Quick Note: This is not related to the post "Using Pictures to Your Advantage". That one is about taking pictures of study guides to help you study better. This is about historical photos.
Mankind's greatest invention has to be that of the photograph. Unlike artwork, it is the split-second image of an event or person forever preserved on paper. In history class, photos are the biggest thing when trying to make a point on a subject. Be it a daguerreotype, Polaroid, or digital image, the pictures of some of our biggest historical happenings can be used to make or break an argument, decide innocence or guilt, or just show how someone or something used to look.
Considering that photographs really didn't come into widespread use until the 1840s, we only seem to have pictures of events from that era onward. But let's say you were trying to argue that Japanese people were mistreated in WWII. You could find pictures, either at the library or online (another great invention), and easily prove how they were mistreated. However, photos all need one thing to make sense: context. Why did someone take a picture of a burning blimp? Why is the person in this picture yelling at a crowd of people, and why does he look so familiar? Whose that man with the long hair and oval rimmed glasses, and why is there a creepy guy behind him? Without context, you wouldn't know that the pictures I just described are of the Hindenburg, V.I Lenin, and John Lennon with his murderer, respectively. That's why it's so important to know the subject of the picture, the people or objects in the picture, and why it was so important that someone decided to preserve it forever in time. Otherwise someone could easily poke holes in your argument (those aren't Japanese people during WWII, those are Vietnamese refugees from the Vietnam War). In any case, pictures can be a valuable tool or a hole-digging curse. It just depends on how you use it.
So if your hankering for some old photos to use, make sure it's accurate! God forbid you make an embarrassment of yourself because you didn't know the difference between Vlad Lenin and John Lennon!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Disregarding Bias in Historical Accounts
When it comes to historical accounts, no one can ever be sure of their accuracy if it involves two sides and human personality. You see, we have this thing that seems to get in the way of telling a completely truthful account: bias. It clouds the judgment of people on juries, it decides whether or not someone gets a work position; regardless of how people say that no bias is in decisions, there is always a base amount. It's not something we can control, because all humans have it, even the most tolerant ones. In the terms of history, this can end up being problematic when writing accounts on events with eyewitness views. Depending on the event, if there were two sides that were fighting for opposite ends, you will encounter a skewed view of the event as a whole. It's our job as historians (and at a smaller scale, students of history) to ignore this bias and still create as accurate an account as possible. With some examples (gosh, I really like using those, don't I?), I'm going to try and help you along this journey of disregarding bias.
It is the year 20XX. Group A and Group B have been feuding for quite some time, over who owns what land. Eventually, things get so out of hand that a war is begun, called the AB War. During the Battle of the Fence, Group A wins a decisive victory over Group B. A reporter rushes into the war zone to interview survivors of the battle. They get two interviews of eyewitnesses, a soldier from Group A and a soldier from Group B (who is wounded). Your job is to create an account of the battle from these two interviews, as unbiased as possible. Here they are:
"Oh, those little B ants were scrambling like mad once they saw us coming over that ridge. They looked like they'd about pissed themselves they were so scared! I got at least 20 of those buggers before they started runnin' out of reach, and then it was my job to take prisoners. I came up to one guy, and he was beggin' me for mercy. His face was so swollen I couldn't even see his nose. They always told us how those cowards would rather beg than fight. I spit on him and put a bullet right between his eyes. They ain't ever gettin' back this fence now!" -Soldier A
"My leader always talked of how those A devils were afraid. Afraid of fighting, afraid of living, afraid of us. When I saw them at the top of the hill, they didn't look like an army. They ran in 20 directions, firing randomly, and looking as if they had seen their Maker. One of them got me in the shoulder here, and I fell. The only reason we ran back was because they had more ammo than us. They'll tell you it was because we were cowards, but you and I know the truth. They are the ones who know not what they're doing." -Soldier B
These two interviews are drastically different from each other, even though they are about the same battle. The bias seems to be more heavy in Soldier A's opinions than B's; he refers to Group B as "cowards", "buggers", "begging for mercy". Soldier B calls Group A "devils" and "afraid", but seems to go more into the technical side of things. The main point is this; any personal opinions stressed by these two people cannot be put into the account. I suggest making a list of events without opinion of the the two arguments, like so:
It is the year 20XX. Group A and Group B have been feuding for quite some time, over who owns what land. Eventually, things get so out of hand that a war is begun, called the AB War. During the Battle of the Fence, Group A wins a decisive victory over Group B. A reporter rushes into the war zone to interview survivors of the battle. They get two interviews of eyewitnesses, a soldier from Group A and a soldier from Group B (who is wounded). Your job is to create an account of the battle from these two interviews, as unbiased as possible. Here they are:
"Oh, those little B ants were scrambling like mad once they saw us coming over that ridge. They looked like they'd about pissed themselves they were so scared! I got at least 20 of those buggers before they started runnin' out of reach, and then it was my job to take prisoners. I came up to one guy, and he was beggin' me for mercy. His face was so swollen I couldn't even see his nose. They always told us how those cowards would rather beg than fight. I spit on him and put a bullet right between his eyes. They ain't ever gettin' back this fence now!" -Soldier A
"My leader always talked of how those A devils were afraid. Afraid of fighting, afraid of living, afraid of us. When I saw them at the top of the hill, they didn't look like an army. They ran in 20 directions, firing randomly, and looking as if they had seen their Maker. One of them got me in the shoulder here, and I fell. The only reason we ran back was because they had more ammo than us. They'll tell you it was because we were cowards, but you and I know the truth. They are the ones who know not what they're doing." -Soldier B
These two interviews are drastically different from each other, even though they are about the same battle. The bias seems to be more heavy in Soldier A's opinions than B's; he refers to Group B as "cowards", "buggers", "begging for mercy". Soldier B calls Group A "devils" and "afraid", but seems to go more into the technical side of things. The main point is this; any personal opinions stressed by these two people cannot be put into the account. I suggest making a list of events without opinion of the the two arguments, like so:
- Group B was outnumbered
- Group A took Group B by surprise? (Not sure; could've been expected)
- Group A had more ammunition than Group B
- Group A took prisoners (maybe killed; soldier A could be bragging here)
- Group B retreated due to the previous point
With this list, you can see a timeline of this battle. Notice how I didn't mention any of the personal comments of Soldier A or B, as they include severe bias of the other group. With this list, I can write the following account:
"The Battle of the Fence in the AB War was an attack by Group A on Group B's outpost at the Fence of C. Group A charged up a hill and attacked Group B from above. Group B, not having enough ammunition to ward off Group A, retreated as many of them fell. Group A took 56 prisoners and killed 77 B soldiers; they also took control of the Fence. This would be the deciding battle in the AB War for Group A and would lead later on to the 2nd Battle of the Fence..."
While it's not perfect, this account of the battle is from eyewitness views, with absolutely no bias. In real life, trying to create accounts of historical events like this is very hard, especially if all the eyewitnesses are deceased. The phrase "History is decided by the victors" is used in situations like this; sometimes a perfectly unbiased account is impossible because we don't have the other side's story. But with enough work, we can write accounts without bias, and give a full look at some of the biggest events in history (I'm looking at you, Hatfields and McCoys).
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Lesson Idea: Historical Christmas Carol
Happy Holidays, history buffs! In the spirit of the season, I've decided to help you along with a more fun project before school is out. While Christmas music can, at times, be akin to nails on a chalkboard, the carols we all know and love can be a teaching tool for even the most anti-Christmas students. All it takes is knowledge of historical events and some creativity, and you'll have an A in no time!
To begin, have the class as a whole choose an era in history they've studied during the first half of the year. When everyone comes to one era, let's say the Civil War, have them choose a Christmas carol and re-word it to fit in that era. Basically, instead of singing about Christmas trees and Santa Claus, they should be singing about Antietam and Robert Lee (or other historical events). The assignment should be as follows: the students must find ONE event in the era, re-word it to the tune of a Christmas carol, and turn it in. Simple, right? Let's just say this assignment will show how many students were paying attention during the year. Even though this assignment seems easy enough, there will always be the students who just don't understand what they're doing; in this case, you may want to help them by having the project be open to all eras of history so people aren't quite as limited, but only if a lot of people are struggling.
I strongly recommend having the students use the Internet to research for their carol, but if you want to be a Grinch you can have them limited to only the provided textbooks. No offence, but it can be a little hard trying to remember everything from the first half of classes. Sometimes textbooks just can't compare to their online equivalents.
Now, for actually creating the carol, I have a perfect template. I made the following carol for an APUS class. It was really fun trying to come up with the words and have them be as accurate to the actual event as possible. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: The Battle of Gettysburg (sung to Jingle Bells)
To begin, have the class as a whole choose an era in history they've studied during the first half of the year. When everyone comes to one era, let's say the Civil War, have them choose a Christmas carol and re-word it to fit in that era. Basically, instead of singing about Christmas trees and Santa Claus, they should be singing about Antietam and Robert Lee (or other historical events). The assignment should be as follows: the students must find ONE event in the era, re-word it to the tune of a Christmas carol, and turn it in. Simple, right? Let's just say this assignment will show how many students were paying attention during the year. Even though this assignment seems easy enough, there will always be the students who just don't understand what they're doing; in this case, you may want to help them by having the project be open to all eras of history so people aren't quite as limited, but only if a lot of people are struggling.
I strongly recommend having the students use the Internet to research for their carol, but if you want to be a Grinch you can have them limited to only the provided textbooks. No offence, but it can be a little hard trying to remember everything from the first half of classes. Sometimes textbooks just can't compare to their online equivalents.
Now, for actually creating the carol, I have a perfect template. I made the following carol for an APUS class. It was really fun trying to come up with the words and have them be as accurate to the actual event as possible. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: The Battle of Gettysburg (sung to Jingle Bells)
The Union came from North,
the Rebels from the South.
The former wanted equal rights,
the latter said, "Get out."
In 1863
they battled with their all.
And when the Union won this fight
the South was sure to fall.
[Chorus]
Oh, Gettysburg, Gettysburg,
George Meade had a plan.
His Army of the Potomac
drove back Lee's rebel clan!
Gettysburg, Gettysburg,
the North took a mighty reach!
The casualties were so damn high
that Lincoln made a speech!
John Buford was attacked,
Lee's men began in haste.
If he wanted Britain's help
there was no time to waste.
The Rebels charged some hills,
they forced the Union back,
and on the third day of the fight
they launched their Grand Attack!
[Chorus]
At Cemetery Ridge,
George Pickett led his Charge.
But when the Union fired back
the Rebel dead was large!
Lee's army made retreat,
to Virginia they all fled.
The Union got to celebrate
and count up all the dead!
[Chorus]
Just like that, you have your own Historical Carol! All in all, this took me about two days of researching to create. I just searched "Battle of Gettysburg" and took the Big Names (like Lee, George Meade, Pickett's Charge, Cemetery Ridge, and the Gettysburg Address) and built the lyrics around them. In fact, the hardest part for me was just trying to find words that rhymed with each other (I have never used the word 'haste' before now). Have your students do a similar researching plan and I guarantee that they'll all have good carols! You can either collect the carols for grade or have it be all worth extra credit (some will do it for the latter, and like it; all will have to for the former, but may not like it). Singing it in front of the class can also be extra credit, as a parting gift for Winter Break! Make sure to have a fun holiday season, and leave some feedback on this Lesson Idea!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Quick Tips: Specifics
When it comes to in-class essays, no one can remember the specifics! But if you can use enough information to make it look like you know what you're talking about, you'll be in the clear. Teachers just want to see that the students are at least learning something, and it helps out their conscience if you use big names, dates, and events to get your way through an essay you don't know a lot about.
Let's say that you get this in-class essay question: How did the regions of the North and South in the US change from 1800-1850? Let's also say, for the example, that you have no idea how to answer this. Well, specifics can get you there! First remember events with names, like the Panic of 1837 or the Compromise of 1850. Then, try thinking about the ways that these events made the North and South different (one was a financial crisis, which the North avoided but the South experienced, and the other allowed slavery to be an option for territories, favoring the South).
Next, find events that correlate with the topics of these outcomes, for instance, in the categories of economical and political. Heck, you could even throw a social event in there and see how it does. What matters in the end is that you understand why these events made the regions different, and if you can make it legible, then you're in business!
