Students will review and identify the 4 hemispheres of the world.

Students will read and discuss about the Middle East as a cultural region and how people are alike and different from others in the world.

Students through a variety of activities will be exposed to the following aspects of the Middle East culture:

Language Religion Foods Clothing

Crafts/Arts Architecture Music Dance

Stories Games Values Family life

Students will identify on a map the countries, which make up the Middle East.

Students through map work will recognize the different landforms, waterways, climate, rainfall, deserts, mountains, and natural resources each country of the Middle East has.

Students will recognize how land and climate cause people to live in different ways.

Students will compare and contrast the three ways of life in the Middle East: City, Village, and Nomad.

At Home

Look around your home for artifacts that your family has collected on travels through the Middle East. Discuss what they were designed for and if they are still being used today or what has taken the place of them in our current world. Have your child practice an oral presentation of the information and then have them share it at school.

Together practice common Arabic sayings around your house.

Greeting and Response Assalam alaykum

Wa-alaykum assalam Good Morning and Response Sabaah elkhair Sabaah ennur Good Evening and Response Massaa’a elkhair Massaa’a ennur Hello, Hello Marhabaa Marhabatain How are you (boy)? Keef halaak? Fine, Thank God. Zein, Alhamdu-lil-laah How are you (girl)? Keef halik? Fine, Thank God. Zaina, alhamdu-lil-laah Using different landform maps and the map keys, ask your child specific questions about a Middle East country. Have them practice cardinal and in-between directions by asking directional questions. (What direction is Saudi Arabia from Syria?) Together read folktales from the Middle East.

Internet Sites

Pyramids, The Inside Story