Targets based on the current National Curriculum.
Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Conjunctions
Working more on sentence level skills, I made a set of conjunctions cards for the twins (print, cut, laminate, cut!). Loosely based on the old QCA framework and posters of writing levels found on Google, I've colour coded the words by level of expected use... At the moment we're just looking at the red, orange and some of the green words (i.e. Levels 1-3).
Using our 19 chosen words, we laid them out on the table and put them in a simple sentence one by one. When we were done, I asked the twins if they could group the conjunctions by words with similar meanings/purposes (e.g. cause and effect, opposition, time, etc.). With some extra questioning, they came up with the groups below.
On a piece of A3 paper I wrote the title for them to colour, then laminated it. Using blu-tack, they then helped arrange the conjunction cards onto the poster. We now have it on display next to our whiteboard. 😊
The plan is to add to the poster as they learn new conjunctions (so the freedom is there to rearrange the cards!), have the poster there as a reference point while doing extended writing, and to take cards off and have them stuck on the table in front of them when we're doing focused work on that particular conjunction/sentence structure. InshaAllah!
You can download the file here.
Using our 19 chosen words, we laid them out on the table and put them in a simple sentence one by one. When we were done, I asked the twins if they could group the conjunctions by words with similar meanings/purposes (e.g. cause and effect, opposition, time, etc.). With some extra questioning, they came up with the groups below.
On a piece of A3 paper I wrote the title for them to colour, then laminated it. Using blu-tack, they then helped arrange the conjunction cards onto the poster. We now have it on display next to our whiteboard. 😊
The plan is to add to the poster as they learn new conjunctions (so the freedom is there to rearrange the cards!), have the poster there as a reference point while doing extended writing, and to take cards off and have them stuck on the table in front of them when we're doing focused work on that particular conjunction/sentence structure. InshaAllah!
You can download the file here.
Wednesday, 22 January 2020
99 Names of Allah - 12 - Al-Khaaliq - The Creator
[12] اَلْخَالِقُ (Al-Khaaliq): The Creator
Sing 99 Names (5min)
Play PowerPoint of the first 33 names, 2-3 times. Sing together and do the actions so far plus:
Action for Al-Khaaliq: Touch index finger to one temple then point outwards.
Today’s focus is on the name Al-Khaaliq which means The Creator.
Story relating to today's name (7min)
Play the song "Allah Made Everything" by Zain Bhikha and/or sing through the book.
Ask children what they already know about Allah creating everything. Let them lead a short discussion while trying to probe their depth of understanding (e.g. What was there before Allah made the world? How long did it take Him to make it? Was anything on the Earth before humans were? Are dinosaurs real? Who was the first man? etc.)
Read a short story to the children, e.g. Chapter 1 from My First Quran Storybook, which is about the creation of the world. Talk about how Allah made everything from nothing, none of which was by accident, and everything has a design to it.
Ask children what they already know about Allah creating everything. Let them lead a short discussion while trying to probe their depth of understanding (e.g. What was there before Allah made the world? How long did it take Him to make it? Was anything on the Earth before humans were? Are dinosaurs real? Who was the first man? etc.)
Read a short story to the children, e.g. Chapter 1 from My First Quran Storybook, which is about the creation of the world. Talk about how Allah made everything from nothing, none of which was by accident, and everything has a design to it.
Discuss meaning, apply to children's lives (15min)
Al-Khaaliq means The Creator.
What does create mean? To make something new, to make something from nothing. The action we did during the PowerPoint is British Sign Language for "invent".
Give children e.g. Lego or wooden blocks and ask them to create a building. Limit them to 5 minutes then talk about what they've created - why did they put this here and why not make it taller here, etc. Ask, "Who created this building?" which hopefully they should answer with their names!
People can create things: art or objects, etc. But we can never make something out of nothing - we can only change something into something else: change paint into a picture, or bricks into a house, etc... Can the children think of any other examples? Did they really "create" the Lego buildings just now?
When we draw a picture we say we created the picture, but did we really? Even when we have an idea, for example create a story or invent a new game... Who gave us the ability to think? Allah did! So even the stories we create and the ideas we have are only by Allah's permission.
But the things Allah creates are from nothing but Him. He just needs to say "Be" and they become real. Allah is Al-Khaaliq, the one true creator.
Give children e.g. Lego or wooden blocks and ask them to create a building. Limit them to 5 minutes then talk about what they've created - why did they put this here and why not make it taller here, etc. Ask, "Who created this building?" which hopefully they should answer with their names!
