Teacher's Guide for FACES ^® Palestinians

Divide class into four or five groups. Ask them to look at the front and back cover and the photographs on pages 3 and 46. Each group should then list five things they have in common with the people pictured and five things that are different. Share the information between groups through discussion or charting on black board or start a bulletin board with their ideas.

Ask students what they think of when they hear the word Palestine and list their ideas. What about when they hear the word Palestinian? Post these lists and encourage students to add new ideas/facts as they read the magazine.

Encourage students to clip newspaper and magazine articles about Palestine and the Palestinians while the class works with the magazine. Add these to the bulletin board on Palestine.

Ask students to read what it says under "location" and "government." Why are Palestinians so scattered? Can students think of any other countries/regions that operate in the same way? Try to link the discussion to U.S. territories, for example, or former colonies. You might want to discuss how student government operates in your school. How much decision-making authority do students have? Who makes final decisions? How do students feel about that?

Encourage pairs or groups of students to investigate another viper, such as the cottonmouth or rattlesnake, and share their information with classmates through a report, poster, or talk. How are the vipers they investigate and the Palestinian viper the same or different?

Divide students into groups and have each group generate ten questions based on the article that can be answered by a word or phrase; you may want to assign each group a certain section of the article to reduce duplication. Each question should be written on the front of an index card with the answer on the back (and the page number where the answer can be found). Then divide the class into two teams to answer the student-generated questions. A team gets a point for each correct answer. (No looking at the magazine while playing!)

Write on the blackboard "denotation" and "connotation" and help students create a definition for each word. Then have students write down the feelings they get from the word "camp" when they think of Scout camp, summer camp, day camp, camping with their families. Then have them write down all the feelings they get from the word "camp" in this article. Discuss how the same word has different connotations for Palestinian and American students. Can they think of other words that have different connotations, or associations, depending on the context?

Have students imagine they are one of the Ibda'a troupe dancers who danced at the United Nations, then write a letter to a friend at home or an international penpal about the experience.

• What values did Hussein Issa hope to promote through the Hope Flowers School?
• What works against those values in the local society?
• How is the message of Hope Flowers School different from that of the local Palestinian Authority?
• Do you think Hope Flowers School will succeed or not? Why or why not?

• Name three reasons why Jerusalem, particularly the area called "the Noble Sanctuary," is important to Muslims. (third holiest place of Islam, after Medina and Mecca; site of Al Aqsa mosque; Muslims believe that the Prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven from the Dome of the Rock on which Al Aqsa mosque is built)
• Why is the same area important to the Jewish people? (site of the altar of their major temple; where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac; the Western Wall of the temple and their Temple Mount are located here)
• What symbolism is associated with the mosque? (Dome = heaven, octagonal base = earth)
• How often are the Muslims called to prayer each day? (Five)
• What does the muezzin say in the call to prayer? ("God is great. There is no God but God, and Mohammed is his prophet. Come to prayer.")
• Which mosque has the most minarets? (Mecca - seven)
• What is the function of the minaret? (to provide a high place for the call to prayer so that all may hear it)
• How do Muslims pray? (They face the mihrab, the direction of Mecca; they recite; they sometimes kneel or lay down on the ground.)
• General Knowledge or Research: Why is Jerusalem important to Christians as well as Jews and Muslims?

Display mosque creations of students on a bulletin board along with photographs or drawings of famous world mosques. Ask a group of students to make a chart listing the main parts of a mosque and the function of each part. Ask another group to label the parts of a mosque in a few of the photographs or drawings. Invite another class to see the class display and appoint a few speakers or "docents" to explain mosque architecture.

• Why does the writer think the Deir Yassin massacre is significant? (p. 31)
• Do you agree or disagree with the author?
• What was Hind Husseini's reaction to the massacre? (p. 31-2)
• What is Hind Husseini's legacy to the Palestinian people? (p.33)

Design a decorated thob or dress using some of the embroidery designs discussed in the article.

Creative Writing
Write a diary entry as if you were a Palestinian girl embroidering her wedding dress.

Read up on some Palestinian foods and create a menu for a meal. How is the meal similar to and different from an American supper?

Mathematics:
If you can obtain some menus from local Middle Eastern restaurants, have students order an imaginary meal for four and tally the bill, including a percentage service charge.

"Halfling" lends itself to presentation as a skit or reading. Encourage a group of students to "present" the story dramatically for the rest of the class.

Folktale as a Literary Form:
If you have studied folktales earlier or are going to introduce a unit of folktales during the year, take the opportunity to review or introduce the structure and motifs of the folktale. Discuss with students: What motifs of folklore are present in this story? (the quest or journey, a younger brother who is good and older brothers who are mean or evil, a clever trickster, magical powers and the ability to transform, trickery, repetitive actions or phrases, the number 3 or 7)

Coordinate this discussion with a display of folktales from around the world and an invitation to peruse folktales during free reading periods.

Extended and In-Depth Reading:
With the help of your public or school librarian, set up a display for free reading time, using the recommended books and magazines at the end of the issue.

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Updated: 8/8/08 01:38 pm
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