Earth Science - Paleontology - Fossil Record

Geology by Barbara Murck
Dinosaur Tracks by Susan H. Gray
Eyewitness: Fossil by Paul D. Taylor

Discussion:
The fossil record
How fossils are dated

Activity:
Match fossils to eons and eras on the Geologic Column

Medieval Africa - Western Kingdoms - Benin

African Beginnings by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson, and Floyd Cooper

Benin: Lords of the River by Philip Koslow

Discussion: 

Geography and climate of Kingdom of Benin

Natural resources (bronze, spices, ivory, slaves)

Colonialism and the beginning of the slave trade (decline of Benin)

Activity: 

History journal

Map study

Picture study (Benin...) 

Earth Science - Paleontology - Fossils

Geology by Barbara Murck
Eyewitness: Fossil by Paul D. Taylor

Vocabulary Added:
fossilization: when organic matter is gradually replaced by minerals

Discussion:
How fossils form
Type I and Type II fossils

Activity:
Fossil examination (add to rock collection) and identification

Medieval Africa - Western Kingdoms - Songhay

African Beginnings by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson, and Floyd Cooper

Songhay: The Empire Builders by Philip Koslow

The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack

Discussion: 

Extent of Kingdom of Songhay, inheritance from Mali

Warfare, expanding Songhay influence throughout Western Africa

Colonialism and decline

Activity: 

History journal

Map study

Picture study (The Royal Kingdoms... and Songhay...) 

Earth Science - Geology - Quicksand

Quicksand by Kris Hirschmann

Discussion:
What quicksand is
Where it forms
How to escape/avoid it
Crazy quicksand stories

Activity:
Make quicksand in the sandbox

Medieval Africa - Western Kingdoms - Mali

African Beginnings by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson, and Floyd Cooper

The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack

Discussion: 

Extent of Kingdom of Mali, inheritance from Ghana

Timbuktu, Social structures and rituals, art

Decline

Activity: 

History journal

Map study

Picture study (The Royal Kingdoms...) 

Earth Science - Geology - Cave Features and Formations

Caves and Caverns by Gail Gibbons
Caves by Claire Llewellyn

Vocabulary Added:
stalactite: finger of rock forming from the ceiling of a cave
stalagmite: finger of rock growing up from the ground of a cave
pillar: when a stalactite and stalagmite meet

Discussion:
Cave formations
Dangers of caves

Activity:
Visit Crystal Grottoes Caverns in Boonsboro, MD

Medieval Africa - Western Kingdoms - Geography and Review

African Beginnings by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson, and Floyd Cooper

Discussion:
Climate, geography, natural resources (gold, salt)
Early West African kingdoms - Jenne-jeno
Ghanaian foundation mythology - review of Dinga Cisse

Activity:
History journal
Map study - Niger River, Jenne-jeno, Kingdom of Ghana

Earth Science - Geology - Caves

"Caves" from Planet Earth by the BBC

Caves and Caverns by Gail Gibbons
Caves by Claire Llewellyn

Vocabulary Added:
speleology: study of caves

Discussion:
How caves form
Types of caves
Cave animals' adaptive features

Activity:
Carve a cave out of a soft rock, or build one in the sand

Medieval Middle East, Medieval Africa - Fatimids - Cairo and Governance of Africa

Cairo by Rob Bowden and Roy Maconachie
Islamic Art and Culture: A Visual History by Nasser Khalili

Discussion:
Location and geography of Cairo, Fatimid Empire
Extent of Fatimid rule
Waning of Fatimid empire

Activity:
History journal
Map study - northern Africa and the Fatimid empire

Earth Science - Geology - Metal Production

Smelting Iron from Iron Ore
STEEL: From Start to Finish

Steel by Andrew Langley

Discussion:
Processes of making solid metal from mined rock
Dangers of the job
Technological advances

Activity:
Find things around the house that are made of steel

Medieval Middle East - Fatimids

Islam by Neil Morris
Islamic Art and Culture: A Visual Guide by Nasser Khalili
Cairo by Rob Bowden and Roy Maconachie

Discussion:
Origin of the Fatimds
Foundation of Cairo
Aspects of governance - religious tolerance, meritocracy, Berber military forces

Activity:
Mapping the Fatimid Caliphate
History journal

Medieval Middle East - Abbasid Empire - Science

Islam by Neil Morris
1001 Inventions & Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization by National Geographic Kids

