This unit will expose students to the Middle East, an area of the world they may have limited knowledge of and that is very different from home. In particular, this curriculum unit focuses on Egypt, Iraq, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. These countries have just enough in common, and provide just enough contrast, to make for a unit that is sure to be both educational and entertaining. Each student will learn about a specific aspect of life in one of these countries as they contribute information to their small group. (This unit lends itself to individual, small group, and large group assignments.) In the end, each small student will have played a role in the development of the class's board game. If, after the initial playing of "Desert Fever", the class deems it a success, the game can be shared with other classes. These students will have learned about other cultures; other worlds that aren't always so different from their own.
(Developed for E.S. Language Arts and Social Studies, grade 4; recommended for E.S. Language Arts and E. S. Social Studies, grade 4)
