Tag: history

Paper Football Field Goal Line Plot Lesson

Driving question: What is the perfect length of a paper football field? We are talking, one that allows some paper footballs to score goals, but not every “kick.”

Goal: Students will create and use a line plot to categorize data in a way that makes it easy to interpret. They will analyze the data to determine the best measurement for flicking a paper football accurately.

Prep: I folded a paper football out of an ordinary,letter-sized piece of paper (8 ½ by 11 inches). You fold it the same way you fold an American Flag. Have one pre-folded, but this could be part of the lesson, if you have time. (I didn’t have X.) 

I placed two tables end to end, creating a lengthy runway for measuring. Before students arrived, I taped rulers to the table top the entire length of the two tables, about 3 inches away from the center. I put pieces of tape at each foot so that it would be faster and easier to locate the increment. 

Lesson: I told the students the object of the lesson was to determine the “goldilocks length” of a paper football field for this group of students. Another group may be better or worse at flicking the paper football. We are going to collect data that will help us tailor our “field” to our group. 

“We don’t want the field goal too close, or every single flick will score a point. We also don’t want the field goal too far away. Then no one will score! There will be a window where some will score, but some won’t. We will use data to find that sweet spot. And, we will use a line plot to help us read the data.” 

The first thing we did was figure out the width of the field goal, so that we could finish constructing our mock field. I had each student form right angles with their thumbs and index fingers. Then, touching thumb-tips, they placed their finger field goals on the measuring tape (ruler) I had already taped to the tables. As students shared the measurements of their finger field goals, I wrote them on the dry erase board. We had 6, 6, 5, 5 inches. 

I had taught my students how to average numbers earlier in the year. They were bouncing with the information, now. “It’s 5.5,” a girl offered. 

“How do you know?” I queried.

A boy suggested that it was right in the middle of the numbers. I affirmed this by circling the middle four and five. The girl who had provided the original answer shared what she did to get it, and what one should do to find the average of several numbers. “You add all of the numbers, and then divide by the number of numbers.” We discussed dividing 22 by four in order to review fractions and decimals, and to double-check our answer.

Next, we used mini (six inch) rulers to measure five and a half inches distance between the already taped down ruler and a new one. I had the students tape it down. Now, we had a runway that was the average field goal width, running about ten feet long. 

I demonstrated how to flick the paper football. Each student got three tries. If any of them were duds (didn’t fly), we conducted a retry. There were a few very short flicks, but all in all we collected some valuable data. 

This line plot is not great because the line is not accurate. There ought to be measurements that do not have Xs. Every 1/3 foot should be labeled.

About half of the flicks landed between the two rulers; within the field goal range. These measurements were written on the board in one color. The flicks that did not land between the rulers were recorded in a different color. All of the measurements were recorded to the nearest ⅓ of a foot, in order to use mixed numbers on our line plot. 

Once the line plot was finished, it was easy to see the window where the field goal ought to be erected. There was a collection of accurately-flicked colored Xs up to a point. Then the other color, the color of missed flicks began to move in. At a certain point there were no longer any accurate flicks. The brackish space containing both colors contained the available distances. 

Some students wanted to place the field goal at the first measurement that recorded a miss. I explained that, were we to place it there, nearly every flick would score a point. Even the misses that went far could pass between the goal posts before veering off to the side. I drew a picture illustrating what I meant. 

We drew lines at measurements that we thought the field goal would work best. Then we discussed pros and cons referencing the data.

One student wanted the goal posts erected right before the very last successful data point; The last one to land between the two rulers. I told him that “This would guarantee that only one person would get one point for one flick out of… How many did we do? That might be too frustrating, and not very fun.” 

We ended the lesson without deciding on the perfect distance. Basically, the thing to do was to use the data that we collected to try out some reasonable distances, and see which ones were more fun. The beauty of the paper football field goal game is that the field is so malleable. It is all about fun, and that’s what I hoped the line plot lesson would generate. If nothing else, it was memorable. 

