Dear Teacher,
Salamu Alaykum....Peace be with you : )
Thank you for choosing to teach the Unveiling Islamophobia unit!
As challenging as it is to teach about Islam and Islamophobia in this age and place, I assure you that this will be a rewarding experience that will have a huge impact on your your students, who will hopefully transfer what they learned to generations to come, and help make our world more tolerant and accepting.
Following are a few notes to get you started. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me, as I would be happy to help you: [email protected]
I hope you enjoy teaching this unit!
Suad Bushnaq
Salamu Alaykum....Peace be with you : )
Thank you for choosing to teach the Unveiling Islamophobia unit!
As challenging as it is to teach about Islam and Islamophobia in this age and place, I assure you that this will be a rewarding experience that will have a huge impact on your your students, who will hopefully transfer what they learned to generations to come, and help make our world more tolerant and accepting.
Following are a few notes to get you started. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me, as I would be happy to help you: [email protected]
- Email the students or send them a letter asking that they bring a notebook of their choice to every class. This notebook will be their Personal Journal; a space where they take notes on the readings, videos, class discussions, and any thoughts that come to their mind.
- Students should be aware of the fact that Personal Journals could be collected at any time and with no prior notice. Although they are not graded on content, they should still have content. This means that journals missing notes on readings will lose marks, but students will not be graded on the content of their thoughts and ideas. Still, racist comments and obscene language will be penalized.
- Students should be aware of the fact that since there is no special grade for the Personal Journals, those which are incomplete and which reflect a clear disinterest on behalf of the student would result in grades being deducted from one of the seven formal assignments.
- Make sure you email students the links to the homework videos and websites, in addition to providing them with these links in class. More often than not students fail to receive email from teachers....a mystery yet to be solved! If your school has an online forum for courses, then make sure you post the links there as well.
- I would suggest that you also provide students with the links of material shown in class, at your personal discretion and depending on the students' demands.
- Given the time constraints during lessons, a suggested solution to viewing the students' work is to arrange a Lunch Bag Seminar to be held during recess. This could be done once a week, or once every two weeks. Encouraging students to attend screenings and discussions in a casual setting during recess helps develop their sense of community and adds excitement to this class by taking their work beyond the classroom. They can invite their peers from other classes to attend, as well as other teachers who might be interested.
I hope you enjoy teaching this unit!
Suad Bushnaq