Social Science 497 Fall 2008 Reading Response One (Loewen)
Please write a good full paragraph for each answer. You may type or handwrite your response.
1. What does Loewen argue about textbook’s portrayals of heroic
historical figures? To what extent do you agree or disagree with
his point on heroes?
2. How does Loewen want textbooks and teachers to handle questions of
racism and antiracism? What would be some of the benefits of
following his advice? What would be some of the potential
downsides that he doesn’t fully address in his book?
3. Why does Loewen, in his “Land of Opportunity” chapter,
want history textbooks to give more attention to social class
inequality? Think of an example from your own life in which
you’ve observed the impact of social class differences in the
classroom (at any age level). Does your example support or
complicate Loewen’s argument on the need for more attention to
social class in history textbooks?
4. Write a thought-provoking question that you would like to hear your
classmates discuss in class. This question should be
open-ended—that is, there should be no simple right-or-wrong
answer to it. Note: This part of the response should be just a
sentence long, not a full paragraph. Try to pick a question that
doesn’t duplicate the three questions above.
Social Science 497 Fall 2008 Reading Response Two (Loewen)
Please write a good full paragraph for each answer. You may type or handwrite your response.
1. What was something that you found particularly interesting or
provocative in the “Watching Big Brother” chapter?
Explain.
2. What was something particularly interesting or provocative in the “Down the Memory Hole” chapter? Explain.
3. How does Loewen, towards the end of the book, explain why textbooks
are the way they are? How many different factors are
involved? Which factors do you think are most important?
4. According to George W. Bush, why is history important? What do
you like about Bush’s program and speech? (Find at least one idea
here.) What do you dislike? (Also find at least one idea
here.) How do you think Loewen would respond to Bush’s
history initiatives?
Social Science 497 Fall 2008 Reading Response Three (two articles)
1. How does the Wineburg & Monte-Sano article confirm
Loewen’s general position that there is something wrong with
history education in the United States today?
2. How does the article contradict or complicate Loewen?
3. Think about one of your favorite historical events (any time or
place) in terms of Andrews & Burke’s discussion of causality
and contingency. Write a paragraph or draw a creative flow chart
in which you trace the different causal factors that drove your
event. Also indicate at least two moments in your story when a
contingency proved particularly dramatic in shaping the historical
outcome. That is, explain briefly why events turned out one way
and not another way.
Social Science 497 Fall 2008 Reading Responses Four and Five (topical book)
Note: These reading responses have two
purposes. The first and most important goal is to help you
prepare for your lesson plan. Your answers to these questions
will provide ideas that you can then incorporate into your lesson
plan. The more thought you put into this assignment, the more you
will benefit later this quarter. To receive the most benefit, be
sure to review the syllabus’ description of the lesson plan so
that you can better see how these questions relate to the lesson plan
elements.
The second purpose is to show me that you have done
a thorough job reading the book. Be sure that your answers cover
a wide range of the book’s chapters, rather than dwelling on just
a few over and over again.
Response Four
1. What are the three biggest theses or arguments in your book?
Write a sentence for each one, using your own words (vs. simply quoting
from the book). If your book is the Erenberg/Hirsch anthology,
come up with three big arguments that collectively cover most of the
book’s chapters.
2. Identify three different parts of the book that struck you as
particularly surprising or provocative. Write a few sentences for
each of these three parts, explaining why you think you had these
strong reactions.
3. Compare your book to your relevant California state standard (8.12
or 11.7). What are three of the most interesting or important
themes discussed in your book that DO NOT appear as explicit items in
the standards? Do you notice any patterns in how your book
differs from the standards? Explain which sections of the 8.12 or
11.7 standard could be creatively reinterpreted to include more of your
book’s interesting or important material.
Response Five
1. Loewen encourages teachers to help students discover interesting
controversies about the past. Locate three different sections in
your book that have the potential to sustain a mock debate activity
among students. For each of your three debate topics, explain
briefly (two or three sentences) the nature of the debate, and also
explain why a student in 21st-century Southern California could be made
to care about this historical issue.
2. Identify two historical characters in your book with whom Los
Angeles-area students would be likely to identify. These
characters could be specific individuals from the past who are
discussed in the book, or they could be a hypothetical individual belonging to a specific group
discussed in the book. For both historical characters, explain in
a couple sentences what your historian (Edwards or an Erenberg/Hirsch
author) says is most important about them. Then explain in a
couple sentences why these characters would likely be relevant to
students today.
3. Imagine that you could create an educational—and
fun—video game or computer simulation based on something in the
book. What would you create and why? (Assume that you have
ample computer expertise available to help you, and remember that the
game should lead students into some kind of higher-level thinking.)