The One-Room Schoolhouse Game

The other day my elementary school had an assembly. When it was over, a fourth grade class was left with no teacher. She had attended a meeting that was running over. Since I didn’t have a class at the moment, I decided to bring her students upstairs for her. As we waited in the fourth grade classroom for the teacher to return, I wondered what I would do to maintain a semblance of sanity. I decided on a game centered on behavior: The One-Room Schoolhouse Game.

When the teacher, accompanied by an instructional assistant (IA), entered the room, they couldn’t believe their eyes. Every student was sitting up ramrod-straight. Every single eye was trained on me. The IA verbally queried, “What is happening in here?” She was incredulous. I was in my element.

Educators are show(people). We are either putting on a performance to attract the attention of our students. Or, we are ringmasters, making sure the mayhem stays within the bounds of 42 foot diameters (the official size of a circus circle).

This is an image of the Claussville One-Room Schoolhouse, the same that my class visited on many field trips.

There are many ways to perform, but methods for maintaining order is more limited. Many years ago I came up with a unique way to do both at the same time. 

When the IA, who had seen the game in action, entered the faculty room at lunchtime, she practically burst with enthusiasm, announcing to the other teachers what she’d seen. Some of the staff members wanted in on this game of good behavior that students seem to enjoy. I explained the rules to them. Since then, I’ve had a couple of teachers ask me to share with their classes how the game works. I’m more than happy to oblige.

Then, I searched my blogs to see if I’d written about The One-Room Schoolhouse Game. Unbelievably, I hadn’t! So, here goes.

It began many years ago. I brought my 3rd grade class of “Polite Pirates” (what I called my group of students) on a field trip that visited several historical sites around our area, all in the same day. It was a fast-paced adventure of a field trip, running from one stop to another, practically assaulted with information. 

I made this video from photos and video of my 2016-17 class visiting Claussville.

We began the day at Trout Hall, the original house of the Allens, the family that founded Allentown, Pennsylvania. The building is staged to look like it had during the Revolutionary War era. A tour guide led us around the house and explained many interesting facts. 

Students get to ring the Liberty Bell replica.
Students explore the replica of a Conestoga wagon.

From there, we traveled only a few blocks away, where the Liberty Bell had been housed during a portion of the Revolutionary War, hiding it from the British. The Liberty Bell Museum has a life-size replica of the original bell, a slightly smaller than lifesize model of the wagon that would have carted the famous bell, along with several others from Philadelphia to our town. They have a nice mural and story display that they show. They also provide a favorite feature of every field trip; a gift shop! This is where I acquired my famous “One-Room Schoolhouse” bell. It is a mini replica of the Liberty Bell.  

This is my 2021-22 class in front of the Claussville One-Room Schoolhouse.

The final stop of the day was  an old school building that was preserved to look the way it had when it was used as a one-room schoolhouse as late as 1956. The Claussville Schoolhouse is where I learned the practices that what would turn into the rules of my One-Room Schoolhouse Game. 

A tour guide walked us through what it would be like to go to school one hundred years ago. Every grade, from first through eighth was taught in that one room! Because of this, the school master had to be very strict. 

I explain all of this nowadays when I introduce The One-Room Schoolhouse Game. Believe it or not, me acting like a big meanie is one of the more fun aspects of the game! Students love tempting me to pretend to yell at them. Suffice to say, this is far from my typical conduct. 

The Game

Now you know where the idea for the game originated, let me explain how it’s played. I introduce the game on the very first day of school. It contrasts the comfortable social/emotional learning (SEL) environment that I foster and points out how nice I actually am. 

Right off the bat, I talk about what school was like a hundred years ago. Because there weren’t any buses, schools only serviced local communities. Every kid walked to school. The building housed every grade, from first through 8th! A teacher was responsible for managing lessons for eight grades, all at the same time. And, there was only one teacher. They could not afford to have any disorder or misbehavior, so the teacher was very strict. 

“There were many rules for doing things. First of all, the students had to sit up straight.” As I say this, I morph into a very serious, demanding persona. Every student whom I have ever shared this game with has always straightened his/her posture at this point. “There is absolutely NO talking.” I look around the room, daring students to even think about speaking out loud without being called on. The students are loving this. They are on pins and needles, waiting to see who might get into trouble. I have transformed into a scowl-wearing, grumbly ogre of a teacher. 

