Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2011

Date Published
Image
Photo, Princess of Hawaii Kaiulani, c.1893, E. Chickering, Library of Congress
Photo, Princess of Hawaii Kaiulani, c.1893, E. Chickering, Library of Congress
Photo, Princess of Hawaii Kaiulani, c.1893, E. Chickering, Library of Congress
Article Body

In 1992, Congress passed Public Law 102.42, permanently designating May as Asian Pacific American Month. Just as with other heritage months, May is barely enough time to scratch the surface of the many strands of history the month memorializes. In May 2009, Teachinghistory.org suggested some places to start digging. Continue to dig this year, with more suggestions.

Japanese Americans and World War II

Modern history textbooks now recognize the internment of Japanese Americans in prison camps during World War II, and its violation of the U.S. understanding of citizenship has increasingly become a core strand in narratives about the war. Digital archives offer rich collections of primary sources related to the internments. Many of these sources feature children, making them a natural choice for drawing students into the story of history. Others focus on law, press, and the choices adults made both during and after the internment years.

  • Students describe their own experiences of internment in the University of Arkansas's Land of (Un)Equal Opportunity. World War II-era high-school students' essays, poems, and other documents record the thoughts of modern students' historical peers.
  • Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project's archives preserve more than 900 hours of oral history interviews on Japanese American experiences, as well as 10,830 photographs, documents, and newspapers. Browsing them by topic reveals sources on little-covered aspects of the World War II era, such as the experiences of Japanese Hawaiians.
Chinese Americans

Photo, Manpower. Boatyard workers, Jul. 1942, Howard R. Hollem, LoC The lives and experiences of all groups in the U.S. overlap and intertwine with each other, and no group's history exists in isolation. Japanese American history didn't begin and end with World War II, nor did it exist in a vacuum. Enter the keywords "registration certificate 1942" into the search box at the Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive for a primary source that captures the complicated nature of identity, perception, and categorization in U.S. history. Remember that Chinese and Japanese Americans are not the only groups represented by this artifact—consider what groups' views motivated the creation of this source.

Filipino Americans

Groups within the U.S. have often banded together based on shared identities to push for change. The Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project tells the story of Filipino Americans and unionism in the Seattle canning industry.

Korean Americans

World War II, the Korean War, and the whole span of U.S. international history and involvement (and lack of involvement) can shift when seen from different perspectives. The University of Southern California's Korean American Digital Archive includes photographs and documents related to international events—and to daily life.

Hawaiians

Photo, Princess of Hawaii Kaiulani, c.1893, E. Chickering, Library of CongressBoth a Pacific Island and a U.S. state, Hawaii has a unique position for Asian Pacific American Month. Many different cultures come together here, including Native Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, among others, and it is one of only four states where non-Hispanic whites do not form the majority. Sources on the history of many of these groups can be found in the digital archives of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

More Resources

These resources touch on only a scattering of the many Asian American and Pacific American groups represented in the history of the U.S.—and only a scattering of the resources available to teachers. Comment and tell us what you use to teach Asian Pacific American history this month—and the rest of the year. What books, lesson plans, films, primary sources, and other materials have their place in your classroom and curriculum?

Jennifer Orr on Teaching Failure

Date Published
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photography, an unwitting victim, 8 Jan 2010, Flickr CC
Article Body

Human beings are not perfect. That seems fairly obvious as we see examples of it every day. I prove it to myself quite regularly.

In spite of that, we teach many famous people as if they were flawless. There are several problems with this approach. For one, not only does this give students an incomplete, inaccurate view of those who helped shape our history, it also sets our students up to avoid academic risks. In addition, it suggests that failure or struggles are negative rather than opportunities to grow and learn.

Suggesting that only perfect human beings can change the world or make a difference, means students will never see these possibilities for themselves.

No one in history has achieved greatness without some struggles along the way. Walt Disney declared bankruptcy on the way to success with Disney Studios. Upon Thomas Jefferson’s death his estate was saddled with debt. Winston Churchill’s career is a study in trying again after failing to achieve. If we only teach students about the achievements and successes in the lives of these individuals we create a picture that is inaccurate.

Suggesting that only perfect human beings can change the world or make a difference means students will never see these possibilities for themselves. Knowing that Abraham Lincoln lost about as many elections as he won shows students that failure is a part of life and not a dead end. If they only learn of Lincoln’s childhood determination for education and his eventual presidency they see a man who is too perfect and therefore cannot serve as a role model for their lives.

In fact, failures are often necessary steps on the way to a future success. Thomas Edison saw all his failed attempts as simply pieces of his eventual achievement. Each failure taught him something new. Fearing failure and seeing it as negative make taking risks something to be avoided. Students should see failures as something to celebrate and learn from. As it stands now, unfortunately, we look at failures as shameful and things to be avoided at all costs.

In fact, failures are often necessary steps on the way to a future success.

We should be presenting historical figures to students in accurate, complete ways. We should be encouraging them to take risks as learners. We should be helping them grow through their struggles and failures rather than avoiding them. This will require significant changes in how teachers approach lessons and students, but history is one area in which we can easily begin.

Many resources available for teaching young children about historical figures present those individuals without any flaws. Teaching a more complete picture falls on us. My class often creates data retrieval charts about famous figures we study. Typically we include the person’s name, dates of birth and death, contributions to our country, and interesting facts. Adding a column about challenges is one way to help students explore historical figures more fully.

Having these ideas in black and white in front of us also allows us to discuss why those challenges or failures might have been important in an individual’s life. Students make connections to their own lives when they talk and explore a historical figure’s contributions and challenges. It allows them to see themselves in our country’s history and to envision their future in powerful new ways.

For more information

What historical figures come to mind for teaching about failure? Scientists and inventors often make mistakes or take wrong turns in their quests for success. Sometimes those failures lead to new discoveries!

Check out our Website Reviews for resources on innovators from Alexander Graham Bell to Barbara McClintock.

What about authors who wrote for years before being published, or politicians who lost elections only to try again? Failure was part of the lives of all historical figures, even the most successful.

Minnesota: 3rd-Grade Standards

Article Body

In grade three, students expand and deepen their knowledge in the four social studies disciplines of citizenship and government, economics, geography and history. By applying basic concepts in each discipline to complex communities and environments near and far, students begin to understand the social, economic, geographic and political aspects of life in the world beyond our state and nation. They create and interpret simple maps, using them to understand the physical and human characteristics of places around the world, from one’s neighborhood to vast regions of the earth. As students examine the world of long ago through historical records, maps and artifacts, they discover how geographic factors, technology, and individual and group actions have shaped history. Students practice weighing the costs and benefits in making decisions, and examine the economic forces that influence interactions among individuals in a community. They further explore the civic relationship between an individual and the community in the United States in which he or she lives, the three branches of government, and the functions and funding of government.

Social Studies Strand 1: Citizenship & Government

Substrand 1: Civic Skills

  • 1. Democratic government depends on informed and engaged citizens who exhibit civic skills and values, practice civic discourse, vote and participate in elections, apply inquiry and analysis skills, and take action to solve problems and shape public policy.
    • 3.1.1.1.1 Identify ways people make a difference in the civic life of their communities, state, nation, or world by working as individuals or groups to address a specific problem or need.

      • For Example:
      Ways to make a difference—pick up trash in park, vote, help make class decisions, write a letter, make phone calls, create an advertisement or web page, attend a meeting.