People can create things: art or objects, etc. But we can never make something out of nothing - we can only change something into something else: change paint into a picture, or bricks into a house, etc... Can the children think of any other examples? Did they really "create" the Lego buildings just now?
When we draw a picture we say we created the picture, but did we really? Even when we have an idea, for example create a story or invent a new game... Who gave us the ability to think? Allah did! So even the stories we create and the ideas we have are only by Allah's permission.
But the things Allah creates are from nothing but Him. He just needs to say "Be" and they become real. Allah is Al-Khaaliq, the one true creator.
Craft activity (20min)
Complete the page for the book.
Colour the picture of the world and stick in the centre of the page. Around it, draw and colour pictures of some of your favourite of Allah's creations as a reminder that Allah created everything.
When to use this name (8min)
When you want to reflect upon Allah's creations - look around at all the things in nature and how amazing they are - stars, trees, flowers, animals. Think about how Allah is the one who made them and how he made us. SubhanAllah! How fortunate we are to be able to worship Him as Muslims!
We should remember to thank Allah for creating so many wonderful things for us in this world.
We should remember to thank Allah for creating so many wonderful things for us in this world.
On the back of their page, help the children write a few thoughts about the name Al-Khaaliq and their feelings.
Sticker chart (5min)
Ask individually: Which of Allah’s names did we learn today? What does it mean? Give children a sticker each for their chart.
----------
Other activities:
- Look at books/videos about space. Discuss how infinitely large the universe is and how there used to be nothing until Allah created it. Imagining the emptiness of space is the closest we can get to imagining the nothingness of before Allah's creation. Children could create some artwork to reflect this - e.g. using black card as a background and white paint splatters for stars, then painting the Earth in the centre.
- Research about plants and animals around the world, e.g. continent by continent. Talk about the different climates and the variety of life Allah created. Children could choose one topic (e.g. a particular continent or climate or category i.e. mammal, bird, etc.) and create a poster collage of images, either drawing their own or finding, printing and sticking pictures from online. Reflect on the different creations of Allah, how many there are and how different they are; consider how some species are extinct and others are still being discovered, e.g. in the oceans. SubhanAllah! It's hard to understand just how numerous and great Allah's creation is!
- Look at examples of famous inventors, e.g. Thomas Edison, Marie Curie or Ibn Sina, etc. Research their work and what they are famed with creating. Talk about their ideas but how Al-Khaaliq is the only true creator - without Allah's will, they would not have been able to come up with their ideas!
- Look for ayaat in the Quran relating to Allah creating everything (e.g. using this website). Is the verb "khalaqa" used? Can the children see how it is similar to the word Al-Khaaliq? Look for ayaat which mention how the world was created in 6 "days" and how the mountains were placed on as pegs, etc.
- If children are mature enough, discuss the Big Bang Theory and how scientists think the universe originated from one point which then expanded into what we see today (and is still expanding now) - but this does not contradict Islam because if the theory is correct then Allah is the one who made the Big Bang happen... And the Quran mentions the universe expanding in Surah Adh-Dhaariyaat (51:47). The part which contradicts is where non-Muslims think the universe was made by chance. We know that Allah planned and created everything on purpose.
Please leave a comment if you know of any other related activities to this name!
Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Greek Mythology (1)
Since the books we have which contain fables also contain Greek myths, I thought it was better to cover them in more detail now since the girls are aware of them anyway... Rather than ignore them and let any seeds of confusion grow! Plus they come up in the Year 3 NC for Literacy.
We began by reminding ourselves who wrote the fables we had been reading - Aesop - and which country he was from - Greece. We talked a little about how he lived a very long long time ago (around 600BC, i.e. 600 years before Prophet Isa (AS) was born - which is what we call year 0 - so over 2,500 years ago!) and how we call that time period "Ancient" Greece.
They found Greece in the atlas (clue: it's in Europe...) and I asked them what they thought the climate was like and why - they said hot, M because their atlas showed olives growing there and F because it was near the equator! I gave them a printed map of Europe (from Google Images) to help familiarise them with it some more. They coloured the water first, following the coastlines and using islands as a starting place to know where the seas were, then coloured the UK followed by Greece and then other countries they had heard of with a key down the side - using their picture atlas to help.
We talked about how in those days, the Ancient Greeks didn't know about Islam. Instead of believing in Allah, they believed in lots and lots of different gods - male and female - who were all in charge of different things... So one was in charge of making things grow, one was in charge of turning night into day, one was in charge of people after they died, etc. etc. And the one in charge of them all was called Zeus. The gods and goddesses all lived together on a mountain called Olympus (the tallest mountain in Greece) where some married each other and had children and some had children with humans so the children were half-gods or demigods... MashaAllah the twins had such precious looks of disbelief on their faces as I was telling them about this! I asked them what we believe and MashaAllah they confidently replied that Allah made everything and is in charge of everything and He does not have children or partners, astaghfirullah!