Power of Role-Play

The tension mounts as I walk around the room. I might at this point explain some of the primitive punishments that would have been used during the days of the one-room schoolhouse. It’s not impossible for me to slap a ruler onto a desk to really amp up the mystery of the experience. (Of course, I make certain all of my students understand that corporal punishment is unacceptable in connection with education… but, that is how it was.)

Once I have my students good and primed, it’s time to share the rules of the game. When they are called upon, they are to stand, push in their chair, name the person or persons they are addressing, and make their statement in a complete sentence. I always make it clear that they are to “Refer to me as Mr. Weimann, or Captain Weimann if you’re classy, and you wants to be classy! If you are answering a question, and the information is pertinent for your classmates to pay attention to, you say, ‘Captain Weimann and fellow classmates…’ If there is another adult present, and your answer would benefit that grown up, you say, ‘Captain Weiman, Ms. so and so, peers and/or fellow classmates…’ You get the idea.” We practice this a bit. 

That’s pretty much it. I throw in some variations or additional rules throughout the year to keep the game interesting and fresh. One day I might go crazy about neatness, causing everyone to clean up their desks and the floor around their work spaces. Another day I could go nuts about hearing them breathing. They love it, the more extreme and just beyond grasp the parameters are. A really fun one is pretending to be the mean one-room schoolhouse master and prohibiting all smiling. They practically burst, but work so hard to meet the requirement! 

The trick is to do the game just enough, both in the number of times you play it and how long it lasts. It slows everything down; the making kids stand up, push in chairs, reanswering because they forgot to say who they were talking to or didn’t use a complete sentence. 

This is the tiny bell that turns the room into a “One-Room Schoolhouse.” So little: So powerful!

The students love the game, though. They usually beg me to ring the bell, for I explain that the tiny bell that I got on that very first field trip to the Claussville one-room schoolhouse has magical properties. Whenever I ring it; and only when Mr. Weimann rings it; we are magically transformed into a one-room schoolhouse. This, of course, is a huge part of the game. 

Sometimes, I will pretend to be unhappy with what is happening in the room, and “threaten” to ring the bell. The class will gasp in mock shock. If I do ring it, they all groan and moan, as if they were just strapped into straight jackets against their wills. …But, they quickly sit up straight, quiet down, and see who the big, mean school master from the past will pretend to pick on first. They are always disappointed when we return to the humdrum of contemporary time, and I turn back into fun, loving Mr. Weimann. 

The Claussville One-Room Schoolhouse Bell
What would it feel like to be a student back then?

Back to the Future

This game is like “The Floor is Lava,” in that no one gets hurt, it’s all just pretend, and it amps up the excitement of an otherwise typical walk-through-the-park day. It is perfect for jazzing things up right in the middle of mundane stuff. A little ring of the bell commands everyone’s attention to both behavior and their tasks at hand. 

I had no idea how different the 4th grade class that I was sharing the game with was acting, but their teacher and the accompanying instructional assistant recognized that something unique was going on. Rather than explain the game, myself, I allowed the teacher to call on students, who nearly burst with pride to show off their new skills. 

It took a couple of kids to get all of the rules out, but once I felt comfortable that the teacher understood what was going on, I was free to leave the past. On my way out I whispered, “I’d wait a couple of minutes before ringing that bell. Ride it out;)” 

You don’t want the game to go too long. Fatigue can set in. For the game to be fun, it has to be special, so don’t play it too often or too long. Let the students petition for it a few times, and then surprise them after returning from lunch or in the middle of a multiplication game. Use it for a transition to another lesson. Above all, have fun.

This video shows all three stops of the Polite Pirates’ Lehigh Valley, PA historical sites field trip (2018).

The Power of Contrast

You take a photo. They never capture what you see! You want others to identify something in the photo, so you try to edit it. The subject in the photo is dark, so you lighten the image. This makes the whole thing brighter. It is still difficult to make out the significant features that separate your subject from others. 

