Welcome to Mr. Díaz Classroom

You can be whatever you decide to be. The major obstacle is yourself / Tú puedes ser lo que tú decidas ser. El principal obstáculo eres tú mismo. 

 

During the years I was working for my Master of Science in Social Studies at Florida International University, I learned a lot from the outstanding professors I had. The ones that influenced me the most were Dr. Mohammed K. Farouk, Dr. William Walker, and Dr. Miguel Angel Escotet . I'm trying to make my class as relevant for my students as theirs were for me. Many of the ideas, concepts and principles expressed in this site: http://DiazSocialStudies.org, to which this section belongs, are the result of the wisdom, human solidarity, and good teaching of these scholars. I want this to be a tribute to all my teachers and professors, the ones that contributed to the man and the professional I am today. Thanks! Anything wrong in this web page is the result of my own limitations and mistakes; I hope you will excuse me for those.

Click on the topic you want to see

1-My Students / Mis Alumnos
1.1-Pictures of My Students (1996-2007)
2-Philosophy of History, in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
2.1-Philosophy of History, in the Wikipedia Encyclopedia
2.2-What is History About? History seen by historians.
2.3-Why Study History?, by Peter N. Stearns, in the American Historical Association.
2.4-A Student's Guide to the Study of History , by Dr Steven Kreis
2.5-Reading, Writing and Researching for History by Dr Patrick Rael
2.6-Reading Quest: Making Sense in Social Studies (Strategies) by Dr. Raymond C. Jones
2.7-Internet Research: Theory & Techniques (The Spire Project)
3-My Views on History / Mis Opiniones sobre Historia
4-Classroom Norms & Rules / Normas y Reglas de la Clase
4.1-Requiered Materials & Resources / Materiales y Recursos Necesarios
4.2-Syllabus of Courses / Programa de Cursos
4.3-Courses' Scope & Sequence/ Estructura de los Cursos
4.4-Grading Policy / Sistema Evaluativo
5-Projects / Proyectos
6-Video Analysis / Análisis de Videos Históricos
6.1-World History
6.2-American History
6.3-Government / Economics
6.4-Form for Video Analysis (Questions)
7-Reading  / Leer
7.1-Book Reports / Reportes de Libros (Clásicos de la Literatura)
7.1.1-World Literature Titles / Authors
7.1.2-American Literature Titles / Authors
7.1.3-Form for Book Report (Questions)
8-Assignments for Government / Economics /Actividades. Académicas de Gobierno / Economía
9-Recommended Software (CD ROMs) & Videos Programas.
10-Recommended Books for  High School History Honors Classes.
11-Study Guides by Subjects & Units / Guías de Estudio por Asignatura y Unidades
12-"....one thousand words": PowerPoint Presentations by Subjects & Units:
12.1-World History
12.2-American History
12.3-Economics / Government (Under Construction)
13-Review for the Test / Repaso para el Examen
14-Views on Bilingual Education /Opiniones sobre la Educación Bilingüe
15-My Papers on Education / Mis Escritos sobre Educación
16-Who is Mr. Díaz?
17-Rate Your Teacher
18-Dear Substitute, here is your Lesson Plan for today

4-TEACHING & LEARNING SOCIAL STUDIES: SOME IDEAS (Click on the title to go back to the table of contents)

YOU CAN TRANSLATE THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES FROM ENGLISH TO ANY LANGUAGE. CLICK ON THE DIAMOND

Philosophical Concepts, Principles, and Definitions

Before teaching / learning History, let's review some ideas about teaching and learning:

It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated.

Alec Bourne

An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't.

Anatole France

Education is the best provision for old age.

Aristotle

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Aristotle

Only the educated are free.

Epictetus

America believes in education: the average professor earns less money in a whole year than a professional athlete earns in a week.

Evan Esar

Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater.

Gail Godwin

A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry.

George Bernard Shaw

A student by definition doesn't know what he or she doesn't know.

Michael Gorman

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell, where his influence stops.

Henry Brooks Adams

A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.

Thomas Carruthers

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

Albert Einstein

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.

Jimmy Hendrix

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.

Henry Ford

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.

Henry David Thoreau

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.

Chinese Proverb

If you plan for a year, plant a seed. If for ten years, plant a tree. If for a hundred years, teach the people.

Kuang Chung

You are educated when you have the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence.

Robert Frost

To teach is to learn twice.

Joseph Joubert

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.

Malcolm Forbes

As long as you live, keep learning how to live.

Seneca

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.

John Cotton Dana

Education is to mould the human being for ongoing change and even for the eventual crisis which might arise as a result of the transition.

Miguel Ángel Escotet

The highest result of education is tolerance.

Helen Keller

There are two types of education... One should teach us how to make a living, And the other how to live.

John Adams

Whatever is good to know is difficult to learn.

Greek Proverb

The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place in which to spend one's leisure.

Sidney J. Harris

Education is not the filing of a pail, but the burning of a fire

William Butler Yeats

Pain makes man think. Thought makes man wise. Wisdom makes life endurable.

John Patrick

Education is the cheapest defense of nations.

Edmund Burke

He who opens a school door, closes a prison.

Victor Hugo

Teachers are more than any other class the guardians of civilization.

Bertrand Russell

What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.

Karl Menninger

Teaching that impacts is not head to head, but heart to heart.

Howard G. Hendricks

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings.

Carl Gustav Jung

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

William Arthur Ward

I touch the future, I teach

Christa McAuliffe

What is and how to achieve happiness? Buying objects / things?....That's what we are told every day by hundreds of commercial ads. Have knowledge and wisdom anything to do with happiness?

José Martí, a great Cuban thinker and patriot, once gave this advice in his famous Letter to Maria Mantilla, who many believe was his daughter:

"La elegancia..., -la grande y verdadera, -está en la altivez y fortaleza del alma. Un alma honrada, inteligente y libre, da al cuerpo más elegancia, y más poderío..., que las modas más ricas de las tiendas. Mucha tienda, poca alma. Quien tiene mucho adentro, necesita poco afuera. Quien lleva mucho afuera, tiene poco adentro, y quiere disimular lo poco. Quien siente su belleza, la belleza interior, no busca afuera belleza prestada: se sabe hermosa, y la belleza echa luz. Procurará mostrarse alegre, y agradable a los ojos, porque es deber humano causar placer en vez de pena, y quien conoce la belleza la respeta y la cuida en los demás y en sí."
José Martí

•  

  "Elegance..., - the really great and true one, - is in the pride and strength of the soul. An honest, intelligent and free soul gives to the body more elegance and more power..., than the richest fashions of the stores. Much store, little soul. Who has much inside, needs little outside. Who needs to dress up outside, has little inside, and wants to conceal the little. Who feels her/his own beauty, the inner beauty, does not look outside for lent beauty: she/he knows she/he is beautiful and the beauty sparkles light. She/he should try to look cheerful and pleasant to the eyes, because it is a human duty to cause pleasure instead of pain, and the one who knows what beauty is, respects it and takes care of it in others and in himself."