The Genius of Islam by Bryn Barnard

Islamic Art and Culture: A Visual Guide by Nasser Khalili

Discussion:
Major inventions and discoveries
Branches of learning developed - astronomy, book production, agriculture, medicine
Avicenna

Activity:
Go out at night and see if you can find any of the astronomical bodies with Arabic names
Learn an algebraic equation
History journal

Earth Science - Geology - Mining

Growing up in Coal Country by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The Great American Gold Rush by Rhoda Blumberg
Copper, Silver, and Gold by Brian Knapp

Discussion:
Mining processes
History of mining, types of mines
Mining culture

Activity:
Draw a schema of a mine

Medieval Middle East - Abbasid and Ummayad Empires - Art and Architecture

Islam by Neil Morris
1001 Inventions & Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization by National Geographic Kids

The Genius of Islam by Bryn Barnard

Islamic Art and Culture: A Visual Guide by Nasser Khalili

Discussion:
Muslim architecture throughout the Mediterraean
Spanish buildings and fortresses
Mosques, government buildings, palaces, homes
Decorative arts, illuminated Qur'an

Activity:
History journal
Visit the Freer and Sackler Galleries

Earth Science - Geology - Metamorphic Rocks

Extreme Rocks & Minerals by Smithsonian Institution
Let's Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans and Holly Kelier
First Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals by National Audubon Society

Discussion:
Metamorphic rocks and their formation

Activity:
Collect metamorphic rocks.  Use rock identification strategies to determine type of rock (hopefully).

Medieval Middle East - Abbasid Empire - Food, Music, Festivals

Foods of Iran by Barbara Sheen
Cooking Up World History by Suzanne Marchers and Patricia Marden
1001 Inventions & Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization by National Geographic Kids

Discussion:
Important religious festivals and traditions
Foods of the region, methods of production and preparation
Music

Activity:
History journal
Listen to music of the Abbasid Empire - Safiy ad-Din et al.
Abbasid Feast! (Make Caliph's favorite pancakes in particular)

Earth Science - Geology - Sedimentary Rocks

Extreme Rocks & Minerals by Smithsonian Institution
Let's Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans and Holly Kelier
First Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals by National Audubon Society

Discussion:
Sedimentary rocks and their formation

Activity:
Collect sedimentary rocks.  Use rock identification strategies to determine type of rock (hopefully).

Medieval Middle East - Abbasid Empire - Social Structures

Islam by Neil Morris
1001 Inventions & Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization by National Geographic Kids

Discussion:
Family life, extended family
Life in cities vs. rural areas
Cultural norms for men and women

Activity:
History journal
Picture study: dress, artifacts of daily life from the Abbasid Empire

Earth Science - Geology - Igneous Rocks (Review)

Extreme Rocks & Minerals by Smithsonian Institution
Let's Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans and Holly Kelier
First Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals by National Audubon Society

Discussion:
Review of igneous rocks and their formation

Activity:
Collect igneous rocks.  Use rock identification strategies to determine type of rock (hopefully).

Medieval Middle East - Abbasid Empire - Cities

1001 Inventions & Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization by National Geographic Kids
Islamic Art and Culture: A Visual History by Nasser Khalili
Baghdad by Nikki van der Gaag and Felicity Arbuthnot

Discussion:
Centers of activity - mosques, markets, homes, stores, baths
Building materials, methods
Roads, city gates and walls

Activity:
History journal
Build a model of Baghdad ca. 900 CE

Earth Science - Geology - Rock Identification Strategies

How the Earth Works by Michelle O'Brien Palmer

Discussion:
Scratch Test
Streak Test
Magnet Test
Dip Test

Activity:
Learning the different tests of Rock Identification
Field trip to Home Depot to obtain marble, granite, and slate.  Destruction thereof with hammer.

Medieval Middle East - Abbasid Empire - Harun al-Rashid

Wikipedia - Harun al-Rashid (yes, this is the best I could do)

Discussion:
Patron of the arts and sciences - Bayt al-Hikma
Relations with Charlemagne
Governing mistakes
Development as legendary figure

Activity:
History journal
Listening to some poetry and stories from centuries later about Harun al-Rashid (Thousand Nights and One Night, Tennyson, Longfellow, O. Henry, Haroun and the Sea of Stories)

Earth Science - Geology - Mohs Scale of Hardness

Rocks and Minerals by Tracy Staedter (Reader's Digest Pathfinders)
Geology by Barbara Murck

Vocabulary Added:
mohs scale: determines the relative hardness of minerals

Discussion:
Why some rocks are harder than others
Testing for hardness

Activity:
Use rock collection to test hardness of rocks against each other.  Make a chart, putting rocks in order of hardness.