Contrast 

“Contrast in photography is the visual ratio of different tones in an image. This difference is what creates the textures, highlights, shadows, colors and clarity in a photograph” (Shramenko, 2017). Contrast is what sharpens the features. When you increase the contrast, you make lines darker and lighten the spaces around them. They stand out more. 

Contrast “means more than just a play of light and shadows. It’s the difference between the tones, colors, and textures of a photo. This technique can convey interesting and deep stories in the frame in the best way” (Shramenko, 2017).

Contrast is found in literature, as well. It’s what gives stories their life. It’s the spark that animates Doctor Frankenstein’s assembly of dead flesh, and turns it into a monster. Contrast energizes narrative. The dryness of Oklahoma, contrasted with the imagined juicy grapes of California, spurs the Joads to sell nearly everything and hit the road. Contrast shows action. It identifies what to pay attention to. There are many things happening in any given text, but the friction between two opposites will heat-up a story. The conflict between light and dark, colorful and colorless, strong and weak, dull and exciting, good and evil, rich and poor commands attention! (Literary Devices, 2013)

I’ve been reading a smart and funny book with my fifth grade gifted students; “The Strange Case of Origami Yoda” (Angleberger, 2010). In it, a seemingly half-witted 6th grade boy provides what usually turns out to be incredibly wise advice, albeit through a weird, hand-made finger puppet and silly voice. The boy’s name is Dwight. His finger puppet is Origami Yoda.

5th Graders apply their origami skills to napkin-folding.

In addition to learning some of our own origami, I had my students research the history of the ancient art form. I didn’t know this before, but the art of paper folding used to be limited to the wealthy, due to the high price of washi (origami) paper (Georgia Tech, n.d.). It was used in religious rituals and formal ceremonies. Eventually, as paper became more affordable, origami became an increasingly available activity. Still, people needed the time, intellect, and patience to learn the art. 

This got me thinking about Dwight and his origami finger puppet. At the beginning of the story, it is explained that Dwight made up his Yoda origami on his own. He took one of the most common materials from the school setting and turned it into something extraordinary. No one else in the text produces any artwork, let alone origami! And, Dwight doesn’t stop with a paper figure; He places it on his finger and gives it life. 

Dwight is the opposite of popular, but through Origami Yoda he is extremely influential, and therefore powerful. Many students who wouldn’t give Dwight the time of day want to talk to Origami Yoda. They present questions and respect Yoda’s answers. The same characters look down on Dwight as king dweeb. 

Toward the end of the book, an adversarial character (Harvey) makes his own Origami Yoda. In contrast to Dwight’s, Harvey’s is well-made. That is because Harvey, unlike Dwight, looked up professional directions online. Supposedly, Harvey’s imitation of Yoda’s voice, from the Starwars movies, is a better imitation, too. But, Dwight’s Yoda is truer to the spirit of Yoda. Dwight’s Yoda uses the force… the force of creativity and originality. Harvey’s is more closely related to the clone-like, clean, black and white storm troopers from the movie series than the swampy, wrinkly, green, old creature of the planet Dagobah! 

In addition to this obvious contrast between two characters and their crafts, there lies several more subtle contrasts. Harvey constantly pushes his opinions onto everyone else, whereas Dwight has people approach him, imploring his. Dwight does not seem to try to get others to believe in his Yoda. Harvey needs to kill everyone’s belief in the finger puppet. While Harvey narcissistically uses his Yoda to hurt Dwight, the true Origami Yoda is primarily concerned with helping people. Harvey freely admits to giving his origami voice, but Dwight pretends that it isn’t him talking; Origami Yoda is a separate entity from the person whose finger he rests. The differences go on and on! 

As I reflected on all of the subtle and overt contrasts within the story, the idea of origami being a pastime of the wealthy contrasting with Dwight’s social poverty hit me. I thought about contrasting elements of everyday life. Why are holidays special? They are “holy days,” set apart from others. They are only as special as we make them. For some, all we do is acknowledge that it is a special day; Flag Day. Others demand time off, arts and crafts, and even parades! A meal is made special when we cook food we normally wouldn’t, or too much food, or invite special guests to share it with us. Do you use unique dinnerware to serve the food? (As I write this, Thanksgiving is right around the corner!) 