I believe that the best way of teaching history is through:

 

Today, our students are more exposed and more sensitive to audiovisuals than ever. If we want to motivate them, to make History an attractive subject and to make our teaching relevant for the students of the 21st century, we have to use technology. Why do we -teachers- use so many audiovisual resources in our workshops and professional development activities, while we still want our students to learn with the old black / white board, outdated textbooks and boring lectures? There are ample resources available; let's use them.

The instructional strategies we use in our classrooms and the homework we assign to our students could make all the difference with regard to motivation, content coverage, learning, students' performance in major evaluations, discipline, and how relevant is history for them.

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Let me now express my personal Philosophy of History.

Is history important? In what way? Is there a possible end to its development?
Is there a design, purpose, directive principle in the process of human history?
Which is the right way to study History: Leaders, Nations, Cultures, Processes?
Are there any broad patterns in History? Is History a linear progression (unilineal
or multilineal) or a series of cycles or just events that happen at random? Is
there an ultimate direction (positive or negative)? What are the diving forces in
History?

What is History?

History is a highly subjective and biased discipline. Historians, history teachers,

politicians, and all of us have our own interests, values, prejudices, and experiences,

even if we are unaware of having them. Most history is based on speculation and it

is totally touched by prejudice.

History is not an exact science, but a discipline trying to record and study the ideas and

actions of competing forces. The process of recording and studying is made by

individuals that are part and / or are affected by those same forces. However, using

the scientific method, historians today are trying to present the historical events and

the individuals involved in them in a broader and more inclusive way, trying to be

neutral or at least less prejudiced than years ago.

It is impossible to understand history or any other social discipline without

looking at the multiple perspectives and the different points of view of people with

regard to the events, theories, and schools of thought. Put yourself in the other

person's shoes to really understand he / she. Always ask what the other side has to

say; look for a balanced picture.

In history, like in daily life, most of the times the extremes are both wrong. Do

not look for people, events, or decisions totally good or bad, black and white; look at

the shadows in the middle. Behind every extremist you will find an opportunist. Look

beyond simplistic explanations, consider a wide range of interacting factors,

ramifications, and diverse plausible causes and consequences. Most of the times, the

middle road and a good compromise are the best solution.

History is the study of culture and power. Names, dates, and particular historical

events should be tools to determine patterns, trends, and the causes and

consequences of historical processes. History is not a blind concatenation of events,

but a meaningful whole, an evolutionary process ruled by laws.

History is our collective memory, our source of personal identity, our way to

immortality. History extends human life beyond its span. History is our connection

with the past and our guide to build the future avoiding the repetition of old

mistakes. But we humans have short memory and never learn from history.

Society is a distinct entity that is part of nature with which it constantly

interacts; it is inseparable from the rest of nature and, like nature, it is also ruled by

laws; its own laws, even when chance and accidents have also had a role in the

history of human society.
 

Driving Forces in History: Competition & Wars

History is competition and a continual process of conflict; this competition or conflict

could be peaceful if the resources are enough for all and tolerance is present or if

man is able to share fairly, or it could be violent, which has predominated along

history. War is the worst form of human competition and it has been present almost

always. Some historians think that peaceful times are only unnatural and

exceptional interludes that tend to cease as a result of changes in the distribution of

military power. Competition produces winners and losers and it is the main cause of

economic, social, and political inequalities. There are not "good wars", but the only

"acceptable war" is one in self-defense. Some believe that war is a "necessary evil"

to destroy what is old and to build something new and better. Nations and leaders

have always found excuses for war and their people have always been tricked to

support them and to die in them. Will we, common people, learn from history?

Cooperation increases with social development, but it is only a form of

competition. We cooperate in “our group” (family, community, church, party,

ethnic group, and / or nation) in order to be stronger to succeed in our competition with

other groups.

The society is formed by material and intellectual elements that are constantly

interacting. The material components of the social life are the support and

determine the philosophical, political, moral, legal, and aesthetic ideas developed by

any particular society. One powerful force is the profit motive. The intellectual

components have a relative independence. They may lag behind or run ahead of the

material development at any historical point. The circumstances and quality of the

interaction will influence the development of the intellectual part.

Some societies have produced outstanding individuals that have been able to

affect the course of history. Their ideas and actions have accelerated or retarded the

development of society.

Historical events have been driven by the competition for material resources,

power, cultural, ethnic or national supremacy, social recognition, glory or vanity,

and / or religious prevalence.
 

Historical Evolution , Progress, and Happiness.

Evolution, progress and happiness are not necessarily interchangeable concepts.

Evolution means change and everything changes constantly following some patterns

and laws when we analyze long periods of time. Progress means accumulation of

knowledge and more efficient technologies to struggle with nature and among

ourselves. Man has used the products of progress to achieve many negative and

destructive goals. It doesn't lead automatically to the reduction of poverty or to a

better quality of life. Happiness is at the same time objective and subjective: a

state of mind or emotional satisfaction, no necessarily dependent on economic status,

level of progress, or evolutionary stage; but also dependent on the satisfaction

of basic needs (material, spiritual, moral, and cultural needs).

History doesn't happen by chance as a trend, even when chance has played an

important role in history. It is the result of evolution following some objective laws;

laws that man can learn and use to take the right decisions. In history, like in nature,

change is constant and nothing is forever; everything has its end, from powerful

individuals, empires and social systems, to planets, stars and solar systems.

The history of society is a chain of steps and sometimes leaps forward, in a

universal process of continuous and directional progress, with periods of boom and

dust, of war and peace, whose trend has been the evolution of the human society

from more simple, lower social systems to the more complex, higher ones. This

doesn't mean that we move away from a past that is dead and that History is

completely irreversible. We frequently look back to learn and take from the

past, usually to try and / or apply some of those experiences that worked, that

were successful to our new circumstances. The past is always with us. This is one

of the reasons why we need to learn History.

What has meant progress for some social groups has been misery or destruction

for others. Same things happen in nature. Scientific and economic development have

supported and promoted the evolution of the human society but have also created

the basis for its potential destruction and extinction.

Peoples have made history in accordance with objective conditions. As mankind

evolves, the role of the people in history rises and the number of people taking part

in the historical process is larger. This fact considerably accelerates the course of

history. Ancient history lasted a lot longer than medieval and modern history. The

periods become shorter along the evolutionary process.
 

Role of Leaders & Heroes

Historical events are frequently showed as the result of the actions of powerful

and talented heroes and leaders without any stain in their lives. Heroes and leaders

are common people, they are not perfect or superhuman that deserve blind worship.

They grow out of their times and lands, they are the products and symbols of

historical events as well as their agents and voices.

Great leaders and heroes do not appear by chance but by historical necessity,

when their character, skills, and intelligence are needed by society at a given stage of

development. Without a particular environment, their ideas and actions would be

untimely and impracticable. A great individual becomes really great only when he /

she understands the objective course of history and he / she dedicates his efforts and

energies to promote progress. The role of leaders is very important, but no one can

determine the course of history following only his own will; the society as a whole

produces and determines what leaders are able to do.  Before a great man can produce

significant changes in his society, his society must make him.
 