Medieval Middle East - Islam - Abbasids

The World's Greatest Empires by National Geographic (Magazine)
Islamic Art and Culture: A Visual History by Nasser Khalili

Discussion:
Overthrow of Ummayads in the Middle East - fragmented empires
Capital - Baghdad
Effect of widespread peace and order
The "Golden Age of Islam" - art, science, poetry, literature, medicine etc

Activity:
History journal
Map activity: Abbasid Empire - blank map

Earth Science - Geology - The Rock Cycle

Everything Rocks and Minerals by Steve Tomecek
Rocks and Minerals by Tracy Staedter (Reader's Digest Pathfinders)

Discussion:
Rock formation, destruction
Places where rocks form
Pinpointing where rocks are in the cycle at any given time

Activity:
Use rock collection to demonstrate rocks at various points in the cycle

Earth Science - Geology - What is a Rock?

Geology by Barbara Murck
Rocks and Minerals by Ann O. Squire
Extreme Rocks and Minerals by the Smithsonian Institution

Vocabulary Added:
sedimentary rock: formed by water settling grains of quartz in layers
metamorphic rock: changed over time by heat and pressure

Discussion:
What is a rock?
How and where rocks form
The rock cycle

Activity:
Go to rock shop.  Start a rock collection (use cards from How the Earth Works)

Medieval Middle East - Islam - Ummayads

The Venture of Islam by Marshall Hodgson

Discussion:
Expansion of the Caliphate through Spain
Wars with the Byzantine Empire (Greek Fire), Civil Wars (Fitna)
Dome of the Rock

Activity:
History journal
Map activity: expansion of Islam - blank map

Earth Science - Earth Composition - Gemstones II

Everything Rocks and Minerals by Steve Tomecek

Gemstones of the World by Walter Schumann

Discussion: 

How and where semi-precious gems form

Difference between precious and semi-precious gems

Activity: 

View jewelry in house through microscope

Attempt to identify precious from semi-precious stones

Medieval Middle East - Islam - Mosques, Religious Practice, Art

Mosque by David Macaulay
What You Will See Inside a Mosque by Aisha Karen Khan and Aaron Pepis
Islamic Art and Culture: A Visual History by Nasser Khalili

Discussion:
Structure, components, function of the Mosque
Religious art in Islam
Daily prayer, ablutions, occasional prayer (meals etc)

Activity:
History journal
Picture study: mosques around the world, illuminated Qur'an
Visit the Islamic Center of Washington, DC

Medieval Middle East - Islam - Sunni

The Venture of Islam by Marshall Hodgson

Discussion:
sunnah: habit
Importance of hadith
"Rightly Guided" - first four caliphs

Activity:
History journal

Earth Science - Earth Composition - Gemstones I

Everything Rocks and Minerals by Steve Tomecek

Gemstones of the World by Walter Schumann

Discussion: 

How and where precious gems form

Worth of precious gems

Mining, shaping, polishing precious gems

Activity: 

Field trip to Natural History Museum (it was closed for government shutdown; we went to Tiffany's in Bethesda instead)

Medieval Middle East - Islam - Shi'a

The Venture of Islam by Marshall Hodgson

Discussion:
Historical disagreement over succession to the caliphate
Leadership as divinely guided

Activity:
History journal

Earth Science - Earth Composition - Crystals

Crystals by Melissa Stewart

Vocabulary Added:
crystal: natural solid made of atoms that are always arranged the same way

Discussion:
Difference between "mineral" and "crystal"
Kinds of crystals, formation
Uses of crystals

Activity:
Making salt crystals (epsom and table salt)

Medieval Middle East - Islam - First Four Caliphs

A Brief Political and Geographic History of the Middle East by John Davenport

Discussion:
Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali
Questions about succession
First Fitna

Activity:
History journal
Map study - founding of major cities, expansion of Islam - blank map

Earth Science - Earth Composition - Minerals

Minerals by Melissa Stewart

Vocabulary Added:
mineral: a natural solid material that is not alive

Discussion:
What is a mineral?  How do they form?
Use of minerals
Eating minerals

Activity:
Finding mineral-based products around the house - distinguishing from plant- and animal-based products