When I was in college, I worked at a fine-dining restaurant. Among other things, we folded white cloth napkins into fans for every place setting. When patrons left the table, we would replace napkins with folded, clean cloths. It was that kind of establishment. 

I was remembering this art of napkin folding while researching origami. I brought some cloth napkins into the classroom to show students how to fold them into fans, so that they could dress up their next holiday meal. 

As I folded the napkins to display on a cheap, plastic table for my students, it brought to mind a picnic lunch in a park. What makes that kind of activity so romantic? It is the contrast between eating a well-prepared meal, complete with plates, silverware, folded napkins, and drinks on the ground with nothing but a blanket shielding you from dirt, insects, and nature. The meal is out of place. You are bringing two otherwise foreign entities together. That is romantic. The greater the contrast between the elements, the more romantic. 

Explanation

When you are attempting to bond two surfaces together, it is often recommended that you rough up one of or both surfaces before applying adhesive. Why? This is because when you “unsmooth” a surface, you provide more surface space for the adhesive to attach. You may not be able to see them, but tiny ridges are produced all over the surface; microscopic mountains and valleys that almost double how much area there is for the bonding agent to grab onto. 

This is a metaphor for what happens when authors create contrast between their characters, settings, conflicts, eras, etc. By roughing up the character with differing, even exaggerated traits, appearance, name, hobbies/interests, the author helps the character stick in the reader’s mind. It deepens the essence of the character. The more contrast, the more powerful this bond becomes. 

Warning

Of course, you must make sure that there are enough common elements for a reader to cognitively grab onto. If you rough up a surface to the point that the thing you are gluing has been sanded away, there won’t be any point in gluing. Likewise, if you make your character or setting so different that no one can even imagine it; as in it does not have enough things in common with what readers are familiar with; they can’t mentally grab hold of the idea. It will slip through their cognitive fingers and be lost. Provide enough connections to real life; experienced life; but cut deep lines where the character looks different from everyone else in one or two features, walks with a limp, smells like formaldehyde, snaps his fingers constantly, greets every single person with a high five, wears flip flops even in the snow, has an affinity for bugs, and so on. 

The napkin folding that I brought to the classroom was connected to origami in that it was folding, and it produced a work of art. The folded napkin is unnecessary. And, you are more likely to see it in a fancy place. It was different from origami in that the napkins do not hold their shape the way paper does. But, because of this you can easily fold and refold the napkin without a crease affecting it. Paper is plentiful, but a cloth napkin is more rare. There is a balance between contrast and familiarity.

Students ought to remember the napkin-folding experience (it will stick) because it was similar to creating origami, and it will be extra memorable (the bond will be stronger) because folding napkins during school was a weird activity. 

Dear Students,

And now, having read this lengthy explanation for why I brought cloth napkins to school and taught you how to fold them into fancy fans for food decor, I hope I have provided the adhesive that will make this activity not only stick in your mind, but become useful as a tool for teaching the power of contrast. Good luck creating just the right amount of it in your writing.   

Sources

Angleberger, T. (2010). The strange case of Origami Yoda . Amulet Books.

Georgia Tech. (n.d.). Kinetic Joy: Basic Principles of Paper Engineering. Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking. https://paper.gatech.edu/kinetic-joy/history-origami  

Literary Devices. (2013). Contrast. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://literarydevices.net/contrast/ 

Shramenko, S. (2017, May 29). Understanding Contrast in Photography. Skylum. https://skylum.com/blog/understanding-contrast-in-photography

Appreciating the Past is Classy

Appreciating the past is classy. That sentence was worded carefully. Being stuck in the past is not classy. In fact being stuck in general is not classy. Glorifying the past is not classy, either; It says, “Those times were far better than today.” With advances in medicine, technology, and transportation, no time in history can compare to modern times.

To appreciate something is to recognize its worth. 

The opposite of “Appreciating the Past” is when a person thinks that things are the way they are because of his or her efforts alone. If you make a scientific breakthrough, that is great, but I guarantee that there were hundreds, if not thousands of scientists and scientific works, not to mention your teachers, parents, and even environmental situation that all lended to you being able to perform your accomplishment.

