers and, until relatively recently, there have been fewer resources to support it. In this piece, I will highlight a number of resources that I have found genuinely useful in planning this unit.
BBC Bitesize
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3tg4wx
This new section of BBC Bitesize is a great place to start for getting to grips with this topic, particularly if it’s not a familiar one. There is lots of quality information plus some great images of the achievements of this civilisation.
Silk Roads - Peter Frankopan
Peter Frankopan’s book is probably the authoritative text on the Silk Roads trade route from its beginnings to more recent times. There are actually two versions of the book, an adult one, and an illustrated version for the younger reader by Bloomsbury Children (which you might prefer if you want a lighter introduction to the topic). The illustrated version is stunning and has lots of illustrations that could be shared with pupils. Both versions are fascinating and are worth a read even if you’re not teaching this unit.
There are also a selection of resources linked to the illustrated book suitable for KS2 and some for KS3 available here:
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/discover/childrens/the-silk-roads-teacher-resources/
1001 Inventions
https://www.1001inventions.com
This is another great site with lots of information about Early Islamic civilisation. Look under the ‘Fun and Learning’ tab for resources suitable for use in school. I particularly liked the pdf posters about the achievements of Early Islamic society; these might be used as a secondary source to find out about the impact of this culture on our world today.
Also of particular interest are the videos and online exhibitions sections on this part of the website which could be used as part of lessons.
The website can also be searched for resources and information about particular individuals or aspects of Early Islamic civilisation.
UNESCO Silk Roads Programme
https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/
This site has a brilliant interactive map of the Silk Road and is a great way to link geography and history together. You can click on each city along the route to see find out more. There is lots of background information about each city as well as a gallery of images for most of places. Definitely worth a look.
Mr T Does History
https://www.mrtdoeshistory.com
Many of you are probably aware of Stuart Tiffany’s (aka Mr T’s) website. I know that he has spent a lot of time researching and planning a scheme of learning following an enquiry based approach for this very unit. You need to sign up to his website (either as a free or paid member) to be able to purchase this and other units. For £10 I think it’s definitely be worth investing in this unit.
Historical Association
https://www.history.org.uk/primary/resource/8155/scheme-of-work-early-islam-including-baghdad
I’ve said this before, but if you are a history leader being a member of the HA is a must. If you are a member, you can access the scheme of work above. I particularly like how each lesson/series of lessons aims to address a specific question. Of course, when planning for your school its always important to adapt ‘off-the-peg’ planning schemes to ensure they’re right but this and Mr T’s scheme would equally be a great place to start.
Hamilton Trust
https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/topics/upper-key-stage-2-topics/early-islamic-civilisation/
Hamilton Trust have a full unit on Early Islamic civilisation available. At the moment, you can download the planning, resources and powerpoint for free. There is quite a lot on the site so it might not be feasible to cover everything however there are some good resources that could be adapted to include in lessons. The section on Art, Culture and Learning could also be used as an inspiration for cross-curricular art work.
Links to English
My last resource are two fiction books that could link to English lessons; if you’re looking for a fiction to link to the subject for English lessons it’s quite difficult and I have only discovered two so far. Unfortunately the first, ‘Stories from the Silk Road’, is out of print but seems to be fairly easily available second hand). This is a selection of stories from different countries along the Silk Road and could be used in English lessons to study stories from other cultures.
The second is a historical fiction novel, ‘The Golden Horsemen of Baghdad’ by Saviour Pirotta. It follows a young boy - Jabir - who sets off for the city of Baghdad after his father dies. It would be a great whole class read and, although historical fiction isn’t history, it can add to the experience provide more context for this topic.