The State and History

The state is a product of society's internal development and of the emergence of

different socio-economic groups. It is a political instrument to promote order, to

develop and enforce the laws, to guarantee the welfare of all the citizens, and to

provide justice for all. However, the state will give priority to the interests of the

ruling socio-economic group. It protects the values and ideas prevailing in a

particular society, in a particular time.
 

What type of history have we studied?

History has been the story of victors and elites. Europe has been considered the

center of world civilization while all other peoples have been exhibited as savages.

The history of America has been the history of the Anglo-Saxon, Protestant

white male. The role of common people and minority groups in history is often

underestimated and distorted. Today, scholars and schools are trying to change

this wrong vision.

Civilization, manhood, progress, honor, culture, and development, have been used

and manipulated to justify and support some of the most barbaric and unfair causes

in history.
 

Revising History

We all are historians, writing and telling our lives' stories, reinterpreting and

changing those stories as we mature, stressing some events in our lives and trying to

forget others. Professional historians do the same things. History has been and is

being rewritten constantly, according to the social and economic changes that have

occurred and depending on the moral values and political systems predominating in

any particular period in history.
 

Equality, Democracy and Freedom: Socio-Economic Groups, Gender, & Race in History

We are all different. Inequality is a natural trait present in all things in Nature.

In history, equality and freedom have been opposed concepts only reconciled by

utopist philosophies; when one has prevailed, the other has died. Equal educational

opportunities and a rational redistribution of wealth leading to an environment of

social justice could be an achievable middle point between these two extremes.

Equality has different meanings depending on who defines it. For some, it is

synonym of equal opportunities and having certain common rights; it is also

considered as the set of equal basic natural capabilities present in most human

beings; for many religions, equality in the sight of God means the power of all

human beings to take decisions, to do right or wrong, to choose between good and

evil. It is also presented as the result of legislation regulating and ensuring access to

a broad set of economic opportunities and “free” social services for all citizens.

What we call intelligence is mostly the result of personal experience, education,

and opportunity. Most of us have the capability to be civilized and prosperous

individuals under the right circumstances, to be talented artists, scientists,

philosophers, and political leaders.

Socio-economic groups, gender, and race have emerged historically as social

constructions and as a result of competition to allow the oppression of some groups

over other men and women, to create and maintain a system of hierarchies that

assigns power and privilege to some people and that prevents or limits the access of

other people to material resources, knowledge, and positions of leadership.

This system of social hierarchies is a web formed by a variety of interdependent

variables that are mutually constitutive. Socio-economic status, gender, race, and

oppression have been inseparable; they have constructed, supported, and reinforced

one another; their goals have been to divide, to set groups of people against each other,

to promote prejudices and hate among them, to make them weak, to create a

discriminatory system of dominance in which "deviants" and non-conforming

individuals could be used as scapegoats for all the social problems.

Great civilizations have emerged in every corner of our planet and as the result of

the effort of people with every type of skin. Egyptians, black Dravidic peoples,

Aryans, Chinese people, Mayas, Semites, Greeks, Romans, and all the others have

done their part. Women have always been half of the world population and have

shared with men the difficulties and the achievements. Young and old people, gays

and straight individuals, the rich and the poor, manual workers and intellectuals

have all contributed to the advance of civilization.

The struggles against racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, elitism,

ageism, and so on should be inextricable linked. History should teach us that

civilization is a cooperative product for which all peoples have contributed; it is our

common heritage.

The color of our hair, eyes, or skin; our religious beliefs, sex or age; the place

where we live, the language we speak and our form of government, are all part of

being humans and being different and this should not be the foundation or excuse

for oppression or dominance. We all should be respected with our differences and

have the same opportunities and rights.

Democracy is the right and real capability of the people to participate in politics

and government, to elect and be elected for public office, to enjoy the universally

accepted human rights, to have choices and the ability to take political decisions. It

must consider principles such as popular sovereignty, majority rule, protection of

minorities, constitutional liberties, pluralism, periodic free and clean elections, social

mobility, and many others. A controversial question is How far should it extend?

Democracy implies compromising. It eventually emerges as the result of the

struggle for power among non-democratic elites on either the Left or the Right; it is

not the preferred outcome for any of the struggling groups, but a kind of truce or

compromise between the warring factions.

In order to create and preserve a lasting democratic government, the people has

to be prepared, to have an education; a particular set of social values, traditions,

and structures are needed. Tolerance, legality, a civic culture, and social justice are

required. A strong sense of national unity and the capability and practice of the

principle of self-government in towns, corporations, professional associations,

provinces or states, universities, and so on. Economic prosperity and stability are

very important requirements to create and sustain a democratic system.

Freedom is a relative concept. The first condition of freedom is its limitation;

make it absolute and it dies in chaos. You could be free to starve and to be homeless

or to own guns and to belong to organizations that promote hate and death. For

some scholars, freedom means having the material, intellectual and legal capabilities

to take decisions and to fully participate in the political and social life. It could also

mean anarchism or being free of the tutelage or control of other individuals or

authorities. Freedom also is defined as the ability of individuals, as judges of their

own interests, to order their lives following their own principles. Freedom for many

is an ideal, a state of mind in which man will achieve satisfaction and happiness;

something that man is always trying to accomplish, but whose objectives he never

completely fulfills in a never ending quest.
 

Human Rights

Some historians and politicians divide human rights in different categories, levels

or generations. They argue that the concession or validation of some right will

exclude or affect other rights. Even though most nations subscribed them, most of

them, including many of the liberal democracies, violate many of the rights in the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Of course, dictatorships and totalitarian

systems occupy the first places in the list of violators.

The rights # 22-28 are the more controversial for conservative politicians and

scholars in developed nations and the most demanded for poor people and nations.

Personally, I believe that in order to have a real democracy, nations must comply

with all of the following rights, which could be considered as an ideal social project

to be achieved for every civilized nation.

1.All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed

with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of

brotherhood.

2.Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration,

without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political

or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore,

no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international

status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent,

trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

3.Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

4.No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be

prohibited in all their forms.

5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or

punishment.

6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

7. All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal

protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in

violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

8. Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals

for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

9. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

10. Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent

and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any

criminal charge against him.

11. Everyone charged with a penal offense has the right to be presumed innocent until

proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees

necessary for his defense. No one shall be held guilty of any penal offense on account

of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offense, under national or

international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be

imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offense was committed.

12. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home

or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the

right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

13. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders

of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to

return to his country.

14. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from

persecution. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely

arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles

of the United Nations.

15. Everyone has the right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his

nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

16. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or

religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights

as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. Marriage shall be entered into

only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. The family is the natural

and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the

State.

17. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right

includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in

community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in

teaching, practice, worship and observance.

19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes

freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart

information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

20. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. No one

may be compelled to belong to an association.

21. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or

through freely chosen representatives. Everyone has the right of equal access to public

service in his country. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of

government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall

be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free

voting procedures.

22. Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to

realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance

with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural

rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

23. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and

favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Everyone,

without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. Everyone who

works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his

family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other

means of social protection. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for

the protection of his interests.

24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of

working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

25. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and

well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical

care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of

unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in

circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special

care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the

same social protection.

26. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the

elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory.

Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher

education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Education shall be

directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of

respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding,

tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further

the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. Parents have a prior

right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

27. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to

enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. Everyone has the

right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific,

literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

28. Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and

freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

29. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full

development of his personality is possible. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms,

everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for

the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of

others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general

welfare in a democratic society. These rights and freedoms may in no case be

exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

30. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or

person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the

destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
 

History, Values, and Human Nature

There are not such things as absolute truths and values. Everything is constantly

changing. Human values, goals, abilities, virtues and sins have changed with time,

depending on the places of residence and as a result of historical progress.

Different nations, cultures, and / or groups of individuals have different ideas

and interests. In history, every vice was once a virtue and what is wrong for some

peoples is sacred for others. What was a virtue yesterday could be considered a

weakness today.

Beware of the propaganda frequently present out there. Values and truths have

being socially constructed: they are products of particular social situations; they

developed because of particular social needs; particular individuals support them;

and they are directed to achieve particular goals. The dominant values and truths at

any point have never addressed the needs and ideas of all the people.

On the other hand, there are some attitudes that have always been present:

Cooperation, Fairness, Solidarity, Love, Honesty, Integrity, Kindness, Curiosity,

Ingenuity, Pursuit of Excellence, Respect, and Responsibility are some of the

positive traits of human civilization. Appropriate nurture and education has

always been the best ways to tame human nature and develop its best side. But at the

same time, we can find man's inhumanity to man as a constant in history: Greed, Sadism,

Envy, Thirst of Power, Racism, Intolerance, Fanaticism, and Lust have led humans

to Crucifixions, Slavery, Piracy, the Guillotine, Colonialism, Rapes, Massacres

(including women and children), Lynching, Political Purges, Concentration Camps,

Atomic Bombs, Ethnic Cleansings, Terrorism, and constant wars. We can see behaviors

in some humans that not even the most fierce and savage animals are able to have.

Only fear to exemplary punishment (religious, social or legal) has limitedly restrained

the evil and lowest instincts of man.
 

Religion & History

Many religions have emerged in history; many of them at some point have

promoted divisions among men and have served to justify wars and to support

oppression. World religions have some differences and many points in common.

Many people try to prove that their God is better than somebody else's God is.

However, most common religious people try to find their own way to create a better

world, a better man, a better future. The theoretical and real essence of most

religions is to find peace, to do good, to spread love, to achieve happiness, and to help

people. In that sense, religion is good. It is not true that religion is harmful by nature.

Man has always needed to have faith, in all cultures, in all times. Of course, you can

have faith and not practice any religion in particular. And, if you don't have faith,

then you need a powerful and comprehensive philosophy, but we need ideas

and a set of values to protect us from ourselves and from our weaknesses, to restrain

the evil in us. Very frequently, men need to escape from the sad and ugly reality to

travel to the world of imagination, dreams, and spirituality. I deeply believe that there

is a supreme force, god, or spirit, but like Voltaire once said, even assuming that

there is not God, we need to create one; we need to believe in something.

Religion is a powerful source of hope, compassion, moral values, discipline, consolation,

and support for the social order. Religion should promote equality, social justice, and

democracy as long as it is based on tolerance and love.

Some historians say that religion and communism are divergent utopias:

 when one goes down the other goes up. Some believe that religion has kept

the poor from murdering the rich. Others think that religion accommodates itself to

any social circumstance in order to survive; that religion has many lives and the habit

of resurrection; some even have said that religion is the opium to dominate or

oppress the people. Religious fanaticism, fundamentalism, and intolerance have

been -and still are- real calamities in human history.

Today, in most nations, religion is a private matter. Faith and worship are the

result of individual and inner beliefs and convictions. Institutions, hierarchical

bureaucracies, and spiritual leaders can help or not. They are not indispensable for

individuals to become good persons, to be close to God, and to do good. Faith

could be a private and intimate feeling that some people share only with their own

consciences, in their own ways, in the intimacy of their minds or families. In order to

be genuine and valid, faith hasn't to be exhibited in public or being regulated by

an institution. Let's think for a second that there is one Supreme Being, Creative Force,

Universal Order or Spirit. We don't need to assign, frame, limit this Being / Force /

Spirit with a name, sex, ethnicity, or religion. Let's think that the Universe,

Nature, and Life are good and that man can be good too, following the natural laws

of this perfect system of things. Let's try to leave behind the evil and hate created

by man. Let's live with hope and try to be positive.

Every person has the right to believe and find his / her own answers to the

mysteries of the universe, nature and life. There are different forms to find peace, to

do good, to spread love, and to achieve happiness. Respect, understanding, honesty,

social justice, and knowledge should help us to find the truth. We must try to

promote those things that unite us, try to find a common ground in which we can

become better human beings.

Human Life

This is a major issue today for many: pro-life, pro choice, abortion, contraceptives,

birth control, sexual abstinence, euthanasia, the death penalty. and the sacredness of life.

I personally see a lot of hypocrisy in all this. What's the point in fighting abortion or birth

control and doing nothing for the millions of children starving in the world, for the millions

living without health insurance right here in the wealthiest nation in the world, or those

being abused while under the supervision of government agencies. Where is the noble cause

in eliminating or cutting funds for government programs for the elderly and allowing the

never-ending increase of costs of health care and prescriptions for senior citizens that many

can't afford and sending to jail medical doctors (Dr. Kevorkian) trying to help those suffering

without hope. In what way is fair allowing to live those raping and killing a five-years old girl

or beating to death a six-months old baby or practicing / selling child pornography or giving drugs

to little children. How can you reconcile the idea that life is sacred with the bombing of civilians,

torture of prisoners of war, and killing of thousands, just because they belong to another country

or faith or they don't like our way of life. How can you support human life and promote the sale

of guns almost to anybody and the sale of violence to children (video games, movies, TV shows).

I understand that politics is a necessary evil, that there is not and never will be a perfect

government / political system, that world powers have always been abusive, that the business

of America is business, and that in order to have abundance for some, others  have to suffer.

But please, don't tell me that it's fair or that we do it for the sacredness of human life.
 

History, Economics & Politics

Huge problems are affecting the world because of the disproportionate

distribution of resources among nations and within each nation. Fundamental social

changes are required. But revolutions, wars, terrorism, and other forms of violence

will only beget more violence; the violent overthrow of a hierarchical system based

on social differences will lead only to a new system of social hierarchies, repeating

the vicious cycle of violence. Revolutions are very dangerous; they are like snowballs

on a slope. It's not easy to get them going, but once they are on their way it's even

harder to stop them from rolling and growing until they become destructive avalanches.

The growing gap between the wealthiest and the poorest makes unstable the global

and national equilibrium of human society, leading to a critical situation whose unfolding

could only take us -according to history- to reforms through legislation redistributing

wealth or to violence and revolution destroying wealth and distributing poverty.

Terrorism, a frequent form of violence used today, promotes hate, the death of

innocent people, and more violence as a response; it may be the result of the lack

of political space for some groups in the global arena, of fanaticism and extreme ways

no leading to any solution, the consequence of the despair of oppressed groups at

their inability to change the status quo and promote reforms; it is the crazy answer

of desperate people because of their impotence to obtain respect and have their

place in the world. It is also a political weapon used by promoters of violence

and crime, by drug dealers, by practitioners of religious intolerance, by people

who don't respect human lives and other devilish individuals pretending that

they are revolutionaries, heroes or martyrs, while they refuse to accept the

changes of the times. We need more controls, stricter regulations and to punish

any group or individual -here first, within our own country- asking for violence

and intolerance, talking about supremacy and hate, denigrating America

or her values and symbols; we must seriously control the access to guns, explosives,

chemicals and biological products; we need to teach patriotism and love

for our institutions and freedom; we need to be very careful with the type of people

we accept as immigrants; we must be implacable with the enemies of democracy

and freedom. We need a more equitable, open to reforms, fair and peaceful world

without violence, terrorism, and abusive powers.

It's time for sharing, for the world community to build a global society

in which every nation and group benefits and every decent person respects

and supports his fellow global citizens and punishes any violator of the world

peace and order. We need justice and the opportunity to achieve

happiness for every human being in the world, not just for us and our friends.

Capitalism has proven to be the most efficient an stable socio-economic system so

far. The profit motive and free economic competition stimulate productivity and

economic development like no other system. Other economic experiments like

slavery, police supervision, or ideological enthusiasm have proved to be too

unproductive, too expensive, or too transient. However, capitalism is not perfect.

Many problems should be addressed to improve it. It has showed its possibilities to

evolve, to accept reforms, to change, to become more democratic and inclusive.

Communism has proved to be a theoretical utopia whose practical application

has led to political dictatorships, economic failures, and social mirages.

There is not a pure or perfect formula or economic system with all the answers

for the world problems, there has never been and there will never be such a thing.

The right and left extremes have been defeated and social democracy, a new New

Deal, or another way in the middle of the economic and political spectrum,

which should be open to permanent improvement, should replace them. Liberalism,

as Smith saw it, led the world to destructive extremes and failure in the 1930’s; it

represents the past not the future.

Competition between conflicting forces has been a powerful stimulus to promote

development and find answers to address human needs through history. However,

today it seems to be no antagonistic forces competing to find those answers using

different ways. Because of this, some historians consider that we have reached the

end of history or the end of ideological evolution, that liberal democracy is the

highest and final solution.

Perhaps, the future opponents that will emerge from the current historical

conditions may be the global corporations and the governments of the national

states, or they may be the corporations struggling against each other to control the

world. Maybe, a new social group produced during this Age of Information in the

most developed nations will challenge the dominant class and lead a new revolution.

Who knows?

Neo-liberalism is only one more transition to something better. Humanity still has

a long way forward and a lot to improve and advance; we still have not found all

the answers we need and have not walked all the possible ways; we still have

reserves and options. This doesn't mean that the solutions are around the corner

and that the alternatives are clear. We should find new ways, use the best

experiences from every source, learn from past mistakes and advance along the road

of progress whose end is still far away, trying to be understanding, civilized, pacific,

and tolerant beings. History and progress will end only with the end of civilization,

with the end of intelligence, with the end of the planet. I believe that good will prevails

over evil, that man will achieve an even better future for everyone.

Nature and Us

We are not the center of the Universe, but a tiny point in it; man is just a

microscopic part in that infinite space. Nature is the cradle and supporting source of

human life. We are part of Nature; we should not try to conquer it or deplete it, but

try to understand it, learn how to live within it and preserve it. Our ingenuity has

helped us to overcome many problems and to be stronger in our relation with the

forces of Nature. However, Nature can destroy everything we have created in just

seconds or we can provoke natural catastrophes as well.

We do not own the Earth; we are just one species living in it, one that has to

learn how to respect and coexist with the other inhabitants of the planet or pay the

price for its lack of humbleness: extinction.

Insatiable consumerism, the belief in the possibility of an endless economic

growth, and the policies promoting a throwaway economy, are wrong practices that

will lead the world to its exhaustion. There should not be a contradiction between

progress and the preservation of our environment, between science and Nature. The

point here is not the dichotomy of seeing trees and mountains as raw materials to

deplete or as places of rest and contemplation, but the unavoidable reality that we

have to protect our home, to save it for the future, to act with responsibility, to

establish a balance and find a middle point in the long line of our contradictory and

growing needs.

We must teach our students that our resources are not limitless, that small can be

beautiful, that they shouldn't want what they don't really need, that saving for

tomorrow is wise.
 

Teaching Social Studies

Controversy and conflict are at the heart of social studies; this discipline should

promote democracy and freedom of expression. We can't and we shouldn't

“protect” students from “difficult issues”, but help them to understand those issues;

we shouldn't try to impose our ideas to them, but help them to form their own ideas.

The most important question in history is why? Always look for the causes and

consequences of historical events. Many times the real causes are concealed.

Research is historian's most valuable tool to find the truth. We should teach our

students to dig deep !!!

Indoctrination is the result of closing minds on open issues. We should promote

open-mindedness, help our students to accept that nobody is right all the time and

that in real life things are not always neat and clear; they should learn to live with

ambiguity. We should teach them to consider impartially the available facts, to be

willing to change their current beliefs, to not make judgments based on inconclusive

evidence, to leave the door open.

Freedom of ideas is the cornerstone of democracy and progress; the idea of

diversity of ideas and cultures is necessary to give substance to the concept of

freedom. Freedom of thought has little meaning if all people think and believe the

same things. Fanaticism of every kind (religion, politics, and sports) is a harmful disease.

It is impossible to learn history without learning economics, philosophy,

geography, literature, and art at the same time. Do not try to memorize historical

facts, names, or dates, but try to analyze, understand, evaluate, and learn from

them. Look for trends, processes, causes and consequences.

The teaching of social studies, more than any other discipline, is dominated by

textbooks. And students are right: history books are boring; most of the times

they exclude conflict, debate, controversy, real suspense; they do not make people

think critically. Very frequently, books are full of errors of omission and distortion.

While these books are changed, in order to learn social studies, students should

review multiple sources of information: encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, magazines,

the Internet, and many others; they have to visit the library frequently; they have to

watch movies and documentaries; they need to review primary sources. The classroom

isn’t enough.

Teachers have to present the topics in an interesting way, stressing the major

issues. Teachers should motivate students to look for additional information and to

ask questions; they should facilitate productive discussions in which all students can

share their opinions.

We must promote resistance to stereotyping, labeling, and trying to understand

people based only on a limited and narrow set of characteristics. We have to identify

the diversity within any group of people, the full range of human attributes of any

ethnic or national group. Every individual is a particular world. Try to

communicate with people, to learn about and from them before judging them.

Teachers should promote non-chauvinism: teach our students not to prejudice

their judgments about others because they are not affiliated with them, not

to discount unfairly the interests of others even if, on occasion, they are incompatible

with their own interests. We have to fight fanaticism, blind obedience, and

unreasoning devotion. We must teach our students to act in an equitable, civil and

humane way, to consider the well-being of others, to respect the interests and rights

of others. Tolerance is critical to achieve peace and happiness.

We should prepare our students to deal with the unexpected, with contingencies,

and even with chaos. Life is change; nothing remains the same. Social studies is a

good tool to help them to foresee future problems, to find possible solutions and

alternatives, to adapt to changes, to assimilate the inevitable.

Teaching social studies is not just transmitting knowledge. We should care not

only for the cognitive progress, but also for the affective and emotional

circumstances of our students. Besides being students, they are persons and we are in

the business of dealing with social issues and helping persons to be better human

beings.

Note: Most of the views, philosophical concepts and / or principles presented here, which are critical when

you try to understand the history of mankind and other social sciences, were not developed by me. Many of them

are very old; some were written by great minds; others are linked to more recent events; and just a few are the

 result of my own thinking . This summary doesn’t look for originality or scholarly newness. I’m just trying to

put together some ideas for my students or any other person interested in learning History to consider them,

to promote analysis and debate, to open a civilized dialogue.  Please, participate and express yourself.
 
 
 
 

5-Classroom Norms & Rules / Normas y Reglas de la Clase (Click on the title to go back to the table of contents)

GENERAL INFORMATION & CLASSROOM RULES / INFORMACION GENERAL & REGLAS DE LA CLASE
 
 

BASIC NORMS / NORMAS BASICAS

 1-RESPECT AND GOOD MANNERS / RESPETO Y MANERAS ADECUADAS

2-READ TEXTBOOK'S CHAPTER IN ADVANCE, PAY ATTENTION TO THE LECTURE & TAKE NOTES /

LEER CAPITULO DEL LIBRO ANTES DE LA CLASE, ATENCION A LAS EXPLICACIONES & TOMAR NOTAS

3-ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BRING A DICTIONARY DAILY / TODO ALUMNO DEBE TRAER UN DICCIONARIO DIARIAMENTE

4-DO YOUR HOMEWORK / CUMPLIR CON LAS ACTIVIDADES ACADEMICAS ASIGNADAS PARA DESPUES DE CLASES

5-ASK FOR PERMISSION TO INTERRUPT RAISING YOUR HAND / SOLICITAR AUTORIZACION LEVANTANDO LA MANO

6-STUDENTS CAN CREATE CONTENT SUMMARIES USING INDEX CARDS AND BRING & USE THEM DURING QUIZZES / LOS ESTUDIANTES PUEDEN HACER SUMARIOS DE CONTENIDO USANDO PEQUEÑAS TARJETAS Y TRAER Y USAR LAS MISMAS DURANTE LAS EVALUACIONES PERIODICAS EN CLASES
 
 

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES / ACTIVIDADES ACADEMICAS

1-A NEW UNIT EVERY ONE / TWO WEEKS. STUDY GUIDES AVAILABLE FOR EACH ONE /

CADA 1 ó 2 SEMANAS SE EXPLICA UNA UNIDAD DE CONTENIDO. GUIAS DE ESTUDIO DISPONIBLES PARA CADA UNA.

2-CONTENT PRESENTED USING TRANSPARENCIES. TRANSLATION FOR BCC. TAKE NOTES. /

USO DE TRANSPARENCIAS PARA LAS EXPLICACIONES (TRADUCCION). TOMAR NOTAS EN LA CLASE.

3-CD ROM PRESENTATIONS IN EACH UNIT (BILINGUAL); POP QUIZZES AFTER EACH ONE. /

PRESENTACIONES EN CD ROM’s (BILINGUES); EXAMENES DESPUES DE CADA UNA.

4-READINGS EVERY WEEK (ENGLISH) / LECTURAS RELACIONADAS AL CONTENIDO DE CADA UNIDAD (INGLES).

5-PROJECTS BY TEAMS / PROYECTOS POR EQUIPOS

6-VIDEO ANALYSIS / ANALISIS DE FILMS HISTORICOS

7- BOOK REPORTS (CLASSICS) / REPORTES DE LIBROS (LOS CLASICOS)

8-ESSAYS ON SELECTED TOPICS / ESCRIBIR COMPOSICIONES SOBRE TEMAS SELECCIONADOS

9-COMPETITION AMONG TEAMS BASED ON ACADEMIC RESULTS / LOS EQUIPOS COMPITEN SEGUN RESULTADOS ACADEMICOS
 
 

REWARDS / ESTIMULOS

 1-MONTHLY: CERTIFICATES FOR THE BEST TEAM AND BEST STUDENTS; NAMES WILL APPEAR ON THE CLASSROOM HONOR ROLL & IN THIS PAGE

MENSUALMENTE: DIPLOMAS A LOS MIEMBROS DEL TEAM GANADOR Y MEJORES ALUMNOS.

SE REFLEJARAN LOS NOMBRES EN EL MURAL DEL AULA Y EN ESTA PAGINA DE LA INTERNET.

2-AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR: TROPHIES FOR THE BEST STUDENT IN EACH CLASS /

A FIN DEL CURSO: TROFEOS AL MEJOR ALUMNO DE CADA CLASE.
 
 

DISCIPLINE / DISCIPLINA

 1-WARNING / AVISO O LLAMADA DE ATENCION (1st)

2-DETENTION / QUEDARSE DESPUES DE LA ESCUELA (2da)

3-BE TEMPORARILY EXCLUDED FROM THE CLASSROOM (CSI) / EXCLUSION DE LA CLASE. ENVIADO A CSI. (3rd)

4-PARENT CONFERENCE MEETING / LLAMADA A LOS PADRES (3rd)

5-REFERRAL TO AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL/ REFERIDO A UN SUBDIRECTOR

6-SUSPENSION

7-DEFINITIVE EXPELLING / EXPULSION DEFINITIVA DE LA CLASE

5.1-REQUIRED MATERIALS & RESOURCES / MATERIALES Y RECURSOS NECESARIOS

1-English-Spanish Dictionary or E-Translator for ESOL students / Diccionario Inglés-Español o Traductora para Alumnos de ESOL 1/2
1.1-The Merriam-Webster's High School Dictionary (ISBN-0-03-096484-9) or Equivalent for Every Student / El Diccionario de Inglés para la Escuela Secundaria Superior de Merriam-Webster (ISBN-0-03-096484-9) o Equivalente para todos los Alumnos -
2-Knowledge and Access to a Personal Computer (Word Processor & Power Point) / Conocimiento y Accesso a una Computadora Personal
3-Knowlege and Access to the Internet & E-Mail / Conocimiento y Acceso a la Internet y Correo Electrónico
4-Access to a Printer / Acceso a una Impresora
5-Three Sides / Faces Project Poster Board / Cartón de Tres Caras para Proyectos
6-Glue Sticks (4) / Goma de Pegar (4 Barras)
7-Scissors / Tijeras
8-Stapler and Box of Staples / Presilladora y Caja de Presillas
9-Color Paper / Papel de Colores
10-An Atlas / Un Atlas
11-A Thick Notebook for each Semester / Una Libreta Gruesa para cada Semestre
12-Access to a TV & VCR / Acceso a Televisor y Casetera de Video
13-Money to Rent 20 Movies During the Year / Dinero para Alquilar 20 Películas Durante el Año
14-Money for Photocopies / Dinero para hacer Fotocopias
15-Two or Three Diskettes / Dos o Tres Disquetes de Computadora
16-A Box of No. 2 Pencils / Una Caja de Lápices No. 2
 

Access to Computers, TV-VCRs, Printers, Enciclopedias, Atlases, Xerox / Copy Machines is available in the school library and in most public libraries. / El acceso a computadoras, impresoras, fotocopiadoras, TV-VCRs, enciclopedias y atlases esta disponible en la biblioteca de la escuela y la mayoría de las bibliotecas públicas

6-COURSES' SCOPE & SEQUENCE / ORGANIZACION DE LOS CURSOS (Click on the title to go back to the table of contents)

AMERICAN HISTORY. COURSE SCOPE & SEQUENCE.

