My seventh grade language arts students are studying the concept of “Truth vs. Perception” and “Windows and Mirrors” this school year, so the lesson I’ve created here will ask them to refer back to what they have learned and make connections. 

I would have students read a section of “Warfare During the Crusades:  Usama ibn Munqidh and his Memoirs” from Medievalists.net.  In particular, I would like them to focus on the “Introduction” and “Who was Usama ibn Munqidh?”  This will be valuable for students to consider how primary sources can be biased.  Also, the information about bias and “racist” comments in some of these texts is relevant.

Some questions I would ask students are: 

What do you think of the author’s explanation that “racism is a modern construct”?

What does the author mean by “other”?

How do the remarks in older texts compare to what we see in our:  Literature?  News?  Social Media?  Current Events?

Now, think of the book you read for your “Windows and Mirrors” book study.  How do some of the discussions you have in your small groups relate to the ideas in this text?

For other sections of the article, I would ask students to annotate examples of truth vs. perception.  This is a concept we have studied throughout the school year.

The questions I’ve created will ask students to ponder universal themes and make connections to today’s world.

-Osena K.