Saturday, February 27, 2016

Interwar Period through Images

http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/06/world-war-ii-before-the-war/100089/#img29
Atlantic Magazine published 45 black and white stunning photographs of the interwar period around the world.

Among the 45 images are Hitler and Mussolini shaking hands in Germany, Japanese aircraft carrying out air raids over China, Chinese General Chiang Kai-shek sitting with the chairman of the Yunan provincial government, and four Italian soldiers taking aim in Ethiopia in 1935.

Together, the images offer a terrific overview of the rise of fascism and authoritarianism around the world in the 1920's and 30's.

Classroom Connection: I gave students the link to the images and had them sort them at least four different ways. Then I asked them to log into a common google doc, which I posted on Google Classroom,  and create a descriptive title for each group. Students could easily see what others were posting with the common google doc.

The lesson took about 25 minutes and allowed students to analyze interesting images and manipulate them in ways that might help them better understand the interwar period.

Thanks to my colleague, Jeff Feinstein, who gave me the sorting idea for this lesson and Brenda Liz Garcia‎ who posted the link to the Atlantic story on Facebook.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

The Forgotten Army of Chinese Laborers in WWI

The South China Morning Post has a terrific story with charts, graphs, and images about the tens of thousands of Chinese laborers who helped rebuild war-torn Europe.


China wanted to enter the war against Germany so it could retake the colony of Qingdao but Britain rejected the overture. Chinese leaders next suggested they would enter the war if Britain, France and Russia would let them have a seat at Versailles.

The Allies eventually agreed and China began sending thousands of laborers to Europe.  Many died along the way to the Western front, others (some 30,000) died on the Russian front.

Once in France,  "workers went to ports, mines, farms and munitions factories. They repaired roads, transported supplies and dug trenches near the front lines, risking German artillery shells."

China got its promised seat at the negotiating table but little else. The Allies refused to return Shangdong which was China's main demand.

This is a fascinating story and good a review of Chinese history in the years just before the war when Yuan Shikai was China's president. The charts and graphs at the end of the story are terrific.

Thanks to Judy Hirshey‎ for posting the link on Facebook.

Residential Summer Seminars on Asia for Teachers

These summer seminars look great!  Travel stipends, room and board provided for out-of-town participants!

Japan and the West: From First Encounters to Contemporary Global Issues An NCTA seminar for teachers of all grade levels July 11 - 15, 2016 Location: University of Washington in Seattle, WA

Seminar leader: Melanie King, Art History faculty at Seattle Central College Japan and the West:

From First Encounters to Contemporary Global Issues will focus on points of intersection between Japan, Europe, and America from their first encounters to the present. We will weave visual art together with primary and secondary source texts in order to explore historical change and continuity from multiple perspectives.

Application:  China's Past: New Strategies for Teaching the Sources of Chinese CivilizationAn NCTA seminar for teachers of grades 3-8July 25 - 29, 2016

Location: University of Washington in Seattle, WA Seminar leader: Patricia Burleson with guest lectures by UW faculty Deborah Porter and David Bachman from the Jackson School of International Studies China’s Past: New Strategies for Teaching the Sources of Chinese Civilization will cover a broad range of Chinese history including Confucius and the foundations of Chinese culture, the legacies of the Tang and Song dynasties, and the ways in which Chinese history is understood in China today.

Attention will be given to curriculum and resources. Application: EARC Seminar Benefits Aside from a $100 registration fee and a $50 housing fee for out-of-town participants, this National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) seminar is FREE to teachers thanks to generous funding from the Freeman Foundation Teachers who complete the seminar will receive $100 for the purchase of teaching material and a subscription to the teaching journal Education about Asia Credit options: 35 WA State OSPI clock hours (free) or 2 UW 400-level credits (for a fee of ~$230)

All course materials and weekday lunches provided Partial travel stipends, room and board provided for out-of-town participants Both seminars will be held at the University of Washington in Seattle. The application deadline is March 22, 2016.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Sunni/ Shia Divide: Resources

Studying Islam? Here are some excellent resources for reviewing the Sunni/ Shia split.
From Pew Form on Religion and Public Policy

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tzu: Animated Introductions

Philosopher, Alain de Botton, founded a company in which he surveys some of the great philosophers, socialists, and political scientists in short five minute animated clips.

In a course on eastern philosophy, the School of Life reviews the life and contributions of Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, Confucius, and Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.

The clips are ideal for students and could be used in class or assigned as homework.

Check out my World Religions blog for more posts like this.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

MAIN Causes Of WWI: Great Clip

Starting a new unit on World War I? Here's a great six minute review of the MAIN causes from "Made from History."

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Nearpod vs. Powerpoint

Maybe you saw Jeff Feinstein's post about Nearpod a few days ago. I just tried it and love it.

The cool thing about Nearpod is its interactivity. You simply upload a powerpoint presentation to Nearpod, add video clips, quizzes, polls or graphs and publish it. Students access your  presentation with a pin and then see it on their phones. You control the presentation on your computer and advance the slides with your lecture.

I created an introductory lesson to Islam. It includes three short video clips (each less than 3 minutes), links to three different websites for research, and three short formative quizzes.

Here's how I did it. I took an existing powerpoint about Islam, uploaded it to Nearpod and then began editing it by adding video clips in strategic places (for example, a clip about the Five Pillars after a slide outlining them).  Next I added a couple of short multiple choice questions about the video.

In another area of the powerpoint, I added a link to a webpage about jihad, then another video clip about it.

You can see my effort below. Just remember it's my first one and not by any means perfect.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Why so many Syrian Refugees? Watch this Drone Footage

This is from British News Channel Four. My thanks to Matt Busch for posting it on Facebook.
Drone footage over Homs

After years of war, parts of Homs, Syria, are crumbling and deserted. New drone footage shows the extent of the devastation.

Posted by Channel 4 News on Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Really Cool WWI Simulation from BBC Three

Here's a really cool World War 1 simulation from BBC Three. It runs about 20 minutes and you are asked to make decisions that are often life-threatening. For example, do you send up a flare or send out a runner? It's all part of the Battle of Somme in 1916.

Thanks to Deb Skadden for posting the link on Facebook.