Use specifics to get you out of a pinch in essay writing! It can save your grades, and it can make your teacher feel like they're teaching something!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Let's say that you get this in-class essay question: How did the regions of the North and South in the US change from 1800-1850? Let's also say, for the example, that you have no idea how to answer this. Well, specifics can get you there! First remember events with names, like the Panic of 1837 or the Compromise of 1850. Then, try thinking about the ways that these events made the North and South different (one was a financial crisis, which the North avoided but the South experienced, and the other allowed slavery to be an option for territories, favoring the South).
Next, find events that correlate with the topics of these outcomes, for instance, in the categories of economical and political. Heck, you could even throw a social event in there and see how it does. What matters in the end is that you understand why these events made the regions different, and if you can make it legible, then you're in business!
Use specifics to get you out of a pinch in essay writing! It can save your grades, and it can make your teacher feel like they're teaching something!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Alternate History
What if the Nazis had won WWII? The Confederates the Civil War? What if Kennedy hadn't been killed in Dallas? Some historians decided to ask those questions at some point, and authors decided that they would answer them. Since the days of Ancient Greece people have been creating scenarios where things went a little bit differently, like if Caesar hadn't surrounded himself with traitors, or if Washington's army decided to wait before crossing the Delaware, all with mixed results. Some altered events were shown as having been a disaster to the original "winning" side, while others made victories come faster or immediately. But how can your students use alternate history to help learn more about historical events? It's simple; it teaches them to study how history happened.
When you a give a student a single event, they can only look at it from the point-of-view you put it in. Let's say Johnny was assigned a topic on the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Johnny would know that it was a battle in the Civil War between the Union and the South, and it was the Union who successfully drove back the South and stopped foreign powers from supporting the CSA. But what if you asked Johnny what would've happened if the Union didn't drive them back? In books like Ward Moore's Bring the Jubilee and The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove, this question is answered: the former mostly shows how Pickett's Charge was actually a success, Britain helped the South, and the CSA now exists with the USA past the Mason-Dixon line and into South America; the latter gives us the vision of how the South would've massacred the North with AK-47s brought to the past by future apartheid sympathizers. As unrealistic as they are, it's what historians do; they'll ask questions that would seem unlikely of ever occurring, and have them occur in a simulation.
If you have your students read these books, it can actually expand their thinking further. Now they can see, as unrealistic as many of these stories are, how little changes could change an entire section of history as we know it. It gives them the mindset of one who has to ask questions in order to better understand why things went the way they did. A historian can ask the questions and cross each of them off as they come to an unreasonable thing having to happen in order for it to work that way. it also helps craft how one could "predict the past", or prove what would have happened differently. You can find a million stories out there detailing how Kennedy would either have become a dictator or leader in peace had he not died, but we can never be sure. Basically, alternate history sharpens students minds to question history, and look at it from every angle to see why things happened the way they did.
At the end of the day, no one's going to be remembering the actual outcome of the Civil War. They're only going to be thinking about how the introduction of modern technologies to the South could've led to big problems or peaceful solutions (Turtledove's book actually explains how even with independence, the CSA would have eventually gotten rid of slavery). Either way, at least they'll understand why they lost at Gettysburg. Hey, there may even be an alternate history where this blog was never made; a history I would never want to live in!
-Pharoah Noh-Tyep
When you a give a student a single event, they can only look at it from the point-of-view you put it in. Let's say Johnny was assigned a topic on the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Johnny would know that it was a battle in the Civil War between the Union and the South, and it was the Union who successfully drove back the South and stopped foreign powers from supporting the CSA. But what if you asked Johnny what would've happened if the Union didn't drive them back? In books like Ward Moore's Bring the Jubilee and The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove, this question is answered: the former mostly shows how Pickett's Charge was actually a success, Britain helped the South, and the CSA now exists with the USA past the Mason-Dixon line and into South America; the latter gives us the vision of how the South would've massacred the North with AK-47s brought to the past by future apartheid sympathizers. As unrealistic as they are, it's what historians do; they'll ask questions that would seem unlikely of ever occurring, and have them occur in a simulation.
If you have your students read these books, it can actually expand their thinking further. Now they can see, as unrealistic as many of these stories are, how little changes could change an entire section of history as we know it. It gives them the mindset of one who has to ask questions in order to better understand why things went the way they did. A historian can ask the questions and cross each of them off as they come to an unreasonable thing having to happen in order for it to work that way. it also helps craft how one could "predict the past", or prove what would have happened differently. You can find a million stories out there detailing how Kennedy would either have become a dictator or leader in peace had he not died, but we can never be sure. Basically, alternate history sharpens students minds to question history, and look at it from every angle to see why things happened the way they did.
At the end of the day, no one's going to be remembering the actual outcome of the Civil War. They're only going to be thinking about how the introduction of modern technologies to the South could've led to big problems or peaceful solutions (Turtledove's book actually explains how even with independence, the CSA would have eventually gotten rid of slavery). Either way, at least they'll understand why they lost at Gettysburg. Hey, there may even be an alternate history where this blog was never made; a history I would never want to live in!
-Pharoah Noh-Tyep
Determining Historical Purpose
For almost all history students, or any student forced to sit through an hour of something akin to history, there is one commonly asked question: what's the point? Why do we have to learn these particular parts of history when they happened long before my grandfather was a twinkle in his father's eye? What made this event, or person, or date so important that an entire class has to learn about it for 2 days? Beyond the first answer of "trying not to repeat history", this can be tough to understand. But that's why the student is there: to determine an event's historical purpose. If an event doesn't seem to matter to one student, but matters to the rest, it's probably important enough to teach about; vice versa for the other way around. The whole reason we learn about one specific in a war long ago won was because a group of students sat down 80 years ago and debated on whether it should be mentioned in a paper about the process of industrialization in Europe (as an example). If the paper was heralded as a masterpiece, that little bit of information could've wound its way into the workings of public schools so that no one would have to rewrite the same things every school year. For all intents and purposes, you can narrow these debates down into three steps: Causes, Results, and Long-term Effect. It's almost elementary!
Usually, the cause of a historical event can be the make or break of its inclusion in the public mindset. When Columbus decided to see if there was a straight passage east from Europe to India, the only way he got funded was because the Spanish won a war in Granada. It only took Virginia seceding from the Union that caused Colonel Robert Lee to follow his home state and become a General. If World War I hadn't happened, would Hitler have risen to power in Germany? Whether the cause is small, like a guy deciding to go eat a sandwich (Gavrilo Princip, the man who murdered Franz Ferdinand) or large, like the Spanish war with Granada, they all pushed history into the direction of other events. If the cause is pinpointed to be the start of years and years of changes, its purpose seems very large, and should be included in history lessons. But if it isn't more than a tidbit of info you can share at a bar, it's best to leave it where it lies, in the back of the history books.
The results of events can also decide on its purpose. Going back to the Hitler example, if it hadn't have been for Germany losing WWI, many historians agree that Hitler wouldn't have been so popular (but all agree the Nazi party would've still risen to power without him).If you want to say that he personally killed 11 million people in the Holocaust, the outcome of WWI seems like a good thing to teach students about so they don't also someday screw over a weakened country with outrageous demands (looking at you, Wilson). As a student, you have to look at what these events ended up doing to everyone once the dust had settled-which segways nicely into the next point.
Long-term effect is THE most important factor in determining historical purpose. If a large event happened, like a war, but then nothing happened afterwards (almost impossible in real life), then what's the use of teaching it? Yeah, people died, but for what? Nothing? If you can't string an event at least 20 years past its conclusion in what it went on to cause, then I don't suggest teaching/learning about it. It just feels like a waste of time; I'm not one for leaving out parts of history, but if it's just going to make your students bored, then leave it alone. History that is still being felt today, on the other hand, can definitely help people define why it mattered, and why they should learn about it.
Causes, Results, and Effect. These three things are the basics of finding out why you learned the names of the Founding Fathers in 7th grade. If you want to be a historian someday, you'll have to be good at determining purpose. But for now, I hope it can help you pay attention in class!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Usually, the cause of a historical event can be the make or break of its inclusion in the public mindset. When Columbus decided to see if there was a straight passage east from Europe to India, the only way he got funded was because the Spanish won a war in Granada. It only took Virginia seceding from the Union that caused Colonel Robert Lee to follow his home state and become a General. If World War I hadn't happened, would Hitler have risen to power in Germany? Whether the cause is small, like a guy deciding to go eat a sandwich (Gavrilo Princip, the man who murdered Franz Ferdinand) or large, like the Spanish war with Granada, they all pushed history into the direction of other events. If the cause is pinpointed to be the start of years and years of changes, its purpose seems very large, and should be included in history lessons. But if it isn't more than a tidbit of info you can share at a bar, it's best to leave it where it lies, in the back of the history books.
The results of events can also decide on its purpose. Going back to the Hitler example, if it hadn't have been for Germany losing WWI, many historians agree that Hitler wouldn't have been so popular (but all agree the Nazi party would've still risen to power without him).If you want to say that he personally killed 11 million people in the Holocaust, the outcome of WWI seems like a good thing to teach students about so they don't also someday screw over a weakened country with outrageous demands (looking at you, Wilson). As a student, you have to look at what these events ended up doing to everyone once the dust had settled-which segways nicely into the next point.
Long-term effect is THE most important factor in determining historical purpose. If a large event happened, like a war, but then nothing happened afterwards (almost impossible in real life), then what's the use of teaching it? Yeah, people died, but for what? Nothing? If you can't string an event at least 20 years past its conclusion in what it went on to cause, then I don't suggest teaching/learning about it. It just feels like a waste of time; I'm not one for leaving out parts of history, but if it's just going to make your students bored, then leave it alone. History that is still being felt today, on the other hand, can definitely help people define why it mattered, and why they should learn about it.
Causes, Results, and Effect. These three things are the basics of finding out why you learned the names of the Founding Fathers in 7th grade. If you want to be a historian someday, you'll have to be good at determining purpose. But for now, I hope it can help you pay attention in class!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Quick Tips: Mental Reminders
When taking a history test, you may find that's it's almost impossible to remember names, dates, and locations. Well, even though it was your responsibility to remember those things, there's a way to cheat the system! I call them mental reminders, and they use easy-to-remember phrase to help call back some long forgotten information from the recesses of your head. You can use them on all of your history tests, and no one will have a clue!
For example, let's say you can't remember who crafted the Albany Plan in 1754. The options are John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Ben Franklin. Now, you should definitely know who Hancock, Jefferson, and Franklin are (or you're in serious trouble), and that the first two signed and wrote the Declaration, respectively, so they're out. But Paine and Franklin are still on the table; what can you use to help you decide? Well, here's a "six degrees of separation" type mental reminder that can help you:
Albany is in New York.
The Quakers were in New York (kinda).
They made Quaker Oats (completely wrong, but it's just for a reminder).
Ben Franklin looks like the Quaker Oats guy (it's actually William Penn, but whatever).
There's your answer: Ben Franklin! If you prepare mental reminders like this before tests, you'll never be caught off-guard again! Just make sure to discern which parts are just to help you remember something, and which parts are truthful.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
For example, let's say you can't remember who crafted the Albany Plan in 1754. The options are John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Ben Franklin. Now, you should definitely know who Hancock, Jefferson, and Franklin are (or you're in serious trouble), and that the first two signed and wrote the Declaration, respectively, so they're out. But Paine and Franklin are still on the table; what can you use to help you decide? Well, here's a "six degrees of separation" type mental reminder that can help you:
Albany is in New York.
The Quakers were in New York (kinda).
They made Quaker Oats (completely wrong, but it's just for a reminder).
Ben Franklin looks like the Quaker Oats guy (it's actually William Penn, but whatever).
There's your answer: Ben Franklin! If you prepare mental reminders like this before tests, you'll never be caught off-guard again! Just make sure to discern which parts are just to help you remember something, and which parts are truthful.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
History at Home
We all know how important it is to have students learn history in the classroom, but what about after school is over? How much do students retain from their day in history class? That's why I think it's important for both students and teachers to come to an agreement that some extra-curricular opportunities should be given. You heard me right; extra credit is a prime motivator for students to actually do things in classes, especially history. However, you shouldn't go overboard on it; just enough that it can help out a student that's struggling with normal classwork and push up a percentile. As I've discussed in other posts on HF, there's many mediums out there that can help students learn about history without being bored out of their minds in the slightest. Here's a few options available to teachers when having the students study history at home.
