Class ideas, pretty please, part 2:

[Valerie(TX)]

Earlier (two weeks ago?) I had asked about Modern World History, NOT just American history, say from mid/late 1700s on. I've spoken with the co-op admin team, and they would love such a class, but for Jr. High., so it would be perfect for my rising 9th grader.

It would be a unit-study type class complete with timeline, geography, lit., etc., but I'd really like to transition from so much busywork to more thinking, so I'm considering having the kids journal. ?? Thoughts on making that work?

I also need two kinds of suggestions:

1) good philosophy-survey resources that I can pull from, to help the kids get a grip on the various "movements" from the time period.

2)I'd really like the kids to be able to "feel" what it is like to live in a socialist or a communist society and understand the fear of the Cold War. Any ideas for making that "live" for them?

3) Literature suggestions appropriate for their age, not quite rhetoric; PDG books as well as Great Books; I'm aiming for more reading/discussing and less worksheets. :) I'd like to target 7 books, plus a play and some poetry.

Thanks so much to all who've been there before me--I'm new to Modern History, except for 1800s.

Valerie

[Cedarmom]

We are using AMerica:the LAst Best Hope, as a spine. It has a supplemntary currculim that you can buy online to go with it. They have essay questions, class projects, links to primary documents, and debates. My son and I are really enjoying it. If you google Roadmap to the Last Best Hope, you should find the site.

[Valerie(TX)]

We are using AMerica:the LAst Best Hope, as a spine.

Thanks Cedarmom, I should have been clearer--world history, not just American. I am glad to hear that you are enjoying LBH. American history will be in our future at some point.

[TeacherZee]

Try the Access to History (http://www.accesstohistory.co.uk/) series. The are used in the UK for A2 and A level which is basically high school junior and senior but it could be worth a look at least. The books are available at Amazon.

[laughing lioness]

Last year for a class my oldest dd taugth to 7th graders they spent time in class calling/talking with folks in different countries. They talked with someone in India who is still having their marriage arranged, someone in Romania who lived during Cecesque (sp?) and whose dad was hauled away in the middle of the night by the SS, etc. They had to write papers, draw maps, etc. It made the learning come alive.
I'd check out Bethlahem Books for readers. They generally have a great selection by time period.

[Nan in Mass]

My son read the following at about that age:
Habibi (Fiction about Palestinean/Israeli issue)
Endless Steppe (Siberia)
Red Scarf Girl (Communist China)
The Cat Who Went to Heaven (Short and young. Bhuddhist stories in a mix of chldren's plot. My son, who has some experience with Buddhists and Japan, said, "It is a very Buddhist story and the author did a good job with the cultural piece.")
Number the Stars (WW2, young)

Recently, he read:
Stars and Swastikas (Boy who fights on both sides of WW2, my son loved this and found it very absorbing)


We're going to try:
Why Not Every Man: African Americans and Civil Disobedience in the Quest for the Dream (Haven't read this one but intend to have my 15yo do so, I'm going to preread it to check suitability)

My son suggested In the Footsteps of Gandhi and says it is: "Interviews with really amazing modern activists, the best of the best since Gandhi. Covers recent major social issues. The descriptions in some interviews may be inappropriate, like descriptions of torture, so pick and choose. If you want to be gentle, avoid the South American ones, which tended to be graphic."

We read Sophie's World as an overview of philosophy.

Earthsearch - A Kid's Geography Museum in a Book would be fun for them at this age and introduce them to modern issues in a very hands-on kid-friendly way.

I had my son cut out newspaper articles about different areas of the world (South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) weekly and glue them onto a piece of paper and file them in a notebook in the section for the area. At the end of the year, he looked at the sections and wrote a brief summary of an area's major issues. For example, corruption showed up in our newspaper frequently for South America. I pointed out frequently that these were the articles that the newspapers thought their readers would be most interested in.

Just some ideas
-Nan

[Valerie(TX)]

already on the table. Please keep them coming if you have ideas that have worked for you! TIA

Earlier (two weeks ago?) I had asked about Modern World History, NOT just American history, say from mid/late 1700s on. I've spoken with the co-op admin team, and they would love such a class, but for Jr. High., so it would be perfect for my rising 9th grader.

It would be a unit-study type class complete with timeline, geography, lit., etc., but I'd really like to transition from so much busywork to more thinking, so I'm considering having the kids journal. ?? Thoughts on making that work?

I also need two kinds of suggestions:

1) good philosophy-survey resources that I can pull from, to help the kids get a grip on the various "movements" from the time period.

2)I'd really like the kids to be able to "feel" what it is like to live in a socialist or a communist society and understand the fear of the Cold War. Any ideas for making that "live" for them?

3) Literature suggestions appropriate for their age, not quite rhetoric; PDG books as well as Great Books; I'm aiming for more reading/discussing and less worksheets. :) I'd like to target 7 books, plus a play and some poetry.

Thanks so much to all who've been there before me--I'm new to Modern History, except for 1800s.

Valerie