Then we read through a few myths together (I wrote the word mythology on the board and explained myths is the shorter way of calling them) as examples. We used the Usborne book again, looking for Greek myths in the contents.
We read the story of King Midas followed by the story of Icarus. I asked the girls what fables are for - to teach a moral - and asked them why they thought fables and myths were together in their books... F said because Aesop lived in Ancient Greece so he wanted to write those kinds of stories. M said because they both have a lesson in them. So what were the lessons in these two myths? They came up with to not be greedy for King Midas. For Icarus, they said to listen to what you're told instead of being silly and having too much fun when you're not supposed to. 😂
Then we read the story of Persephone. Towards the end, F started laughing and asked was the story supposed to be explaining why we have winter? When I said yes she laughed more and told me no, we have winter because of the Earth going round the sun. 😜
Finally, we read the story of Pandora's box. F wasn't sure what the lesson was - don't be nosy? - but M understood it as explaining the reason why there are all the bad things in the world.
To finish, I asked them what they thought the features of Greek mythology might be. They came up with teaching a lesson - I clarified this could either be as a moral or explaining something about the world - and having Greek gods/goddesses as characters. They also said Greek myths didn't have to be as short and simple as fables were.
Throughout the rest of the week we watched episodes from Super Wings which were set in Europe, since the series was streaming on Amazon Prime at the time.
We began by reminding ourselves who wrote the fables we had been reading - Aesop - and which country he was from - Greece. We talked a little about how he lived a very long long time ago (around 600BC, i.e. 600 years before Prophet Isa (AS) was born - which is what we call year 0 - so over 2,500 years ago!) and how we call that time period "Ancient" Greece.
They found Greece in the atlas (clue: it's in Europe...) and I asked them what they thought the climate was like and why - they said hot, M because their atlas showed olives growing there and F because it was near the equator! I gave them a printed map of Europe (from Google Images) to help familiarise them with it some more. They coloured the water first, following the coastlines and using islands as a starting place to know where the seas were, then coloured the UK followed by Greece and then other countries they had heard of with a key down the side - using their picture atlas to help.
We talked about how in those days, the Ancient Greeks didn't know about Islam. Instead of believing in Allah, they believed in lots and lots of different gods - male and female - who were all in charge of different things... So one was in charge of making things grow, one was in charge of turning night into day, one was in charge of people after they died, etc. etc. And the one in charge of them all was called Zeus. The gods and goddesses all lived together on a mountain called Olympus (the tallest mountain in Greece) where some married each other and had children and some had children with humans so the children were half-gods or demigods... MashaAllah the twins had such precious looks of disbelief on their faces as I was telling them about this! I asked them what we believe and MashaAllah they confidently replied that Allah made everything and is in charge of everything and He does not have children or partners, astaghfirullah!
Then we read through a few myths together (I wrote the word mythology on the board and explained myths is the shorter way of calling them) as examples. We used the Usborne book again, looking for Greek myths in the contents.
We read the story of King Midas followed by the story of Icarus. I asked the girls what fables are for - to teach a moral - and asked them why they thought fables and myths were together in their books... F said because Aesop lived in Ancient Greece so he wanted to write those kinds of stories. M said because they both have a lesson in them. So what were the lessons in these two myths? They came up with to not be greedy for King Midas. For Icarus, they said to listen to what you're told instead of being silly and having too much fun when you're not supposed to. 😂
Then we read the story of Persephone. Towards the end, F started laughing and asked was the story supposed to be explaining why we have winter? When I said yes she laughed more and told me no, we have winter because of the Earth going round the sun. 😜
Finally, we read the story of Pandora's box. F wasn't sure what the lesson was - don't be nosy? - but M understood it as explaining the reason why there are all the bad things in the world.
To finish, I asked them what they thought the features of Greek mythology might be. They came up with teaching a lesson - I clarified this could either be as a moral or explaining something about the world - and having Greek gods/goddesses as characters. They also said Greek myths didn't have to be as short and simple as fables were.
Throughout the rest of the week we watched episodes from Super Wings which were set in Europe, since the series was streaming on Amazon Prime at the time.
Saturday, 18 January 2020
Madinah Arabic Reader Book 1 Flashcards
I started making these cards as we went through the first Madinah Arabic Reader book, as I thought the visual aids would be useful in terms of learning the new vocabulary and for building sentences of our own as new grammar patterns were introduced.
