By: Tammy M. Cardwell
In part one of this series, I
discussed methods and resources that can make for a more rewarding
history experience. In this article, I will discuss the fun extras that
can take your history explorations to a higher level. Some of these are
things that may not come readily to mind when you think about
curriculum. Others may seem at first glance to fall into the "we don’t
have time for that" category. Even so, I urge you to consider all
options and then decide what you can adapt for use in your homeschool.
In the previous article, I referred to the American
history teacher who turned freshman history into a genuine experience.
Mr. Dixon had a gift for using unusual techniques to help us grasp more
firmly the lessons he taught; this became apparent on the very first
day of class. He and another teacher had a well-staged brawl that took
them in and out of the room, up and down the hallway. When their
"fight" ended, he returned to the room and asked what we had just seen.
Not surprisingly, he received a variety of answers. He then grinned and
explained that this is how history is written, from various viewpoints,
not all of which will be accurate. To say the least, the lesson stuck.
His skills were evident throughout that year. When we
studied the Gold Rush, he wanted us to better understand the miners, so
he planned a classroom gold rush. During our Industrial Revolution
studies, we wrote short stories on the topic, "Man and Machine," and he
actually published the best in a photocopied book that we could
purchase at cost. When we hit the Great Depression, he assigned
interviews with people who had lived through the era, as well as
follow-up presentations. These special projects, and the lessons they
taught, live on in my memory today when most of my high school history
studies are...well...history.
Read on.
The Family Connection
Have you ever thought about the fact that you are
living history? Honestly, more remarkable history has happened during
your lifetime than you probably realize, so when you discuss recent
decades with your children, don’t just repeat textbook style facts;
tell them about your life!
Of course, if you have lived history, those who have
gone before you certainly have. I didn’t fully realize the significance
of this fact until I got into genealogy. At that point, I realized that
learning about your ancestors almost automatically makes you interested
in the eras and countries in which they lived.
A mom in my first FrontPorch History workshop gave us
an example of this truth that I’ve been using ever since. While
studying the Civil War, she casually mentioned to her son that he had
two ancestors who had fought in it. What had been a minor point of
interest to her sparked a full-fledged passion in him. From that day
on, he couldn’t get enough of the topic, even to requesting that family
vacations be planned around Civil War battle sites.
Maybe you don’t have any conveniently located
ancestors lying around, but most families do have grandparents and
great-grandparents that can be added to the homeschool timeline. Put
them up there and the eras they lived through immediately become more
interesting. For instance, have your children ever really considered
the impact of Thomas Edison’s light bulb on people’s daily lives? When
they think about it in terms of how their own ancestors lived, they
just might gain valuable understanding.
The same holds true for recent events and inventions.
I mentioned my freshman Great Depression assignment earlier. We were
each to interview two people who had lived through that period, and I
chose my father’s parents. They gave me insight into that era that I
could never have gained from a book, and when I presented my report to
the class I not only knew my stuff, but also almost felt a part of it.
Interviewing my grandparents also improved something
else—our relationships. That one evening marked a turning point in the
way I viewed them and how they treated me. Even if it hadn’t given me a
greater understanding of history, the assignment would have been worth
doing for this reason alone.
Don’t forget that homeschooling is a family affair.
Get the whole family involved, both the living and those who are merely
names on the family tree. You will be glad you did.
EHO Reviews
FrontPorch History
Writing History
EHO published, earlier this year, a whole article
that deals with this one technique for enlivening history studies and
adding purpose to writing. The basic principle is to have your students
live the period, in a sense, and then write about it.
Historical fiction is an excellent choice for this
project. Your child can write short stories on the times as you study
them or, if you only study one era in a year, you may wish to have them
write a novella or a novel. Even a journal kept in character can be
profitable, if writing traditional fiction proves intimidating.
To get multiple students working together, have them
write letters to each other, again in character. The easiest way would
be for all to write from the same era, though perhaps from different
locations and cultures. For a bigger challenge, and perhaps deeper
understanding, they could try writing each other from entirely
different eras and cultures, each helping the others understand his own
time and place.
