Indiana Social Studies WH.3.2
The Standard
Examine the origins and spread of Islam, including Islam’s division into the Sunnis and Shiites, and Islam’s early impact on West Asia, Southern Europe, and North Africa.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students place Mecca, Medina, and key events from Muhammad’s life on a timeline and map. They trace the spread of Islam into West Asia, North Africa, and Iberia. They explain the disagreement over who should lead after Muhammad’s death.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can use a map to show two routes of expansion from Arabia and explain why some Muslims supported Abu Bakr while others supported Ali. They can name a change in each region, such as Baghdad’s scholarship, Arabic-speaking governments in North Africa, and the mosque in Córdoba.
Common Misconceptions
- Some students think Sunni and Shia are separate religions or use different holy books. Others assume everyone in a conquered area converted to Islam right away.
How to Assess It
- Give students a map with Arabia, West Asia, North Africa, and Iberia labeled. Ask them to draw spread arrows, name one change in each destination, and explain the disagreement over Abu Bakr and Ali.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Pairs place Mecca, Medina, Baghdad, Kairouan, and Córdoba cards on a map, then draw routes from Arabia toward Baghdad and Córdoba.
After reading a short account of the 632 succession, ask students to write why some Muslims backed Abu Bakr and others backed Ali.
Run a two-minute card sort matching Baghdad’s scholars, Kairouan’s mosque, and Córdoba’s mosque to their regions.
Show a photo of the Great Mosque of Córdoba and ask students to find it on a present-day map of Spain.
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