On the other hand, while age isn’t everything, the older the wine or cheese, the more expensive the bottle or package. There is value in something maintaining its importance, if not even growing its influence, over time.

A lesson that I have been doing for years explores this hypothesis. Every year, after 440px-NutcrackersThanksgiving, an army of nutcrackers marches into the American commercial and decorative landscape. They are everywhere, decorated in every imaginable theme. There are Philadelphia Eagles nutcrackers, stormtrooper nutcrackers, teddybears, ninjas, knights, historical figures, bright pink Breast Cancer Awareness nutcrackers, etc. There is no limit. Where does this army come from? There is a famous, seasonal ballet with a terrific Tchaikovsky score. There are mountains of books. Where did it all begin, and why is it so popular?

In 2012 I dug up the original novel by ETA Hoffman and gave it a read. The 1816 text (translated to English from German) was difficult to comprehend and full of robust vocabulary, so, naturally, I decided to share it with my students. (Challenge is classy; future blog.)

Before beginning, however, I came up with what has proved to be a clever way to record our findings. I projected an image of a nutcracker onto the wall. Using different pieces of paper (eight in all), I traced the outline of the nutcracker. I photocopied and stapled the pages into packets. Students were instructed to write their notes within the outlines, but “Do not go ahead”. In the same way the mysterious nutcracker comes to life within the tale and eventually is set free from his spell by Marie, our paper packets start to reveal themselves once the students get to the image of a face, one of the last pages.

 

IMG_1389 2
Mrs. Merrill shows students our favorite version by Maurice Sendak

My friend and co-teacher Lori Merrill combined her class with mine, and we would take turns reading the original text to the class. We came across a copy that Maurice Sendak penned and illustrated. It is slightly easier to read than the Dover edition, published 1967. Plus, the Sendak pictures are amazing. This year we had the advantage of a school Youtube channel, “Willow Lane Read Alouds” that allowed us to videotape the read alouds and publish them to the web for kids who missed a chapter to catch up. They could share with family members, as well.

Throughout the read aloud, students record vocabulary, write down key events, and draw illustrations inside the outlines of their soon to be nutcrackers. After finishing the story, students complete their notes, drawing visualizations of the toy-mouse war, the Mouse Queen placing a spell on Princess Pirlipat, Marie giving up her toys and sweets to save Nutcracker, and of course the trek through The Land of the Dolls. Then the students lightly color in all of the sections, cut them out, and assemble their very own nutcrackers. We tape them together, and get them laminated, usually and hopefully just in time to bring home for the holidays.

IMG_2022Now, these third grade students have a tool that they can use to retell the real story (or at least, the original story) of The Nutcracker. They are also beautiful decorations!

If you look at reviews of the original “Nutcracker”, you will find Fritzes scolding the text for inconsistencies, flaws, and poor quality. There are Madame Mouserinks waiting to bite the Nutcracker’s head off with criticisms. There is no end to the naysayers who demean the text. So, again, why has “The Nutcracker” remained and even grown in popularity?

Perhaps, it is because the characters are so unique. Nutcracker is not just a toy that comes to life. He is the Superman of toys. Judge Drosselmeier is a lawyer, tinkerer, seeming villain, and finally patriarch. Fritz displays the same militaristic attitude that his stiff soldiers show when he sentences Nutcracker’s fait. And, the noble, sweet Marie is about to sacrifice her most precious possession to save the Nutcracker. And, is there a more sadistic nemesis in literature than the seven-headed Mouse King?

IMG_2036The Nutcracker might maintain its popularity because of its foreignness. Winter swoops in, bringing cold and snow and holidays. Initially, it is fun and exciting because it is so different from summer and fall. Similarly, Nutcrackers take over the turkey, Pilgrim, and Native American displays. They often have an Eastern European aura to them. Also, the ballet was produced by Russians; The story written by a German.

Maybe The Nutcracker is popular because he is a symbol of olden times; simpler times. Who cracks nuts, nowadays? What kid treasures wooden toys that have one moving part?

