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7th grade · Social Studies · Unit 2 of 9

The Islamic World

Scholars, cities and empires

What your child practices

The early Islamic world and its cities, scholars and discoveries (such as algebra and optics), the exchange of knowledge through trade and translation, and the Ottoman Empire.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: History 1; History 2 · the Islamic world, its cities and trade, and the exchange of ideas

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Islam began in Arabia in the 600s. Mecca is its holiest city, and many Muslims fast during Ramadan.
  2. Scholars in cities like Baghdad made discoveries in algebra and optics and translated Greek writings.
  3. Trade linked the Islamic world; caravanserais were roadside inns. The Ottoman Empire ruled peoples on three continents.

Example: What was a caravanserai? Traders crossed long distances with camels. They needed safe places to stop and rest. Answer: a roadside inn where traders and their animals could rest

The Islamic World in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 2 of 9 in 7th grade Social Studies, after Medieval Europe and before Empires of Asia.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Maine Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Al-Khwarizmi's work in the 800s helped develop which subject?

    • geology
    • navigation by satellite
    • algebra
    • printing

  2. Question 2

    The Alhambra in Granada, Spain, is known for…

    • Gothic cathedral spires
    • Roman arenas
    • Viking longhouses
    • Islamic art with geometric patterns, arches and courtyards

  3. Question 3

    Fatima al-Fihri founded the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez in 859. Why is it notable?

    • It was a castle.
    • It was built in Spain.
    • It taught only farming.
    • It is often described as one of the oldest universities still operating.

  4. Question 4

    During which month do many Muslims fast from dawn until sunset?

    • Ramadan
    • Vaisakhi
    • Diwali
    • Passover

  5. Question 5

    Ibn Sina (Avicenna) wrote a medical text that was used for centuries. What was it called?

    • The Republic
    • The Canon of Medicine
    • The Prince
    • The Book of Optics

  6. Question 6

    Muslim scholars translated and preserved many writings from ancient Greece. Why did this matter later?

    • It banned science.
    • Europeans later learned many of these ideas through Arabic translations.
    • It destroyed the ideas.
    • It stopped scholars from learning.

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