TAH Summer Institute - Day 1

This past Monday marked the beginning of the TAH summer institute.  With excellent speakers and teacher presentations, it was a fantastic start to what will certainly be a great week!  One of the presentations was particularly compelling.  Professor Jeffery Melnick gave a fascinating presentation on America's Soft Power throughout the world during the 20th century.  This presentation was interesting to an audience of history teachers, but the question remains:  Is there a place in the HS classroom for an in-depth discussion of this topic?  Put another way, is there room for Jamerican Hip Hop in the U.S. History classroom?  After further reflection on Melnick's presentation, I believe the answer is yes.

There is no question that today's history teachers face a real challenge in covering a great amount of content in a short amount of time.  We've all been there.  But within the great breadth of content, we all must be selective about which topics we offer depth to.  I maintain that, given the state of global affairs, the developments of America's Soft Power in the world is a critical topic for today's high school students to understand and discuss.

Professor Melnick offered several ways to teach globalization, glocalization, and the incredibly strong influence that America has over the rest of the world.  One that I really wanted to know more about was his quick reference to the life of a t-shirt.  Fortunately for us, the beginning of the book he was referencing, The Travels of a Tee-Shirt in a Global Economy, is available at google books.  This is a great source that I am confident my students are going to dive into this coming year!  Additionally, Melnicks ideas about researching the globalization of food, sports, tourism, and music (I have a lot of research to do on the Jamaican influences on Hip Hop during the 1970s!) are perfect for discussing this important topic with students.  I know that this is going to be a thought provoking and successful unit with my juniors this year!

Hello and Good-bye

As the final course of TAH History Connected approaches I find some conflicting emotions.  I look back and find that my time with History Connected has deepened my understandings not only of US history, but of my students and my teaching as well.    When I discovered that some of the participants had already spent three years in a previous TAH program I wondered how someone could commit to such a six-year commitment.  But now I find that as my own year three comes to an end, I wish there were more.  Yet I am happy to complete the full scope of History Connected.  The upcoming course ‘The U.S. and the World’ has already got me thinking- and it hasn’t even started yet.  The orientation proved to be both engaging and challenging.  Ann-Marie asked us to post entries based on our current understandings of the importance of events in U.S. history. At first I wasn’t sure I could complete the assignments.  However, I found that I had enough background to actually complete the assignments.  Years ago during the Falkland Islands War, my father, whose parents were British citizens, had a lot to say about the relationship between the US and the UK.  The conversations I had with him at that time came back to my mind and formed the basis for my glossary entry.  That assignment not only helped prepare me for the course- but also helped me remember the things that were important to my Dad.  The idea of “Soft Power” was also interesting to me.  There are some nations that may believe we exert soft power, but I’m pretty sure there are others who think that whenever we exert any power at all it is definitely not soft- given the strength of the US.  I am intrigued to dig deeper into this concept.

On another personal note- wow- Luce’s article made me realize how much Life Magazine really did shape my ide of what American life can and should be like.  When I was a girl, that journal came to my house each week- and I looked through each and every issue- taking its content for granted.  Couldn’t and shouldn’t my life be just like that?  This really gave me food for thought- and I am an American.  What would foreigners assume?  Again, it’s a lot to look forward to as we get into our coursework.  I hope others will agree with me as I say The U.S. and The World looks like it will be the grand finale to the fireworks of History Connected! 

Approaching US & the World in the Classroom

Next week the Summer institute participants of History Connected will gather in Reading to continue our look at US & the World. We will look at different examples of US interaction with world powers and implications of this interaction.

As I plan for next year I like to think about new ways of integrating History Connected into my classroom. Although my district does not have a curriculum where  US and World history is integrated we do have flexibility to alter the existing curriculum to fit our current interests. One activity presented in the Summer institute orientation allows for students to study and "do" US history while thinking about world history.

Timerime.com allows to students to build and create their own timelines based on themes, movements or even places. Within the Summer institute we created a timeline that focuses on US action's that had a direct impact on a world event. By allowing students to research their own events and build their own timelines, students are not only studying history but are also "doing" history and becoming active participants in their learning.