Substrand 2: Civic Values and Principles of Democracy

  • 3. The United States is based on democratic values and principles that include liberty, individual rights, justice, equality, the rule of law, limited government, common good, popular sovereignty, majority rule and minority rights.
    • 3.1.2.3.1 Explain the importance of civic discourse (including speaking, listening, voting and respecting diverse viewpoints) and the principles of majority rule and minority rights.

      • For Example:
      Majority rule and minority rights can be demonstrated through a class vote on a class snack when two students have peanut allergies.

Substrand 4: Governmental Institutions and Political Processes

  • 7. The United States government has specifiv functions that are determined by the way that power is delegated and controlled among various bodies—the three leves (federal, state, local) and the three branches (legislative, executive, judicial)—of government.
    • 3.1.4.7.1 Describe the importance of the services provided by government; explain that they are funded through taxes and fees.

      • For Example:
      Services—chools, parks, garbage and recycling (pick-up), street lighting, police protection, roads (plowing, maintenance), interstate waterway navigation, postal service.

    • 3.1.4.7.2 Identify the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) and their primary functions.

      • For example:
      Primary functions—legislative branch makes laws, executive branch carries out laws, judicial branch decides if laws are broken.

Social Studies Strand 2: Economics

Substrand 1: Economic Reasoning Skills

  • 1. People make informed economic choices by identifying their goals, interpreting and applying data, considering the short- and long-run costs and benefits of alternative choices and revising their goals based on their analysis.
    • 3.2.1.1.1 Identify possible short-and long-term consequences (costs and benefits) of different choices.

      • For Example:
      Choices might relate to personal spending or government spending.

Substrand 2: Personal Finance

  • 2.Personal and financial goals can be achieved by applying economic concepts and principles to personal financial planning, budgeting, spending, saving, investing, borrowing and insuring decisions.
    • 3.2.2.2.1 Describe income as the money earned from selling resources and expenditures as the money used to buy goods and services.

      • For example:
      Income—a student being paid a $4 allowance for doing chores, a student’s parent being paid money for working at his or her job.
      Expenditures—a student spending $3 for a sandwich, a student’s parent spending $20 for gasoline.

Substrand 3: Fundamental Concepts

  • 5. Individuals, businesses, and governments interact and exchange goods, services, and resources in different ways and for different reasons; interactions between buyers and sellers in a market determines the price and quantity exchanged of a good, service, or resource.
    • 3.2.3.5.1 Explain that producing any good or service requires resources; describe the resources needed to produce a specific good or service; explain why it is not possible to produce an unlimited amount of a good or service.

      • For Example:
      Contemporary examples—Producing bread requires wheat (natural resource), an oven (capital resource), a baker (human resource); producing a haircut requires water (natural resource), scissors or clippers (capital resource), a barber (human resource).
      Historical examples—Building a pyramid requires bricks made from mud and straw (natural resources), carts (capital resources), and workers (human resources); making a dugout canoe requires trees (natural resource), an axe (capital resource), and skilled workers (human resource)

    • 3.2.3.5.2 Explain that consumers have two roles—as sellers of resources and buyers of goods and services; explain that producers have two roles—as sellers of goods and services and buyers of resources.

      • For example:
      Consumers—parents work (sell their human resource services) so they can buy food, gasoline, electricity.
      Producers—a business sells refrigerators and pays for the resources (raw materials, workers, and machines) required to produce the refrigerators.

Social Studies Strand 3: Geography

Substrand 1: Geospatial Skills

  • 1. People use geographic representations and geospatial technologies to acquire, process, and report information within a spatial context.
    • 3.3.1.1.1 Use maps and concepts of location (relative location words and cardinal and intermediate directions) to describe places in one’s community, the state of Minnesota, the United States or the world.

      • For example:
      Relative location words—close to, above, bordering.
      Description using relative location words—"Our school is across from the post office."
      Description using cardinal directions—"Mexico is south of the United States."
      Description using intermediate directions—“Hawaii is southwest of the continental United States.”

    • 3.3.1.1.2 Create and interpret simple maps of places around the world, local to global; incorporate the "TODALS" map basics, as well as points, lines and colored areas to display spatial information.

      • For Example:
      Global places—country, continent, ocean.
      "TODALS" map basics—title, orientation, date, author, legend (key), and scale.
      Local places—city, village.
      Spatial information—cities, roads, boundaries, bodies of water, regions.

Substrand 3: Human Systems

  • 6. Geographic factors influence the distribution, functions, growth and patterns of cities and human settlements.
    • 3.3.3.6.1 Identify landforms and patterns in population; explain why human populations are unevenly distributed around the world.

      • For Example:
      Mountainous and arid places tend to have less population than coastal places.

  • 8. Processes of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of the earth’s surface.
      • 3.3.3.8.1 Identify physical and human features that act as boundaries or dividers; give examples of situations or reasons why people have made or used boundaries.

        • For example:
        Physical features—mountains, rivers, bodies of water.
        Human-made features—fences, hedges, political boundaries.

    • Social Studies Strand 4: History

    Substrand 1: Historical Thinking Skills

    • 1. Historians generally construct chronological narratives to characterize eras and explain past events and change over time.
      • 3.4.1.1.1 Reference different time periods using correct terminology, including the terms decade, century and millennium.
      • 3.4.1.1.2 Create timelines of important events in three different time scales—decades, centuries and millennia.
    • 2. Historical inquiry is a process in which multiple sources and different kinds of historical evidence are analyzed to draw conclusions about how and why things happened in the past.
      • 3.4.1.2.1 Examine historical records, maps and artifacts to answer basic questions about times and events in history, both ancient and more recent.

        • For example:
        Historical records—photos, oral histories, diaries or journals, textbooks, library books.
        Artifacts—art, pottery, baskets, jewelry, tools.
        Basic historical questions—What happened? When did it happen? Who was involved? How and why did it happen? How do we know what happened? What effect did it have?

      • 3.4.1.2.2 Compare and contrast two different accounts of an event.

        • For Example:
        Event—a playground conflict, current event, historic event.

      • 3.4.1.2.3 Compare and contrast various ways that different cultures have expressed concepts of time and space.

        • For Example:
        Calendar systems—Sun dial, Chinese, Hindu, Mayan or Aztec, Hebrew and Islamic calendars, Dakota or Anishinaabe seasonal cycles.
        Visual representations of location and spatial information—Chinese "Jingban Tianwen Quantu" map, Ptolemic maps, Islamic maps by Muhammad al-Idrisi, Polynesian stick and reed maps.

  • 3. Historical events have multiple causes and can lead to varied and unintended outcomes.
      • 3.4.1.3.1 Explain how an invention of the past changed life at that time, including positive, negative and unintended outcomes.
        For Example:
        Inventions—Roman aqueducts, Chinese compass, cuneiform.

    • Substrand 2: Peoples, Cultures and Change Over Time

    • 5. History is made by individuals acting alone and collectively to address problems in their communities, state, nation and world.
      • 3.4.2.5.1 Identify examples of individuals or groups who have had an impact on world history; explain how their actions helped shape the world around them.

        • For Example:
        Individuals—Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Chinggis Khan, Kemal Ataturk, Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Vang Pao, Muhammad Yunus, Aung San Suu Kyi. Groups might include ethnic or cultural groups, religious groups, political groups.

    Substrand 3: World History

    • 7. The emergence of domestication and agriculture facilitated the development of complex societies and caused far-reaching social and cultural effects. (Early Civilizations and the Emergence of Pastoral Peoples: 8000 BCE2000 BCE).
      • 3.4.3.7.1 Explain how the environment influenced the settlement of ancient peoples in three different regions of the world. (Early Civilizations and the Emergence of Pastoral Peoples: 8000 BCE-2000 BCE).

        • For Example:
        Civilizations from the Mediterranean region—Nile River Valley.
        Civilizations from Asia—Sumer (Iraq), Indus Valley, Yellow River Valley.
        Civilizations from the Americas—Norte Chico/Supe Valley (Peru).

  • 8. The development of interregional systems of communication and trade facilitated new forms of social organization and new belief systems. (Classical Traditions, Belief Systems and Giant Empires: 2000 BCE-600 CE).
      • 3.4.3.8.1 Identify methods of communication used by peoples living in ancient times in three different regions of the world. (Classical Traditions, Belief Systems and Giant Empires: 2000 BCE-600 CE).

        • For example:
        Methods of communication—signal fires on the Great Wall of China, Peruvian Quipu, hieroglyphics. Other regions of the world might include Syria (city of Urkesh), northeastern Africa (Kingdom of Kush), Turkey (Assyrian Empire).

  • 9. Hemispheric networks intensified as a result of innovations in agriculture, trade across longer distances, the consolidation of belief systems and the development of new multi-ethnic empires while diseases and climate change caused sharp, periodic fluctuations in global population. (Post-Classical and Medieval Civilizations and Expanding Zones of Exchange: 600 CE – 1450 CE).
      • 3.4.3.9.1 Compare and contrast daily life for people living in ancient times in at least three different regions of the world. (Post-Classical and Medieval Civilizations and Expanding Zones of Exchange: 600 CE – 1450 CE)

        • For Example:
        Civilizations from the Mediterranean region—Greece, Rome, Egypt.
        Civilizations from Asia—Mauryan Empire from India; Han or Qin from China.
        Civilizations from the Americas—Inca, Aztec.
        Civilizations from Africa—Aksum, Great Zimbabwe.

    • West Virginia: 3rd-Grade Standards

    Article Body

    Third grade Social Studies presents a study of the broader community to introduce state and nation. Students explain community changes due to technology, human interaction with the environment and the movement of people. Students practice citizenship in the school and community and study government at local, state and national levels. The basic economic concepts of supply and demand, taxation and budgeting within the context of the community will be introduced. The objectives for elementary West Virginia Social Studies may be integrated throughout the K-4 curriculum. The West Virginia Standards for 21st Century Learning include the following components: 21st Century Content Standards and Objectives and 21st Century Learning Skills and Technology Tools. All West Virginia teachers are responsible for classroom instruction that integrates learning skills, technology tools and content standards and objectives.

    Social Studies Standard 1: Citizenship

    SS.S.03.01/Students will:

    • characterize and model good citizenship by building social networks of reciprocity and trustworthiness (Civic Dispositions).
    • model a respect of symbols, ideas and concepts of the United States and analyze the roles of significant individuals (Respect for People, Events, and Symbols).
    • develop and employ the civic skills necessary for effective citizenship by using criteria to make judgments, arrive at and defend positions and evaluate the validity of the positions or data (Evaluation Skills).
    • develop the participatory skills of interacting, monitoring and influencing that are essential for informed, effective and responsible citizenship, including participation in civic life to shape public policy (Participatory Skills).
    • recognize and communicate the responsibilities, privileges and rights of United States citizens (Civic Life).
    • SS.PD.3.1/Performance Descriptors
      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • name acts of good citizenship in various locations and practice principles of honesty, fairness, and justice
        • name groups that work together in the community
        • discuss what a volunteer program is and work to accomplish its goals
        • name patriotic symbols, holidays, and famous people
        • read about examples of the common good and the importance of respect for and protection of minorities

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • recognize the importance of good citizenship in various locations and practice principles of honesty, fairness, and justice
        • identify groups that work in community and research their goals
        • name a volunteer program, and work to accomplish its goals
        • match patriotic symbols, holidays, and famous people to their meanings
        • study examples of the common good and state the importance of respect for and protection of minorities

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • describe and model good citizenship in various locations and practice principles of honesty, fairness, and justice
        • examine the impact that groups can make in a community by working together
        • choose a volunteer program, and work to accomplish its goals
        • explain the significance of patriotic symbols, holidays, and famous people
        • identify examples of the common good and recognize the importance of respect for and protection of minorities

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • explain why you choose to be a good citizen and practice principles of honesty, fairness, and justice
        • research community groups, find their goals, and explain how they make the community better
        • choose a volunteer program and take on a leadership role to accomplish its goals
        • research and explain the significance of patriotic symbols, holidays, and famous people
        • examine examples of the common good and explain the importance of respect for and protection of minorities

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • explain what happens when people choose not to be good citizens and practice principles of honesty, fairness, and justice
        • analyze the impact specific groups make in a community by working together and determine the value of their work
        • create a volunteer program, and lead it to accomplish its goals
        • analyze the significance of patriotic symbols, holidays, and famous people and order them by relative importance
        • analyze specific examples of the common good and explain the importance of respect for and protection of minorities

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.03.01.01: identify and practice principles of honesty, fairness and justice in experiences at home, school and in the community.
      • SS.O.03.01.02: describe and model the personal and civic responsibilities of good citizenship in the classroom, school and community.
      • SS.O.03.01.03: explain the significance of patriotic symbols, holidays, celebrations and famous people.
      • SS.O.03.01.04: recognize the importance of respect and protection of minorities.
      • SS.O.03.01.05: give examples of how people working together can accomplish goals that individuals working alone cannot.
      • SS.O.03.01.06: examine the impact that groups can make in a community.
      • SS.O.03.01.07: identify examples of concepts of the common good (what is best for the most people).
      • SS.O.03.01.08: choose a volunteer program and work independently and cooperatively to accomplish its goals.

    Social Studies Standard 2: Civics/Government

    SS.S.03.02 / Students will:

    • examine and analyze the purposes and basic principles of the United States government (Purposes of Government).
    • outline and evaluate and analyze the origins and meaning of the principles, ideals and core democratic values expressed in the foundational documents of the United States (Ideals of United States Democracy).
    • examine and distinguish the structure, function and responsibilities of governments and the allocation of power at the local, state and national levels (United States Government and Politics).
    • analyze how the world is organized politically and compare the role and relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs (United States Government and World Affairs).
    • SS.PD.3.2 / Performance Descriptors
      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • state that government is important
        • find examples of rules and laws
        • define the three levels of government
        • participate in classroom voting to practice majority rule
        • state that citizens in the United States share certain beliefs

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • give reason for the importance of government in different settings
        • use a checklist to evaluate rules and laws
        • match the three levels of government and their responsibilities
        • define and practice majority rule in the classroom
        • list commonly held principles and beliefs that unite citizens

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • evaluate the importance of government in different settings
        • apply criteria to evaluate rules and laws
        • identify the three levels of government and their responsibilities
        • define and give examples of majority rule
        • explain how commonly held principles and beliefs unite citizens

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • prioritize the importance of government in different settings
        • choose and use criteria to evaluate rules and laws
        • differentiate among the three levels of government and their responsibilities
        • compare/contrast majority rule and other political systems
        • evaluate how commonly held principles and beliefs unite citizens

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • debate the importance of government in different settings
        • develop criteria to evaluate rules and laws
        • categorize the responsibilities of members of the three levels of government
        • defend the importance of majority rule in a democracy
        • evaluate how commonly held principles and beliefs unite citizens and protect them

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.03.02.01: evaluate the importance of government in the classroom, school, community and state.
      • SS.O.03.02.02: explain that citizens are united by commonly held principles and beliefs.
      • SS.O.03.02.03: identify the three levels (local, state, federal) of government and the responsibilities of each level.
      • SS.O.03.02.04: define major rule and give examples of that concept in a democracy.
      • SS.O.03.02.05: apply criteria in evaluating rules and laws (e.g., strengths and weaknesses, design and purpose, enforcement, bias).

    Social Studies Standard 3: Economics

    SS.S.03.03 / Students will:

    • analyze the role of economic choices in scarcity, supply and demand, resource allocation, decision-making, voluntary exchange and trade-offs (Choices).
    • research, critique and evaluate the roles of private and public institutions in the economy (Institutions).
    • compare and contrast various economic systems and analyze their impact on individual citizens (Economic Systems).
    • illustrate how the factors of production impact the United States economic systems (Factors of Production).
    • analyze the elements of competition and how they impact the economy (Competition).
    • examine and evaluate the interdependence of global economies (Global Economics).
    • SS.PD.3.3 / Performance Descriptors
      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • define scarcity and supply and demand and sequence pictures that illustrate the path from raw material to finished product
        • find examples of advertising and discuss product demand
        • look at budgets and read about how banks work
        • read graphs that explain economic concepts
        • state that different occupations are paid differently
        • find examples of taxes and services

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • give examples of scarcity and the concept of supply and demand and trace the path from raw material to finished product
        • discuss and illustrate how increases in advertising affect product demand
        • discuss why budgeting is important and how banks work
        • use graphics to explain economic concepts
        • discuss occupations and how higher salaries influence spending
        • discuss the relationship between taxes and services

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • characterize scarcity and illustrate the concept of supply and demand and the path from raw material to finished product
        • correlate increases in advertising and product demand
        • explain why budgeting is important and how banks work
        • construct and use graphics to explain economic concepts
        • compare/contrast occupations and their economic impact
        • analyze the relationship between taxes and services

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • explain how scarcity occurs and differentiate between the concepts of supply and demand and analyze the path from raw material to finished product when disruptions occur
        • analyze increases in advertising and other factors that increase product demand
        • analyze why budgeting is important and how banks work
        • determine the best graphics to construct and use to compare and contrast economic concepts
        • compare/ contrast occupations and illustrate their influence on the economy
        • analyze and illustrate relationship between taxes and services

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • research and develop models that characterize scarcity, develop a marketing plan to illustrate the concept of supply and demand, and create a model to show raw material to finished product
        • create an advertisement that would increase demand for a sample product
        • prepare sample budgets and analyze the importance of banks
        • analyze economic trends and construct graphics to explain them
        • analyze how occupations influence the economy
        • prioritize the services to provide with available taxes

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.03.03.01:characterize the concept of scarcity by citing examples of limited supplies and scarce resources.
      • SS.O.03.03.02: explain why budgeting is an important life skill.
      • SS.O.03.03.03: illustrate the basic concept of supply and demand.
      • SS.O.03.03.04: compare and contrast various occupations and their economic impact.
      • SS.O.03.03.05: summarize how banks serve as intermediaries between savers and borrowers.
      • SS.O.03.03.06: analyze the relationship between government taxation and the provision of public services (e.g., policemen, firemen, teacher, libraries, and public schools).
      • SS.O.03.03.07: illustrate the path of a product from the raw material to the final product (e.g., cotton to sweater, coal to electricity).
      • SS.O.03.03.08: correlate competition for products with increases in advertising.
      • SS.O.03.03.09: construct and interpret graphs, charts, maps and other data sources to illustrate the use of resources, the demand for products and the supply of goods and services.

    Social Studies Standard 4: Geography

    SS.S.03.04 / Students will:

    • interpret and choose maps, globes and other geographic tools to categorize and organize information about personal directions, people, places, and environments (The World in Spatial Terms).
    • examine the physical and human characteristics of place and explain how the lives of people are rooted in places and regions (Places and Regions).
    • analyze the physical processes that shape the earth's surface and create, sustain and modify the cultural and natural environment (Physical Systems).
    • analyze and illustrate how the earth is shaped by the movement of people and their activities (Human Systems).
    • analyze the interaction of society with the environment (Environment and Society).
    • point out geographic perspective and tools and assess techniques available for geographic study (Uses of Geography).
    • SS.PD.3.4 / Performance Descriptors
      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • use basic maps and graphics
        • locate the equator and poles, on a map
        • locate WV and surrounding states
        • match pictures of geographic feature and definitions and state that people’s lifestyles and environments differ
        • state that people are affected by the environment
        • match pictures of jobs with environmental and state that the environment needs to be clean

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • construct, use and use basic maps and graphics
        • locate borders, equator, poles, and time zones on a map
        • locate the states of the United States
        • identify geographic features and discuss environments and people’s lifestyles
        • give examples of how people affect and are affected by elements of the environment
        • give examples of how people make a living from the environment and how they can keep it clean

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • construct, use, and interpret basic map elements and graphics
        • locate borders, longitude and latitude lines, equator, poles, and time zones on a map
        • locate the states and capitals of the United States
        • recognize geographic features and compare/contrast people’s environments and lifestyles
        • relate how people affect and are affected by elements of the environment
        • describe how people make a living from the environment and how they can keep it clean

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • construct, use, compare/ contrast and interpret multiple map elements and graphics
        • use borders, longitude and latitude lines, and time zones to find specific locations
        • locate the states and capitals of the United States and discuss the regions
        • recognize geographic features, discuss their impact on people and draw conclusions about the affect of the environment on people’s lifestyles
        • analyze how people affect and are affected by elements of the environment
        • analyze how people make a living from the environment and how they can keep it clean

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • construct, use, interpret and draw conclusions based on multiple maps and graphics
        • use borders, longitude and latitude lines, poles, and time zones on a map to describe relative location
        • compare/contrast states in the United States based on their location
        • evaluate how geographic features influence people’s lives and analyze how changes in the environment will affect people’s lifestyles
        • summarize the elements of the environment and their effect on people and how people try to change the environment
        • develop programs that help people make a living from the environment and still keep it clean

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.03.04.01: construct and use the basic elements of maps and globes (e.g., title, legend, cardinal directions, scale, grid, parallels, meridians).
      • SS.O.03.04.02: locate north, south, east, west, borders, lines of longitude and latitude, equator, north and south poles and time zones using a map.
      • SS.O.03.04.03: recognize world geographic features (e.g., peninsulas, islands, continents, straits, mountains, rivers, deserts, oceans, seas, harbors, gulfs, forests, oases).
      • SS.O.03.04.04: name and locate states and capitals of the United States.
      • SS.O.03.04.05: compare and contrast climate, weather and location with regard to people’s clothing, food, shelter and jobs.
      • SS.O.03.04.06: relate how people affect and are affected by the various elements of the environment (e.g., water, soil, weather, climate, topography).
      • SS.O.03.04.07: describe how people in the community make their living from the environment and give examples of activities that individuals can do to keep the environment clean.
      • SS.O.03.04.08: construct and interpret data from various types of maps, globes, charts, graphs and timelines (e.g., population, products, climate).