Alhamdulillah, after a long break (when I started we didn't have a colour printer which is why these cards are in black and white! Then for continuity's sake I continued making them in this way and colouring everything by hand) I've finally finished all the cards I wanted to make for Madinah Book 1.
Lessons 1-4
Lessons 5-7
Lessons 8-10
Here's an example of what they look like once coloured and laminated:
I chose to colour code the borders to help differentiate between the different kinds of word, thinking this would help with memory and understanding!
Red: Noun (masculine)
Pink: Noun (feminine)
Brown: Proper noun (e.g. countries)
Orange: e.g. "here", "there"
Blue: Adjective
Yellow: Preposition (requires following word to have a kasra)
Purple: Time (e.g. "now", "after")
Green: Miscellaneous (e.g. "very", "also")
I've not included the verbs mentioned in the book as I've made a separate set of verb flashcards - so will be using those alongside these.
We've found these cards useful so I'll continue making them for Madinah Book 2 - but this time I'll upload them in chapter batches as we go along rather than in bulk when we finally finish the book InshaAllah!
Alhamdulillah, after a long break (when I started we didn't have a colour printer which is why these cards are in black and white! Then for continuity's sake I continued making them in this way and colouring everything by hand) I've finally finished all the cards I wanted to make for Madinah Book 1.
Lessons 1-4
Lessons 5-7
Lessons 8-10
Here's an example of what they look like once coloured and laminated:
I chose to colour code the borders to help differentiate between the different kinds of word, thinking this would help with memory and understanding!
Red: Noun (masculine)
Pink: Noun (feminine)
Brown: Proper noun (e.g. countries)
Orange: e.g. "here", "there"
Blue: Adjective
Yellow: Preposition (requires following word to have a kasra)
Purple: Time (e.g. "now", "after")
Green: Miscellaneous (e.g. "very", "also")
I've not included the verbs mentioned in the book as I've made a separate set of verb flashcards - so will be using those alongside these.
We've found these cards useful so I'll continue making them for Madinah Book 2 - but this time I'll upload them in chapter batches as we go along rather than in bulk when we finally finish the book InshaAllah!
Introduction to Electricity & Circuits
Week 1:
We read the first 6 pages from the Electricity book in the KS1 Science series we have, which gives a nice, simple introduction to the topic.
We looked at examples around the house of electric devices and made a distinction between mains and battery powered devices.
We talked about why electricity and electric items can be dangerous and how we should never play with them or touch them with wet hands.
We talked about insulators and conductors - in the context of how is it safe for us to use electric appliances if electricity is so dangerous? Because the inside of the appliance has conductors to let the electricity flow and the appliance to work but the outside is covered with an insulator which doesn't let electricity past so it's safe to touch. We talked about which kinds of materials are electric conductors (e.g. metals, especially copper, and water) and which are insulators (plastic and some others which we'll look at in more detail later InshaAllah).
(M remembered here about our work on insulators when investigating materials to keep a mug of tea hotter for longer, so we talked about what the words actually mean and how thermal insulators and conductors might be different to electric insulators and conductors... They should just think of the word insulator as to block or trap something as a wall does, and the word conductor as to let something through it easily or help it get past - I drew some simple diagrams on the whiteboard of arrows being blocked or going through a wall to help illustrate the point.)
We talked about how electricity is generated in power stations and the different kinds - e.g. water, coal - and whether it was better to use renewable energy sources or fossil fuels and why.
Finally, we watched a few of the relevant episodes from Blaze and the Monster Machines which were on Amazon Prime at the time (e.g. Episode 28 - Darington to the Moon! - features the characters visiting different kinds of power station).
--------------------
Week 2:
We read the double page spread about circuits in the Electricity book and talked about how electricity needs to flow in a loop to make things work. I showed the girls the battery from the remote control and how the ends were labelled positive and negative, how the remote control had a positive and negative sign where the battery fits inside and how we need to make sure the positive and negative signs match when putting the battery inside. I briefly told them about how the electricity moves from the negative end to the positive end in a circuit, which is why a loop needs to be made, but literally just as an introduction to the concept rather than expecting them to remember or understand!
We bought a simple circuit components set from Amazon (similar to this one, I can't find the exact link we used!) for the girls to experiment with. I did consider the Snap Circuits set, but I couldn't justify it for the price... And actually I'm pleased we went with this instead as with all the wires and clips it feels more raw and rewarding to do. 😆
I began by demonstrating how to build a simple series circuit with a bulb, narrating what I was doing so as to introduce the component names (wire, crocodile clip, battery holder, battery, bulb holder, bulb) and discussing with the girls which parts were conductors/insulators and how the electricity could flow from one component to the next. They could see clearly the copper wire from where it was exposed at the ends and how the screws were metal where the clips attached to the holders.
When the bulb was lit up (cue delighted gasps!) we talked about how there was a complete loop and how when the loop was broken the bulb would turn off.
I took away the bulb and replaced it with the fan and motor - introducing the component names first - and we talked about how the fan was able to spin... The motor was spinning and the fan was attached to it. The electric energy had been converted into movement (kinetic) energy, as well as a little heat from friction and some sound energy too. What was the electric energy turned into in the bulb? Light and some heat!
I disconnected the motor and showed the buzzer to the girls. We'd already converted electric energy to light and to movement, so what did they think this component did? F guessed heat and M said it looked like a hairdryer. 😂 When I connected it and it made a noise they both laughed and said sound energy! Then I told them the component was named a buzzer.
Finally, I took everything apart and asked them which was their favourite - the bulb, motor or buzzer? They both said the motor and fan. I gave them the necessary components (i.e. 2 wires, battery holder with battery inside and the motor with the fan attached) and challenged them to build a circuit to make the fan spin.
MashaAllah they managed and they really enjoyed it too! They could have played for longer tbh but it was dinner time so everything had to be put away. 😋
Later that week, we watched the film Monsters Inc. together and talked about how they got their energy not from electricity but from screams. 😁😁
We read the first 6 pages from the Electricity book in the KS1 Science series we have, which gives a nice, simple introduction to the topic.
We looked at examples around the house of electric devices and made a distinction between mains and battery powered devices.
We talked about why electricity and electric items can be dangerous and how we should never play with them or touch them with wet hands.
We talked about insulators and conductors - in the context of how is it safe for us to use electric appliances if electricity is so dangerous? Because the inside of the appliance has conductors to let the electricity flow and the appliance to work but the outside is covered with an insulator which doesn't let electricity past so it's safe to touch. We talked about which kinds of materials are electric conductors (e.g. metals, especially copper, and water) and which are insulators (plastic and some others which we'll look at in more detail later InshaAllah).
(M remembered here about our work on insulators when investigating materials to keep a mug of tea hotter for longer, so we talked about what the words actually mean and how thermal insulators and conductors might be different to electric insulators and conductors... They should just think of the word insulator as to block or trap something as a wall does, and the word conductor as to let something through it easily or help it get past - I drew some simple diagrams on the whiteboard of arrows being blocked or going through a wall to help illustrate the point.)
We talked about how electricity is generated in power stations and the different kinds - e.g. water, coal - and whether it was better to use renewable energy sources or fossil fuels and why.
Finally, we watched a few of the relevant episodes from Blaze and the Monster Machines which were on Amazon Prime at the time (e.g. Episode 28 - Darington to the Moon! - features the characters visiting different kinds of power station).
--------------------
Week 2:
We read the double page spread about circuits in the Electricity book and talked about how electricity needs to flow in a loop to make things work. I showed the girls the battery from the remote control and how the ends were labelled positive and negative, how the remote control had a positive and negative sign where the battery fits inside and how we need to make sure the positive and negative signs match when putting the battery inside. I briefly told them about how the electricity moves from the negative end to the positive end in a circuit, which is why a loop needs to be made, but literally just as an introduction to the concept rather than expecting them to remember or understand!
We bought a simple circuit components set from Amazon (similar to this one, I can't find the exact link we used!) for the girls to experiment with. I did consider the Snap Circuits set, but I couldn't justify it for the price... And actually I'm pleased we went with this instead as with all the wires and clips it feels more raw and rewarding to do. 😆
I began by demonstrating how to build a simple series circuit with a bulb, narrating what I was doing so as to introduce the component names (wire, crocodile clip, battery holder, battery, bulb holder, bulb) and discussing with the girls which parts were conductors/insulators and how the electricity could flow from one component to the next. They could see clearly the copper wire from where it was exposed at the ends and how the screws were metal where the clips attached to the holders.
When the bulb was lit up (cue delighted gasps!) we talked about how there was a complete loop and how when the loop was broken the bulb would turn off.
I took away the bulb and replaced it with the fan and motor - introducing the component names first - and we talked about how the fan was able to spin... The motor was spinning and the fan was attached to it. The electric energy had been converted into movement (kinetic) energy, as well as a little heat from friction and some sound energy too. What was the electric energy turned into in the bulb? Light and some heat!
I disconnected the motor and showed the buzzer to the girls. We'd already converted electric energy to light and to movement, so what did they think this component did? F guessed heat and M said it looked like a hairdryer. 😂 When I connected it and it made a noise they both laughed and said sound energy! Then I told them the component was named a buzzer.
Finally, I took everything apart and asked them which was their favourite - the bulb, motor or buzzer? They both said the motor and fan. I gave them the necessary components (i.e. 2 wires, battery holder with battery inside and the motor with the fan attached) and challenged them to build a circuit to make the fan spin.
MashaAllah they managed and they really enjoyed it too! They could have played for longer tbh but it was dinner time so everything had to be put away. 😋
Later that week, we watched the film Monsters Inc. together and talked about how they got their energy not from electricity but from screams. 😁😁
Friday, 17 January 2020
Fables
Continuing the theme from their shadow puppet theatre, and referring to the NC for Year 3, I decided to move on to looking at fables in more detail as our next Literacy topic.
We read examples from some of the books in this collection (I bought a few many years ago for £1 each from The Works!) and I left the others in their book box for this term for them to explore at their leisure.
We talked briefly about who Aesop was - where and when he was from - but I plan to go through this in more detail in the coming weeks as we move on to look at Greek mythology InshaAllah.
Another day, we read through some more examples of fables and I left several books open as visual reminders. We discussed what they all had in common - i.e. how do we know they're fables? What features do they have?
As the girls came up with ideas, and I prompted for others, we came up with a list of features:
- Short and simple
- Only a few characters, usually 2
- Often animal characters
- One learns a lesson
- The characters are in the title
- Contains direct speech
- Contains time connectives
- Contains connectives to show cause and effect
- The moral is written at the end
The following day, I printed out the following sheet as a template for the girls to have a go at planning and writing their own short fable.
You can download the worksheet here.
Because we had just covered Al-Mutakabbir as one of Allah's names, I gave the girls the moral "Don't be arrogant".
We discussed ideas together as a group and they each came up with their own plot. They wrote their first draft, listened to each other's to give constructive criticism, edited their work then wrote up their final drafts below:
We read examples from some of the books in this collection (I bought a few many years ago for £1 each from The Works!) and I left the others in their book box for this term for them to explore at their leisure.
We talked briefly about who Aesop was - where and when he was from - but I plan to go through this in more detail in the coming weeks as we move on to look at Greek mythology InshaAllah.
Another day, we read through some more examples of fables and I left several books open as visual reminders. We discussed what they all had in common - i.e. how do we know they're fables? What features do they have?
As the girls came up with ideas, and I prompted for others, we came up with a list of features:
- Short and simple
- Only a few characters, usually 2
- Often animal characters
- One learns a lesson
- The characters are in the title
- Contains direct speech
- Contains time connectives
- Contains connectives to show cause and effect
- The moral is written at the end
The following day, I printed out the following sheet as a template for the girls to have a go at planning and writing their own short fable.
Because we had just covered Al-Mutakabbir as one of Allah's names, I gave the girls the moral "Don't be arrogant".
We discussed ideas together as a group and they each came up with their own plot. They wrote their first draft, listened to each other's to give constructive criticism, edited their work then wrote up their final drafts below:
Geography Targets
Geography targets taken from the National Curriculum and converted into a spreadsheet table for individual tracking.
Download here.
Download here.
Wednesday, 15 January 2020
99 Names of Allah - 11 - Al-Mutakabbir - The Proud
[11] اَلْمُتَكَبِّرُ (Al-Mutakabbir): The Proud
Sing 99 Names (5min)
Play PowerPoint of the first 33 names, 2-3 times. Sing together and do the actions so far plus:
Action for Al-Mutakabbir: With two thumbs up, alternate lifting one hand higher than the other while pointing at your own chest with your thumbs.
Today’s focus is on the name Al-Mutakabbir which means The Proud / The Supremely Great
Story relating to today's name (7min)
Read a short story to the children which features a proud main character, e.g. The Emperor's New Clothes or The Gingerbread Man, where being proud is not a good quality to have.
Discuss meaning, apply to children's lives (15min)
Al-Mutakabbir means The Proud / The Supremely Great.
Why do people feel proud of themselves? When they've done something well? Think of examples... E.g. Winning a race, solving a maths problem, writing an interesting story, doing something new/you weren't able to do before... Is it a nice feeling? Is it a good feeling? When you're comparing yourself to yourself then yes, it's nice to feel accomplished and proud of ourselves!
But is being proud a good thing? If I described someone as being proud, would you think they're a nice person or not? In the story, the Emperor was proud so he ended up looking foolish and embarrassed; the Gingerbread Man was proud and ended up being eaten by the fox. Was that a good thing? What made being proud a bad thing? We just said that feeling proud of yourself is OK, so what makes it become not OK anymore? When you compare yourself to other people - when you think that because you did something, that makes you better than other people. Another word for this is arrogant. Arrogant people think they're better than others either because they're good at something or sometimes just because they've been blessed with something (money or talent) - they don't give thanks to Allah for it, but instead they're proud and arrogant and look down on other people for not having money or not being able to think quickly or run quickly or whatever it is...
So why does Allah's name mean proud? Because in the examples of the arrogant people, why were they arrogant? Because of something which wasn't in their power anyway. They didn't really have a right to be proud. Allah is the one who gave them their money (like the Emperor) or their talent (like the Gingerbread Man running fast). But what about Allah? He's the one who made everything and can do anything - does He have the right to be proud? Yes! Only Allah is able to be truly proud because He's so perfectly great. Anything He is proud about is definitely from His own doing, nobody else's. Al-Mutakabbir also means "The Supremely Great".
Everything we do is because of Allah. If we're good at something or manage to overcome a challenge it's ok to feel proud of ourselves - but not compare ourselves to other people - and we should always thank Allah for allowing us to do whatever it is we did, or for blessing us with whatever He wanted us to have.
But is being proud a good thing? If I described someone as being proud, would you think they're a nice person or not? In the story, the Emperor was proud so he ended up looking foolish and embarrassed; the Gingerbread Man was proud and ended up being eaten by the fox. Was that a good thing? What made being proud a bad thing? We just said that feeling proud of yourself is OK, so what makes it become not OK anymore? When you compare yourself to other people - when you think that because you did something, that makes you better than other people. Another word for this is arrogant. Arrogant people think they're better than others either because they're good at something or sometimes just because they've been blessed with something (money or talent) - they don't give thanks to Allah for it, but instead they're proud and arrogant and look down on other people for not having money or not being able to think quickly or run quickly or whatever it is...
So why does Allah's name mean proud? Because in the examples of the arrogant people, why were they arrogant? Because of something which wasn't in their power anyway. They didn't really have a right to be proud. Allah is the one who gave them their money (like the Emperor) or their talent (like the Gingerbread Man running fast). But what about Allah? He's the one who made everything and can do anything - does He have the right to be proud? Yes! Only Allah is able to be truly proud because He's so perfectly great. Anything He is proud about is definitely from His own doing, nobody else's. Al-Mutakabbir also means "The Supremely Great".
Everything we do is because of Allah. If we're good at something or manage to overcome a challenge it's ok to feel proud of ourselves - but not compare ourselves to other people - and we should always thank Allah for allowing us to do whatever it is we did, or for blessing us with whatever He wanted us to have.
Craft activity (20min)
Complete the page for the book.
Colour in the trophy e.g. as a collage using shiny materials or glitter glue etc.
When to use this name (8min)
When you're feeling proud of yourself remember to thank Allah for helping you achieve what you did. Use the name Al-Mutakabbir to remind yourself that He is the only truly proud one because He is the one in charge of everything that happens. Remind yourself not to be arrogant and not to compare yourself with other people - Allah has blessed us all differently.
On the back of their page, help the children write a few thoughts about the name Al-Mutakabbir and their feelings.
Sticker chart (5min)
Ask individually: Which of Allah’s names did we learn today? What does it mean? Give children a sticker each for their chart.
----------
Other activities:
- Write a fable with the moral not to be arrogant.
Please leave a comment if you know of any related activities we could do for this name!
Friday, 10 January 2020
99 Names of Allah - 10 - Al-Jabbar - The Compeller
[10] اَلْجَبَّارُ (Al-Jabbar): The Compeller
Sing 99 Names (5min)
Play PowerPoint of the first 33 names, 2-3 times. Sing together and do the actions so far plus:
Action for Al-Jabbar: With the hand clenched and index finger out, shake finger in front as if telling someone what to do.
Today’s focus is on the name Al-Jabbar which means The Compeller.
Story relating to today's name (7min)
Read a short story to the children, e.g. Hippo Owns Up, where the moral is to tell the truth/guilt made the main character own up.
Discuss meaning, apply to children's lives (15min)
Al-Jabbar means The Compeller.
What does "compel" mean? To make someone do something. It's actually a bit stronger than just "make" and more like to force someone to do something - so they have no choice but to do it.