As this school year concluded the Wilmington High School’s September 11th Memorial Committee met for the last time until next school year. This group was inspired by last year’s History Connected Seminar which examined historical memorials. Since then, we have been able to organize a group of students who have volunteered their time and effort to help educate, raise awareness, fundraise and design a 9/11 Memorial for new up and coming high school. Meeting once a week our committee kicked off the year with its first fundraising effort which was a memorial t-shirt which was designed by one of our members. Both Tracey Kassin and I have provided our students with information that we have gained from History Connected in regards to memorial designs and interpretations. As we move forward with this process, our students have been given the opportunity to meet with the architects for our new high school and express their ideas for the memorial. In between meetings with the architects, we were fortunate enough to take a field trip to New York City to Ground Zero with our committee to view it first hand. Not only did this trip allow our students to see the location of the horrific event, but it also gave them inspiration on how to design a memorial of their own. A few weeks later our students met with the architects again and proposed memorial ideas which they themselves had created. After lengthy discussion, the committee as a whole agreed upon two designs for our memorial. The architects spoke with the students and explained how they were planning on trying to create one memorial by combining the two that were chosen by the committee. Unfortunately the building of our high school has been placed on hold, and as a result we have not heard back from the architects. This setback has not slowed down our committee of students. During the last week of school, our students held their last meeting of the school year. At this meeting, we had a guest speaker come to speak with our students about creating memorials. The speaker was a local man who worked on the Town of Wilmington’s War Memorial on the town common which commemorates veterans from World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and the Korean War. H explained to the students about the process involved in creating a memorial and also volunteered his help with the process. Our committee also worked on some new fundraising ideas for next year, as the need for more funds is still very important. Our committee was inspired by the History Connected program and we wanted to keep all of those interested up to date with our progress.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Using Historical Newspapers in the Classroom

New-York Tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, November 24, 1918, Page 4, Image 26. (Image provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC)

Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers serves as a phenomenal resource for teachers and students. This database of American newspapers from includes digitized copies of hundreds of newspapers across the US from 1836-1922. Students can search by state, newspaper, and year. The keyword search, however, is a little tricky because of the abundance of search results, and students will most likely need a bit of guidance to narrow their searches. An archivist friend of mine suggested the importance of “pre-search” to help narrow the searches, enabling students to search for more specific matches. For example, in looking to find stories regarding anticipation and reaction to the Treaty of Versailles, Versailles was too broad of a search. Including dates and names successfully narrowed the results.  

Teachers and students can use this resource in a variety of ways. The History Connected Wiki has several resources to guide students’ inquiry with historical newspapers. One of the documents is a historical newspaper scavenger hunt, which asks students to find examples of different types of advertisements (always a favorite for students --and teachers!), news stories that address the “5W” questions, as well as essential primary source analysis questions regarding source information and bias. Another resource History Connected provides to use alongside Chronicling America is list of writing prompts, including writing to the editor, making a personal diary entry, to comparing the coverage of one news event in two different newspapers. History Connected also has a document from Tennessee State Library and Archives, titled, “Reading Historical Newspaper Articles: A Process” that gives students guiding questions that can apply to most articles.

Using an entire section of a historical newspapers -as opposed to just an article-gives students a sense of historical time and place, as all the surrounding stories and advertisements speak to the culture of the time, and that people, “just like them,” experienced these events with excitement, horror, and wonder. These events were in the headlines before they made it to students’ history books. These events were reality to an older generation, and the experience these resources provide, bring students into that reality.

Lincoln's First Inaugural Address from Different Perspectives

During the school day seminar at the JFK Library we were presented with a lesson plan that viewed JFK's Inaugural Address from a multitude of perspectives. I found this lesson plan to be quite effective because it has students working with the text of a primary source, but by giving each group of students a perspective and some questions to answer based on that perspective it made the text easier to relate to and understand.

I do not not teach US History II so I decided to adapt this lesson plan to help me discuss with my students Lincoln's First Inaugural Address. I teach ninth graders so we did not look at the address in its entirety, but some key excerpts. I had four roles that each member of the class could receive. They are listed below.

Secessionist Profile

You live in South Carolina, a state that has recently seceded from the Union. You feel strongly that the election of Abraham Lincoln threatens your very way of life. You find a copy of his First Inaugural Address in the local newspaper and take care to read it closely.

What is your reaction to the speech? Is there anything in the speech that surprises you? Is Lincoln able to convince you to come back to the Union? Is there anything he says that particularly concerns you?

Unionist Profile

You are a Northerner whose primary concern is the preservation of the Union. You believe slavery is wrong, but if it means keeping the Union together, you are willing to accept it.  You find a copy of his First Inaugural Address in the local newspaper and take care to read it closely.

