One of the challenges of teaching Islamic Studies to third culture kids is that the group of students keeps changing. We have kids who move mid-year. We have kids that travel and are absent for long periods of time. As a result, I try not to stick to any particular curriculum. My basic strategy has been to divide the year into quarters. In the first quarter, we study different prophets, second quarter might by Qur’an, third quarter might be salah and the final quarter might be Seerah. I have the flexibility to change my mind and research something else, depending on what’s happening around us. The key to teaching third culture kids is this – Make it relevant.
This year, I wanted to start with the story of Prophet Adam (as) but my lesson plan is (I feel) outdated. After bouncing some ideas off my friends and gym crew, I jotted down some notes about diversity. Then I thought about human rights. Then I thought about discrimination. Prejudice, Racism, tolerance. 50 websites later. Came across a story about the Sneetches. Dr. Seuss. Perfect.
Here are the links you will need for this lesson:
