Monday, February 27, 2017

African Kingdoms: Video Resources

Studying the African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Sonhay?

Here are a few video resources.

Here's a terrific two minute clip on the rise of Ghana.

And here is a TedEd talk by Jessica Smith about Mansa Musa and his enormous wealth.


Here is the Legend of Timbuktu (about 12 minutes) from MNM Television Network.

Finally, here is a 7 minute clip on the he Swahili Cities of East Africa.

Friday, February 24, 2017

How Dark were the Dark Ages

The Dark Ages were not so dark, according to this fascinating clip from PragerU.

They were full of color with carnivals, and revived popular drama and they invented the university.

And don't forget architecture! Gothic cathedrals brought color and light.
  

Saturday, February 18, 2017

The Coming War on China: New Documentary

Here is a stunning documentary about the increasing tension between the United States and China, especially in the South China Sea, developed by journalist, John Pilger.  Called the Coming War on China, it was  trashed by conservatives because the film is so critical of the United States.

Here's what I learned in the first ten minutes. As the Chinese expand onto islands in the South Sea China, they see American destroyers and bases surrounding them.


And in 1946, Americans exploded a hydrogen bomb over the Bikini Atoll near the Marshal Islands to see how animals and people react to the blast. 
Here is the trailer for documentary.

World War I: Resources


World War I. Three good video overviews.

Specific events

Simulations

  • Over the Top,  a terrific web module that tells the story of Canadians who fought in the trench in the war. You have to make decisions throughout the simulation.

Blackadder Comedy Clips

Monday, February 13, 2017

World History Curriculum Modules on the Mediterranean


Here's a great curriculum project called "Our Shared Past in the Mediterranean." It contains lesson modules on the Mediterranean in different time periods. 

I just downloaded a lesson from Module 5 about Mehmet Ali and reforms in Egypt in the 19th century. It includes a number of documents about Ali including a brief biography along with short sections on economic and political reforms. The module includes a graphic organizer and a flow chart.

The Memet Ali lesson is part of module five which covers reform and social change in the Mediterranean between 1798-1914. 

Another lesson in that module compares the Declaration of Gulhane and the Declaration of the Rights of Man. (The Gulhane Proclamation created the Tanzimat Reforms in the Ottoman Empire)

Module six includes a lesson on the Marshall Plan and Italy. Another 20th century lesson examines the impact of the quest for energy on the environment.

Our Shared Past is a "collaborative grants program." Curriculum developers include Craig Perrier, High School Social Studies Specialist for Fairfax County Public Schools, and Susan Douglas from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Marx's Theory of Communism Reviewed by the School of Life

Here the School of Life reviews Karl Marx's theory of communism.

While Marx's ideas have been used by dictators like Stalin and Mao, the host notes that Marx's diagnosis of capitalism "helps us navigate towards a more promising future."

Thursday, February 9, 2017

East Asian Philosophies and Religions: Summer Workshop


The East Asian Resource Center offers a four-day summer development program at the University of Washington at Settle in July.

The topic fits themes in both the World History AP World History. 

The course will focus on the the three Chinese teachings--Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. It will also focus on the development of Shintoism in Japan.

The University will provide dormitory housing, meal allowance and a partial travel stipend of up to $300 for a limited number of out-of-town participants.

DETAILS
  • July 24 – 28, 2017 
  • 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 
  • (Monday-Thursday) 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m (Friday) 
  • The University of Washington in Seattle
  • Priority application deadline: 11:59 pm PST on March 31, 2017


Monday, February 6, 2017

Visualizing Cultures--Image Driven Lessons from MIT

MIT has a terrific website called Visualizing Cultures with an image driven curricula about Asia. Their units on Japan and China are great.

For example, we are studying the Meiji Restoration in AP World. MIT has a unit called "Throwing off Asia."  It includes a section called Technology and Industry with a series of woodblock prints that shows different aspects of industrialization.  I copied some for students to review and note the different ways in which the woodblocks reflect industrialization and modernization.

Another unit called Black Ships and Samurai shows the different ways the Japanese saw the invading Westerners when Commodore Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay. It includes a chart for analyzing the images.
Some of the other units in the curricula include the first Opium War and the Rise and Fall of the Canton Trade System.



Thursday, February 2, 2017

Shinto: Resources

Teaching Shinto, the ancient religion of Japan? 

Here are some very short clips that help explain it.
The first is a basic overview from Khan academy and runs about four minutes.

The second clip explains the three types of kami, or gods. These include ancestors, spirits, and souls of great people, all of whom coexist with us in the natural world.

The third clip explains the importance of the torii gate and the Shinto shrine. And finally, a professor explains the great myth of the Japanese sun god, Amaterasu who is the daughter of Izanami and Izanagi who made their daughter ruler of the sky.

Shinto overview form Khan Academy


The gods of Shinto


 A Japanese Shrine Explained



The goddess Amaterasu





Cecil Rhodes Discovers Diamonds: Clip from Queen Victoria's Empire

Teaching Imperialism? Here, Cecil Rhodes discovers a diamond mine in South Africa that will eventually become De Beers, the world's largest diamond company.

The five-minute clip starts about six minutes in the video and comes from the PBS series, Queen Victoria's Empire.




Opium Wars from CNN Millenium

Teaching imperialism? Here's the excellent eight minute clip from CNN's Millennium Series about the Opium Wars.