Teacher's Guide for FACES ^® Morocco

• Would Morocco's location be helpful or harmful for
  1. regional and
  2. international
  trade and travel? Why?
• For a period of 1 - 2 weeks, ask students to
  1. cut out newspaper and magazine articles about Morocco;
  2. make a summary log of any television or radio news items about Morocco; and
  3. check local supermarkets and other stores for products made in Morocco. Make a bulletin board display.

oasis, minaret, skein, esplanade, descendant, pungent, desertification, constitutional monarchy, mosque, khamsa, Arabic, dirham, wadi, kasbah, kaftan, medina, souk, Qur'an (Koran), marabouts, Koubbas, moussems, fantasia, imam, Khabib, alem, muezzin, medersa, mushrabiyya, mihrab, minbar, Arabesques, Maghreb, djallaba, khamsa, henna, maroquinerie, babouches, me'ida, shalata, couscous, hub'z, sokkhar, kahwa

• Straits of Gibraltar
  Locate the Straits of Gibraltar on a map. What is a microclimate? How is it created?
• Pillars of Hercules
  Research the ancient Greek legend of Hercules and the two Pillars. Write and draw a short comic book about the legend.
• Punta Cires
• Islam and the Prophet Mohammed
  See the Islam issue of CALLIOPE ^® (ISBN 0382407938) for more information.
• Berbers
  See the Berbers issue of FACES ^® (ISBN 0382445279) for more information.

1. "Welcome to Morocco" (p. 8 - 13)
   • Why do native Moroccans speak so many languages?
   • Who is the "Commander of the Faithful?" Why is he called that name? What are some of his duties?
   • Make a list of Morocco's chief exports. Have you ever seen or purchased a Moroccan export in the United States? If so, tell what it was and where you found it.
2. "Islam in Morocco" (p. 14 - 17)
   • When and how did the Islamic religion first begin in Morocco?
   • Explain the pillars of Islam (the 5 basic duties). What is the most difficult pillar to accomplish? Why?
3. "Believer to Believer: the King Hassan II Mosque" (p. 18 - 21)
   • Where did King Hassan II locate his great mosque? Why?
   • Every Islamic mosque has certain rooms and areas of the building in common. Make a list of these ritual places and tell why each is important to the worship of Islam. Draw a simple floor plan showing the location of each special area.
   • Find pictures and more information about the King Hassan II mosque on the Internet.
4. "Marrakich" (p. 23 - 25)
   • What makes Marrakech one of the most important locations in Morocco? Why?
5. "Moroccan Good Luck Hands" (p. 26 - 27)
   • Who was the "Lady of Light?"
   • Find other pictures and examples of Moroccan khamsa ("good luck") hands in books or on the Internet.
   • Use these examples to help finish he project on page 38.
   • Do you have any "good luck" charms or beliefs? How about your friends and family? Take a survey of classmates, family, and friends, then write an article for your class newspaper or bulletin board.
6. "Moroccan Leather" (p. 29)
   • Native Americans have used animal skins for clothing and other necessities of life for centuries. Research their tanning and preparation methods, then compare the Native American techniques to those of Moroccan craftsmen.
   • Do Native Americans use animal skins in the same ways as the Moroccan people? Compare and contrast (in discussion or using a simple chart).
7. "Let's Eat" (p. 30 - 32)
   • How are Moroccan meals the same as meals in the United States? How are they different?
   • Write a paragraph describing a typical Moroccan kitchen. How does a Moroccan kitchen differ from a kitchen in the Western World?
   • Using the information in "Let's Eat," create a menu for a Moroccan restaurant.
   • Write a short letter to an imaginary friend who's planning to visit Morocco. Tell this friend about some of the meals and snacks available in Morocco. Describe Moroccan table manners. How do they differ from Western habits?
   • Look for pita bread, couscous (seminola), and other Moroccan foods in the supermarket. Ask a small group of students (with adult supervision) to prepare a Moroccan couscous dish for the class to sample. Set up a Moroccan table and eat Moroccan style.
   • Ask students to check their spice racks at home for the Moroccan spices listed on page 30. Bring small samples to class for a "sniff and taste" lab.
8. "Morocco's Endangered Species" (p. 34 - 36)
   • What is desertification? Is it a global problem, or something important only to Moroccans? Why?
   • Why did the Moroccan government decide to improve educational opportunities for Moroccan girls?
9. "From the Outside Looking In" (p. 38 - 39)
   • Why did Winston Churchill describe Marrakech as the "Paris of the Sahara?"
   • Use the library or Internet resources to research the work of Eugene Delacroix, Henri Matisse, Pierre Loti, and other Western artists, writers, and film makers who used Morocco as a subject or setting for their creative work.
10. "Zohra and the Gazelles" (p. 40 - 43)
    • Ask a small group of students to perform "Zohra and the Gazelles" as a reader's theater production for the rest of the class.
11. Don't forget the "Moroccan Crossword" activity on page 47!

• Set up a Moroccan marketplace in your classroom. Divide the class into small groups, asking each group to choose a 'product' (could be a food, service, or craft). Part of this project could be to actually produce something to 'sell' in the classroom marketplace. Group members are to design posters and other displays advertising their special Moroccan products and services.
• Divide the class into small groups. Ask each group to produce a short commercial or news report about Morocco. The individual reports should focus on one aspect of Moroccan culture or life.
• Ask students to research other nations that are constitutional monarchies. Compare their systems of government to Morocco.
• Ask each student to design a travel poster advertising what they think is 'the best of Morocco.' Display these in class.

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Updated: 7/20/08 06:45 pm
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