I don’t know why our culture is so fascinated with The Nutcracker, but visiting its conception is one of the highlights of the school year. I feel like a textual anthropologist when I lead students into reading, learning, and studying the first writings of this cultural icon. I hope that not only do they develop a deeper appreciation for this classic, but that they learn the importance of appreciating the past.

IMG_2796PDFs of Scanned Nutcracker Papers:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17fDkJYG3fAYESJ-nmYKQpBLwIEr2z-YY/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JcCXAlYipgII2Jnxouadm9naTo2sgQMS/view?usp=sharing

IMG_2111

5 Classy Elements of “The Story of Mankind” (1921)

It is interesting that the American Library Association (ALA) would choose a history text IMG_5131for its first-ever children’s literature award winner. Was the organization making up for only just now (1922) beginning to honor kids’ books? Were the organizers thinking they’d catch everyone up to speed? “This is what has happened in the past; Now, lets award one book each year.” I’ll tell you one thing: This is one classy history book. Here are 5 features I found to be extraordinarily classy.

1. Figurative Language: What struck me first and foremost was a combination of beautiful prose and mountains of metaphor. To begin at the end of the book, on page 482 Van Loon refers to the world as a “workshop”. He sees the steam, gas, and new-to-his-era electric machines forging a global factory. The story of Hendrik’s history ends a few

New_Street_Station_Iron_Horse_sculpture_,_Kevin_Atherton
New Street Station Iron Horse sculpture , Kevin Atherton.jpg (with “Iron Horse” on rails behind it)

years after The Great War. He concludes the new world is a  place where political lines are as important as the edge of a concrete slab under a picnic pavilion (my metaphor;) Van Loon sees the “Iron Horse,” machinery in general, as the true victor of the First World War, running wild over, across, and through the entire world, regardless of man-made borders. Was he right? What would Van Loon make of today’s robots, not to mention the Internet!? The previous nearly 500 pages are teeming with as many metaphors.

Here is a fun passage for discussion:

And now that I have almost finished I discover that certain chapters gallop, that others wade slowly through the dreary sands of long forgotten ages–that a few parts do not make any progress at all, while still others indulge in a veritable jazz of action and romance. (p. 446)

Present Hendrik Van Loon’s self reflection prior to reading the text and then categorize the readings. Which chapters or sections would you label “gallop”? Are there any that were “jazzy” with action? Romance?

2.  Evidence-Based: The forever swinging pendulum seems to have exorcised more than 14219487807_6eabf4c50a_bjust public prayer from schools. A friend of mine told me recently that she was pointing out the similarities between the Greek myths and the story of Moses from the Bible. Her students had no idea who Moses was. Whether you are religiously-minded or not, this should alarm you. I am pleased to report that Van Loon mentions Moses, Abraham, and even Jesus in his history of mankind. He does this in a classy way. Rather than telling the reader what the Bible says, Van Loon provides outside sources. For example, a letter from AEsculapius Cultellus (Roman physician) to his nephew, written in 62 A.D. tells of a first hand account of treating Paul (the apostle) of the New Testament (p. 119).

3. Provides the People’s Perspective (a little): In addition to hitting many of the main events of history, Van Loon pauses to describe what life was like for a common person. Napoleon, his feats, the land his army conquered are all important facts to know. These

Eastlake_-_Napoleon_on_the_Bellerophon
What was life like for the guy holding the board Napoleon is leaning on?

events affect the course of history. Van Loon provides more than just the basics in his blitz of history. He paints a picture of life for the Frenchman who was proud to take up arms to help Napoleon. The way the Roman Empire gradually usurped land and people, assimilating other cultures into its own is a lesson in and of itself, but learning about the life of a slave under Greek and Roman rule brings the everyday life of thousands to light. What was life like for them? It is easy to project attitudes onto others, yet the author of “The Story of Mankind” gets into the character of his subject illuminating everyday struggles and fears, helping the reader empathize with the characters in the story of history.