1. Netflix (or DVDs in general)
As a website, Netflix has become the king of media. It's provided hours upon hours of shows and movies to millions and millions of people, some who're binging, and some who're "chilling". It's also a great source for historical movies and shows, including the ones I used in the post "Hollywood History". Teachers can take advantage of this easy location for historical media and have their students use their favorite website for class. My APUS teacher, Mr. Benedict, gives us the option of watching period-specific movies/shows based on the unit we're in, like "Lincoln" for the Civil War era and "John Adams" for the Revolutionary Era. Many students who otherwise wouldn't have done a normal project pounced on the opportunity to earn 20 points extra credit (the catch was that they had to write a paper about how it was accurate, and if they were wrong Benedict would take off 20 points form normal grades). It's just a thing where humans want to have something "special"; if they feel like they've done something over what normal requirements request, it's kind of a pride thing. If students don't have Netflix, just tell them to get a DVD/Blu-Ray of the medium if they really want the EC.
2. Books
Yes, I know that no one likes to read. Yes, I get that no one would read a book based on historical happenings if they had their own choice. But you underestimate a student who needs extra credit to get their grades up in a class. I've seen people who struggled to get through "The Cat in the Hat" try to read "The Scarlet Letter" all because it would boost their grade by 30 points. As long as you're not a dick about it and assign hard books to the students, like the aforementioned "Scarlet", you'll definitely have kids learning history at home. I suggest books like "Red Badge of Courage" or even "All Quiet on the Western Front"; don't make the assignment anything more than how it relates to the unit you're studying and how the student learned from the book. If you have evidence that the student was learning at home, you should be able to give them EC. They did read, after all.
3. Video Games
This one's a little trickier to explain. I don't mean games like Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty (though they did used to make WWII games), I mean games like Assassin's Creed. If you're still not convinced, the people who work on AC have degrees in history from American to European; they also try to make each game as accurate as they can while having their own plot going on. If you remove the game's plot, you can actually learn a lot about people and events from certain eras in history (like the main generals in the Seven Years' War-yes, this is a main part of ACIII). No student would ever hesitate to get EC by playing games. However, to prove that they actually learned something, have them take a test involving names, locations, and events from the games, and how the student feels the game reflected its subject material. It's all in the textbook, but now you get to live it!
If you offer these 3 things as extra credit in your history class, your student's will be learning and enjoying history at home, sometimes without even realizing it. If you have any other suggestions for extra credit, comment it below!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Lesson Idea: Presidential Promises
Part of American history is teaching about the people who led it. When a President is elected, they give an inaugural speech, where they promise the country what they're going to do to help fix whatever mess the US is in that week. Most if not all of these speeches end up reflecting the main goals each President tries to achieve in their time in office; history has to determine whether or not they were successful. As a bit of an easier lesson, have the students analyze these "Presidential Promises" and prove if the President was mostly right or wrong. Even though it's near impossible to figure the level of someone's success, it can be a way for your students to learn more about the American government and how it's leaders have set out to do things in both the country's and their own interest. I recommend you have them do this project in a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation.
First, assign the students a President (there are 44 to choose from, so this shouldn't be too hard). For our example, let's use Lyndon B. Johnson, the US' 36th President, who served from 1963-1968. After you've given out the Presidents, tell the students they must analyze their backgrounds (birth, death, experience in politics, etc.) and their inaugural speeches (if they served two terms they could use either one; LBJ only had one) and locate at least 5 promises the President made to the country. Then, after transcribing the examples as quotes, the students must prove whether the President was successful in their promises or if they failed in them. Depending on how they tally up, they then must finish with a statement if the President was successful for the US, or if they were a failure, and why.
Using our example, let's say Billy used this quote from LBJ's Inaugural Address in 1965: "In a land of great wealth, families must not live in hopeless poverty. In a land rich in harvest, children just must not go hungry. In a land of healing miracles, neighbors must not suffer and die untended. In a great land of learning and scholars, young people must be taught to read and write.”
Using our example, let's say Billy used this quote from LBJ's Inaugural Address in 1965: "In a land of great wealth, families must not live in hopeless poverty. In a land rich in harvest, children just must not go hungry. In a land of healing miracles, neighbors must not suffer and die untended. In a great land of learning and scholars, young people must be taught to read and write.”
Billy should then explain what the quote means in layman's terms, which would look like this: Johnson made clear his position on the welfare and education of the American people, and is promising that he is going to change it for the better.
Then, on a new slide titled "Was It Kept?", Billy should give his reasoning on whether Johnson kept it or not using valid information and actions involving LBJ (Johnson did keep this promise, and prime examples of it are Social Security, welfare, and food stamps coming into affect under his term).
Some important guidelines for this project: No one should have all kept promises or all broken promises. Yes, Presidents weren't perfect, but give them some credit; they got where they are because a majority of the country wanted them there (except for a few). But don't treat them like saints; not even Lincoln had a perfect track record. Also, make sure your students have at least 10 sources cited or don't accept the project. Remember, they didn't all come up with it on their own!
Can you measure a man's worth by his words? For this project, it's a requirement! Get out their and teach your kids about the history of American politics, or you'll just be a "lame duck'!
These puns get worse each week, I swear.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Quick Tips: Highlighting
When you're taking notes, you probably don't know what you need to remember most. That's where highlighting comes in! If you're getting stuck on what you need to know, that little yellow pen can save your life!
If you have a teacher that gives out note packets, you can use this to your advantage. If they already put the notes into the packet, great! Now all you need to do is go through and highlight the most important things: dates, people, places, etc. If the teacher tells you that something in the notes needs to be remembered, highlight it-they aren't saying that for nothing, after all! When you highlight, you can come back later on, after you've already forgotten what you were supposed to know, and get a little bit of a memory jog. That can help you study greatly; in fact, highlight things you had trouble with, too. This can help you better prepare for it later if it appears on a test.
For those whose teachers give out notes you have to fill in, or rely on you to take the notes yourselves, you can still use highlighting. This time, though, you'll be highlighting in your textbook! (PSA: If you don't own your textbook, DON'T DO THIS!) When a teacher lectures, instead of scrambling to take notes, just highlight the corresponding information in your textbook, even writing down some reminders of other information to help you even better. For those college students, even if you don't own the textbook, you can highlight at your expense; it could be a help to the next year student who has no idea what to do for note taking. At the end of the day, you'll still have to take the notes, but now you have a place where you can find the relevant info easy!
So go out and buy a Bic! It can save your butt in history class in more ways than one!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
If you have a teacher that gives out note packets, you can use this to your advantage. If they already put the notes into the packet, great! Now all you need to do is go through and highlight the most important things: dates, people, places, etc. If the teacher tells you that something in the notes needs to be remembered, highlight it-they aren't saying that for nothing, after all! When you highlight, you can come back later on, after you've already forgotten what you were supposed to know, and get a little bit of a memory jog. That can help you study greatly; in fact, highlight things you had trouble with, too. This can help you better prepare for it later if it appears on a test.
For those whose teachers give out notes you have to fill in, or rely on you to take the notes yourselves, you can still use highlighting. This time, though, you'll be highlighting in your textbook! (PSA: If you don't own your textbook, DON'T DO THIS!) When a teacher lectures, instead of scrambling to take notes, just highlight the corresponding information in your textbook, even writing down some reminders of other information to help you even better. For those college students, even if you don't own the textbook, you can highlight at your expense; it could be a help to the next year student who has no idea what to do for note taking. At the end of the day, you'll still have to take the notes, but now you have a place where you can find the relevant info easy!
So go out and buy a Bic! It can save your butt in history class in more ways than one!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
How to Connect Historical Events
For students, the hardest thing you can do is try to connect seemingly unrelated events together in a historical paper. I know; I've tried, to varying success. It sucks sometimes, because you know the thesis is trying to throw you off, and if you have to resort to what you can remember, you're not gonna have a good time. However, I've found that, like many other things you have to do in history class, there's a method that you can use to help yourself connect those things together. Here are the three main points in connecting history to a paper's question/goal.
3. Think of the Question Compared to the Events
On an AP test surely, there will be a question that requires you to either examine comparisons and contrasts or continuity over time. You'll have to make an entire essay about this question, and if it IS AP, you'll have to do so from memory. Let's say you come up with three historical events based on the time period given in the question. Go back and read the question thoroughly. Now, think of how the events you chose relates to what the question wants you to do. Remember, if its AP, you're under a time constraint; don't spend too much time on it. If you put one of your historical events through this process and you can't see how it would relate to the question, just don't use it. If you can't understand and write about it, the person grading your test won't be able to understand either. This can help you narrow down the many historical happenings that occurred in the question's time period to the confines of the question.
2. Think of the Events Compared to Each Other
Now that you have events together, it's time to divide them into like groups. Focus on a main part of the event: do they share the same people, locations, ideologies? If you answer yes to any of these questions, there's your comparison in the event. Since you're trying to connect the events together, you're trying to also convince the reader why you put this event with this other event to support your argument. If the question involved how the US experienced industrialization in the 1800s, 2 good events to put together would be the opening of the Lowell Mill and use of inter-continental trade between the North and South. These events both happened in the 1800s, they both increased industrialization in the North, and they both (for the sake of this example) follow the exam question. Just keep doing this with events until you've gotten good evidence for both sides of the argument (since they will always expect you to do both sides). If you have a left over event and don't know where to put it, just leave it out. Don't risk losing points because you put in something you don't know about.
1. Connect Them Through Likes
No, not the Facebook/Twitter likes. Likes in this sense is what they have in common; what do they share that links them together? If you can find at least two things that can connect an event together, you'll be in business. Here's a hint; it's usually in the exam question. Yes, the question will give you what you need to look for; in fact, that's why you started this exam in the first place. So why is this point the last? Something that's a given is never the most important; once you've gotten through the hard stuff, that just makes the easy stuff easier.
There you have it! You can connect events through three ways: Comparing them to the question, themselves, and then finally connecting them through a shared trait. It's almost like science in a way! (Maybe that's why social studies teachers have degrees in social sciences).
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Mixing History
As a teacher, schools will give you strict guidelines on what you need to teach your students. It can be limiting from time to time; you may want to focus on a certain subject but the district wants you to instead teach the students about the Civil War for the millionth time. While this can be frustrating, you can actually use these guidelines to your advantage when teaching your students. All it takes is a little finesse and some work, but you can teach the students about up to 5 subjects in one lesson plan. Speaking as a student, I can't be for sure that this will work very well-I don't have a class to test it on; this can technically be a theory on how such a plan would work. However, I do know that this idea can't work with an AP teacher, whose job it is to teach a single subject like World History in 8 months; the district doesn't decide what they can teach, that's up to College Board.
To help out structuring what to teach about (basically mixing the subjects), we'll use example situations again (I really like those; it's useful in science as well as for this blog).
Let's say that Johnny is a history teacher. When he gets his lesson plans for the year from the district, he's upset to learn that it mostly only covers basic American/US history as well as only somewhat-modern world history. Because Johnny isn't an AP teacher, he doesn't have a choice in what he can teach (he has limits). What he really wanted the kids to learn this year is the growth of humanity in the Renaissance as well as the plight of the American natives throughout the period after 1491 (pretty specific, Johnny). Well, Johnny can do three things to help mix in what he wanted to teach with what he has to teach:
He can reference the events. Johnny has an opportunity here the use the periods in which he is given by the district to reference to the events he had in mind. For the American ones, that's easy. In what could be contained in a page of notes, Johnny could preface the American history unit with some facts about how the natives were horribly mistreated ever since Columbus set foot in the Caribbean. It's a little harder for the European history, but Johnny could try and teach how European architecture in the 1800s was a major change form architecture in the Renaissance period; away from the Greek and more towards Gothic. As you can see, he's now taught what he wanted to teach, but within the confines of the district's rules.
He can also use historical context. As you may have already noticed, historical context is a big thing in history class, but it's not just for the students to use. Teachers use it all the time to help explain how things happened where and why they happened, and Johnny can use this to his advantage. He could place the entirety of the American Conquest/Manifest Destiny era of US History within the context of native treatment (think Trail of Tears and Custer); basically, he would mention a major part of native history with every part of the corresponding American event. With European history, it's once again harder, but he could try explaining how the thought processes of the Renaissance helped influence the philosophical ideologies of the 1700s and 1800s; basically, more free thinkers in later Europe (which would lead to fascism and others) because of how earlier Europe accepted the Renaissance. Again, Johnny has now taught what he wanted to teach with what he was required.
