One aspect of Muslim civilization which we often overlook is Western Civilization's debt to Arab math and science. This lesson looks first at how and why the Arabs excelled in this fields, then provides an overview of that debt, and finally looks at why Arab math and science stagnated after 1000 CE. One highlight of this lesson in how the arabs did geometric proofs of algebraic problems.
This is a self-contained PowerPoint that develops slide by slide while other notes for the students scroll down the side. It can be run as a timed presentation on its own, presented slide by slide for discussion, or integrated into your other lectures. There are also extensive pictures with captions mixed in to illustrate the lesson and capture students’ interest. This packet also contains a student reading, flowchart, and the author’s own research notes which contain lots of details and interesting trivia to spice up your class.
For more information on my flowcharts and approach to teaching history, please view my profile or visit my website at www.flowofhistory.com

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For the last 27 years, I have taught at University High School, in Urbana, Illinois. During this time I have created a 4-year world history curriculum that breaks down as follows: Subfreshmen (7th and 8th grades combined): Prehistory and ancient civilizations, including India, China, and Japan. Freshmen: Western civilization and the Islamic world to 1500 Sophomores: World history from 1500 to 1945 Seniors: the world since 1945. All of these, except the senior course are required. The elective senior course is consistently filled to capacity of 30, usually with a waiting list.
