Learning Plot Diagram Through Islamic Stories

As we learn about different language topics we like to apply them to our Islamic studies. My 5th grader recently learned how to make a plot diagram for the stories he reads. 

Exposition: Beginning of the story where the characters and setting are introduced

Rising Action: A series of events that build the story toward the climax

Climax: The most exciting part of the story. The turning point is where everything changes.

Falling Action: Events leading up to the end of the story

Resolution: The outcome of the story. How the problem gets solved. 

We applied the plot diagram to the story of the Battle of Uhud. After reading about the story in the book When the Moon Splits, we drew the plot diagram and added all the elements. 

 

Exposition: The Quraysh wanted revenge for the losses of the Battle of Badr. They gathered 3, 000 men. When the Prophet (saw) found out, he decided to meet them at Mt. Uhud.  

Rising Action: The Prophet (saw) and his army of 1, 000 marched to Uhud. 300 men abandoned leaving only 700. The Prophet (saw) put 50 archers on a hill to protect the armies back. Hamza , the lion of Allah, unfortunately dies in this battle. The Muslims were winning. 

Climax: 38 Archers came down from the hill. Khalid Bin Waleed attacked the Muslims from the back. The Muslims scattered and some of them ran. The Prophet (saw) was surrounded. 

Falling Action: The Prophet (saw) was surrounded by the enemy. Seven men from the Ansar and two from the Muhajireen rushed to help him. The seven Ansar died leaving the 3 Muhajireen. The Muslims managed to retreat back up the mountain safely. 

Resolution: The Muslims lost 20 men but none were captured. They lost the battle because they disobeyed the Prophet (saw). They learned a valuable lesson. Victory only comes when we obey Allah and His messenger. 

" Do not worry and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are true believers."

(3:139)

Seerah- Battle of Badr Trivia Game

Hi guys, today I wanted to share with you our Battle of Badr trivia game. This was a fun family activity we did together to help us learn the main events. We read from the book When the Moon splits and watched this lecture by brother Abdurrahman Hassan. 

Material Needed for the Trivia Game

1. Board 

2. Construction Paper

3. Markers

4. Letter Stickers (or just write it with marker)

5. Reading Material or Video

The questions are based on this video and our reading from the book When the Moon Split. 

After we read or watched the lecture the boys would each write down a question to add to our board. 

After we completed our trivia board we had a family game night. We had snacks and treats to make it more fun. This activity helped our entire family connect more with the battle and the facts. 

Seerah of the Prophet- Battle of Badr

Hi guys, I wanted to share our study on the Battle of Badr today. We read from the book When the Moon Split and watched videos on YouTube. After studying the battle my 8-year-old and I put this lapbook together. 

We cut out camels using black construction paper and different colored paper to write down facts he learned about. 

On the front of the lapbook we added a map of the battle to help us understand where everything was located.

At the end of our study, we colored our Seerah Timeline Card for the battle of Badr. 

Grab these timeline cards from the link above. 

Hajj Unit Study

Hi guys, today I wanted to share with you about our Hajj unit study. We learned the Talbiyah, read lots of books, watched videos, and baked a kaaba cake.  

First, We reviewed the pillars of Islam using these puzzles and read some books. 

We made Hajj peg dolls and dressed them up in Ihram

We also made Kaaba out of Lego

As we learned about the Hajj process we made a diorama showing each step. 

Next we did some notebooking pages after learning all about the story Ibrahim (AS). 

To conclude our Hajj study we baked a Kaaba cake. 

Frog Unit Study

Hi guys, today I wanted to share with you our frog unit study. After completing the story of Musa the the older boys had a lot of questions about frogs so I put together a unit study. Here are some of the activities we did.

Notebooking

Compare and contrast frogs and toads. We used the book Frogs by Gail Gibbons and Nature Anatomy to help with our comparison. This was completed by my six year old. I wrote on the white board as he told me the difference and the similarities and he chose to write one of each.

The older boys also did a compare and contrast Reptiles vs. Amphibians. They also wrote a compare and contrast essay using their notes.

Frog Respiratory System

We also completed a narration page on Frog Anatomy, Life Cycle, and the Frogs Organs. 

Crafts

This craft was for my little ones (six and four). We made a frog fly catcher.

After learning about Pond habitat my son painted a pond using the book Under and Over the Pond as inspiration.

Language Arts

We also tied our language arts to this unit study. My four year old worked on the letter F and the letter P. My six year old used spelling words pulled from the book The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher. We loosely followed a the curriculum A Year of Tales.

We also did an alphabetical order activity using frog related words. 

Life Cycle

Along with all the activities we did my older boys did a frog dissection. They were grossed out and loved it all at the same time. We purchased our kit from Homeschool Science.

I'll spare you the rest of the images.

Arabic

The older boys translated and did copy work from a short reader Naseem and a frog. The younger ones learned the vocabulary word for frog and fly.

Islamic Studies

For Islamic studies the boys and learned three names of Allah- Al Khalaq, Al Bari, and Al Muswir. We watched a beautiful lecture from Shaikh Yasir Qaidh.

That's the end of our unit. It was a lot of fun and super informative.

Yunus (as) and the Whale Free Unit Study

As Salamu alaikum guys! My two younger boys and I have been working on a unit study all about Prophet Yunus. We turned this into a week long theme. I've been sharing over on Instagram all the activities. Since some of you were enquiring about the printables and activities I was sharing, I thought I would share the unit study with you guys. This unit study is far from perfect and may contain some errors. I hope that you enjoy it and if you do find any errors you will contact me and I'll be happy to correct them.

I usually plan and add a lot of activities just in case the boys want to extend the unit. So please don't feel you have to do everything included or even do it the way I did it.

I read the story to the boys every day or show them a video or audio of the reading. I think this helps with comprehension and enjoyment of the story.

I've included a lesson plan schedule. I've also included books and videos we watched during this unit. The videos are from Youtube so please view them ahead of time just to make sure they are appropriate for your children.

I've also included a supply list, just in case you wanted to get everything for the unit in advance. You can always supplement with whatever you have around the house. Please be flexible and enjoy the time with your child. I think that is whats more important then doing all the activities perfectly.

I try to cover all subjects within the unit it makes everything flow smoothly for the child and makes my life easier.

At the beginning of the unit I set up our shelf with all the material and add a chalk drawing to grab the children's attention. They come down Monday morning and immediately run to the shelf to see what the new unit will be.

Here are some of the activities we did from the unit.

Narration and picture for the story

We also practiced the cursive letter W

Story sequencing activity. 

I've included some play dough mats for the younger kiddos to work on while they listen to the story.

There is an Arabic version also. 

For grammar we did a noun and verb hunt in the story.

For younger kiddos you can hunt for letters, sight words, or objects in the picture.

Du'a of Yunus (as) copy work. 

You can memorize the du'a in Arabic if you choose to. 

Feed the whale story comprehension game. Details for the game are included in the unit.

Lessons from the story craft. 

Story vocabulary cards. We also used these for our 

spelling words for the week.

Globe paper Mache activity. We learned about land vs water and made a globe as a our final project.

I set out some play silk, a whale figurine, and a paper boat for the boys to retell the story and to pretend play with. 

We also worked on a whale report. We watched videos and read books

together to help learn facts about whales. 

The boys and I also made some whales out of air dry clay. 

Click on the image above to download your copy 

of  Yunus and the Whale.

Jzk for reading and showing interest in our unit study. I hope that it is of benefit to you and your family.