    Social Studies Standard 5: History

    SS.S.03.05 / Students will:

    • organize, analyze and compare historical events, distinguish cause-effect relationships, theorize alternative actions and outcomes, and anticipate future application (Chronology).
    • use the processes and resources of historical inquiry to develop appropriate questions, gather and examine evidence, compare, analyze and interpret historical data (Skills and Application).
    • examine, analyze and synthesize historical knowledge of major events, individuals, cultures and the humanities in West Virginia, the United States, and the world (Culture and Humanities).
    • use historical knowledge to analyze local, state, national and global interdependence (Interpretation and Evaluation).
    • examine political institutions and theories that have developed and changed over time; and research and cite reasons for development and change (Political Institutions).
    • SS.PD.3.5 / Performance Descriptors
      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • read about and report on major events, people, and their contributions to the U.S.A. , look at artifacts, pictures
        • use primary sources to learn about the settlement of an area and sequence pictures of the area
        • read about present cultures and those of other periods
        • state that respect for diversity is important
        • listen to discussions of current events

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • research, discuss, and report on major events, people, and their contributions to the U.S.A. by using artifacts, pictures, and differing accounts
        • use primary sources to read and discuss settlement of an area and arrange items on timelines and explain them
        • compare present cultures to those another period
        • realize that the respect for diversity is important
        • discuss current events

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • research, discuss, make inferences, and report on the significance of major events, people, and their contributions to the U.S.A. by analyzing artifacts, pictures, and differing accounts
        • use primary sources to research the settlement of an area and prepare timelines and reports
        • compare/contrast present cultures to those of other periods
        • explain the importance of respect for diversity
        • discuss and draw conclusions about current events

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • research, and choose the best sources to explain the significance of major events, people, and their contributions to the U.S.A. by comparing and contrasting artifacts, pictures, and differing accounts
        • choose primary sources to use to research the settlement of an area and prepare timelines and reports
        • research, compare/contrast present cultures and cultures of other periods
        • explain and give examples of the benefits of diversity
        • discuss current events and predict possible effects on future events

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • research and analyze the significance of major events, people, and their contributions to the U.S.A. by using artifacts, pictures, and explain the implications that make these significant in your research
        • evaluate the value of and use primary sources to research the settlement of an area and prepare timelines and reports
        • analyze present cultures and those of other periods to discover causes of differences
        • analyze the benefits of diversity
        • compare current events to past events and discuss their relationship to future events

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.03.05.01: discuss the historical significance of major events, people and their contributions to the United States (e.g., Pilgrims, George Washington, American Revolution, Abe Lincoln, Civil War, Columbus, Native Americans, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr.).
      • SS.O.03.05.02: research the settlement of a community/region and construct a timeline representing the settlement of a community/region using primary sources (e.g. publications, maps, journals, letters, etc.)
      • SS.O.03.05.03: compare and contrast present cultures to the cultures of people of other historical time periods (e.g., source of food, clothing, shelter, products used).
      • SS.O.03.05.04: make historical inferences by analyzing artifacts and pictures.
      • SS.O.03.05.05: discuss and draw conclusions about current events.
      • SS.O.03.05.06: research the lives of famous Americans, customs and traditions using various forms of literature (e.g., presidents, inventors, explorers, civil rights leaders, artists, writers).
      • SS.O.03.05.07: explain the importance of respect for diversity in the heritage, culture, ideas and opinions of others.
      • SS.O.03.05.08: compare and contrast different stories or accounts about past events, people, places or situations and identify how they contribute to our understanding of the past.
      • SS.O.03.05.09: discuss and sequentially organize a series of pictures that reflect historic change (e.g., transportation, technology, agriculture, events in history).
      • SS.O.03.05.10: organize information from various reference sources to prepare short reports and presentations.

    Social Studies Standard 6: Reading

    SS.S.03.06 / Students will:

    • use the five reading components (phonemic awareness, phonics, background knowledge/vocabulary, high frequency word/fluency, comprehension and writing) in their acquisition of social studies knowledge, insuring a foundation of college readiness in this genre.
    • recognize main ideas and supporting details to locate basic facts (e.g., names, dates, events).
    • distinguish relationships among people, ideas, and events.
    • recognize cause-effect relationships in content passages.
    • outline sequences of events.
    • summarize events and ideas. Infer main idea or purpose of content.
    • draw generalizations and conclusions about people, ideas, and events.
    • write and edit organized texts of various genres to insure that information is clearly understood.

    Note: By the completion of fourth grade, West Virginia students are also expected to master the following standards.

    Elementary West Virginia Studies explore historic, geographic, economic and civic concepts. These objectives shall be appropriately integrated into the kindergarten—fourth grade curriculum. Teachers introduce students to geographic places and regions. The relationship among geographic settlement patterns and economic development of West Virginia will be examined in this course. Students participate in a variety of activities enabling them to identify research and discuss the cultural heritage of the various groups who settled West Virginia. The course content reflects West Virginia’s unique characteristics as well as its national and global relationships. The West Virginia Standards for 21st Century Learning include the following components: 21st Century Content Standards and Objectives and 21st Century Learning Skills and Technology Tools. All West Virginia teachers are responsible for classroom instruction that integrates learning skills, technology tools and content standards and objectives.

    Social Studies Standard 1: Citizenship

    SS.S.WV.1 / Students will:

    • characterize and model good citizenship by building social networks of reciprocity and trustworthiness (Civic Dispositions).
    • model a respect of symbols, ideas and concepts of the United States and analyze the roles of significant individuals (Respect for People, Events, and Symbols).
    • develop and employ the civic skills necessary for effective citizenship by using criteria to make judgments, arrive at and defend positions and evaluate the validity of the positions of data (Evaluation Skills).
    • develop the participatory skills of interacting, monitoring and influencing that are essential for informed, effective and responsible citizenship, including participation in civic life to shape public policy (Participatory Skills).
    • recognize and communicate the responsibilities, privileges and rights of United States citizens (Civic Life).
    • SS.PD.WV.1 / Performance Descriptors
      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • list examples of civic responsibility;
        • give an example of volunteering locally; and
        • define good citizenship.

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • give examples for civic responsibilities, privileges, and rights;
        • identify a local problem define volunteerism;
        • discuss behavior that demonstrates good citizenship.

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • categorize and give examples of civic responsibilities, privileges, and rights;
        • propose solutions to a local problem volunteer to help;
        • model behavior that demonstrates good citizenship.

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • explain the importance of civic responsibilities, privileges and rights;
        • research local problems, choose one, and propose a solution;
        • defend reasons for being a good citizen.

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • summarize the differences between civic responsibilities, privileges, and rights;
        • choose a local problem and develop a plan to implement a solution;
        • assess characteristics of good citizenship.

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.WV.1.1: explain various civic responsibilities, privileges and rights (e.g., the act of voting as a West Virginia citizen).
      • SS.O.WV.1.2: propose solutions and investigate opportunities for public volunteerism concerning a local problem.
      • SS.O.K.1.3: model the behavior that shows how students are citizens of their classroom, community, state, and nation.
      • SS.O.K.1.4: take and defend a position as to why fulfilling one’s civic responsibility is important.

    Social Studies Standard 2: Civics/Government

    SS.S.WV.2 / Students will:

    • examine and analyze the purposes and basic principles of the United States government (Purposes of Government).
    • outline and evaluate and analyze the origins and meanings of the principles, ideals, and core democratic values expressed in the foundational documents of the United States (Ideals of United States Democracy).
    • examine and distinguish the structure, function, and responsibilities of governments and the allocation of power at the local, state and national levels (United States Government and Politics).
    • analyze how the world is organized politically and compare the role and relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs (United States Government and World Affairs).