Above all else, he could just teach them all. If a history teacher believes that a time period or event in history MUST be taught to students, then they should do it. The long term goal of historians is to avoid repeating past blunders, and if that means having the kids learn about the Battle of Hastings, then buckle up, kids. Johnny can decide whether he believes the American history and European history eras should all four be taught together, event though only two of them are required. As long as he can keep it confined to a unit's length, then go for it; if not, that's where the other two methods come in. All in all, history is long, and it is confusing; try to keep it as clear as you can without muddling your students' minds.
History may not be appreciated by even a school district, but that can't stop you from teaching it! Just make sure to be careful when deciding what and what not to teach, and you should be fine. Again, this is an untested theory, so if you're trying it out, pleas let me know! I wan this blog to be helpful, not harmful!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
To help out structuring what to teach about (basically mixing the subjects), we'll use example situations again (I really like those; it's useful in science as well as for this blog).
Let's say that Johnny is a history teacher. When he gets his lesson plans for the year from the district, he's upset to learn that it mostly only covers basic American/US history as well as only somewhat-modern world history. Because Johnny isn't an AP teacher, he doesn't have a choice in what he can teach (he has limits). What he really wanted the kids to learn this year is the growth of humanity in the Renaissance as well as the plight of the American natives throughout the period after 1491 (pretty specific, Johnny). Well, Johnny can do three things to help mix in what he wanted to teach with what he has to teach:
He can reference the events. Johnny has an opportunity here the use the periods in which he is given by the district to reference to the events he had in mind. For the American ones, that's easy. In what could be contained in a page of notes, Johnny could preface the American history unit with some facts about how the natives were horribly mistreated ever since Columbus set foot in the Caribbean. It's a little harder for the European history, but Johnny could try and teach how European architecture in the 1800s was a major change form architecture in the Renaissance period; away from the Greek and more towards Gothic. As you can see, he's now taught what he wanted to teach, but within the confines of the district's rules.
He can also use historical context. As you may have already noticed, historical context is a big thing in history class, but it's not just for the students to use. Teachers use it all the time to help explain how things happened where and why they happened, and Johnny can use this to his advantage. He could place the entirety of the American Conquest/Manifest Destiny era of US History within the context of native treatment (think Trail of Tears and Custer); basically, he would mention a major part of native history with every part of the corresponding American event. With European history, it's once again harder, but he could try explaining how the thought processes of the Renaissance helped influence the philosophical ideologies of the 1700s and 1800s; basically, more free thinkers in later Europe (which would lead to fascism and others) because of how earlier Europe accepted the Renaissance. Again, Johnny has now taught what he wanted to teach with what he was required.
Above all else, he could just teach them all. If a history teacher believes that a time period or event in history MUST be taught to students, then they should do it. The long term goal of historians is to avoid repeating past blunders, and if that means having the kids learn about the Battle of Hastings, then buckle up, kids. Johnny can decide whether he believes the American history and European history eras should all four be taught together, event though only two of them are required. As long as he can keep it confined to a unit's length, then go for it; if not, that's where the other two methods come in. All in all, history is long, and it is confusing; try to keep it as clear as you can without muddling your students' minds.
History may not be appreciated by even a school district, but that can't stop you from teaching it! Just make sure to be careful when deciding what and what not to teach, and you should be fine. Again, this is an untested theory, so if you're trying it out, pleas let me know! I wan this blog to be helpful, not harmful!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Quick Tips: Using Pictures to Your Advantage
In the working world, there's an unwritten motto: "Work Smarter, Not Harder." One the parts of this motto is knowing what to study in a certain class; in this case, history. So if you're a student who has a test coming up and you don't know what to do to study, you've got something in your pocket that can help you out!
...No, not that, you pervert! It's your phone, specifically the camera function/app! A teacher will usually give hints to when a test or quiz is coming up, so if you're smart, you can use your camera to help you out. For example, I have a test tomorrow over an era in AP US History. On Friday, my teacher "subtly" dropped the hint that the entirety of the quiz was in the American History AMSCO book. Because I don't own this book, I took pictures of it; not to cheat, you un-trusting teachers, but to actually study the correct material to prepare me for the test.
Every time phones are involved with history class, teachers seem to think it's cheating. But you can actually have a valid excuse! Don't abuse the leniency of the teacher though; this could easily be taken away if you're caught cheating using pictures of things other than questions to study. Also, not many teachers will allow you to use phones in class, so be careful, because you don't want to lose any points over this. So if you just find what you need help with, photograph relative info to help study, and NOT CHEAT, you should be fine! I guess this is more of a Life Hack than a Quick Tip, but to each their own.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
...No, not that, you pervert! It's your phone, specifically the camera function/app! A teacher will usually give hints to when a test or quiz is coming up, so if you're smart, you can use your camera to help you out. For example, I have a test tomorrow over an era in AP US History. On Friday, my teacher "subtly" dropped the hint that the entirety of the quiz was in the American History AMSCO book. Because I don't own this book, I took pictures of it; not to cheat, you un-trusting teachers, but to actually study the correct material to prepare me for the test.
Every time phones are involved with history class, teachers seem to think it's cheating. But you can actually have a valid excuse! Don't abuse the leniency of the teacher though; this could easily be taken away if you're caught cheating using pictures of things other than questions to study. Also, not many teachers will allow you to use phones in class, so be careful, because you don't want to lose any points over this. So if you just find what you need help with, photograph relative info to help study, and NOT CHEAT, you should be fine! I guess this is more of a Life Hack than a Quick Tip, but to each their own.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
How to Condense History
History, like a speaker at a political function, can be long-winded. It's hard sometimes to teach a meaningful lesson without beginning to drone on and on; by the time you're finished only one person is still paying attention and everyone else all left 25 minutes ago. So how can you keep students' attention and in their seats? Call me Reader's Digest, 'cause it's time to condense those lessons! Condensing a long subject is probably your best bet to make sure enough information can be relayed to your audience without boring the crap out of them, and the whole reason we had condensed readers in the first place proves that humans are impatient and lazy and won't listen to something they couldn't read on their hand. For students, I've already covered how to pay attention and take notes in history class to make it easier (and even a little more fun); now it's the teachers' turns to be taught (some nice repetition never hurt anyone, did it?)
To begin, we need a really long subject in history. So, how about the Hundred Years' War? This European war was technically World War I, but humans weren't that smart back then, so the name stuck. It literally lasted over one hundred years (116 years) and was a conflict between England and France that spiraled out of control in the 1300s-1400s. It ended up including many of the European countries surrounding the Big Two, and while it was fought for who had claim to the French thrown, in the end only territories were taken and a lot of people died. This war is a factor in what led to European Christians splitting into different factions, like the Catholics and Lutherans.
There's your example. Did you see how I fit the whole 116 years of this war into one paragraph, mentioned dates, locations, and regions, and gave cause, effect, and outcome? Sure, I could've gone into specifics, like how Isabella of France was trying to go around a principle banning female succession after Charles IV died by giving it to her son Edward III, which the French got pissed at, so they intervened in Edward's attack on Scotland (did I mention he was English?) and got him pissed, then the Battle of Crecy decided...
Did I lose you yet? There is simply too much information about the Hundred Years' War to fit into a single lesson. By the time you got to the end of the first quarter of the war (which the English won), it would be empty in your classroom, because class ended 2 hours ago.
I follow 4 steps when condensing history: What Caused It, When Did It Happen, Why Did It Happened, What Resulted From It. If you can get these four parts out of a long event or subject, you could fit an entire era of World History within the first half of a semester. If you think you're going too fast, don't stop condensing; you'll have enough time after the lesson to answer questions and go into specifics when your lesson isn't the length of a seminar. Basically, don't be a bore-condense more!
God, that was awful. Just make sure you condense your lessons!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep (Reader's Digest)
To begin, we need a really long subject in history. So, how about the Hundred Years' War? This European war was technically World War I, but humans weren't that smart back then, so the name stuck. It literally lasted over one hundred years (116 years) and was a conflict between England and France that spiraled out of control in the 1300s-1400s. It ended up including many of the European countries surrounding the Big Two, and while it was fought for who had claim to the French thrown, in the end only territories were taken and a lot of people died. This war is a factor in what led to European Christians splitting into different factions, like the Catholics and Lutherans.
There's your example. Did you see how I fit the whole 116 years of this war into one paragraph, mentioned dates, locations, and regions, and gave cause, effect, and outcome? Sure, I could've gone into specifics, like how Isabella of France was trying to go around a principle banning female succession after Charles IV died by giving it to her son Edward III, which the French got pissed at, so they intervened in Edward's attack on Scotland (did I mention he was English?) and got him pissed, then the Battle of Crecy decided...
Did I lose you yet? There is simply too much information about the Hundred Years' War to fit into a single lesson. By the time you got to the end of the first quarter of the war (which the English won), it would be empty in your classroom, because class ended 2 hours ago.
I follow 4 steps when condensing history: What Caused It, When Did It Happen, Why Did It Happened, What Resulted From It. If you can get these four parts out of a long event or subject, you could fit an entire era of World History within the first half of a semester. If you think you're going too fast, don't stop condensing; you'll have enough time after the lesson to answer questions and go into specifics when your lesson isn't the length of a seminar. Basically, don't be a bore-condense more!
God, that was awful. Just make sure you condense your lessons!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep (Reader's Digest)
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Lesson Idea: Historical Jeopardy
Considering I haven't done a lesson idea in quite some time, I've decided to create one that can include all historical subjects: Historical Jeopardy! Everyone loves Jeopardy, right? Even the SNL ones taught kids something (like how NOT to pronounce appetite in French); this translates over incredibly well to the subject of history. Even without the suaveness that is Alex Trebek, any history teacher can use this outline to help teach about a period in history; all you need is a computer and some technical wizardry and you'll be well on your way!
First of all, you need a computer to do this lesson. The program for the Jeopardy game will be done within the Microsoft PowerPoint application; you can try doing this project by hand, but it will take much longer and, honestly, isn't very viable to use nowadays (the Internet Age is upon us). I'm going to try as well as I can to help you with creating the PowerPoint. If you follow the steps, you'll be fine!
First of all, you need a computer to do this lesson. The program for the Jeopardy game will be done within the Microsoft PowerPoint application; you can try doing this project by hand, but it will take much longer and, honestly, isn't very viable to use nowadays (the Internet Age is upon us). I'm going to try as well as I can to help you with creating the PowerPoint. If you follow the steps, you'll be fine!
Instructions
- Create a title for your game of Jeopardy. For an example, we'll use "The Industrial Revolution Jeopardy!" If you want, you can add backgrounds and transitions to your choosing.
- Make a new slide; on this slide, you'll make a 5X5 grid (5 topics involving the Industrial Revolution and 5 amounts of points per option). You can choose whatever topics in this era as you want, but I recommend for the points that you go from 200 to 1000. Put a standalone box off to the side and label it "Final Jeopardy!".
- Here's the tricky part. You'll have to make 26 new slides, one for each box and Final Jeopardy. But how do you connect them back to the original grid? Here are the instructions according to Microsoft:
- In Normal view, select the text or the object that you want to use as a hyperlink.
- On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Hyperlink.
- Under Link to, click Place in This Document.
- Do one of the following: Link to a custom show in the current presentation:
- Under Select a place in this document, click the custom show that you want to use as the hyperlink destination.
- Select the Show and return check box.
- Link to a slide in the current presentation:
- Under Select a place in this document, click the slide that you want to use as the hyperlink destination.
- Once you've linked all of your slides, it's time to choose the questions. How hard should they be? Well, ones under, say, 200 points should be about this difficult: This person copied the English textile system and brought it to America, with the answer "Who was Francis Lowell?" As you move up in points, you should move up in difficulty of the question, with Final Jeopardy being the hardest of them all.
