Grade 7 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 4, Lesson 3

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Across the Centuries

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 4, Lesson 3: Islamic Spain (pp. 95-100)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Conflict and CultureIn A.D. 756 Umayyad forces established an independent Islamic kingdom in Spain. They developed a thriving cultural center in Cordoba, but by the late 1000s, Christian forces from the north began to push the Muslims south. In 1492, the last of the Muslims was driven out of Spain.

Tell students that for over seven hundred years, Spain was an independent Islamic kingdom. How do students think the Muslims affected life in Spain before and after their conquest and after their loss of Spain? What evidence of Muslim rule would students expect to see today in Spain?

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Have students be travel writers. Encourage them to pretend they are spending a day wandering through Cordoba. Then have them write an article telling readers what it was like, including sights, sounds, smells, and anything else they encounter.
Have students create a flow chart showing the influences on Spain from the beginning of Umayyad rule until the final defeat of the Muslims in 1492.

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