    • SS.PD.WV.2 / Performance Descriptors

      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • define local, county, and state government;
        • name important holidays and local celebrations of West Virginia; and
        • identify and are given opportunity to recite the State Song or State Motto.

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • state a role or function of government at the local, county, and state level;
        • discuss important holidays, local celebrations and people of West Virginia; and
        • define and are given the opportunity to recite the State Motto and State Song.

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • compare and contrast roles and functions of the government at the local, county and state levels;
        • identify and describe important state symbols, holidays, celebrations and people; and
        • explain and are given the opportunity to recite the State Motto and State Song.

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • evaluate the importance of roles or functions of local and county levels compared to those of the state level of government;
        • analyze the importance of state symbols, holidays, celebrations, and people; and
        • discuss the purpose of the State Motto and State Song and are given the opportunity to recite each.

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • compare roles and functions of the state government to the roles and function of the national and discuss how they relate to each other;
        • choose important state symbols, holidays, celebrations, or people and summarize their roles; and
        • explain event(s) leading to the development of the State Motto and State Song and are given the opportunity to recite each.

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.WV.2.1: identify state symbols, the state capital, celebrations, holidays, famous West Virginians, and the title of the elected leader (the Governor) of the state government.
      • SS.O.WV.2.2: recognize and be given the opportunity to recite the State Motto and sing the State Song.
      • SS.O.WV.2.3: compare and contrast the roles and functions of the government (e.g., legislative, executive, judicial branches) at the local, county and state levels.

    Social Studies Standard 3: Economics

    SS.S.K.03 / Students will:

    • analyze the role of economic choices in scarcity, supply and demand, resource allocation, decision-making, voluntary exchange and trade-offs (Choices).
    • research, critique and evaluate the roles of private and public institutions in the economy (Institutions).
    • compare and contrast various economic systems and analyze their impact on individual citizens (Economic Systems).
    • illustrate how the factors of production impact the United States economic systems (Factors of Production).
    • analyze the elements of competition and how they impact the economy (Competition).
    • examine and evaluate the interdependence of global economies (Global Economics).
    • SS.PD.WV.3 / Performance Descriptors
      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • identify occupations of people in West Virginia; and
        • list natural resources and recognize geographic features and tell how they are important to the state’s economy.

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • give examples of occupations of people in West Virginia; and
        • give examples of natural resources and identify the geographic features that affect the state’s economy.

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • categorize major occupations of people in West Virginia; and
        • research the natural resources and geographic features of West Virginia and discuss their effect upon the state’s economic development.

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • compare major occupations of people in West Virginia; and
        • explain how natural resources and geographic features effect the state’s economic development and contribute to the economic well-being of its residents.

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • critique the importance of major occupations of people in West Virginia; and
        • assess the importance of the state’s natural resources and geographic features to its economic development and the economy of the nation.

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.WV.3.1: locate and give examples of the natural resources and geographic features of West Virginia and show their effect upon the economic development of the state.
      • SS.O.WV.3.2: categorize the major occupations of people in the private and public sectors of West Virginia.

    Social Studies Standard 4: Geography

    SS.S.K.04 / Students will:

    • interpret and choose maps, globes and other geographic tools to categorize and organize information about personal directions, people, places, and environments (The World in Spatial Terms).
    • examine the physical and human characteristics of place and explain how the lives of people are rooted in places and regions (Places and Regions).
    • analyze the physical processes that shape the earthís surface and create, sustain and modify the cultural and natural environment (Physical Systems).
    • analyze and illustrate how the earth is shaped by the movement of people and their activities (Human Systems).
    • analyze the interaction of society with the environment (Environment and Society).
    • point out geographic perspective and tools and assess techniques available for geographic study (Uses of Geography).
    • SS.PD.WV.04 / Performance Descriptors
      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • know that West Virginia is divided into counties and each has a county seat, that there are bordering states, discuss selected items, and define exact and relative locations; and
        • know that there are four physical geographic regions, tell what the weather patterns are and identify the natural resource land physical geography

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • name West Virginia counties and county seats, bordering states, and selected items and differentiate between the exact and relative location of each; and
        • name the four physical geographic regions, describe the weather patterns and explain the impact of natural resource location and physical geography.

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • locate West Virginia counties and county seats, bordering states, and selected items and differentiate between the exact and relative location of each; and
        • determine the four physical geographic regions, illustrate the weather patterns and analyze the impact of natural resource location and physical geography.

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • place West Virginia counties and county seats, bordering states, and selected items on a map and explain the importance of differentiating between the exact and relative location of each; and
        • debate the similarities and differences of the four physical geographic regions, explain the weather pattern changes and evaluate the impact of natural resource location and physical geography;

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • create a map that illustrates relationships between West Virginia counties and the location of their county seats, bordering states, and selected items and create a description differentiating between the exact and relative location of each; and
        • summarize the four physical geographic regions, evaluate the importance of the weather patterns and analyze the relationship between the location of natural resources and physical geography, and evaluate their impact on the inhabitants.

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.WV.04.01: locate West Virginia and bordering states on a United States map.
      • SS.O.WV.04.02: determine the four physical geographic regions of West Virginia and the major communities contained within each region.
      • SS.O.K.04.03: locate counties and county seats on a West Virginia map.
      • SS.O.K.04.04: analyze the impact of West Virginia’s geography on transportation, settlement, jobs, clothing, food, shelter, services and interaction with others outside the state.
      • SS.O.K.04.05: illustrate West Virginia’s climate and track the weather.
      • SS.O.K.04.06: compare and contrast the characteristics of renewable and nonrenewable resources.
      • SS.O.K.04.06: differentiate between the exact and relative locations of their state, town, county, and personal address.
      • SS.O.K.04.08: research West Virginia’s population, products, resources, transportation, state parks, forests, and scenic/recreational resources and draw conclusions from the information.
      • SS.O.WV.04.09: use a grid system to locate natural and man-made items on a map.
      • SS.O.WV.04.10: recognize the eight tourist regions of West Virginia.

    Social Studies Standard 5: History

    SS.S.WV.05 / Students will:

    • organize, analyze and compare historical events, distinguish cause-effect relationships, theorize alternative actions and outcomes, and anticipate future application (Chronology).
    • use the processes and resources of historical inquiry to develop appropriate questions, gather and examine evidence, compare, analyze and interpret historical data (Skills and Application).
    • examine, analyze and synthesize historical knowledge of major events, individuals, cultures and the humanities in West Virginia, the United States, and the world (Culture and Humanities).
    • use historical knowledge to analyze local, state, national and global interdependence (Interpretation and Evaluation).
    • examine political institutions and theories that have developed and changed over time; and research and cite reasons for development and change (Political Institutions).
    • SS.PD.WV.05 / Performance Descriptors
      • Novice—Students are able to:
        • give examples of past and present lifestyles of West Virginia;
        • list examples of economic, social, and political history of West Virginia; and
        • verbally give short answers to specific questions.

      • Partial Mastery—Students are able to:
        • describe lifestyles and cultural life of West Virginia reflected in folklore and heritage;
        • give examples of economic, social, and political history of West Virginia; and
        • write a paragraph or short answer to specific questions.

      • Mastery—Students are able to:
        • compare and contrast past and present lifestyles of West Virginia and describe the cultural life reflected in folklore and heritage;
        • reconstruct the economic, social, and political history of West Virginia; and
        • construct short reports to answer specific questions.