What is your reaction to the speech? Is there anything in the speech that surprises you? Do you feel reassured that the Union will be preserved?

Slave State that Has Not Seceded Profile

You live in Maryland, a state that relies on slavery, but has not made the decision to secede from the Union. You are nervous about the election of Lincoln and what that means for your way of life, but are not quite ready to completely cut ties with the country you’ve so long been a part of. You find a copy of his First Inaugural Address in the local newspaper and take care to read it closely.

What is your reaction to the speech? Is there anything in the speech that surprises you? Would it sway you to make a choice one way or the other? Is there anything he says that particularly concerns you?

Abolitionist Profile

You are an abolitionist who voted for Lincoln in hopes that it would help end the practice of slavery. You have no toleration for this peculiar institution and think it needs to be ended immediately. You find a copy of his First Inaugural Address in the local newspaper and take care to read it closely.

What is your reaction to the speech? Is there anything in the speech that surprises you? Are you still happy with the candidate you supported in the 1860 election?

After the students were assigned their roles they sat with two other classmates who had the same role as they did and the small group went through the Inaugural Address together. Then all the groups shared out their thoughts on Lincoln's Inaugural Address. The students were able to accurately conclude how this speech would impact a person in their role. I was pleased with how the lesson turned out and by the end of the sharing out period students were able to determine the reasons behind many of the statements made in Lincoln's address. This activity worked with both my honors and my academic level freshmen.

Cafe Conversation: Jefferson and Slavery

For my final project, I did a three day lesson plan about Thomas Jefferson's dual standing as an Enlightenment thinker and a slave owner, and the natural contradictions that come along with it. As part of the project, I created a Cafe Conversation about Jefferson's social circles and what they might have to say about his dual membership. I was inspired to do this from reading Friends of Liberty, and wondering to myself how he could be peer pressured into different stances on slavery depending on who he was surrounded by at that particular moment.

1.     Activity: Café Conversation about Notes on the State of Virginia

a.      Students will assume one of 5 roles: Jefferson himself, an educated free African American, a French Enlightenment thinker, a Southern Plantation owner, and a Virginia Congressman

b.     Read the quotes one at a time, and have students react to them in their characters voice. Opinions will vary about whether whites and blacks can live amongst each other, and whether slavery is harming the soul of America.

c.      One member of the group will take notes to be reported on back to the class at the end of the activity

d.     Have each group select a reporter to explain back to the rest of the class how the discussion went, and what areas of common ground, and what areas of difference arose

Rationale for a cafe conversation: 

Understanding the past requires students to develop an awareness of different perspectives. The Café Conversation teaching strategy helps students practice perspective-taking by requiring students to represent a particular point-of-view in a small group discussion.  During a conversation with people representing other backgrounds and experiences, students become more aware of the role many factors play (i.e. social class, occupation, gender, age, etc) in terms of shaping one’s attitudes and perspectives on historical events. Café Conversations can be used as an assessment tool or can prepare students to write an essay about a specific historical event.

Roles:

1.     Thomas Jefferson

a.      Jefferson was born into an elite class of slave owners in Virginia

b.     2^nd largest slave owner in Albermarle County, Virginia

c.      Benefitted financially from slavery

d.     Acknowledged views of African racial inferiority

e.      Authored Declaration of Independence

f.       Considers himself an Enlightenment thinker despite owning slaves

2.     Educated Free African American

a.      Born into slavery in Virginia, escaped to Boston, Massachusetts

b.     Taught to read and write by abolitionist society

c.      Published author in local abolitionist newspapers

d.     In favor of racial integration, equal rights

3.     French Enlightenment Thinker

a.      Born in Paris, well versed in schools of thought from John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau

b.     Frequent participant in anti-slavery discussions at local cafes and salons

c.      Fan of Jefferson’s work, but confused about his slave ownership

d.     Against idea of racial inferiority, but does not want French citizens to compete with freed slaves for jobs

4.     Southern Plantation Owner

a.      Born into elite class of slave owners in Virginia

b.     Economically dependent on slavery

c.      Acknowledged views of African racial inferiority

d.     Concerned about Jefferson’s wording in the Constitution of Virginia about the freedom of all men

5.     Virginia Congressman

a.      Born poor, but through small cotton farm, built way up to wealth and prominence

b.     US Congressman from Virginia

c.      Thinks that Jefferson would have lost election of 1800 if not for the slave holder’s vote

d.     Willing to vote down any measure that would ban or limit slavery. Unwilling to compromise that position