Whatever path you follow, you will find a bonus. Writing skills will surely improve!
Games
I know. I know. Most homeschoolers think there is no
way they can fit game playing into their busy schedules. I thought so
too, but in looking back over our homeschool years I see clearly that
some of our most affective lessons were taught by the games we played.
Of course, remembering that freshman history class, I am not surprised.
It was the Gold Rush—or it was in our classroom. We’d
been studying this period for some days when we walked into the room to
discover our desks circled around a mountain of discarded textbooks.
There was gold in that mountain. The assayer (our teacher) who sat in
the assayer’s office (at his desk) assured us of this. That’s pretty
much all he told us, except to assure us that he would pay for this
‘gold’ with very real cash.
Like prospectors of old, we dug into that mountain
knowing only that it contained gold and gold was yellow. Before the day
was done, most of us had found at least one piece of gold and come away
with cash in our pockets. We’d also all experienced both the excitement
and exasperation of the hunt. Like most of the miners of the past, none
of us hit the mother load and saw instant riches, though a few did come
away from the assayer’s office with enough to buy lunch.
You can also fall back on more traditional games, of
course. The fact is there are few limits to how you can enhance your
studies with the use of games. With a little imagination and research,
you can come up with a astounding array of options. It’s amazing what a
visit with an Internet search engine can produce, but, before you head
there, you may want to check out the following.
EHO Reviews
Creative Review Games (ebook)
The All American Trivia Board Game: Junior Edition
Bethump'd with History
Field Trips
Face it. Well all know that field trips are valuable,
but few of us take advantage of them like we could. Most of us do
exceptionally well if we manage a single field trip a month, and one or
two a year (or less) is probably more common. What a shame!
I just took a few minutes, maybe ten, typed "history,
Baytown, Texas" (Not in quotation marks; I use them here for
clarification) into an Internet search engine, and did some browsing.
In that short period, I found more than two-dozen field trips my family
could take tomorrow; I also, incidentally, learned some fascinating
local history that I’d never known. That’s just when I enter my own
town’s name. What if I’d typed "Houston" instead?
We tend to think of field trips as big things that we
need to plan for, that we must take in groups, that require the setting
aside of a whole day, but they don’t necessarily have to be. Field trip
opportunities are all around us if we only keep our eyes open. We tend
to forget our own, local history, but no matter how new your town is
you would probably be surprised if you visited your library (or typed
your town’s name into a search engine) and checked out all that has
happened in your neck of the woods.
Try thinking outside the box. Antique shops, filled as
they are with remnants of the past, can be great places to take
educational field trips. So can local businesses, if you think of them
in terms of how their predecessors performed their tasks. For instance,
if I were studying art (in relation to history, of course, since this
article is about history), I would call my local frame shop and ask if
they could spare some time one day to give my children a mini-lesson on
framing and the preservation techniques that accompany their craft.
Friends can also be a fabulous resource. If I had students who were
studying the American West and wanted to know about cowboys, I would
call on friends who show cutting horses and ask for an up-close look at
what it takes to keep a herd of cattle in line.
Come on! Get out of the house! Take a field trip
Educational Television
Some parents may disagree with me, but I consider
educational television to be one of our most valuable, and perhaps
least-used, resources. When I was a child, Jacques Cousteau and the
Calypso, through televised documentaries, took me places I’d never been
and made me long to follow in Cousteau’s footsteps. Today, the History
Channel and National Geographic offer programs that feed my history
fascination and fill my mind with not only knowledge, but also new
ideas.
I could spend all day listing my favorite series
("Digging for the Truth" leaps instantly to mind.), but I urge you to
do some digging of your own. If you have access to them, find the
educational channels and discover what they have to offer. If you
choose not to have television piped into your home, then at least look
at what is available in your local video store and library.
I love history! Here’s hoping that, before another year passes, you realize that you love history too!
Copyright © 2007
|
