Unit on Islam

The following unit was submitted by Karen Currier of Moultonborough Academy:  

Incorporated within a World Studies (10th grade) unit on Islam, Three Cups of Tea becomes a centerpiece for a discussion on peace (and the true meaning of an often misunderstood religion and culture: Islam). As an introductory activity, I had my students (three different sections of 90 minute blocks) enter our room, set up in small pods, and take a card which asked them to write down the name of someone in their class who they had worked with/spoke with/knew the least. Once the groups of two were established (I was prepared to tweak the groups as I needed to as many students were tempted to sit with their best friends) students were given various "real world" -- social responsibility-type questions-- to ponder, discuss, and record notes on, but began with prompts that asked the students to simply get to know one another first (to discover similarities, differences, etc.). Eventually, the questions moved toward opinion, i.e.: Do you think the U.S. should be contributing aid to countries in need, and if so, in what capacity, with what "strings" attached, if any? Will the world ever achieve peace, and if so, what is the best avenue toward this goal? For each "level" of question, I served the students a cup of tea, until they had transitioned through the three levels of questions and three cups (actually, about 1/3 cup servings to be practical) of tea. We discussed the symbolism of the tea: hospitality, growing from "stranger" to "friend" to "family." Finally, after discussion which touched on each of the questions students pondered and answered in their groups, students were asked to reflect on the activity.
For more on this, with actual materials, I will be posting a link in the near future.