history-social




			The World, Past and Present


As a child in school, history and social studies left me a bit flat. National Geographic, however, was the bright spot in my month. My parents not only subscribed, they saved every issue. I studied ancient civilizations, modern civilizations, tropical islands, extremely different cultures, and art from every nation without even knowing I was studying. I remember reading about the Ubangi, with plates in their lower lips, and an article on the worldwide, historical and modern fascination with cats. I looked at pictures of Lebanon, Israel, the Sahara and Gobi deserts, the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the veldts of Kenya, the steppes of Russia, the Himalayas, the Andes, and the Rockies, and the people who lived in these marvelous places. I was 15 when Roots debuted on TV. For eight nights, we were riveted by Kunta Kinte, Kizzy, Chicken George, and the rest of the characters in Alex Haley�s history. I learned a great deal about American history that week, albeit not in school. I still believed that I disliked history when Ken Burns� series �The Civil War� aired on PBS. American history once again came alive for me through letters, diaries, and photographs of husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, siblings and children, all of whom were affected by this bloody war. Accidentally hearing a Stephen Foster song, �Hard Times Come Again No More,� I was transported to the world of post-Civil War poverty, which led me to the Depression (complete with the Dust Bowl), the Irish Troubles, and, strangely, to Charles Dickens. Attending the Winter Performance Night at my son�s school, I enjoyed a play, written by the children in the 7th grade, about the Revolutionary War. It was well-written, well-acted, and amazingly informative; the cast�s imagination and authoritative enthusiasm drew a response far more powerful than any textbook could have. These and other experiences have led me to believe that the arts are the strongest tether to history and social studies. Magazines, photographs, music, plays, films, and TV, as well as historical and period novels, letters, and journals, are vital and fascinating roads that lead to the same destination: knowledge.

	*Unit & Lesson Plans* Grade 8 Unit Plan-Imagine Independence

		*Academic Papers* *More Precious than Gold: African-Americans in Gold Rush California* *Medicine East to West: The Golden/Dark Ages of Islam and Europe*

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