1st NINE WEEKS.

1^st WEEK: GENERAL INFORMATION

2^nd WEEK: GEOGRAPHY.

3^rd WEEK: NATIVE AMERICANS

4^th & 5^th WEEK: COLONIAL LIFE

6^th & 7^th WEEK: AMERICAN REVOLUTION

8^th WEEK: THE CONSTITUTION. SYMBOLS OF FREEDOM.

9^th. & 10^th. FIRST PRESIDENTS: WASHINGTON to MADISON

2nd NINE WEEKS

11^th & 12^th. WEEK: GOING WEST

13^th WEEK: INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. THE CITIES.

14^th WEEK: AMERICAN FAMILY

15^th - 17^th WEEK: CIVIL WAR

18^th & 19^th WEEK: REVIEW & MIDTERM EXAMS

---------    C H R I S T M A S     R E C E S S --------

3rd NINE WEEKS

20^th. & 21^st. WEEK: A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS

22^nd. WEEK: AFRICAN AMERICANS

23^rd. WEEK: MIAMI: THE MAGIC CITY

24^th. WEEK:  REFORMING SPIRIT

25^th. WEEK: AMERICA LOOKS OVERSEAS

26^th. & 27^th. WEEK: WW I

------------S P R I N G    B R E A K--------------

4th NINE WEEKS

28^th. & 29^th. WEEK: THE ROARING TWENTIES

30^th. WEEK: THE GREAT DEPRESSION

31^st. & 32^nd. WEEK: WW II

33^rd. WEEK: RESERVE

34^th. & 35^th WEEK (AP 17-28): THE COLD WAR

36^th WEEK (MAY 1-5): THE WORLD TODAY

37^th WEEK (MAY 8-26): REVIEW & FINAL EXAMS

WORLD HISTORY. COURSE SCOPE & SEQUENCE.

1st NINE WEEKS: ANCIENT HISTORY

1^st WEEK:  GENERAL INFORMATION

2^nd WEEK: GEOGRAPHY.

3^rd WEEK: PREHISTORY

4^th WEEK: EGYPT

5^th WEEK: MESOPOTAMIA

6^th & 7^th WEEK: GREECE

8^th & 9^th WEEK: ROME

 2nd NINE WEEKS: MEDIEVAL HISTORY

10^th & 11th WEEK: ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL INDIA, CHINA & JAPAN

12^th & 13^th WEEK: ISLAM

14^th & 15^th WEEK: MEDIEVAL EUROPE

16^th. & 17^th WEEK: ANCIENT AMERICA

18^th. & 19^th. WEEK: REVIEW & MIDTERM EXAMS

 ---------    C H R I S T M A S     R E C E S S --------

3rd NINE WEEKS: MODERN HISTORY

20^th & 21^st WEEK: THE RENAISSANCE, THE REFORMATION & SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

22^nd WEEK: EXPLORATION AND CONQUEST

23rd. & 24^th WEEK: THE AGE OF KINGS

25^th WEEK: THE AGE OF REASON. INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

26^th & 27^th WEEK: THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS

28^th WEEK: COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM

 ------------S P R I N G    B R E A K--------------

4th NINE WEEKS: CONTEMPORARY HISTORY

29^th. & 30th. WEEK: WW I & RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

31^st. & 3^2nd. WEEK: WW II

 33rd.  & 34^th WEEK: COLD WAR

35^th WEEK: THE WORLD TODAY

36^th & 37^th. WEEK: REVIEW & FINAL EXAMS

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMICS. COURSES' SCOPE & SEQUENCE.

FIRST SEMESTER: GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

1st NINE WEEKS:

1^st WEEK: General Information

2^nd & 3^rd WEEK: Historical Foundations

4^th & 5^th WEEK: Participating in Politics

6^th & 7^th WEEK: Legislative Branch (U.S. Congress)

8^th & 9^th WEEK: Executive Branch

2nd NINE WEEKS:

10^th & 11th WEEK: Judicial Branch

12^th & 13^th WEEK: State & Local Government

14^th & 15^th WEEK: Political Systems

16^th & 17^th WEEK: Current Events

18^th. & 19^th.  WEEK: Review & Mid-Term Exams

 ---------    C H R I S T M A S     R E C E S S --------

SECOND SEMESTER: ECONOMICS

3rd NINE WEEKS:

20^th & 21^st WEEK: Basic Economic Concepts

22^nd WEEK: World Economy

23^rd WEEK: Economic Systems

24^th WEEK: Free Enterprise Economy

25^th & 26^th WEEK: The Role of Businesses

27^th WEEK: The Role of Labor

28^th WEEK: The Role of Government

------------S P R I N G    B R E A K--------------

4th NINE WEEKS:

29^th & 30^th WEEK: Money, Credit, and Banking

31^st WEEK: Economic Performance

32^nd & 33^rd WEEK: Personal Economics

34^th WEEK: International Trade

35^th WEEK: Current Economic Issues

36^th & 37^th WEEK: Review & Final Exam

7-GRADING POLICY / SISTEMA EVALUATIVO (Click on the title to go back to the table of contents)

GRADING POLICY / SISTEMA EVALUATIVO
(World and American History)

REGULAR GRADES = 80% FINAL GRADE

1-RESEARCH PROJECTS BY TEAMS..............................................30% OF TOTAL GRADE

2-QUIZZES /  TESTS .............................................................................30% OF TOTAL GRADE
2.1-KNOWLEDGE CONTESTS BY TEAMS (ORAL)
2.2-VENN DIAGRAMS (COMPARE & CONTRAST), WEBS & STORY MAPS (See Down)
2.3-CLASSWORK (TEXTBOOK) ACTIVITIES

3-READING...............................................................................................20% OF TOTAL GRADE
3.1-READINGS QUIZZES BY UNITS
3.2-BOOK REPORTS (2) / ESSAYS (4) PER PERIOD OF NINE WEEKS
 

4-VIDEO ANALYSIS / ESSAYS (5 per period of nine weeks).... ...15% OF TOTAL GRADE

5-PARTICIPATION..................................................................................5% OF TOTAL GRADE

Students don't have to keep any "F" or "D" they get in Quizzes. They can do make up work to receive a "C":
-Quizzes: Read and summarize the textbook chapter involved.....Two (2) pages
-Reading Quizzes: Find and article (online) related to the unit involved, read and summarize it....One (1) page. Attach article.

