Historical Comprehension

1. Historical Comprehension Moving from Confusion to Understanding

2. What are we up against? • Technology • Entertainment Factor • Attention Disorders • Work Ethic Outside of Classroom • Can you name others?

3. How do we move students from boredom and confusion to genuine interest and understanding?

4. Historical Comprehension Historical narratives are believable accounts of human events, but more than that they have the power to disclose the intentions of the people involved, the difficulties they encountered and the complex world in which historical figures actually lived.

5. Goals of Historical Comprehension • Students should develop the ability to read imaginatively. • Students should develop the ability to take into account what the narrative reveals of the humanity of the individuals involved. • Students develop the ability to describe the past on its terms

6. The skills of Historical Comprehension • Identify the author or source of the historical document or narrative and assess its credibility. • Reconstruct the literal meaning of the historical passage. • Identify the central question the historical narrative seeks to answer. • Define the purpose, perspective or point of view from which the narrative has been constructed. • Read the historical explanations or analysis with meaning.

7. The skills of Historical Comprehension • Recognize the rhetorical cues that signal how the author has organized the text. • Draw upon data in historical maps. • Utilize visual, mathematical and quantitative data. • Draw upon visual, literary and musical sources. http://www.pdmusic.org/civilwar.html http://www.pdmusic.org/civilwar2.html

8. Touching the Hand of Friendship: Historical Comprehension Lesson

9. Launch Activities

11. Touching the Hand of Friendship Bulletin Board • Students write their own story of friendship. • On one hand, the students will put the Title of their story. • On the other hand the students will write a quote from their stories. • Students will share their friendship stories with the class. • Display hands with titles and quotes on a bulletin board.

12. Venn Diagram

13. Wanted: Dead or Alive Students make a WANTED Poster using the information from the previous Venn Diagram exercise. DESSERTER, Pinkus Aylee For War Crimes and Treason Missing Union Soldier; former Georgia slave; mother- Moe Moe Bay; knows how to read; brave

14. Another Venn Diagram Idea Students will create Venn Diagram in various shapes addressing the following aspects of the characters Pink and Say: Situations That Pink and Say Find Themselves in Throughout the Book Backgrounds of Pink and Say Physical/Personal Traits of Pink & Say Pink and Say’s Changes Emotions displayed by Pink and Say Throughout the Book

15. Pink & Say Venn Diagram Activity • Traits of both Pink and Say (Physical and Personality) • Emotions displayed by Pink and Say throughout the book • Backgrounds of Pink and Say • Situations that Pink and Say find themselves in throughout the book • Pink and Say’s Changes

16. Construct a Model…. The science of the Civil War can bring to reality the historical facts of the textbook. Have the students research the ways in which wounded soldiers were removed from the battlefield and treated. Have the students construct a small-scale model which would assist in carefully removing wounded soldiers from the battlefield.

17. Civil War Geography with Pink & Say Using the information provided in the map on you left, have the students create a map that illustrates the Union, Confederate and Border states and the Western territories. Note that Pink and Say were both Union soldiers.

18. Social Studies Ideas Gather information about the Emancipation Proclamation and write a letter to Abraham Lincoln from Say’s point of view after he was released from prison. It should express feelings about the importance of the Civil War in American History.

19. Social Studies Ideas Construct a timeline of important events from 1860 – 1865 including illustrations.

20. Social Studies Ideas Civil War In a class discussion, have the students explain why the Civil War had such a significant impact on the US. In addition, have the students give expected and unexpected consequences of the Civil War.

21. Summarizing Activities Revisit the KWLS Chart from the launch activity and have students complete the last two columns. As class discusses answers from their individual papers, add information to chart paper from class KWLS Chart.

22. Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco provides an excellent avenue by which students can travel from the point of historical confusion to the destination of genuine historical understanding.

23. References Cappenter, D. Literature. Retrieved July 10, 2009 from www.cartoonstock.com. Civil War Music. Retrieved July 9, 2009 from http://www.pdmusic.org/civilwar.html. Crabtree, C., Nash, P., and Waugh, S. Approaching United States History: Foundations of Good Teaching – Rationale: Why Study History/The Case of History in our Schools. Lesson From History, Essential Understanding and Historical Perspectives Students Should Acquire. 1992. pp. 1-10. The National Center for History in Schools. L.A., CA. Polacco, P. Pink and Say. 1994. Philomel Books. New York. Wood, J. 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2009. www.learninglaffs.com. Miscellaneous Illustrations – www.clipart.com; www.patriciapolacco.com.