| One day, we were talking to a teacher in upstate New York. Her students were musically inclined... and really into hip-hop. Yeah, yeah, we know. Hip-hop is notorious for its bad language, but not this one! We’ve found one hip-hop video that is OUTSTANDING for teaching genocide, a topic that’s difficult for anybody, much less a young person, to comprehend. Outstanding for several reasons: 1. It begins with the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Not many people know about that – unless you teach World War I. 2. It is an overview of all cases of genocide, 1965 to the present 3. It answers the question that appears on most standardized tests: “What do Armenia, Kosovo, Rwanda, and Darfur have in common?” Answer: They are all examples of genocide. Are you teaching World War I? Want see how we tackle the Armenian Genocide? Then take a look at this FREE lesson! p.s. The hip-hop video is on page 12. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
How to teach World History using Hip-Hop
Monday, October 22, 2007
ESA - Observing the Earth - California's raging wildfires
This Envisat image captures the smoke arising from raging wildfires burning in Los Angeles, California. Nearly a dozen wildfires driven by strong easterly winds ripped across Southern California on Sunday, killing one person and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes.
ESA - Observing the Earth - California's raging wildfires
News on the Geography/History Front
Happy monday morning to you -
Here's a recap of some of the stories of interest from the weekend news. Enjoy:
Humbling to see what History Has Forgotten
globeandmail.com: Time is stealing Robin Hood's famed forest
Military Prowess As Pre-Requisite For Leadership in Ancient Greece.
Mosque Compound Reveals Ancient Treasures
March to Power Spearheaded by Ancient Martyr
Politics Not History is Guiding Present Discussion on Armenian Genocide
Geography teacher helps break world records - Campus News
Special Find: Wow . . . are these games something teachers could capitalize on? The level of detail here is astounding.
A fascinating note - the methodology I use to locate news stories regarding Ancient History and Geography seem to come from about 85% overseas newspapers. Makes you wonder why our papers fail to bring these critical elements into the fold.
Hope you're having a great start to the week,
George
Here's a recap of some of the stories of interest from the weekend news. Enjoy:
Humbling to see what History Has Forgotten
globeandmail.com: Time is stealing Robin Hood's famed forest
Military Prowess As Pre-Requisite For Leadership in Ancient Greece.
Mosque Compound Reveals Ancient Treasures
March to Power Spearheaded by Ancient Martyr
Politics Not History is Guiding Present Discussion on Armenian Genocide
Geography teacher helps break world records - Campus News
Special Find: Wow . . . are these games something teachers could capitalize on? The level of detail here is astounding.
A fascinating note - the methodology I use to locate news stories regarding Ancient History and Geography seem to come from about 85% overseas newspapers. Makes you wonder why our papers fail to bring these critical elements into the fold.
Hope you're having a great start to the week,
George
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Rewriting History! (Part I)
"True science is obliged to doubt, reconsider and constantly redefine its own foundations as new discoveries are made, and this process may sometimes sweep aside years of research and investigation. We've come to know a version of history which speaks of a linearly increasing technological evolution, but findings like those listed above tell a much different story, inspiring a serious reflection on our present hypotheses. When faced with a significant amount of evidence that calls into question contemporary notions of our history and the technological sophistication of our ancestors, it is both unconscionable and unscientific to brush such artifacts aside in order to preserve an unsubstantiated belief."
The author of this article uses the above paragraph as his summation. The article: The History Before History II: Vestiges of a Lost Technology is a wonderful read - telling of historical technological advances that are said to happen well before conventional history says they should have happened.
I believe it to be very true - today's historians and scientist tend to like getting a version of what they define as "truth" and sticking to it no matter what other evidence is presented. Maybe it's the easiest way to make it through the professional world - what with grants and funding and reputation and all.
Though I must say this - and I will wait until my next post to tell you where I think the dangers in rewriting history lie.
The author of this article uses the above paragraph as his summation. The article: The History Before History II: Vestiges of a Lost Technology is a wonderful read - telling of historical technological advances that are said to happen well before conventional history says they should have happened.