Students can bring index cards w/ info and dictionaries to the quizzes.

MIDTERM + FINAL EXAM = 20 % FINAL GRADE

 
 

8-PROJECTS / PROYECTOS (Click on the title to go back to the table of contents)

CONTENT & STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECTS

1-DEFINITION / SUMMARY.

2-BIOGRAPHIES OF KEY LEADERS / PERSONALITIES.

3-TIMELINE / CHRONOLOGY. MAJOR EVENTS.

4-HISTORICAL MAPS.

5-RELIGION, MORAL VALUES, PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY (IES).

6-BUILDINGS, WEAPONS, DAILY ACTIVITIES, CLOTHES, INVENTIONS. (PICTURES)

7-WORKS OF ART AND LITERATURE (SCHOOLS, STYLES, MOVEMENTS).

8-WARS / BATTLES. OUTCOMES.

9-CAUSES (WHY) AND CONSEQUENCES / EFFECTS.

10-DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW (VICTORS & LOSERS / RULERS & COMMON PEOPLE). CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES. WRITE  A FIVE-PARAGRAPHS ESSAY.

11-TEAM’S EVALUATION / JUDGMENT OF THIS PERIOD IN HISTORY: LIST PROS & CONS. CONTRIBUTIONS TO HUMANITY.

12-STATISTICS / GRAPHS / TABLES

FORMAL REQUIREMENTS:

1-POSTER BOARD OR POWER POINT PRESENTATION OR WEB PAGE W/ THE INFO

2-USE OF COLOR

3-USE OF PICTURES

4-IDENTIFICATION OF WHO DID WHAT

5-TEAM'S NAME

CATEGORIES TO BE GRADED	POOR: (1)	ACCEPTABLE: (2)	ACCOMPLISHED: (3)	EXCELLENT: (4)	TOTAL POINTS
CONTENT / INFORMATION	Printed directly from the Internet or simple copy / paste Many spelling and grammar problems More than three (3) and less than five (5) topics are missing Only one source of info was used	Student has paraphrased the info he/she found or has used a Thesaurus to change words. Several spelling and/or grammar problems More than two (2) topics are missing At least two sources were used	Student has read and summarized the info he/she found in the sources. Some spelling and/or grammar problems No more than one topic is missing At least three sources were used	Student has read the info, analyzed and synthesized the content, and presented it in his/her own words Evaluations, comments and conclusions are included Grammar and spelling are OK All topics were covered Several sources were used
GRAPHICS / PICTURES	Only a few pictures No maps No use of color No decorations at all No balance between big / small pictures Pictures without captions	Some b&w pictures covering some topics Only required maps No use of color Some decorative elements Balance between big and small pictures Some pictures have captions	Enough pictures, some color pictures and some b&w, covering most topics Several different maps Use of color Acceptable decoration Balance and harmony in the use of pictures and other graphics All pictures with captions	Many color pictures covering all topics Several different maps Use of color Great and creative decoration Balance and harmony in the use of pictures and other graphics All pictures with captions
STRUCTURE / DESIGN	In any of these cases: Title and/or team's info is missing No Poster Board Lack of creativity, not design at all Papers falling from the board, not secured. No order and/or sequence. Papers and pictures appear in a negligent fashion	Title and team info are included Use of a different type (one face) of Poster Board Info is not organized in sections, but there is some kind of design Some papers are loose or could fall Some disorder and inappropriate sequence	Title and team info are included Use of a Three Sides / Faces Project Poster Board Use of sections or "pockets", but some topics are not identified Most papers and pictures are properly secured. Use of tacks or push-pins. Logical order and sequence	Title and team info are included Use of a Three Sides / Faces Project Poster Board. (The board could be replaced by a Power Point Presentation or a Web Page, as long as all the other requirements are present.) Well defined sections or "well organized pockets" Use of cover-pages for every section Papers and pictures secured: stapled or glued Creativity; logical order and sequence
Time	Project was two days late	Project was one day late	Project was turn in on time	Project was turn in on time

C + G + D + T = Final Grade A=4 B=3 C=2 D=1

4

10-READING IN HISTORY / LEER EN HISTORIA

• Reading, for students trying to learn History, should be like breathing for any living creature. The best way to learn History is reading Primary Sources. History and Literature are twin sisters.
• For reading quizzes I  use the following series (short readings with questions: think it over, main idea, find the facts, find the order, go beyond the facts, words and their meanings, writing about it):

1-Ervin, Jane (2000). Reading Comprehension in Varied Subject Matter. Cambridge, MA. Educators Publishing Service, Inc. (www.epsbooks.com). Book 1 - 6.

2-Ervin, Jane (2000). More Reading Comprehension in Varied Subject Matter. Cambridge, MA. Educators Publishing Service, Inc. (www.epsbooks.com). Level 1 -4.

3-Broukal, Milada (2004). What a World. Amazing Stories from Around the Globe. White Plains, NY. Pearson Education, Inc.

4-Broukal, Milada (2001). What a Life. Stories of Amazing People. White Plains, NY. Addison Longman, Inc.

• For high-level readers I recommend the use of:

1-Durant, Will & Ariel (1993). The Story of Civilization. MJF Books. Volumes 1-11

2-Weber, Eugen (1995). The Western Tradition. 5th. Ed. Lexington, MA. D. C. Heath and Company. Vol. 1-2.

3-Johnson, O. A. & Halverson, J. L. (2004) Sources of World Civilization . 3rd. Ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.. Pearson Prentice Hall. Vol. 1-2

4-Lawall, Sarah & Mack, Maynard (2002). The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2nd. Ed. New York, NY. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. (http://www2.wwnorton.com). Vol. A-F.

5-Encyclopædia Britannica (2002). Great Books of the Western World. Chicago, Ill. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. (www.britannica.com])

6-Andromeda Interactive (1996). Classic Library. Over 2,000 Great Works of World Literature (on CD ROM, PC & MAC). Alameda, CA. Andromeda Interactive. Tel: 1-800 769 1616 or 1-510 769 1616. Email: andromint@aol.com

7-COREL CD Home Series (1995). World's Greatest Classic Books. Over 3,500 of the World's Best Literary Works from the Greatest Writers of all Time (on CD ROM, For Windows). Salinas, CA. COREL / UCA&L. 1-800 455 3169 or 1-613 728 1010.

• A great support for teaching your students -and/or for them to exercise their skills- how to read / write in Social Studies is the web site of Dr Raymond Jones, Reading Quest: Making Sense in Social Studies. The reading strategies are really useful.

11-BOOK REPORTS / REPORTES DE LIBROS (Click on the title to go back to the table of contents)

Classics of World Literature for Book Reports
 
 

Students of World History should read and write reports about two of the following books / stories / poems every period of nine weeks, answering the attached questions. Considering that some of these works of literature/politics/philosophy/economics may be too difficult for nine grade students, the use of Cliff Notes, Spark Notes, Barron's Book Notes, Bloom's Notes, or any other supporting reviews / summaries are accepted. Also, students may ask in their favorite library for versions of these books adapted for young readers. Most of these works should be available in Spanish.