Late Antiquity & the Early ChurchOrdinary TimeWeek 11 of 32

The Rise of Islam & the Early Medieval World

Essential Question

How did a new faith and a fractured Christendom reshape the map of the world?

This week the student studies the swift rise of Islam and how it reshaped the map of the ancient world. We trace Muhammad and the new faith, the rapid Arab conquests, the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, and the 'Islamic Golden Age' that preserved much Greek learning. Along the way we meet Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours (732), the dazzling Islamic art of Córdoba and Jerusalem, and St. John of Damascus, who defended sacred images while living under Muslim rule. The catechism turns to Mary and the communion of saints.

Liturgical note: Ordinary Time (November). As the month of the holy souls continues, the catechism's focus on Mary, Mother of the Church, and the communion of saints ties the living and the dead into one family of God.

Threads at a Glance

What Each Thread Covers This Week

World History

Muhammad and the rise of Islam; the rapid conquests; the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates; the Islamic Golden Age and its preservation of Greek learning; contact and conflict with Christendom.

US History

Winning the Revolution: Trenton to Yorktown

Historical Figure

Charles Martel and the Battle of Tours (732).

Geography

The Islamic world; drawing the caliphates' extent — Arabia, North Africa, and Iberia (Al-Andalus).

Art History

Islamic art and architecture — the Dome of the Rock, the Great Mosque of Córdoba, arabesque, and calligraphy.

Music History

Music of the medieval Islamic world; the oud and its journey into the European lute.

Saint

St. John of Damascus, defender of holy images, who lived under Islamic rule.

Virtue

Diligence — the patient labor of preserving knowledge.

Catechism

YOUCAT on Mary, Mother of God and of the Church, and the communion of saints (Marian questions and Q146-Q149).

Grammar

Verbal phrases I — participles and participial phrases.

Writing

Research skills introduction — finding and judging reliable sources (a mini research note).

Weekly Writing Assignment

Mini Research Note: The Islamic Golden Age

Choose ONE achievement of the Islamic Golden Age (for example: the preservation and translation of Greek texts, advances in algebra, the work of Ibn al-Haytham in optics, the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, or advances in medicine). Find two reliable sources about it. Write a half-page 'research note' that explains the achievement in your own words and ends with a short list of your two sources (title, author/organization, and web address). For each source, write one sentence explaining WHY you trust it.

Skill: Finding sources, judging their reliability, and recording facts with their sources (the foundation of research).Length: About a half page (150-220 words) plus a 2-source list

Show rubric ▾

Chooses one specific achievement and explains it clearly in the student's own words (not copied).
Uses two genuinely reliable sources (reputable organizations, encyclopedias, museums, universities).
Lists each source with title, author or organization, and URL.
Gives a one-sentence reason for trusting each source (the CRAAP test: currency, reliability, authority, accuracy, purpose).
Note is organized, in the student's own words, and free of copied passages (no plagiarism).

The Week