Introduction
Who decides what makes it into the history books and what doesn't? How has the representation of history changed over time? Why learn about history, anyway?
Most of us readily accept what we learn in history class, or read in historical books. While most of the time what we read is factual, Winston Churchill's quote "history is written by the victors" should make us pause. What does this quote mean? Is it accurate in modern times? If this is true, what does this mean in terms of what we have been taught?
Depending on where you live, you might learn about history through different lenses. For example, if you grew up in the South, you might learn about the Civil War from a different perspective. If you were born in England, you might learn a different viewpoint of the Revolutionary War. Think about this and what this means to your perception of history as you have learned it.
Come along on this WebQuest and explore these questions. Hopefully you'll ask some of your own questions as you explore.
Task
Read the three online sources and watch the video. Along the way you will be asked to respond to questions and bring your thinking to class the following day to take part in discussions. The culminating assignment is an informational essay about a historical event or person who made a mark in history. You will be incorporating the T2 essential understanding - Every moment is a piece of history from which we can learn - into the end of the essay when you write about what we as individuals or as a society can and should learn from the event or person.
Process
Day One:
The following is an article from a magazine called Atlantic Monthly
The article details how the perspective from which one views history will impact one’s “truth”. The writer mentions learning history, and how historiography can shape our understanding. This is the longer of the two articles you will be reading, but I think it's worth it.
As you read the article, you may want to have these questions in front of you. You will bring your responses back to class the following day to discuss.
Click here to read the article.
Day Two:
Read the following two opinion pieces, one published online in affiliation with Washington State University, the other is essentially a blog. It is clear these each represent one person's opinion, and as researchers we need to keep this in mind. Though they are opinions, the writers bring up some interesting points.
Click on and read each opinion, then click on and respond to the questions:
Day 3:
Watch the video on You Tube about why we should learn history. The assignment you will bring to class the following day is a brainstormed list of possible historical events/people you want to learn more about. Use this link for many, many ideas.
Conclusion
Now that we have explored some ideas about history, it's time to pick one event or person to learn more about. We will follow a process of investigation and you will teach the class about what you have learned! Though you will be writing an essay, you can certainly create a slide show to help the class learn more about your topic!