Al-Jabbar means Allah can make anyone and anything do whatever He wants. He can make things happen which seem impossible - He can make miracles happen. Can you think of any miracles from stories you know of the prophets? (e.g. He compelled the fire to be cool for Prophet Ibrahim, He compelled the sea to part for Prophet Musa, He compelled the moon to split in half for prophet Muhammad, etc.)
In the story, what compelled Hippo to tell the truth? His conscience/his feeling of guilt. Allah has given us all the gift of a conscience and of feeling guilty when we do something wrong. That guilty feeling is what compels us to do the right thing.
Al-Jabbar means Allah can make anyone and anything do whatever He wants. He can make things happen which seem impossible - He can make miracles happen. Can you think of any miracles from stories you know of the prophets? (e.g. He compelled the fire to be cool for Prophet Ibrahim, He compelled the sea to part for Prophet Musa, He compelled the moon to split in half for prophet Muhammad, etc.)
In the story, what compelled Hippo to tell the truth? His conscience/his feeling of guilt. Allah has given us all the gift of a conscience and of feeling guilty when we do something wrong. That guilty feeling is what compels us to do the right thing.
Craft activity (20min)
Complete the page for the book.
Think of things/forces we have no control over e.g. gravity - if we jump we have no choice but to come down again, if we throw a ball up in the air we know it will fall down again. Allah is even stronger than gravity - if He wanted He could make something just float and not fall down (like the waves when the sea parted for Musa (AS)! Just like we are compelled to fall to the ground because of gravity, Allah compels things to happen and they have no choice over it.
Craft: use cotton wool for clouds and glue blue sequins to represent rain falling down to the ground: Allah compels it to rain, we can feel the effects of gravity compelling things to fall to the ground.
Craft: use cotton wool for clouds and glue blue sequins to represent rain falling down to the ground: Allah compels it to rain, we can feel the effects of gravity compelling things to fall to the ground.
When to use this name (8min)
When you want Allah to help you with something, e.g. a problem you have or a challenge you face. Al-Jabbar can make anything happen by His will, including helping you overcome your problem (either with the solution you want or something better for you).
You can remember Allah by this name if you're ever tempted to do something you shouldn't (like Hippo when he stole the cake) - remember that He gave you a conscience to compel you to do the right thing (like Hippo owning up to his mistake) because Allah loves us and wants us to do good.
You can remember Allah by this name if you're ever tempted to do something you shouldn't (like Hippo when he stole the cake) - remember that He gave you a conscience to compel you to do the right thing (like Hippo owning up to his mistake) because Allah loves us and wants us to do good.
On the back of their page, help the children write a few thoughts about the name Al-Jabbar and their feelings.
Sticker chart (5min)
Ask individually: Which of Allah’s names did we learn today? What does it mean? Give children a sticker each for their chart.
----------
Other activities:
-
Please leave a comment if you know of any related activities we could do for this name!
Monday, 6 January 2020
Juz 27 / Qaala famaa khatbukum - Poster
MashaAllah, we've started the next juz of the Quran, working backwards from the end. 💕
As usual, we've made another target tracking poster for these 7 surahs (the juz actually ends partway through Adh-Dhaariyaat, but we've decided to just complete the whole surah for simplicity's sake). We talked about the meanings of the surah names, coloured in corresponding pictures and decorated with stickers. This poster is only A4 as opposed to the previous ones being A3 - partly because there are fewer surahs to cover this time and partly because we're running out of space on the door where we display them!
You can download the template here.
The pictures correspond to the surahs as follows:
Adh-Dhaariyaat = wind
At-Tur = Mt. Sinai
An-Najm = a star
Al-Qamar = the moon
Ar-Rahmaan = the two seas not mixing (one of the miracles mentioned)
Al-Waaqi'ah = an hourglass (the inevitable time)
Al-Hadeed = a meteorite (containing iron)
As usual, we've made another target tracking poster for these 7 surahs (the juz actually ends partway through Adh-Dhaariyaat, but we've decided to just complete the whole surah for simplicity's sake). We talked about the meanings of the surah names, coloured in corresponding pictures and decorated with stickers. This poster is only A4 as opposed to the previous ones being A3 - partly because there are fewer surahs to cover this time and partly because we're running out of space on the door where we display them!
You can download the template here.
The pictures correspond to the surahs as follows:
Adh-Dhaariyaat = wind
At-Tur = Mt. Sinai
An-Najm = a star
Al-Qamar = the moon
Ar-Rahmaan = the two seas not mixing (one of the miracles mentioned)
Al-Waaqi'ah = an hourglass (the inevitable time)
Al-Hadeed = a meteorite (containing iron)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)