CMES offers a variety of resources to help K-14 educators teach their classes about Middle Eastern culture, history, and society.
K-12 Lesson Plans
Search for comprehensive lesson plans by grade, content area, and country.
K-12 Teaching Resources
Middle Eastern teaching resources by K-12 subjects like social studies and AP History.
Background & Information Sheets
Prep material for high school and college classes, or to distribute as student handouts.
Film Guides
"Children of Heaven"
- From Iran. Persian with English subtitles. Appropriate for late elementary - adult.
- Cross-curricular lessons developed by Journeys in Film.
"Daughter of Keltoum"
- From Algeria. Arabic and French with English subtitles. Appropriate for high school (Pre-screen to be sure you agree!) and adult.
- This film guide was made possible by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council.
"Excuse My French"
- From Egypt. Arabic with English subtitles. Appropriate for high school - as long as you provide them with the short background on the Coptic Christians of Egypt.
- Film guide:
"Free Men"
- From France. French with English subtitles. About the rescue of Jews/resistance activities at the Grand Mosque of Paris during World War II and the Holocaust.
- Film guides:
"The Kite"
- From Lebanon. Arabic with English subtitles. Possibly appropriate for high school (except for one really graphic reference shouted by a mother over a megaphone), definitely great for adults.
- This film guide was made possible by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council:
"Persepolis"
In French with English subtitles (but a true story of a girl/young woman growing up in Iran during and after the Revolution). Appropriate for high school and adults.
"Santa Claus in Baghdad"
- In English. Created for middle school and high school students. You need to provide a quick background on sanctions in Iraq in order for young people to fully understand the story.
- Lessons developed by the Global Media Literacy Project.
"Slingshot Hip Hop"
- An interesting documentary on Palestinian rap. Appropriate for high school (Pre-screen to be sure you agree!) and adult.
- Film guide:
Crises and Countering Islamophobia
View this list as a PDF.
Short “myth and fact” pages:
- Thistlethwaite, Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks and Eleni Towns. “Eleven Things You Need to Know about Islam in America Today.” Center for American Progress. 22 Sept. 2010.http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/news/2010/09/22/8380/ele ven-things-you-need-to-know-about-islam-in-america-today/
Muslim statements condemning terrorism:
- Kurzman, Charles. “Islamic Statements against Terrorism.” (http://kurzman.unc.edu/islamic-statements-against-terrorism)
- “Muslims Condemn Terrorist Acts.” (http://www.muhajabah.com/otherscondemn.php)
- Eteraz, Ali. “The Myth of Muslim Condemnation of Terror.” Huffington Post. 10 Oct. 2007. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-eteraz/the-myth-of- muslim-condem_b_67904.html
Muslim Women:
- Masra, Aabeda and Mansour Aljunaydil. “Myths and Realities about Muslim Women, Part 1.” CAIR-Chicago. 15 Feb. 2012. https://www.cairchicago.org/blog/blog/2012/02/myths-and-realities-about- muslim-women-part-i
- Masra, Aabeda and Mansour Aljunaydil. “Myths and Realities about Muslim Women, Part 1.” CAIR-Chicago. 15 Feb. 2012. https://www.cairchicago.org/blog/blog/2012/03/myths-and-realities-about- muslim-women-part-ii
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Sheffer, Sarah. “The Myth of the Muslim Women: The False Narrative of Salvation.” Northeastern University Political Review. 14 Apr. 2011. http://www.nupoliticalreview.com/?p=339
Scholarly Information on Various Aspects of Islam:
- “For Studying Islam and the Diverse Perspectives of Muslims.” Islam and Islamic Studies Resources. http://islam.uga.edu/
Opposing Islamophobia:
- Loonwatch.com. http://www.loonwatch.com/
Title VI National Resource Centers in Middle Eastern Studies
Title VI National Resource Centers in Middle Eastern Studies are funded by the Department of Education and charged with committing resources to Middle East outreach. For more information, see the complete list of centers.