- Now, you just need to follow the rules of Jeopardy: whoever answers correctly chooses the next category, whoever answers incorrectly loses the number of points the question is worth, and Final Jeopardy determines the winner. Have your students divide into three teams and have fun!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Quick Tips: How to Pick a History Project
Seeing as I've already covered how to do a history project, now it's time to learn how to pick one. Depending on the class, projects could be the easiest thing in the world, or the hardest. So it's up to you to choose one based on your own understanding of the subject, no matter how boring it may seem. Some are posters, some are PowerPoints, some are essays; no matter the time period, history can be turned into a simple thing or an elegant one. I myself have always leaned towards the presentation aspect of a project, but once again, it all depends on the class. Here's a few guidelines to help you on your decision:
Don't choose a hard project: Easier said (or written) than done; it's hard to determine the challenge of a project before you've even done it. But for those who have a hard time committing a lot of time to a project, don't take the 27 page minimum analysis of the Battle of Gettysburg. Even if the teacher said it would be extra credit, that's usually to give the students who can do projects like this an added "good job" for tackling such a feat. I'm not saying you can't do it yourself; you most certainly can, and don't let some blogger decide your major life choices for you. But in my personal experience, I've found that I enjoy doing small projects about small events, because I end up learning about it and appreciating it more than if I had to drown myself in a sea of text. Again, it all depends on the teacher, so it's up to you to heed my advice or not.
Make it Yours: So many teachers today use examples of projects that they want to grade their students on. However, this can lead to the misunderstanding that that example is exactly what the teacher wants, and nothing else. In reality, that's not true. How boring would it get to basically grade the same thing over and over again? This is what leads to bad grades on seemingly good assignments; the teacher is tired of seeing the same thing and lashes out at the next student who does it. So if you make the project yours (it has a flair that you have as well), it's almost like a breath of fresh air to the teacher, and that could mean an A+.
That's it, really.Just choose a project at your understanding of history and make it your project, not someone else's with your name on it. Of course, all of the project examples I write about in Lesson Idea posts aren't ones I've actually done myself, so...if you need some inspiration...
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Don't choose a hard project: Easier said (or written) than done; it's hard to determine the challenge of a project before you've even done it. But for those who have a hard time committing a lot of time to a project, don't take the 27 page minimum analysis of the Battle of Gettysburg. Even if the teacher said it would be extra credit, that's usually to give the students who can do projects like this an added "good job" for tackling such a feat. I'm not saying you can't do it yourself; you most certainly can, and don't let some blogger decide your major life choices for you. But in my personal experience, I've found that I enjoy doing small projects about small events, because I end up learning about it and appreciating it more than if I had to drown myself in a sea of text. Again, it all depends on the teacher, so it's up to you to heed my advice or not.
Make it Yours: So many teachers today use examples of projects that they want to grade their students on. However, this can lead to the misunderstanding that that example is exactly what the teacher wants, and nothing else. In reality, that's not true. How boring would it get to basically grade the same thing over and over again? This is what leads to bad grades on seemingly good assignments; the teacher is tired of seeing the same thing and lashes out at the next student who does it. So if you make the project yours (it has a flair that you have as well), it's almost like a breath of fresh air to the teacher, and that could mean an A+.
That's it, really.Just choose a project at your understanding of history and make it your project, not someone else's with your name on it. Of course, all of the project examples I write about in Lesson Idea posts aren't ones I've actually done myself, so...if you need some inspiration...
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
World History X: Censorship and History
Bloodshed. Rape. Torture. Usually, these are themes you'd see in the R-rated Liam Neeson/Sylvester Stallone type movies that, for some reason, get an Oscar nod every February. But surprisingly (or unsurprisingly), these are the recurring themes of Ancient to Modern History, most of which teachers have to convey to their students within a year. Besides the implications of going in unabridged (like my teacher in 9th grade did with the Rwandan Genocide of 1994), these are not things many adults consider "school appropriate". So it's up to the powers that be to devise a way to sneak in as much as possible while censoring most of the bad stuff. Easy, right? Nothing can go wrong...
Yeah, no. That's a horrible idea.
Before I start ranting again, I should explain myself. "Why would you want the children to see gore? Are you saying they should be exposed to...gasp...VIOLENCE?!" My answer to those question is, no, I don't want children to see the gory parts of history; that would be stupid. Their minds need to develop further to accurately understand what history is; it's the story about how we killed and clawed our way to where we are now, with several scars left as visual reminders. What I don't like is when high school and college aged students are coddled like babies and forced to be spoon-fed the "clean" version of history. At a certain point, humans can become capable of handling and dealing with what they can and cannot control; emotions is one of the former. History needs to be taught without any barriers on it, unless you would dance with the notion of having it repeated within the same century. If a person doesn't want to see graphic images and movies showing this violence, they must make their own choice to remove themselves from the situation. It shouldn't become a scary thing the school has to intervene in to make sure everything is family-friendly.
In fact, this censoring of history will lead(and always has led) to adverse affect. Ever heard of the Rape of Nanjing? Neither do most Japanese students, even though it was a war crime committed by their country on China during WWII (that's like saying that slavery never happened in the US). There are still active Holocaust deniers around the world, even though their is proof through pictures and living people that it most certainly happened. Many in the US don't seem to see the difference between a terrorist and a Middle Easterner. This all can stem back to schools not allowing a full understanding of history when they needed to most; had the full affects of these tragedies been dealt with in World History 50 or so years ago, the middle group may not have happened at all. As I formulated on in the post "The Huckleberry Finn Problem", political correctness can also come into play, and it is a form of censorship that is an actual censor on the past. If the world continues in this "safe space" mindset, their will never be a full understanding of our collective past.
You can say all you want that the world has come far in making it safer for kids. What I'm trying to say is that censorship has made the world too safe, in the sense that now young adults must also be protected from their ancestors' decisions, however violent they may have been. Until our world can emotionally mature in this area of teaching, and allow a more open version of World History to its next generation, I predict we will not be safe from more violence for a long time.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Yeah, no. That's a horrible idea.
Before I start ranting again, I should explain myself. "Why would you want the children to see gore? Are you saying they should be exposed to...gasp...VIOLENCE?!" My answer to those question is, no, I don't want children to see the gory parts of history; that would be stupid. Their minds need to develop further to accurately understand what history is; it's the story about how we killed and clawed our way to where we are now, with several scars left as visual reminders. What I don't like is when high school and college aged students are coddled like babies and forced to be spoon-fed the "clean" version of history. At a certain point, humans can become capable of handling and dealing with what they can and cannot control; emotions is one of the former. History needs to be taught without any barriers on it, unless you would dance with the notion of having it repeated within the same century. If a person doesn't want to see graphic images and movies showing this violence, they must make their own choice to remove themselves from the situation. It shouldn't become a scary thing the school has to intervene in to make sure everything is family-friendly.
In fact, this censoring of history will lead(and always has led) to adverse affect. Ever heard of the Rape of Nanjing? Neither do most Japanese students, even though it was a war crime committed by their country on China during WWII (that's like saying that slavery never happened in the US). There are still active Holocaust deniers around the world, even though their is proof through pictures and living people that it most certainly happened. Many in the US don't seem to see the difference between a terrorist and a Middle Easterner. This all can stem back to schools not allowing a full understanding of history when they needed to most; had the full affects of these tragedies been dealt with in World History 50 or so years ago, the middle group may not have happened at all. As I formulated on in the post "The Huckleberry Finn Problem", political correctness can also come into play, and it is a form of censorship that is an actual censor on the past. If the world continues in this "safe space" mindset, their will never be a full understanding of our collective past.
You can say all you want that the world has come far in making it safer for kids. What I'm trying to say is that censorship has made the world too safe, in the sense that now young adults must also be protected from their ancestors' decisions, however violent they may have been. Until our world can emotionally mature in this area of teaching, and allow a more open version of World History to its next generation, I predict we will not be safe from more violence for a long time.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Historical Inaccuracies: Facts vs. Factoids
If you live in America, you can understand how powerful Hollywood is in making films about historical events (see the post "Hollywood History" for more). You can also understand how influential other mediums, like TV, books, and the Internet are adored by almost all Americans, and how easy it is to edit and re-edit anything and everything containing information. But how does this affect our understanding of human history? Not very well, as it turns out. How many students answer that Isaac Newton was struck by an apple when he discovered gravity? How many are convinced of George Washington's honesty in admitting the truth of the cherry tree? How many swear that John Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe did a little bit of the horizontal tango (this one may not be as inaccurate)? My point is, our education of history has been, for the past 2 centuries, almost completely wrong-due in part to American nationalism and developing a national culture (we gotta make the US look good!). As a teacher, it is your duty to separate the right from the wrong; as a student, it's your duty to understand why one explanation is wrong and the other is correct (at the moment). Let's look at a little scenario to help demonstrate how historical inaccuracies can be systematically eliminated from human thought, leading to better appreciation of the subject (man, I'm really getting analytical, aren't I?).
A student named Joey (Johnny's cousin) is in history class. The teacher is discussing the life of George Washington. The teacher asks anyone if they know any interesting facts about Washington that wasn't said in class. Seizing this opportunity to shine, Joey blurts: "George Washington had wooden teeth."
Unbeknownst to young Joey, this is not a fact, but a factoid: a piece of information that seems like a fact, but is not true, or has some level of truth that is overshadowed by fiction. If the teacher knows any better, they'll recognize this almost cliche "bio" of Washington. But instead of making the student look bad, the teacher should just explain that what they say is correct without saying Joey is completely wrong (because he really isn't; I'm getting to a point here).
The teacher responds, "That's almost correct. Washington did have fake teeth, but they were made out of animal and human bone, not wood. He would've gotten tongue splinters."
Do you see how this is different from just saying "No" and moving on without explanation? Now Joey (and the rest of the class, for that matter) have an understanding of a person they didn't have less than an hour before. The rumor of the wooden teeth was actually a propaganda done by the British to undermine the leadership of the Founding Fathers; it seems to have worked, seeing that many adults I've talked with seem to believe it over 240 years later. If you aren't at least a little detailed in your correction, you'll continue to breed misinformation.
From the student's point of view, a teacher correcting what they always thought was right, in front of a class of their peers, may be hard to take in-it's a sort of Napoleon complex type thing. This could result in a student either silently continuing to believe what was proven wrong or vocally doing so, usually with negative results. By being stubborn, you could either lose a point on a test or your classmates' respect. Simply put, man up and accept that the person who got a degree in this area of study may know more than you. This close minded thinking is exactly what resulted in Columbus attacking and enslaving the Natives of America-he thought they were hiding gold from him, even though they truthfully explained they didn't have any. Be more open to change in opinion and thought, and history class will become a lot more fun and easier for you.
Unfortunately, not all inaccuracies will ever be forgotten. There are any more serious examples than the wooden teeth; entire textbooks had to be altered in the 1970s after it was discovered that they all supported the notion of Washington and the cherry tree as being fact. But with a good teacher and student working together to solve and understand how history is supposed to be taught, these inaccuracies can be further diminished until they are completely eliminated. I mean, who really thinks Lincoln wore a stovepipe hat and that the US tried to kill Fidel Castro with exploding cigars?
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
P.S. Out of all the historical events mentioned in this post, most of them are factoids. Can you find out which one (or ones) are real?
A student named Joey (Johnny's cousin) is in history class. The teacher is discussing the life of George Washington. The teacher asks anyone if they know any interesting facts about Washington that wasn't said in class. Seizing this opportunity to shine, Joey blurts: "George Washington had wooden teeth."
Unbeknownst to young Joey, this is not a fact, but a factoid: a piece of information that seems like a fact, but is not true, or has some level of truth that is overshadowed by fiction. If the teacher knows any better, they'll recognize this almost cliche "bio" of Washington. But instead of making the student look bad, the teacher should just explain that what they say is correct without saying Joey is completely wrong (because he really isn't; I'm getting to a point here).
The teacher responds, "That's almost correct. Washington did have fake teeth, but they were made out of animal and human bone, not wood. He would've gotten tongue splinters."
Do you see how this is different from just saying "No" and moving on without explanation? Now Joey (and the rest of the class, for that matter) have an understanding of a person they didn't have less than an hour before. The rumor of the wooden teeth was actually a propaganda done by the British to undermine the leadership of the Founding Fathers; it seems to have worked, seeing that many adults I've talked with seem to believe it over 240 years later. If you aren't at least a little detailed in your correction, you'll continue to breed misinformation.
From the student's point of view, a teacher correcting what they always thought was right, in front of a class of their peers, may be hard to take in-it's a sort of Napoleon complex type thing. This could result in a student either silently continuing to believe what was proven wrong or vocally doing so, usually with negative results. By being stubborn, you could either lose a point on a test or your classmates' respect. Simply put, man up and accept that the person who got a degree in this area of study may know more than you. This close minded thinking is exactly what resulted in Columbus attacking and enslaving the Natives of America-he thought they were hiding gold from him, even though they truthfully explained they didn't have any. Be more open to change in opinion and thought, and history class will become a lot more fun and easier for you.
