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
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