“Martyrs of Cordoba” Reading Activity

• Look up definition of martyr and write it in your own words.
• Where is Cordoba located? Read the Britannica article on Cordoba, Spain paying especially close attention to the time period we are discussing. https://www.britannica.com/place/Cordoba-Spain
• From whose perspective is the article written? (What is a Mozarab clergyman?)
• Read the article while annotating the following:
  1. Loaded (persuasive) language (My students will have already studied this.)
  2. Symbolism (objects and colors) used in the story
  3. Unknown vocabulary words. Here are some that students might struggle to understand:  Endeavored, Unbridled, Transitory, Begotten, Esteemed, Stratagem, Befitted ,Reverence, Consolation Quietude, Predestined, Infamous, Hastening, Ardent, Visage, Scourging, Bondage, Invective, Eloquence, Basilica
• Students will complete Vocabulary Webs for at least 3 of the words they don’t know, or that they want to explore further.
• Students answer the following question: How does the symbolism and loaded language affect the reader’s interpretation of the text?
• After students have answered the question above, ask them if there is any bias in the story. (They should notice the bias through their annotations.).
• Then, ask who the two different groups of people in the story are and how they are characterized. Have students make a t-chart with Christians and Muslims.
• Next, have students speculate on the following:   How might this story be told differently from a different perspective?
• Answer the following question: How might Cordoba’s location impacted the perspective of the people featured in this story?