Unfortunately, not all inaccuracies will ever be forgotten. There are any more serious examples than the wooden teeth; entire textbooks had to be altered in the 1970s after it was discovered that they all supported the notion of Washington and the cherry tree as being fact. But with a good teacher and student working together to solve and understand how history is supposed to be taught, these inaccuracies can be further diminished until they are completely eliminated. I mean, who really thinks Lincoln wore a stovepipe hat and that the US tried to kill Fidel Castro with exploding cigars?
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
P.S. Out of all the historical events mentioned in this post, most of them are factoids. Can you find out which one (or ones) are real?
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Quick Tips: Writing a Historical Thesis
Let me go on record here by saying that I hated writing historical theses in AP World History. But, if there's anything I learned from my teacher, it's not hard to write a thesis if you have enough information and a clue from the essay prompt. So let's begin with a Quick Tip on how to write one of these stupid things!
First, find the essay prompt. Found it? Good. Let's say it looks like this:
Analyze the continuities and changes over time between the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty.
Fairly strait forward, right? The prompt is trying to get you to explain how things in China stayed the same during the Ming and Qing eras, and how things changed from the Ming to Qing eras. I call this the clue to the thesis: it's steering you in a certain direction for answering the prompt, but it doesn't want to give too much away. So, now all you have to do is some research on the Ming and Qing Dynasties, looking for the clue words (same and change). Once you've gotten the relevant information, by using the word "analyze", you can come up with this:
From (place year here) to (place year here), the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty both (place similarity here), while the Qing (place difference here) and the Ming (place difference here).
I know that that thesis isn't very good, but I know if I put one on here that it would be stolen for unfair use (cheating). If your thesis looks like this, then good. You're well on your way to writing that long and boring AP essay! Just remember to use the prompt's clue/clue words, and you're in business!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
First, find the essay prompt. Found it? Good. Let's say it looks like this:
Analyze the continuities and changes over time between the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty.
Fairly strait forward, right? The prompt is trying to get you to explain how things in China stayed the same during the Ming and Qing eras, and how things changed from the Ming to Qing eras. I call this the clue to the thesis: it's steering you in a certain direction for answering the prompt, but it doesn't want to give too much away. So, now all you have to do is some research on the Ming and Qing Dynasties, looking for the clue words (same and change). Once you've gotten the relevant information, by using the word "analyze", you can come up with this:
From (place year here) to (place year here), the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty both (place similarity here), while the Qing (place difference here) and the Ming (place difference here).
I know that that thesis isn't very good, but I know if I put one on here that it would be stolen for unfair use (cheating). If your thesis looks like this, then good. You're well on your way to writing that long and boring AP essay! Just remember to use the prompt's clue/clue words, and you're in business!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Hollywood History: How Movies Made History Fun
As many people who study history or even have basic understanding of history know, is that those "based on historical events" movies aren't really that accurate. There weren't any ex-slave bounty hunters as Quentin Tarantino explains, nor was Pocahontas in any way attracted to John Smith as much as Disney would like you to believe (considering that she was not yet 12 when they first met, that makes it WAY creepier). But looking past all the historical inaccuracies and questionable/racy content added to make the story entertaining, can we really be upset at Hollywood for making these movies? Sure, they may not make sense if you're in a history class, but I think that's the big point: it inspires kids to learn more about human history while at the same time sparking debates among historians and history buffs about what should've/shouldn't have been. The best part is, you can make these debates and senses of fascination happen in your very classroom, if you're careful.
So let's look past all the inaccurate crap. I know that that gun wasn't made yet, no that doesn't mean Jack is a time traveler on the Titanic (long story), yes there was room on the door (another long story). Let's instead ask the question, "What did movies like Titanic, Django Unchained, and others teach us?" While the first one was based on an actual historical disaster (the Titanic Disaster of 1912), the second one is set in the 1860s in America, but is almost all fictional. However, if you look past the plot and into the surrounding events/people/settings, you'll actually find that these historical dramas teach us a lot about history while telling a different story. I credit Titanic with me getting interested in history in the first place, having watched it at the age of 6 (with the drawing/car scenes fast forwarded through). I was obsessed with the story of the ship, and even today I have a fascination about all things White Star Line. This led to me learning about other disasters, from Pompeii to Mt. St. Helens, and to the rest of our dangerous history. If a young child can be triggered by what many considered a "romanticized massacre" to become more interested in history, than it has done more than any normal teacher can do. Imagine, as well, if it were a middle or high schooler. Major life decisions could be decided based on such characters as Scarlett O'Hara or Jack Dawson-many things have been caused by less. Not only the characters, but the the wonderful time periods in which they take place can actually be physically visualized largely in part to the wonderful costume/set designers of the Hollywood Hills, and historical events, either footnotes or the main part of the story, can be learned and re-learned by millions and millions of people. That's why those historical movies do so well: there are those who watch them for shallow reasons, but many simply want to learn more about an era in history that school didn't teach them.
That's where a tech-savvy teacher comes in. YOU have access to these movies. If you think that they taught you more about an era in history than your college classes combined, show it to your students! Encourage them to watch them on their own to better their understanding of history-after all, we don't want to repeat it, and knowing is half the battle (G-I JOOOOOOOOOE). Actually seeing a representation of the Boxer Rebellion, Titanic sinking, or the Vietnam War may be all that it takes to have something finally make sense in a struggling student's head about history. Language Arts teachers figure out that showing movies of Shakespeare's plays made them easier to understand-why wouldn't the same apply to history? So go out there, buy as many historical movies as you can (yes, even the one with Al Pacino in the Revolutionary War), and make an impromptu screening of history!
P.S. Holy crap, I just realized Leo DiCaprio is in almost all the movies I mentioned on here, and even more historical movies (like Gatsby, upcoming The Renegade, and Romeo and Juliet). Dude must really want your kids to remember history with his face in it. Well, whatever will make you sleep at night without an Oscar, Leo.
Edit(2/29/2016): Now that he's won an Oscar for The Renegade, I guess he'll sleep fine.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
So let's look past all the inaccurate crap. I know that that gun wasn't made yet, no that doesn't mean Jack is a time traveler on the Titanic (long story), yes there was room on the door (another long story). Let's instead ask the question, "What did movies like Titanic, Django Unchained, and others teach us?" While the first one was based on an actual historical disaster (the Titanic Disaster of 1912), the second one is set in the 1860s in America, but is almost all fictional. However, if you look past the plot and into the surrounding events/people/settings, you'll actually find that these historical dramas teach us a lot about history while telling a different story. I credit Titanic with me getting interested in history in the first place, having watched it at the age of 6 (with the drawing/car scenes fast forwarded through). I was obsessed with the story of the ship, and even today I have a fascination about all things White Star Line. This led to me learning about other disasters, from Pompeii to Mt. St. Helens, and to the rest of our dangerous history. If a young child can be triggered by what many considered a "romanticized massacre" to become more interested in history, than it has done more than any normal teacher can do. Imagine, as well, if it were a middle or high schooler. Major life decisions could be decided based on such characters as Scarlett O'Hara or Jack Dawson-many things have been caused by less. Not only the characters, but the the wonderful time periods in which they take place can actually be physically visualized largely in part to the wonderful costume/set designers of the Hollywood Hills, and historical events, either footnotes or the main part of the story, can be learned and re-learned by millions and millions of people. That's why those historical movies do so well: there are those who watch them for shallow reasons, but many simply want to learn more about an era in history that school didn't teach them.
That's where a tech-savvy teacher comes in. YOU have access to these movies. If you think that they taught you more about an era in history than your college classes combined, show it to your students! Encourage them to watch them on their own to better their understanding of history-after all, we don't want to repeat it, and knowing is half the battle (G-I JOOOOOOOOOE). Actually seeing a representation of the Boxer Rebellion, Titanic sinking, or the Vietnam War may be all that it takes to have something finally make sense in a struggling student's head about history. Language Arts teachers figure out that showing movies of Shakespeare's plays made them easier to understand-why wouldn't the same apply to history? So go out there, buy as many historical movies as you can (yes, even the one with Al Pacino in the Revolutionary War), and make an impromptu screening of history!
P.S. Holy crap, I just realized Leo DiCaprio is in almost all the movies I mentioned on here, and even more historical movies (like Gatsby, upcoming The Renegade, and Romeo and Juliet). Dude must really want your kids to remember history with his face in it. Well, whatever will make you sleep at night without an Oscar, Leo.
Edit(2/29/2016): Now that he's won an Oscar for The Renegade, I guess he'll sleep fine.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Thursday, November 5, 2015
How to Do a History Project
Recently, I've been doing more teacher-related blog posts than I've meant to. So here's one that should help the students subject to those complicated history projects; more specifically, the ones I've been giving as Lesson Ideas to the teachers. Depending on the level of difficulty, some students may find it hard to come up with a paper or visual that focuses on one area of history, and it can be even harder to have to come up with an artistic flair to match them. But with three easy steps, students can become more confident in making their projects shine.
3. Answer All of the Questions
Usually, a project outline will give you some questions to get you started, ranging from easy (Name? Date of Event? etc.) to hard (what were the motivations of so-and-so?"). It is only after these questions are listed that an average teacher will put directions for what the project is supposed to be. If the teacher doesn't give you a series of events to follow when doing the assignment, it can be hard for some students to stay focused on one area of the project. So what I suggest is just taking a deep breath and answering all the questions that don't involve the physical project. Don't start making the PowerPoint before you've even chosen a topic! Keep yourself away from directions not pertaining to any of the questions, and you'll find that you can focus extra hard and get good information that benefits you greater than if you just dove right in blind. Also, don't forget to record down any outside sources you get your information from! You'll need to cite them later!
2. Look At Examples to Get Inspiration
Chances are, if a teacher has done a project or paper several years in a row, they'll have found a student's project that's perfect to show the following classes how it should be done (or they themselves would've made a sample project close to what they're looking for). If you don't use this to your advantage, you deserve the grade you get on project by just winging it. The whole point of the example is a guideline to what the teacher considers correct. If you think it would be cheating to follow too closely the outline, don't; if you change enough information and wordings to make it mostly yours, the teacher will not care and grade it without bias. The only time using an outline is bad is if you choose the same topic and only use the example as where your information came from; you can cite it as a source, but can you really say you did a new assignment or just turned in a newer version of the old one?
1. Make It as Artistic as You Can
A lot of people don't have artistic skills necessary to make their projects all colorful and flashy (some don't even have the skill to draw a stick figure). But if the teacher at least knows you made an effort to try and make the project a little poppy, they'll give you points for it. All people should understand that not everyone is a van Gogh, and it's hard to do projects that rely heavily on art. Usually, the ones that do end up being group assignments, meaning that there's a good chance you'll get an artistic kid in your group. Now all the hard work is their problem! (Don't actually do that)
All projects have a degree of difficulty. But that doesn't mean the difficulty limits how well you do on the project! If you just follow these steps, you'll have an A-grade assignment in no time!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Quick Tips: Using Wikipedia and Citing Sources
Okay, so I'm about to get the hate of almost every single high school teacher in the world for writing this, but here it goes:
Wikipedia is not a bad source to get historical information.
If you have the sudden urge to bash me in the comments for saying this, just hear me out; I actually have a point in saying this. Wikipedia, as an encyclopedia you can access on the Web, was created for the sheer purpose of being a teaching tool. In recent years, it's gotten fire from the media and the general population for being easy to manipulate and edit, a process they put in to make it as user-friendly as possible. Because of this, several teachers have decided that any cited source that has Wikipedia in the URL will be a dock of points for a grade; in their mind, it's almost like cheating. However, i have a way to have students use Wikipedia without getting those points taken away.
You know that Resources tab at the bottom of most articles on Wikipedia (of course you do, it means the end)? Well, those books and websites listed are basically where the combined info from the article came from; like Frankenstein, it was stitched together from other parts to make one massive article. Let's say you're down to your wit's end for a big project, and have no other sources but Wikipedia to turn to. Well, use Wikipedia, and then, copy down all the sources in Resources (if you can, only the ones that are relevant to your main project). Instead of copying the Wikipedia link, just put those into your cited sources; if you need to make it MLA, do so, but most of the sources should already be in the correct form. Lastly, turn in the project-you're done. Because you didn't put the Wikipedia source in the Sources, you can't get docked points, and your teacher would be clueless to which one was from Wikipedia unless they checked themselves (a process they wouldn't do, because it would make grading take too long).
