Lesson Plans

Children benefit most from their museum visit if educators infuse relevant lessons into their curriculum prior to and following the scheduled field trip. We have created age-appropriate material that will assist teachers with integrating Arab culture and history into lessons that will facilitate student learning in the Arab American National Museum. Currently, the following lesson plans are available for educators scheduling a museum visit.

Elementary Grade Lesson Plans:

Student Anthropologists: Defining a Person through Artifacts from the Home (Grades 1-3)
In this lesson, student will learn about Arab-American life in America through an exploration of exhibits highlighting rooms in a traditional home. Students will reflect on similarities and differences found in the Museum and their own home contents. An artifact box reflecting meaningful objects in their homes will be developed.

Children Like Us (Grades 4-6)
In this lesson, students will engage in an interactive exercise celebrating the life and culture of young people across the Arab world. The exercise is intended to highlight similarities and differences of people through the lens of photographs.

Fun with Geography (Grades 1-3)
Students will learn important methods for identifying countries, continents, and their locations. Students will build a human map of the Arab world, learning about Arab language, celebrations, food, and games.

Checking the Facts: Countries in Contrast (Grades 4-6)
In this lesson, students will identify facts about countries in the Arab world and will compare them to facts about the United States. Using the Museum as a backdrop for learning, students will supplement their knowledge of Arab countries by engaging in an interactive hunt for clues of Arab world contributions to today’s society.

Secondary Grade Lesson Plans:

What America Means to Me (Grades 9-12)
In this lesson, students will build a case statement for immigration to America and citizenship. Comparing the immigration experiences of Asian Americans, African Americans, and Arab Americans, students will explore the economic and social benefits of immigration and associated assumptions of immigrants. Contributions of famous Arab Americans are highlighted.

Contributions of the Arab world to Architecture, Art, and Music (Grades 9-12)
In this lesson, students will participate in an exploratory exercise in the Museum to better understand the contributions of the Arab world to modern art, architecture, and music. Students will explore the treasures of the past and investigate their impact on the modern world.

Culture, Traditions, and the Arab World (Grades 9-12)
Students will learn about the culture and traditions of Arab Americans and their history in Arab world countries. Students will explore family values and religious customs.

Communities in the Arab World: Connecting the Past with the Present (Grades 6-8)
Students will engage in interactive exercises in the classroom and in the Museum to better understand the geography of the Arab world, economic and social reasons for immigration patterns to America, and how the patterns of the past have shaped the present day diversity of the region.