too=2C felt that even 1 year was too short to cover the "basics" and have =
developed a 3 semester world and 3 semester US history class. The kids love=
it... more in depth=2C builds upon previous course work=2C etc.
=20
Goes something like this: 9th grade fall - World I (ancient stuff)=3B 9th g=
rade spring - World II (Renaissance/Reformation)=3B 10th grade fall - World=
III (modern world)=3B 10th grade spring - US I (Colonization=2C etc.)=3B 1=
1th grade fall - US II (Civil War era=2C etc.)=3B 11th grade spring - US II=
I (US in the modern era).
=20
(Realize that 8th grade is a geography survey and 12th grade ends with gove=
rnment and economics)
=20
> Date: Sat=2C 31 Jan 2009 16:22:05 -0500> From: keith@gatling.us> Subject:=
Re: AP US History Taught Over 2 Years> To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> > Whil=
e I understand the increasing desire to hear "other voices" in the 34> sinc=
e I was a high school kid in NJ=2C and had to deal with the two-year US> Hi=
story requirement=2C there is something to be said for spending a lot of> t=
ime learning about "your own family" before you learn about the people down=
> the street or across town (more on that later). And as for the person who=
> wondered what on earth you needed two years to do this in when college> s=
tudents could do it in one semester=2C my answer is very simple: You need t=
wo> years to do this in a leisurely high school manner with lots of high sc=
hool> type projects=2C trips=2C and diversions. If the goal is to pack as m=
uch> American History into as little time as possible=2C then just give the=
m an> iPod packed with a month's worth of stuff. It'll be crammed in one ea=
r and> pushed out the other in no time. Two years seems just right to me fo=
r> planting the broad foundation needed to successfully tackle those> one-s=
emester college courses. It also seems just the right thing for> beginning =
a possible lifelong love of history - US or otherwise.> > Come on folks=2C =
we're talking from 1620 to the present day. That's almost 500> years of his=
tory that you say we can condense down to one semester. I doubt> it. I susp=
ect that those one-semester college wonders are looking at a> specific issu=
e or a specific era. Not the entire 500 year ball of wax.> > Now=2C let me =
talk about "the family." I've come to conclude that where the> history of y=
our country is concerned=2C or at least where American history is> concerne=
d=2C it's like genealogy. It's all about *us*. It's all about how we> got t=
o be us. It's all about how the different threads got woven together=2C> so=
metimes artfully and sometimes not=2C to create the tapestry that is this> =
country. In the end it's about how people in the past got together=2C for> =
better or worse=2C to create the people we are now. And that might just tak=
e> two years.> > Yeah=2C other voices are nice too. I represent one of thos=
e other voices=3B but> I don't think that the desire to acknowledge the "ot=
her voices" should mean> that less time is spent on the whole choir. Indeed=
=2C I believe that if we're> really looking at this genealogically=2C we ha=
ve to talk about each of those> other voices as they enter the picture=2C a=
nd see how they influenced the> mainstream=2C and how mainstream decisions =
toward those voices led to certain> events and situations later on that eve=
ryone would regret. But don't draw> them out as separate items. Not in high=
school. That's not the place for> such specialization as "African-American=
s in US History=2C" "Irish in US> History=2C" "Native Americans in US Histo=
ry=2C" or "Germans in US History." And> yet=2C how much though has anyone r=
eally given to the Germans in US history.> I'm betting that most of you are=
thinking=2C "Germans=2C Scots=2C Brits=2C just> another subset of the domi=
nant white people." But perhaps a closer look will> show that it ain't nece=
ssarily so.> > My wife=2C who is of German ancestry said that when she want=
ed to find out> more about Germans in US history=2C she had to go to the li=
brary herself.> There was no German History Month=2C there was no bulletin =
board devoted to> famous Germans=2C there was no "Other Voices" class devot=
ed to the Germans.> And certainly=2C no one talked about the anti-German pr=
opaganda during both> world wars=2C or the fact that Germans had been sent =
to "relocation camps"> just like the Japanese. I'm sure that my Italian bro=
ther-in-law will say the> same thing about having to find out about famous =
Italians as a group on his> own time.> > I say let the "other voices" be pa=
rt of a two-year course on US history that> looks at the entire choir.> > >=
On Sat=2C Jan 31=2C 2009 at 12:14 PM=2C Knies=2C Don <Dknies@statenislanda=
cademy.org> > wrote:> > > I wondered that too. It seems that a two year loc=
k in to one course with> > the same students loses some opportunity for oth=
er perspectives and other> > focuses. (I refuse to use the word foci=2C in =
this context)> >> > [ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]> S=
ubmissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons=2C attribution=
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owitworks_012009=
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