Day 3 of Unit 6: Comparing Cultures in the Middle Ages

9th Grade World Studies

Controversy over Jerusalem
Unit Question:
- To what extent do leaders use ideology to justify their goals?
Summative Assessment:
- Students will film a debate in groups to make a claim answering the unit question with three
supporting and one opposing examples.
Lesson Objective:
- Students will be able to investigate multiple perspectives of the Controversy over Jerusalem, why
leaders made decisions within this context, and how the historical perspective affects modern day
decisions.
Major Purpose:
- This lesson will allow students to speculate the role of Jerusalem in both Islam and Christianity/
Judaism and connect these roles to the present.

Lesson Sequence: (60 minute class)

5 minutes​- Attendance

10 minutes​- Journal and Class discussion: ​Have students silently write as much evidence or gut
reactions they have to answer “Recalling from last class, how do you think Islam supported the growth of
civilization during the Middle Ages?” Have a few students share out and respond to their thoughts.
5 Minutes​ - Look at a map:​ Project the map of Jerusalem on the board found in the ppt. We know that
today we will be talking about the controversy over Jerusalem, to what extent can we tell that there is
controversy in Jerusalem simply by looking at a map?
5 minutes​- Discuss: ​Think, Pair, Share “How and why do different groups claim the right to Jerusalem?
20 minutes​-Controversy in the Holy Land PPT/ Videos:​ ​Remind students that different sources
have different biases which means they interpret facts differently. While we may not agree with everything
shared, it is important to respect the legitimacy of other’s opinions. Have students watch the videos, taking
notes in their packets on the perspectives of why different groups justify their goals with Jerusalem. The
first video is a pro-Palestinian perspective while the second is pro-Israeli. After watching the videos, ask
students to guess which video was from which perspective and how they came to that conclusion.

10 minutes​- Discussion question​-​What makes Jerusalem so holy to so many religions? Discuss with a
partner and share out, making sure to add this to the information in their packets. Have the class relate
these reasons to why leaders might justify their goals in claiming the land.
10 minutes​-What does Trump want to do in Jerusalem?​ ​Trump wants to move the US Israeli
Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Both Israel and Palestine claim Jerusalem as a capital. US Presidents
had avoided moving the Embassy for over 20 years. What could be the effect if Trump moves the
Embassy? On Israel? On Palestine? On the US? Introduce these current events to the class and have them
read the CNN article on Google Classroom, answering the questions “What is your response to the US
decision to move the embassy? Was the United States’ decision to move the embassy justified?” Start next
class with their responses to these questions.