History class is the worst offender for this, so I've always used my non-Wiki sources plus the Resources section; it makes me feel a little guilty, yes, but in the end, I won't lose points over something so trivial. The best part of this Quick History Tip is that I learned it from my Chemistry teacher Ms. Vargas-she used it in several of her college assignments to make citing sources easier.
Well, if I haven't already been burned at the stake by an army of angry teachers who think I'm the Antichrist, I'll see you all in a few days! I hope I've saved some time (and points) for using Wikipedia and citing correct sources!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Wikipedia is not a bad source to get historical information.
If you have the sudden urge to bash me in the comments for saying this, just hear me out; I actually have a point in saying this. Wikipedia, as an encyclopedia you can access on the Web, was created for the sheer purpose of being a teaching tool. In recent years, it's gotten fire from the media and the general population for being easy to manipulate and edit, a process they put in to make it as user-friendly as possible. Because of this, several teachers have decided that any cited source that has Wikipedia in the URL will be a dock of points for a grade; in their mind, it's almost like cheating. However, i have a way to have students use Wikipedia without getting those points taken away.
You know that Resources tab at the bottom of most articles on Wikipedia (of course you do, it means the end)? Well, those books and websites listed are basically where the combined info from the article came from; like Frankenstein, it was stitched together from other parts to make one massive article. Let's say you're down to your wit's end for a big project, and have no other sources but Wikipedia to turn to. Well, use Wikipedia, and then, copy down all the sources in Resources (if you can, only the ones that are relevant to your main project). Instead of copying the Wikipedia link, just put those into your cited sources; if you need to make it MLA, do so, but most of the sources should already be in the correct form. Lastly, turn in the project-you're done. Because you didn't put the Wikipedia source in the Sources, you can't get docked points, and your teacher would be clueless to which one was from Wikipedia unless they checked themselves (a process they wouldn't do, because it would make grading take too long).
History class is the worst offender for this, so I've always used my non-Wiki sources plus the Resources section; it makes me feel a little guilty, yes, but in the end, I won't lose points over something so trivial. The best part of this Quick History Tip is that I learned it from my Chemistry teacher Ms. Vargas-she used it in several of her college assignments to make citing sources easier.
Well, if I haven't already been burned at the stake by an army of angry teachers who think I'm the Antichrist, I'll see you all in a few days! I hope I've saved some time (and points) for using Wikipedia and citing correct sources!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Discussing Modern History (A Rant About Textbooks)
What do we consider modern history? Is it something that happened a decade ago, two decades, or even just a day ago? Whatever the case, if it can be considered in the future an event significant enough to be in a history textbook, it is modern history-no matter how large or small the event was. But the real question is this: how do we discuss recent history? How do you go in front of a group of students and teach them about something they already experienced (some more than others)? By 2019, there will be seniors in high school who may not have even been born when 9/11 happened-is that modern history to them? So many questions and so little answers; discussion seems almost impossible without the latter. However, there is an easier way to re-teach modern events to students, without having to devise the perfect way of going about it: just talk to them about it.
Many of my teachers would skirt around modern political or social issues when they would come up in a classroom, as well as modern history and which side of the story you tell (was the Iraq War necessary to stop terrorism or used by the US to extort oil?). Yet some of my teachers would just pause, take a breath, and TALK to us about it. Really, just talk. You'd be surprised how much someone pays attention to a peer, or someone who speaks to them like a peer. I learned the most from history teachers who wouldn't sugarcoat anything-no "Hollywood" type endings, no correct point of view; they'd just let all of the information flow. For instance, 9/11 came up in Global Geography one day a few years ago, back when all those documentaries were coming out about it every month(side note: so glad that this year I didn't hear the Twin Towers mentioned ONCE on the date-that shows that we're starting to move on as a country from the disaster). Our teacher, Ms. Osborn, made the rest of the class a discussion time, where we just all shared our stories about our experiences with the day; it wasn't much, considering we were all 2 or 3 when it happened. But Osborn's story was both funny and sad; she recalled how she didn't panic, but went to go fill up her car (it was getting low) and saw, in her words, "cars that were lined up across the entire road". She explained that many people naturally panicked about the attacks, but thought that it was the end of our trade with the Middle East, which they assumed meant "no more gas". She further explained how, as she sat in line, the price per gallon literally changed before her eyes every few minutes-several gas companies were taking advantage of the disaster and profiting off of the panic. Did you know that? I didn't, and I wouldn't had Osborn not told me.
Do you see how just talking helped me and others learn more about modern history? I have a first-hand account (Osborn) of the event, and a new understanding of what all happened during that event. Had this been in a textbook (the entire day is a paragraph in the last chapter of Bentley's World History textbook), I wouldn't've learned anything like this-only a few dates and an opinion of some old dead guy (no offence Bentley, wherever you are). This is what I hate about textbooks. The degree of separation from the events in modern history is so noticeable, it would hit you in the face were it real; the writers always treat it as some thing that happened long ago rather than recently and that we should just move on from it.
But we can't just move on! The whole point of history-teaching it, learning it, studying, prodding, dissecting it-is to keep reminding ourselves of what NOT to do in the future! That's why we have those Holocaust Survivor seminars: we don't want another Holocaust. That's why we have the 9/11 documentaries, hated as they may be- we don't want another 9/11. In the community, these things are widely known and accepted; in the classroom, the textbooks are almost forcing the teachers to keep the present day out of the picture. This is why I respect teachers who go out of their way to make sure the students know about what is happening in the now: it will get them prepared for what is going to happen in the tomorrow.
I'm sorry if this turned into a rant about the condition of history textbooks; this subject is important to me because I want the future generations to be safe about what they do and how it affects everything else. If you're looking for the teaching point, here it is: Talk with your students about modern history, don't teach it. Rant over.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Many of my teachers would skirt around modern political or social issues when they would come up in a classroom, as well as modern history and which side of the story you tell (was the Iraq War necessary to stop terrorism or used by the US to extort oil?). Yet some of my teachers would just pause, take a breath, and TALK to us about it. Really, just talk. You'd be surprised how much someone pays attention to a peer, or someone who speaks to them like a peer. I learned the most from history teachers who wouldn't sugarcoat anything-no "Hollywood" type endings, no correct point of view; they'd just let all of the information flow. For instance, 9/11 came up in Global Geography one day a few years ago, back when all those documentaries were coming out about it every month(side note: so glad that this year I didn't hear the Twin Towers mentioned ONCE on the date-that shows that we're starting to move on as a country from the disaster). Our teacher, Ms. Osborn, made the rest of the class a discussion time, where we just all shared our stories about our experiences with the day; it wasn't much, considering we were all 2 or 3 when it happened. But Osborn's story was both funny and sad; she recalled how she didn't panic, but went to go fill up her car (it was getting low) and saw, in her words, "cars that were lined up across the entire road". She explained that many people naturally panicked about the attacks, but thought that it was the end of our trade with the Middle East, which they assumed meant "no more gas". She further explained how, as she sat in line, the price per gallon literally changed before her eyes every few minutes-several gas companies were taking advantage of the disaster and profiting off of the panic. Did you know that? I didn't, and I wouldn't had Osborn not told me.
Do you see how just talking helped me and others learn more about modern history? I have a first-hand account (Osborn) of the event, and a new understanding of what all happened during that event. Had this been in a textbook (the entire day is a paragraph in the last chapter of Bentley's World History textbook), I wouldn't've learned anything like this-only a few dates and an opinion of some old dead guy (no offence Bentley, wherever you are). This is what I hate about textbooks. The degree of separation from the events in modern history is so noticeable, it would hit you in the face were it real; the writers always treat it as some thing that happened long ago rather than recently and that we should just move on from it.
But we can't just move on! The whole point of history-teaching it, learning it, studying, prodding, dissecting it-is to keep reminding ourselves of what NOT to do in the future! That's why we have those Holocaust Survivor seminars: we don't want another Holocaust. That's why we have the 9/11 documentaries, hated as they may be- we don't want another 9/11. In the community, these things are widely known and accepted; in the classroom, the textbooks are almost forcing the teachers to keep the present day out of the picture. This is why I respect teachers who go out of their way to make sure the students know about what is happening in the now: it will get them prepared for what is going to happen in the tomorrow.
I'm sorry if this turned into a rant about the condition of history textbooks; this subject is important to me because I want the future generations to be safe about what they do and how it affects everything else. If you're looking for the teaching point, here it is: Talk with your students about modern history, don't teach it. Rant over.
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Lesson Idea: The Election of 1824
In the period during and following James Monroe's presidency, the United States was in an "era of good feelings". Several notable figures emerged during this era: John Quincy Adams, the son of President John Adams and Monroe's Secretary of State, Andrew Jackson, general and veteran of the War of 1812, William Crawford, Monroe's Secretary of War/Treasury, and Henry Clay, a senator from Kentucky who was the Speaker of the House. In 1824, these 4 faced off in one of the closest presidential elections of all time; it was so close that the House of Representatives had to decide a winner (influenced by Clay, they chose Adams). So for today's Lesson Plan, we'll be re-enacting that famous election, with your students as the candidates! They'll be able to practice a mock election and learn more about the emerging United States in the early 19th century (which is, of course, something everyone wants to understand).
First, choose four of your students to be Adams, Jackson, Crawford, or Clay (gender doesn't matter in this project!). Next, either have them choose a group or you divide the class into groups of 5 or 6, including the candidates. Tell the candidates that they must assign a select amount of people as their Press and as their Advisers. The Press will ask the candidates questions during an interview and the Advisers can help out a candidate if they're getting stuck (for instance, if they don't know their policy on foreign affairs). The 2nd job of the Press is to give their own candidates easy questions in the interview ("Do you believe in America?") and give opposing candidates challenging questions ("It says here that you once attacked a city when the enemy wasn't stationed there. How can we be sure you're not a war monger?").
Have the students then go and research their candidates. They should know stances on certain issues, beliefs, spouses, anything that may come up in a Press question. The Advisers should also take extra notes to be prepared to help their candidate in a sticky situation. The most important rule is that the students CAN NOT use any information about a candidate or what they have done after 1824! If any candidate references a future event, accuse them of being a "time traveler" and "banish" them (disqualify them). If the only way to make sure your students don't use future knowledge, make the project graded on accuracy; a good student never wants a bad grade!
Finally, let Adams, Jackson, Crawford, and Clay start their interviews. They'll give a minute-long introductory speech, field questions, and then give a closing statement, moving on to the next candidate. After all the candidates have gone, have the class choose the best 2 out of the 4 (as Congress did). Let's say your class chose Adams and Crawford; because Clay is now out, he/she will throw their support behind Adams and become and Adviser (this would not be reciprocated if Adams was out; this is because Clay convinced Congress to elect Adams instead of Jackson). Have Adams and Crawford then field more questions, and then have the class choose the President. Despite Clay's efforts, Crawford wins the election (like he was originally supposed to)!
While this project is focused on a very specific event in American history, that's why I love it; it helps students understand that every era usually had their own crises or scandals, and that history isn't just the things they hear about the most on TV. I mean, which of your students could say, before doing this project, that they knew there was a scandal behind the Election of 1824? Hopefully, they'll have learned something, and hopefully they'll have fun!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
First, choose four of your students to be Adams, Jackson, Crawford, or Clay (gender doesn't matter in this project!). Next, either have them choose a group or you divide the class into groups of 5 or 6, including the candidates. Tell the candidates that they must assign a select amount of people as their Press and as their Advisers. The Press will ask the candidates questions during an interview and the Advisers can help out a candidate if they're getting stuck (for instance, if they don't know their policy on foreign affairs). The 2nd job of the Press is to give their own candidates easy questions in the interview ("Do you believe in America?") and give opposing candidates challenging questions ("It says here that you once attacked a city when the enemy wasn't stationed there. How can we be sure you're not a war monger?").