I believe it to be very true - today's historians and scientist tend to like getting a version of what they define as "truth" and sticking to it no matter what other evidence is presented. Maybe it's the easiest way to make it through the professional world - what with grants and funding and reputation and all.
Though I must say this - and I will wait until my next post to tell you where I think the dangers in rewriting history lie.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Urbana teacher fosters students’ love of history
It's not often that print media does stories that you want to read.
Much less about a cohort! Take two minutes and enjoy . . . Urbana teacher fosters students’ love of history.
Much less about a cohort! Take two minutes and enjoy . . . Urbana teacher fosters students’ love of history.
2 Free Lesson Plans
You know the student (You all have one).
One parent left (be it by choice or by law).
The other parent is never home (be it by choice, or just to make ends meet).
And the kid's life is a living hell.
Mrs. Brown had a student like this, Cherikka...
In U.S. History class, Cherikka exploded daily.
What did she care about the American Revolution?
Less than nada.
What she needed was a revolution in her own life.
Thing was, Cherikka was bright, really bright.
She was a leader – and the class was with her.
(They had been ever since kindergarten.)
So when Cherikka exploded, so did the class.
So I did the only thing I could do.
I put her in charge.
Back then it was debates.
I figured: If she wanted to argue, then by God she could argue.
From then on, Cherikka exploded like the fireworks on the Fourth of July.
The girl was born to be a trial lawyer.
Today, I might try another tack.
I might begin class with Cherikka reading stories from Predicting the Past.
After telling a story about one person’s dreadful childhood,
she could ask the class to predict what happened to him as President.
If we were on the 20th century, Cherikka would begin with Teddy Roosevelt.
Check out our free lesson plan on Teddy Roosevelt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Oh! What a lovely war.”
Can you believe it?
Somebody actually made a musical about World War I.
(Richard Attenborough, the director who won an Academy Award for “Gandhi.”)
It is a musical satire.
Because the British government used so much propaganda leading up to the war.
When it comes to standardized tests, propaganda is a major topic.
Every standardized test has a section on propaganda in WWI.
Are you teaching World War I?
Wanna see how we tackle propaganda?
Then take a look at our FREE lesson!
One parent left (be it by choice or by law).
The other parent is never home (be it by choice, or just to make ends meet).
And the kid's life is a living hell.
Mrs. Brown had a student like this, Cherikka...
In U.S. History class, Cherikka exploded daily.
What did she care about the American Revolution?
Less than nada.
What she needed was a revolution in her own life.
Thing was, Cherikka was bright, really bright.
She was a leader – and the class was with her.
(They had been ever since kindergarten.)
So when Cherikka exploded, so did the class.
So I did the only thing I could do.
I put her in charge.
Back then it was debates.
I figured: If she wanted to argue, then by God she could argue.
From then on, Cherikka exploded like the fireworks on the Fourth of July.
The girl was born to be a trial lawyer.
Today, I might try another tack.
I might begin class with Cherikka reading stories from Predicting the Past.
After telling a story about one person’s dreadful childhood,
she could ask the class to predict what happened to him as President.
If we were on the 20th century, Cherikka would begin with Teddy Roosevelt.
Check out our free lesson plan on Teddy Roosevelt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Oh! What a lovely war.”
Can you believe it?
Somebody actually made a musical about World War I.
(Richard Attenborough, the director who won an Academy Award for “Gandhi.”)
It is a musical satire.
Because the British government used so much propaganda leading up to the war.
When it comes to standardized tests, propaganda is a major topic.
Every standardized test has a section on propaganda in WWI.
Are you teaching World War I?
Wanna see how we tackle propaganda?
Then take a look at our FREE lesson!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
ABC News: Ancient Greek Geeks Got It Right
Just came across this news article about the innovation of the Ancient Greeks. Few would call the Ancient Greeks backwards - see why this scholar does.
Teaching Ancient Greece - check out some of these great resources.
Have a great evening,
George
Teaching Ancient Greece - check out some of these great resources.
Have a great evening,
George
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