Students learn the history of the city of Jerusalem over the last 4000 years, noting and researching significant events. In groups, they then read and research three other countries in the region—Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Next, they explore the background to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its ongoing nature. Finally, they are introduced to a youth program that brings together young people from two sides of a conflict.
Students read an introduction to the intertwined histories of Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria and review the lesson objectives. Using a photo of a walled city, they first submit a word cloud response identifying or guessing the city’s name, then post to a discussion wall explaining what purpose they think the city wall serves.
Teacher MovesPresent the lesson overview and objectives, emphasizing that students will work in small groups in upcoming scenes. Use student responses to confirm that the city is Jerusalem and explain that its walls were built, destroyed, and rebuilt over time for defense against invading armies. Organize students into small groups, designate or have them choose a reporter for each group, and then move the class to the next scene when groups are ready.
Working in small groups, students watch Jerusalem: 4000 Years in 5 Minutes to gain a rapid overview of the city’s long history, jotting down events they want to investigate further. Each group selects one event from the video, researches it briefly, and records five key facts explaining its historical importance on a shared wall. Students then review other groups’ posts and respond to at least two with questions or comments about what they learned. Using a map of the Eastern Hemisphere with the region highlighted, groups discuss why this area has been conquered repeatedly and post their reasoning to a small-group wall.
Teacher MovesSupport viewing of the video by pausing periodically to highlight major events and answer questions. Guide groups as they research and share their chosen events, drawing attention to strong examples. Lead a brief whole-class discussion using selected student responses to the question about repeated conquest, helping students recognize the region’s strategic position as a land bridge among Europe, Asia, and Africa. Keep groups focused and, when ready, assign each group one country—Jordan, Lebanon, or Syria—for the next scene before unlocking it.
In small groups, students read about the history of their assigned country—Jordan, Lebanon, or Syria—using provided summaries and related background resources. Each group creates a two-part presentation: (1) a timeline of significant historical events for their country, produced on a shared drawing canvas or on paper and uploaded; and (2) a written explanation describing the country’s population and how that population connects to current regional conflicts, posted to a discussion wall. As groups present, one member orally shares their findings while classmates view the posted timelines and population summaries and ask questions.
Teacher MovesEnsure each group accesses the appropriate country resources and understands the expectations for both the timeline and population/conflict analysis. Circulate to support research, clarify historical details, and prompt students to connect demographic patterns to present-day tensions. Allocate sufficient time for each group to present and for peers to ask questions, emphasizing that these presentations are the main vehicle for learning about Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. When group work and presentations are complete, explain that remaining scenes will be done individually and then unlock the next scene.
Working individually, students read a pictorial timeline titled History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict to trace key developments in the Arab-Israeli conflict up to 2009. They then explore youth-focused peacebuilding initiatives—Good Water Neighbors Project, West/Eastern Divan Orchestra, and PeacePlayers—to see how programs bring together young people from opposing sides of conflicts. Drawing on these examples, students design and describe their own proposed youth activity that could unite young people across religious, ethnic, economic, or cultural divides, and post their proposal to a class discussion wall.
Teacher MovesFrame the reading of the conflict timeline by emphasizing that the conflict continues beyond 2009 and has deep historical roots. Guide students to notice how the featured youth programs use shared interests—such as environmental issues, music, or sports—to build trust and humanize “the other.” Encourage creative, realistic proposals for new youth activities and, as time allows, highlight a range of student ideas (e.g., arts, sports, shared projects) to reinforce the concept of constructive engagement in conflict regions before moving on.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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