Have the students then go and research their candidates. They should know stances on certain issues, beliefs, spouses, anything that may come up in a Press question. The Advisers should also take extra notes to be prepared to help their candidate in a sticky situation. The most important rule is that the students CAN NOT use any information about a candidate or what they have done after 1824! If any candidate references a future event, accuse them of being a "time traveler" and "banish" them (disqualify them). If the only way to make sure your students don't use future knowledge, make the project graded on accuracy; a good student never wants a bad grade!
Finally, let Adams, Jackson, Crawford, and Clay start their interviews. They'll give a minute-long introductory speech, field questions, and then give a closing statement, moving on to the next candidate. After all the candidates have gone, have the class choose the best 2 out of the 4 (as Congress did). Let's say your class chose Adams and Crawford; because Clay is now out, he/she will throw their support behind Adams and become and Adviser (this would not be reciprocated if Adams was out; this is because Clay convinced Congress to elect Adams instead of Jackson). Have Adams and Crawford then field more questions, and then have the class choose the President. Despite Clay's efforts, Crawford wins the election (like he was originally supposed to)!
While this project is focused on a very specific event in American history, that's why I love it; it helps students understand that every era usually had their own crises or scandals, and that history isn't just the things they hear about the most on TV. I mean, which of your students could say, before doing this project, that they knew there was a scandal behind the Election of 1824? Hopefully, they'll have learned something, and hopefully they'll have fun!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Quick Tips: Speed Reading
Everyone hates reading out of a history textbook, right? It takes too much time to go through every assigned page and decide what answers which question in a particular order, and then copy down that answer in your own words for the teacher to grade (because why not). Well, for anyone with reading skills higher than a 2nd grader may have figured out is that many people can skim through a book and retain enough information to sufficiently answer a question on that topic (but only for a short time period; short-term memory, and all that). Not only is this useful for boring LA classes, but you can use this to a great advantage in a history textbook.
Let's say you've come up to a long passage that you have to read and answer 10 questions on. Instead of reading those 15 pages (rough AP length for that amount of questions), just take a moment to glance at each page. Read the words slow enough that you understand them, but fast enough that it doesn't take you over 2 minutes on each page; basically like you're taking the Reading Test on the ACT. After you've finished skimming, reread your questions and see if anything seems familiar to what you just sped read. For instance, if the question was Who was the leader of China in 300 B.C.E and what were some legacies of their rule?, you may remember seeing Emperor Qin but don't remember the legacies. Simply go back to where you thought you saw the relevant information and read it at your normal pace; answer the question as accurately as you can once you're finished. Repeat this process for the next 10 questions, and you'll be done within an hour (I promise, Scout's honor, etc.)
Even though many claim speed reading is a myth, you can use it to your advantage when reading boring subjects in history (or any) class! Go out an try it right now; I bet you'll be finished in the time it took to read this entry (plus 2 or 3 more, give or take)!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Let's say you've come up to a long passage that you have to read and answer 10 questions on. Instead of reading those 15 pages (rough AP length for that amount of questions), just take a moment to glance at each page. Read the words slow enough that you understand them, but fast enough that it doesn't take you over 2 minutes on each page; basically like you're taking the Reading Test on the ACT. After you've finished skimming, reread your questions and see if anything seems familiar to what you just sped read. For instance, if the question was Who was the leader of China in 300 B.C.E and what were some legacies of their rule?, you may remember seeing Emperor Qin but don't remember the legacies. Simply go back to where you thought you saw the relevant information and read it at your normal pace; answer the question as accurately as you can once you're finished. Repeat this process for the next 10 questions, and you'll be done within an hour (I promise, Scout's honor, etc.)
Even though many claim speed reading is a myth, you can use it to your advantage when reading boring subjects in history (or any) class! Go out an try it right now; I bet you'll be finished in the time it took to read this entry (plus 2 or 3 more, give or take)!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Lesson Idea: Women's Suffrage/Liberation Banner
Since we're right in the middle of election season, I thought it would be appropriate to make this week's Lesson Idea about women gaining the right to vote! Until 1920, women in America couldn't vote for anything-president, mayor, or even on a decision to build a road. Many women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony fought to make women equal, but the fight still continues today. However, the fight now includes equal pay, no discrimination, and the ability to be treated in a respectful manner, united under the fight for Women's Liberation. That's where your students come in-they get to make their own suffrage banners and "join" the battle for equality!
Supplies:
- Scissors
- Pens/Pencils/Markers
- Internet access
- Large Paper (you decide the exact size)
First, describe Women's Suffrage (or Liberation as a whole) to your students. You don't have to go into great detail about the subject, but explain enough that they'll understand the basic reasoning for why it happened. Next, assign the students into groups of 4. These groups will study their topic together as well as make the banner together; this project is better to do as a group than as an individual. Now, if you want to be more inclusive of other areas of women's liberation, assign the following topics to your students for their banners:
- Equal Pay
- Right to Vote (Suffrage)
- No Discrimination
- Respect
Have the students choose one of the topics for their banner; because this lesson will be focusing on suffrage, we'll choose it for the example. Have the students then choose four events that happened during the topic: protests, rallies, speeches, reports, whatever occurred involving the topic during the time period it was most focused on (side note: because that was when it was most likely paid attention to by everyone). Have them write down names of people involved, dates, locations, etc. Then give the students banner-sized paper and instruct them to tell the story of their topic with the events surrounding the name of the topic. Here's an example:
Johnny and Reba chose Suffrage as their topic. Their events were Susan B. Anthony being arrested for voting, speeches made by Elizabeth Stanton to amend the Constitution, protests for suffrage during WWI, and President Wilson's opinion on the topic. These events, seen with an appropriate picture of what happened and relevant information, surround large red letters that spell out: SUFFRAGE.
Depending on the accuracy of the information and understanding of the topic, you can get two completely different banners on the same subject. Grade this project based on amount of info used, events used, relevance to topic, and color (because every banner should have some attention grabbing colors on them).
Voila! You have yourself an army of women's suffrage/liberation banners! While they may not be of the best quality, your students will now understand how different the US was not even 100 years ago, and how many women fought for the modern world to be created! The best part is that you can completely personalize this lesson idea to your suiting-make sure to make it good, and happy voting!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Getting Re-acquainted With History Class
If I can accomplish anything here, I want students to see that history isn't all that bad as a subject, and it has certainly gotten the short end of the stick on how it's portrayed in the media. However, I also know that most students, even with tips and tricks to make the class EASIER, will still not believe that history class is FUN. That's completely fine. But I've always wondered about adults well into their own Middle Ages who suddenly find themselves wanting to know more about history; either they had blown it off in school and never understood it fully or they had an idea of historical events but were simply not interested in their contents. Basically, these adults have decided to re-acquaint themselves with history to discover once and for all if it was fun. I have no choice but to support them 100% of the way, and I've devised 3 things to do if you suddenly want to break out that old dusty college textbook again.
3. Sign Up For Community Classes
The biggest part of learning history was that it took place in a classroom. The difference between school and now, though, is that your boring history teachers have been replaced by volunteers (usually historians or history majors) who actually ENJOY teaching you about history. Welcome to Community History Class 101! Communities will always offer opportunities for adults to learn, be it night classes, seminars, or simple group meetings so people can enjoy a subject they may have always had a small interest in in their lives. In my community alone, there have been at least 4 history-related night courses/groups that have been offered for the citizens to attend in the past year (I unfortunately couldn't, because I was enjoying vacation). As previously mentioned, the teachers of these courses usually have a better understanding and love for the course they teach, and can make the classes really fun. So if you want to find out if you really should've been paying attention in history class, the best place to find out is your community center.
2. Watch Historical Media
In the decades following the Internet and home computer, millions upon millions of websites have been created to gradually close the distance between our vast cultural societies. One of these websites was YouTube, a video streaming service unlike any of the past decade. For over ten years people have been uploading, and it should be a given that some of those "Youtubers" were history buffs. There are so many historical videos available to everyone that several of my teachers actually used some of them to teach classrooms subjects without having to use a textbook. My personal favorite of these Historical Series would have to be John Green's "Crash Course World History" (yes, that John Green). Not only does it accurately and explicitly go into detail about the history of the world, Green makes it fun with his own little twist of comedy and sarcasm, and you'll interested in even the smallest of historical happenings. In fact, I watched all of his videos in preparation for my AP World History Exam, and got a 4 (this included normal studying as well, lazy students!). Another series I'd recommend is Dan Carlin's "Hardcore History" and a channel on YouTube called "the Great War" that is releasing videos about WWI in correlation with that event's 100th anniversary. Whatever you choose to watch, you won't be disappointed in what you learn.
1. Read a Historical Book
No, I don't mean a textbook. I mean actually reading a book based on historical events, be it real or fictional; one of the best ways to learn more about history is to hear it from someone else's point of view. While there are too many books out there to count, you can search "historical fiction/nonfiction" on Google and it will usually lead you in the right direction. The reason I want adults coming back to history to read more is because reading is a main part of understanding history/historical context; many events were not recorded by camera and may only be documented by word or word of mouth. Reading can also give one a better sense of understanding when they come across the event in the future; what better insight to history is one that you make yourself? That's why I consider reading the best way to re-acquaint yourself with history, because it IS history.
For many, history is a dead end. But I hope that for those of you who are making an effort to reintroduce the subject into your lives, that you have success and enjoy your findings! I'd love to hear if any adults out there have changed their minds on history after following these three steps!
Here are links to the historical media. Crash Course belongs to John Green, Hardcore History to Dan Carlin, and the Great War to Patreon.
http://www.dancarlin.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Lesson Idea: Make-Your-Own Propaganda Poster
Throughout history, especially the parts of history you'll be teaching in your classroom, there have been conflicts between 2 or more groups of people. Usually, to justify starting a war to destroy the other group, Group A would make posters and videos to smear Group B and make them look bad to the unassuming public, called propaganda. Most of the time, it worked, and today we're left with colorful and grim reminders of how manipulative a country can become to force an issue (specifically WWII-era US). But your students can benefit from using this tactic of war to learn about a historical event and get a good grade! (Boy, isn't that a little tasteless?) Make-Your-Own Propaganda is a refreshing view on how boring historical conflicts can be connected to the partially modern world, and the best part is, you get to draw!
Supplies:
- Pencils
- Markers or Colored Pencils (no Crayons)
- 3 ft.X 2 ft. Paper
- History Textbooks/Internet Connection
Before you can even get started, you'll have to choose events from history to use as propaganda pieces. Oh, and they can only come from pre-WWI era history. Why, you may be asking? Well, while propaganda has been evident throughout all of history, the point of this project is for students to make modern-yet-historically correct propaganda, which means using modern propaganda images (like Uncle Sam) for ancient conflicts (like the Hundred Years' War). In even simpler terms, the past used very drab looking propaganda, but your students need to make theirs POP. I suggest finding at least 10 events in history for the students to study.
First, assign the students 1 of the 10 events you have chosen (let's use the Civil War as an example). Tell the students they have a certain amount of time to gather information on that conflict before they begin making the posters, and should include the following information: Groups Involved, 3 Reasons for Conflict, Context for Propaganda, and Dates (if needed). For instance, on a propaganda poster of the Civil War, I would mention that the Northern Union needed help fighting the Southern Confederacy, because the South wanted to keep slaves, disobey the rights of other states, and encroach on Constitutional law. The poster could have a copyright of 1863 in the corner, and mention the Battle of Gettysburg, which had happened that very year.
(Side note: I know it's hard to visualize this poster through words, but I don't have a copy of one to show you. That's what I get for coming up with an idea on my own).
Next, after all of the information the students need has been gathered, tell them to start drawing! However, THEY CANNOT COPY AN ALREADY EXISTING POSTER. By this I mean that if the students simply trace over a poster and change words around, without any effort to make it look like it came from the era the conflict is from, like using Uncle Sam for the War of 1812 (an era where the female Columbia more greatly represented the US) grade them a zero. If they aren't going to put the time into this project to make it look acceptable, you shouldn't have to waste your time grading it. But if a student, say, traced Uncle Sam and made him look like Abraham Lincoln for the Civil War, that's fine, because they made a conscious effort to contextualize the poster (one of the main pieces of information). Have them first draw then color the poster, and have them turn it in for grade.
Finally, after all the posters are graded, you could hang them together in like groups for the students to see. After all, it is their hard work! Now the kids should also have better knowledge of a conflict and why it happened, and a way people tried to convert people to their points of view! Who would've ever said that propaganda could be fun?
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
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