      • Above Mastery—Students are able to:
        • discriminate between past and present lifestyles giving reason for their differences and evaluate the folklore and heritage;
        • explain important events in economic, social, and political history of West Virginia; and
        • research topics of interest and write short summaries.

      • Distinguished—Students are able to:
        • summarize past and present lifestyles of West Virginia and relate the culture to folklore and heritage;
        • summarize changes in the economic, social, and political history of West Virginia; and
        • summarize and defend sources they use to write reports.

    • Objectives / Students will:
      • SS.O.WV.05.01: reconstruct the economic, social and political history of West Virginia.
      • SS.O.WV.05.02: research and describe the cultural life of West Virginia as reflected in folklore and heritage.
      • SS.O.K.05.03: compare and contrast past and present lifestyles of West Virginians.
      • SS.O.K.05.04: use reference sources to construct short reports that answer specific questions about West Virginia.

    Organize Your Thinking to Critically Analyze Text

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    Video screencap, Organize Your Thinking to Critically Analyze Text, 27 Feb 2012
    Article Body

    This 15-minute video features 5th-grade teacher Jennifer Brouhard using several strategies for prompting deep understanding of historical texts. Brouhard explains how she noticed that her students were reading quickly and considered themselves finished with a text before going deeply into it or “doing anything” with it. Here, she explains several strategies that prompted her students to delve deeper into text and draw more meaning from it than a quick read allows.

    This video provides examples of three promising practices:

    1. Creating opportunities to hear students making sense of the content and text and using what she learns about student understanding to design instruction tailored to that particular class’s needs;
    2. Using a historical question to frame instruction and student reading; and
    3. Using a variety of teaching strategies in response to student needs and abilities.
    Strategies

    In “Keep it or Junk it?” students nominate, vote, and discuss which words are needed to address the following focus question: What happened as a result of English settlement of Jamestown Virginia? Handouts for this strategy can be downloaded from the site.

    “Jump in and read” lets Brouhard listen to her students read the text which helps her understand areas they need more help with. For example, if students stumble on the phrase “indentured servant,” it indicates that they need more review of this term and its meaning.

    Writing subtitles for paragraphs is a third strategy Brouhard selectively employs.

    Included with this video are handouts and samples of student work that make it easy to give one of these strategies a try in your own classroom.

    Multiperspectivity: What Is It, and Why Use It?

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    Photo, San Francisco, Calif., April 1942. . . , Library of Congress
    Question

    What is multiperspectivity in history?

    Answer

    Exploring multiple perspectives (which is known as "multiperspectivity" in parts of Europe) requires incorporating source materials that reflect different views of a historical event. In recent decades scholars and educators have begun to question the validity of singular (one-sided) historical narratives. Instead of just focusing on dominant groups and communities, they recommend employing multiple perspectives. One reason for this stems from increasing diversity and cultural pluralism, since many groups—women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc.—have been ignored in traditional historical narratives.

    . . . many groups—women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc.—have been ignored in traditional historical narratives.

    Another reason is disciplinary. After all, good historians don’t just settle for one perspective on a historical issue—they piece together many (sometimes competing) versions of a story to construct an accurate interpretation. As Ann Low-Beer explains, "In history, multiple perspectives are usual and have to be tested against evidence, and accounted for in judgments and conclusions."

    Here's an instance of using multiple perspectives: When studying the voyages of discovery, students would not only learn about explorers like Columbus, but about the peoples who had been "discovered." Historian Jon Wiener, writing in American History 101 in Slate magazine, offers the following example:

    In the case of Reconstruction. . . I focus [on] the three most significant [perspectives]: the Northern Radicals, who shaped federal policy and who wanted to bring the former slaves into the economy of the free market, as wage earners, and into the political system, as voters; the Southern planter elite, who wanted to preserve as much of the old plantation labor system as possible; and the former slaves themselves. Their understanding of freedom was, as Eric Foner has written, "shaped by their experiences as slaves." Freedom for them meant freedom to work for themselves—economic autonomy and access to land. This argument shows the freedmen defining their own interests, in conflict with the federal government, which claimed to represent them. Thus, instead of giving students a list of facts and dates to memorize, I would ask them to conceive of what's happening as a three-sided conflict over the meaning of freedom.

    . . . instead of giving students a list of facts and dates to memorize, I would ask them to conceive of what's happening as a three-sided conflict over the meaning of freedom.

    Consequently, for Wiener, "students end up learning not just about what happened during Reconstruction, but about how history itself gets reconstructed."

    If not yet universal, this approach is widely accepted. In its most recent Position Statement, the National Council for the Social Studies in the United States recommended students learn to "think critically, and make personal and civic decisions based on information from multiple perspectives."

    So what can a classroom teacher do? Try incorporating primary sources that represent a range of views on a historical issue. Then, ask students to spend some time thinking about why different groups may see the same event in different ways. Oftentimes a different story emerges when those multiple perspectives are put together. The result is enriched historical understanding.

    Women Taking History: Women's History Month 2011

    Date Published
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    Photo, Woman with camera, White House, Washington, D.C., Apr. 8, 1922, LoC
    Article Body

    African American History Month ends, and Women's History Month begins! Take a glance around the internet, and you'll find plenty of resources for teaching women's history—whether it be the Seneca Falls Convention, heroes of the American Revolution and the Civil War, social activists, First Ladies, workers during the World Wars, jazz and blues stars, or presidential candidates. You'll find photographs of many of these women, too—working in factories, on the campaign trail, helping the wounded, conducting scientific experiments.

    But who takes these photographs? Who makes these images that become the records of history? Aren't the people behind the camera as significant as the ones in front of it?

    Of course they are, though they can easily be forgotten. When we look at photographs of Amelia Earhart, we rarely ask who took the photo. When we're struck by a picture of New York during 9/11, do we ever ask if it was snapped by a man or a woman?

    Explore women's history behind the camera this Women's History Month. What have women chosen to capture on film, as they record and live through history?

    Taking Photos and Making History
    • The Kansas Historical Society tells the story of Alice Gardiner Sennrich, a professional photographer early in photography's commercial history. Born in 1878, Sennrich purchased a Kansas photography studio in 1902, and ran it throughout her life, including after her marriage. Recognized by the National Association of Photographers, she was also active in the Photographers Association of Kansas (PAK), an organization that had active female members since its founding. You can hear more about Sennrich in this podcast by the Society.
    • During the Great Depression, the Federal Government gave photographers, both men and women, work documenting the lives of ordinary U.S. citizens and the social conditions of the day. The Library of Congress's American Memory collection From the Great Depression to World War II: Photos from the FSA-OWI preserves more than 150,000 of these photographs. Try browsing the collections' black-and-white and color photos by creator. Look for women's names and work—and remember to check names with only a first initial and a surname! These may be women, too. Giving only a first initial was (and remains) one way to avoid being judged (at least in print) by gender.
    • Photographs aren't always taken as documentation. Sometimes, they're carefully composed as art. The online archive Women Artists of the American West showcases the artwork of 19th- and 20th-century Western women. Photography exhibits include photographs by white women of Pueblo arts and crafts workers (many of them women), taken from 1900 to 1935; modern art photography by Native women; landscape photography by Laura Gilpin (1891–1979); and 1972–1997 lesbian photography (some pages contain nudity). The Women in International Photography Archive, collects essays on more than 25 women photographers.
    • For an example of a modern photographer using her work as part of a political journalistic career, check out Jo Freeman.com. A writer, lawyer, and activist, Freeman's site features her photographs of Democratic and Republican conventions, marches and protests, New York after 9/11, the Chicago riot following Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm's 1972 campaign for the presidency.

