World History
World War II in the Curriculum. This essay explores ways that teachers can instruct students about the Second World War.
From the site:
In 1991, the fiftieth anniversary of the United States' entrance into World War II was observed. This is an opportune time to reevaluate and renew the teaching of this cataclysmic event. Most people have been affected by the political, economic, and social consequences of the war. But perhaps the most important reason to rededicate ourselves to teaching about World War II is that the experience is still near enough in time to provide retrospective interest for those who lived through it and to spark intellectual curiosity among those unborn at the time.
WHY EMPHASIZE WORLD WAR II IN U.S. AND WORLD HISTORY COURSES
There are many debates about what to teach in the social studies curriculum. However, there is a consensus on the need to emphasize World War II, as it is a major turning point in world history. World War II involved the largest armed forces, the longest battle lines, and the most destructive weapons of any war. It inflicted more suffering, more destruction, and more deaths.
Good history teaching emphasizes global turning points --- those events that have had the most far-reaching consequences, for the largest number of people, across the broadest areas of the Earth. Knowledge of World War II and other global turning points in history advances one's understanding of how our contemporary society developed. This knowledge, of course, is the necessary foundation for effective thought and action by our students about the important political events and public issues of their lives.
Many students, however, are failing to achieve knowledge about the causes, events, and consequences of World War II. In the 1986 National Assessment of History and Literature, most 17-year-old students said they had studied World War II, yet only 53 percent of them knew that Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union when the United States entered the war (Ravitch and Finn 1987, 55). In a set of questions on the World War II period, high school students were tested on (1) factors leading up to the United States' involvement in the war, (2) characteristics of the war, (3) the end of the war, and (4) the United Nations. In general, students performed dismally on this set of questions. For example, 45% did not know that Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps during World War II. Fewer than two students in five (39.5%) put D-Day in the correct four-year period.
- Teaching The Bill Of Rights
Teaching the Bill of Rights. This paper presents a brief history of the American Bill of Rights with ideas for presenting the topic in the classroom. From the site: The two-hundredth anniversary of the federal Bill of Rights in 1991 is the culmination...
- Labor Studies In The Curriculum.
Labor Studies in the Curriculum. This article shows why it is important to remember and teach the history of labor in classrooms. From the site: The field of labor studies is often overlooked or underemphasized in the curricula of elementary and secondary...
- Oral History In The Teaching Of U.s. History.
Oral History in the Teaching of U.S. History. I have always believed in the importance of oral history. It is a great tool for teaching students about history. From the site: Oral history is a stimulating classroom activity and an exciting process designed...
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Teaching History in the Elementary School. The teaching of history should begin in elementary school. This essay shows why. From the site: Recent studies have shown that the historical knowledge of young Americans is less than most educators and citizens...
World History
World War II in the Curriculum.
World War II in the Curriculum. This essay explores ways that teachers can instruct students about the Second World War.
From the site:
In 1991, the fiftieth anniversary of the United States' entrance into World War II was observed. This is an opportune time to reevaluate and renew the teaching of this cataclysmic event. Most people have been affected by the political, economic, and social consequences of the war. But perhaps the most important reason to rededicate ourselves to teaching about World War II is that the experience is still near enough in time to provide retrospective interest for those who lived through it and to spark intellectual curiosity among those unborn at the time.
WHY EMPHASIZE WORLD WAR II IN U.S. AND WORLD HISTORY COURSES
There are many debates about what to teach in the social studies curriculum. However, there is a consensus on the need to emphasize World War II, as it is a major turning point in world history. World War II involved the largest armed forces, the longest battle lines, and the most destructive weapons of any war. It inflicted more suffering, more destruction, and more deaths.
Good history teaching emphasizes global turning points --- those events that have had the most far-reaching consequences, for the largest number of people, across the broadest areas of the Earth. Knowledge of World War II and other global turning points in history advances one's understanding of how our contemporary society developed. This knowledge, of course, is the necessary foundation for effective thought and action by our students about the important political events and public issues of their lives.
Many students, however, are failing to achieve knowledge about the causes, events, and consequences of World War II. In the 1986 National Assessment of History and Literature, most 17-year-old students said they had studied World War II, yet only 53 percent of them knew that Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union when the United States entered the war (Ravitch and Finn 1987, 55). In a set of questions on the World War II period, high school students were tested on (1) factors leading up to the United States' involvement in the war, (2) characteristics of the war, (3) the end of the war, and (4) the United Nations. In general, students performed dismally on this set of questions. For example, 45% did not know that Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps during World War II. Fewer than two students in five (39.5%) put D-Day in the correct four-year period.
- Teaching The Bill Of Rights
Teaching the Bill of Rights. This paper presents a brief history of the American Bill of Rights with ideas for presenting the topic in the classroom. From the site: The two-hundredth anniversary of the federal Bill of Rights in 1991 is the culmination...
- Labor Studies In The Curriculum.
Labor Studies in the Curriculum. This article shows why it is important to remember and teach the history of labor in classrooms. From the site: The field of labor studies is often overlooked or underemphasized in the curricula of elementary and secondary...
- Oral History In The Teaching Of U.s. History.
Oral History in the Teaching of U.S. History. I have always believed in the importance of oral history. It is a great tool for teaching students about history. From the site: Oral history is a stimulating classroom activity and an exciting process designed...
- Teaching The 20th-century History Of The United States.
Teaching the 20th-Century History of the United States. This essay reviews ways that teachers can teach about the 20th Century in class. From the site: It is important to reaffirm the teaching of recent United States history in secondary schools. Diane...
- Teaching History In The Elementary School.
Teaching History in the Elementary School. The teaching of history should begin in elementary school. This essay shows why. From the site: Recent studies have shown that the historical knowledge of young Americans is less than most educators and citizens...