Medieval Middle East - Islam - Mecca and Medina

Saudi Arabia by Ann Heinrichs
Islam by Neil Morris
Muhammad by Demi

Discussion:
Location, climate, historical roots of both cities
Review of Mecca and Medina during Muhammad's life
Importance of Mecca and Medina to Muslims - restrictions for non-Muslims

Activity:
History journal
Picture study: Mecca and Medina

Earth Science - Earth Composition - Elements and Compounds

The Elements  by Matt Mullins
Geology by Barbara Murck

Vocabulary Added:
element: the most fundamental substance into which matter can be separated by chemical means
atom: smallest individual particle that has all the properties of a particular element
compound: when atoms of different types combine
molecule: the smallest individual particle of a compound

Discussion:
classification of elements - periodic table
structure of an atom
molecules

Activity:
Find things around the house containing elements or compounds and identify them (borax, baking soda, carbon dioxide, salt, etc).

Medieval Middle East - Islam - Shari'a

The Venture of Islam vol. I, by Marshall Hodgson, pp. 73-74, 338 (chart, to copy)

Discussion:
Shari'a as undisputed, divine law - sources (Qur'an, Sunnah)
Development after Muhammad's death
qadi: judge, fiqh: interpretation of the law
Five categories of human behavior

Activity:
History journal
Make a chart giving an example of a behavior that would fit in each category

Earth Science - Review I

The student should be able to label correctly a picture of the Earth, from inner core to crust, including the following: inner core, outer core, mantle, mesosphere, asthenosphere, lithosphere, Moho, crust.

The student should be able to answer the following questions:

How do we know that part of the inside of the Earth is liquid?
What is the composition of the mantle and core?
What is a continental plate?  How have they changed positions over time?
Give four explanations that support plate tectonic theory.
Name five kinds of volcanoes and explain the differences among them.
What types of materials do volcanoes release?
What is the difference between lava and magma?
What are convergence, divergence, and subduction?
What is elastic rebound theory?
What is the difference between primary waves and secondary waves?

Explain how a seismograph works.

The student should be able to reproduce the geologic column and label it correctly, explaining how radioactive decay helps determine numerical age of rock strata.

Medieval Middle East - Islam - Five Pillars of Islam

Islam by Neil Morris, "The Basic Teachings of Islam"
Muhammad by Demi

Discussion:
Five pillars of Islam: Shahadeh, Salat, Sawm, Zakat, Hajj (belief, prayer, fasting, giving alms, pilgrimage)

Activity:
History journal
Chart with drawings explaining the five pillars

Earth Science - Geologic Time - Radioactive Decay

Shaping the Earth by DH Patent and William Munoz
Geology by Barbara Murck

Vocabulary Added:
radioactive decay: how chemical elements change the atomic number of their nuclei
half-life: the time it takes for the number of parent atoms to reduce by half

Discussion:
How radioactive isotopes are like clocks

Activity:
Pretend an ice cube is a uranium 238.  Put it on a a plate and let it melt.  Time it till it is half gone.  Now use another ice cube of the same size as a "clock" to time another activity.

Medieval Middle East - Islam - Qur'an

Surah 1:1-7, "All praise be to Allah..."
Surah 2: 1-7, "Alif Lam Mim..."
Surah 3:144, "Muhammad is only a messanger..."
Surah 10:37-40, "This Qur'an is not such a writ..."
Surah 19: 16-36, "Commemorate Mary in the Book."
Surah 20:116-123, "When we said to the angels..."

Discussion:
Qur'an - what it is, how it is organized, need for memorization as Muslim, proper recitation
The collection and transcription of the oral Qur'an - respect for the object
Qur'anic art - illumination, scripts, as source for decoration of buildings and objects

Activity:
History journal
Listening activity: Call to prayer (while reading the alliterative text)
Picture study: Illuminated versions of the Qur'an, and text on objects/buildings

Earth Science - Geologic Time - Geologic Column

Shaping the Earth by DH Patent and William Munoz
Geology by Barbara Murck (see chart, pg. 54)

Vocabulary Added:
geologic column: the chronological order of all known strata
eon: age
Hadean: "Hades"-age
Archean: ancient-age
Proterozoic: early-life
Phanerozoic: visible-life
Paleozoic: ancient-life
Mesozoic: middle-life
Cenozoic: recent-life

Discussion:
Fossils - helping to date rock strata
Divisions of the geologic column: Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, Phanerozoic (divided into Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic)

Activity:
Make a chart of the geologic column, with ages correctly labeled