    If photographs aren't enough, branch out into art, journalism, fiction and nonfiction writing, and other ways of recording and responding to the world, all meant for the public eye. What have women created and documented? What were their (myriad, uncountable) reasons for crafting "snapshots" and composing reactions? Women make history when they're behind its lens, as well as in front!

    Further Resources

    Looking for more resources? Take a quiz on women in history, with our weekly quiz archive! See how well you do on quizzes with subjects like women in the West. Search our Website Reviews, as well—we've reviewed and annotated more than 200 websites with women's history content.

    If you'd still like more, these organizations feature content and pages created just for Women's History Month:

    For more information

    Speaking of photographs, the Smithsonian is looking for help identifying women in photographs with missing or incomplete background information. Take a look and see if you can help out!

    Finding Local History Resources

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    Photo, The old neighborhood. . . , Christopher Frith, 1998, NYPL
    Question

    I have been unable to find teaching materials and/or curriculum for the teaching of local history. Our small town has a very rich history, including being the place where Lewis and Clark joined together to form their expedition, and the town that is the oldest American town in what was the entire Northwest Territory. It is also the site of the only home that George Rogers Clark ever owned. We also have extensive archaeology of Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian periods.

    We would like to incorporate teaching our town's history into the curriculum of grades K-5, but find no curriculum help or materials to do so.

    Answer

    Learning history through a local lens can be an engaging and powerful way to study the past. It sounds like your town (in Indiana, I presume?) has a rich history to mine with elementary students. For curricular resources, first try local museums, libraries, and historic sites. Their local collections often have interesting and evocative primary sources and orienting secondary material that can be curricular building blocks.

    Some of these local institutions even provide lessons, resources, and field trips designed especially for the K-5 classroom. See this site's Museum and Historic Sites search for locating institutions near your community.

    But even without specific curriculum, repositories of historic photographs, documents, maps, and other sources can get you well on your way to creating classroom plans.

    Here are some tips for creating local history curricula for the elementary classroom:

    Remember your state's standards—these can help you identify important topics, themes, and concepts at each of the grade levels. (Click here to search state standards.)

    Timelines and maps are invaluable tools for helping students of all ages study history. From using a timeline to understand photographs that show a changing town landscape to using maps to understand settlement patterns, these tools help young students locate primary sources in concrete ways and read and analyze these sources. Connections between local and regional or national events can also be more transparent for students when timelines and maps are compared. For instance, compare a timeline of national events with a timeline of local events to help students see these connections.

    Guiding questions are important. Use them to help students read and look carefully at sources and consider the significance of what they see.

    Remember that walking tours can help students engage with the past. Seek out local history experts to help you identify promising sources, stories, and sites.

    Use existing curricula and lesson ideas on this site to help you plan questions, activities, and lesson structures. For example, see this teaching guide about reading historic photographs closely and using them as doors into larger historic questions, or this video for a teacher who uses walking tours to help students learn their local colonial history. And don't forget to explore our Primary Source Guides. The entry about the National Parks Service may be especially helpful.

    Other national organizations also provide resources for teaching local history. See the Regional Education Resources of the National Archives, National History Day's state pages, and a list of resources from the Library of Congress's American Memory site. Finally, the New England Flow of History project has some teaching ideas and resources that can be helpful.

    Please come back and tell us about your successes and challenges—this is a topic that is important to many educators!

    Brookgreen Gardens

    Description

    In 1931 Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington founded Brookgreen Gardens, a non-profit 501(c) (3) garden museum, to preserve the native flora and fauna and display objects of art within that natural setting.

    Today, Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark with the most significant collection of figurative sculpture, in an outdoor setting, by American artists in the world, and has the only zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on the coast of the Carolinas.

    In 2010, the Brookgreen Gardens Education Department provided field trip experiences for 4,093 students with South Carolina curriculum-based programs about History, Art, and Nature. Additionally, our annual curriculum-based special event for Horry and Georgetown County students, “Gullah Gullah Days,” a third-grade social studies program, provided educational enrichment for 1,708 students.

    Programs generally are 50-minutes in length. History programs are: “Creek Excursion”, “Stretching and Growing: Children on Lowcountry Rice Plantations: and “Rice Plantation Exploration.” Cultural presentations offered are: “Gullah Lessons on History, Family & Respect”, “Gullah/Geechee Rhythms”, and “Priscilla’s Posse, A (Simulated) Press Conference about Gullah Heritage.” Teachers receive pre-visit Program Information Sheets that detail: content area, grade, maximum number of students, South Carolina State Standards, and program description. Program descriptions also are available at www.brookgreen/org, after viewers click on Education.

    The Children’s Discovery Room attracts numerous enthusiastic public guests. Its seven interactive stations target 4- to 12-year-olds and reflect the history, nature, and art of Brookgreen Gardens. Educators also may gain historical enrichment through visiting one of the following Public programs: Gullah/Geechee Program Series, the Lowcountry Trail Audio Tour, Oaks History and Nature Trail, the Creek Excursion, and the “Lowcountry Change & Continuity” exhibit.

    African American History Month 2011

    Date Published
    Image
    Photo, Navy baseball team--Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, Sept. 1944, NARA
    Photo, Navy baseball team--Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, Sept. 1944, NARA
    Article Body

    It's February! Resources throughout the web stand ready to provide you with lessons and primary source materials for Black History Month (also known as African American History Month), but African American history stretches far beyond the confines of one month and the narrative litany of a handful of cultural heroes. Maybe you want to go beyond Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, and Jackie Robinson. What stories can you uncover beyond the headlining stories textbooks provide? Remind your students of the complexity of African American history with these resources.

    Documenting African American History
    • The New York Times' lesson plan "Stories to Tell: Curating an African-American History Exhibit" introduces students to the difficulties in curating a large museum—or even just one exhibit. How can curators for the developing Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture create a museum that honors all of African American history?
    • Search the Carnegie Museum of Art's Teenie Harris Archive Project for photographs taken by photographer Charles "Teenie" Harris for the Pittsburgh Courier. Published from 1907 to 1965, the Courier was a major African American newspaper, and these photographs show Harris's journalistic perspective on Pittsburgh events of all scales. Use the keywords "Teenie Harris," along with others related to your topic of interest, to find images of life at school, home, community events, church, work, and out on the town.
    • The Smithsonian National Museum of American History's Portraits of a City provides a similar photographic record of a place. The Scurlocks ran studios in DC for much of the 20th century, documenting African American life in the nation's capital.
    • The Library of Congress's American Memory collection The African American Experience in Ohio, 1850-1920 focuses on the themes of slavery, politics, and religion. Its wide range of primary-source documents, including thousands of newspaper articles, can help students construct a view of just what the collection's title implies.
    • High-quality photographs in the National Archives and Records Administration's "Pictures of African Americans During World War II" could give students a look into another kind of community—one that formed both overseas and on the home front during war.
    Looking for More Suggestions?

    If none of these resources fit into your curriculum or spark your interests, there's plenty where they came from. Search our Website Reviews using the topic "African Americans," and you'll turn up close to 300 websites, on topics ranging from Marcus Garvey to the construction of race to Seattle's Black Panthers to sheet music by and about African Americans. Or test your African American history knowledge in our weekly quiz feature! You and your students can take online quizzes on African American baseball players and other athletes, the historical accuracy of the film Glory, Jim Crow laws, and foodways.

    You can also explore the African American History Month pages of history and educational organizations, including:

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