Here, I have a criticism. Of course with any history project it is going to be “The Story of Mankind” according to the author, who in this case is a Dutch-American professor from Cornell University. In his view Holland and England were heroes to the natives of the Americas in the seventeenth century (p. 324). With sympathy, he provides the mildly racist annotation, “During their first relations with weaker races, all European nations have behaved with shocking brutality.” Although it is interesting to read about France exploring and fortifying the Mississippi River, cutting English and Dutch settlement off from westward expansion early in the new world exploration, absolutely no attention is given to the “mankind” that already inhabited the Americas. Of course space is limited, but an entire chapter is devoted to the relationship between Russia and Sweden! One of the best books I have ever read, devoted to the people’s perspective, is “A People’s History of The United States” by Howard Zinn. Before reading this text, I did not realize that in the year 1491 the Americas were more populated than Europe and that the largest city of Europe paled next to the Aztec capital, modern day Mexico City. There is a youth edition.

Discussion Point: Page 449 suggests that “Athens and Florence, during the hey-day of their glory, had only one tenth of the population of Kansas City.” The larger-than-life influence of Greece and Italy on our culture makes it feel like these peoples must have had infinite populations. It was a bit of a paradigm shift to realize that a tiny group of people could have such a large influence over a vast amount of time.

IMG_83534. Thought-Provoking: An informational text is naturally going to be educational, requiring cognitive engagement, but Van Loon has a knack for skipping the boring stuff of history and presenting ideas that get the neurons fired up. He assumes the reader already knows the basics of the American Revolution. Instead of covering the main points, Van Loon attempts to shine light on the unique angles. In the United States we focus very much on the ground battles led by our hero, General George Washington. How much attention is given to the weakening of the English army by its enemies from the European mainland, and how much that affected the outcome of our revolution?

Van Loon does an excellent job pointing out that there is always many factors that contribute to a single historical event. The famous Congress of Vienna, that ended The Great War are referred to as “reactionaries” in the chapter on “National Independence” (p. 381). 

Caricature_of_CongressVienna
Caricature of Congress (of Vienna)

5. Opinionated: Here is a topic deserving of its own blog. It is not classy to believe what everyone else believes, just because everyone else believes it. Believe something based on the evidence available and how much sense it makes. The classiest people possess their own independent opinions. With knowledge of subject and contemplative thinking, they form cognitive constructs that they then share with others. Additionally, they are prepared for varying opinions. An example of Van Loon’s “opinion writing” can be seen in the chapter “After Seven Years.” He explains that the men who were responsible for ending the First World War treated the, at that time (1921), modern situation as if it were colonial times (1719), rather than recognizing the rise of the industrial age and accepting a more global perspective. He points to the way they sat around a map and drew arbitrary lines dissecting land with little regard for the people and industries that lived there. It is heart-wrenching for me to read text written between the two world wars: “Meanwhile in their agony and distress the people will turn to the cure-alls offered by Bolshevism and Fascism” (p. 480). Was Van Loon a prophet? No. He simply took what he saw happening around him and formed an opinion. If only we can be so classy.

 

Watch out for…

  • Violence–Can’t really talk about war or humanity without mentioning murder. What was the French Revolution without mention of the great invention of the guillotine? What little kid needs to picture heads rolling on the floor? –none. I would sticky-note and smooth over or couch the violence in age-appropriate concepts. For instance, “Learning history can be a way to help avoid mistakes made in the past. One bad thing that happened a lot, is war. Sometimes people and countries avoided war by getting together and talking. But, not always.” How to Talk to Kids About Violence

Here is an online version of the entire original text, complete with illustrations and hyperlinks from the index items to the “pages” containing the relevant information.

Sources

Child Development Institute. (n.d.). How To Talk To Kids About Violence. Retrieved July 16, 2018, from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/how-to-be-a-parent/communication/talk-to-kids-violence/#.W0CQJzNKhE4

Van Loon, H. (1921). The Story of Mankind. Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing Company.

Zinn, H. (2007). A Young People’s History of the United States: Columbus to the War on Terror (For Young People Series). New York, NY: Seven Stories Press. [This was accessed for free via Overdrive through my public library. I read it on my iPad.]

Zinn, H. (1980). The People’s History of the United States. New York: Harper Collins.