History Tech Podcast: Episode Two – Lincoln the movie and historical thinking

I got the chance to watch the Lincoln movie a week or so ago. Loved it. Who would have thought? A movie about constitutional law? Interesting?

But great casting, great costuming, and great performances, especially by Daniel Day Lewis, create a great movie. My wife was concerned about the length and walked out afterwards praising the movie. Even my daughter, who is not the history geek that her dad is, said:

The movie helped me see that Lincoln is an actual person, not just some historical figure in some textbook. He played with his kids while trying to run the country. I thought that was cool.

And I learned more about the process of how laws are passed and so I plan to go to a great college and become a lawyer, supporting my father in his quest to play every golf course in the state of Hawaii.

Okay. I added that last bit. But she really did enjoy how a very important piece of American history was told in an engaging and interesting way.

But how to use the movie in the classroom?

Lincoln movie and White House floor plans

There’s more to this weekend than simply watching the Kansas City Chiefs go 1-9.

It’s Lincoln weekend. As in the movie Lincoln. As in Daniel Day Lewis as Honest Abe pushing through the 13th amendment Lincoln. You know . . . the movie for History geeks Lincoln.

It’s a big deal. Well . . . it’s a big deal for me. I’ve always been a Lincoln fan. One of the greatest American presidents. I love the Civil War period and, wait for it . . . I was born on February 12, the same birth date as Lincoln.

So. A big deal.

Obviously loving the story and the content of the movie but I’m also interested in the sidebar sorts of stuff. And I’ve run across a variety of interesting things. One of the most interesting for me is a Lincoln website that showcases that floor plan and history of the Lincoln White House.

History? I love History! and other fun video tools

History I love History

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I love history. Most people do. At least they do once they graduate from high school. Historical fiction, biographies, history related movies. All end up on best seller and highest grossing movie lists.

There are lots of reasons why this seems to be true. Part of the problem is how it’s taught in school. And part of that problem is that we often don’t use video and movies correctly. Even my daughter knows this:

Don’t show a super long movie over three or four class periods. Especially if there’s no clear reason for me having to watch it.

I’ve written about using movies here and here but I started thinking this week about what sorts of useful clips live online. And some quick looking around revealed a variety of handy tools.

The UK Scholastic people have a very cool site called Horrible Histories. They’ve posted short clips of their longer videos on YouTube. A great way to introduce historical topics or as reflection/writing prompts.

My favorite? Historical Wife Swap Ancient Greece. Athenian and Spartan wives swap families ala the current reality television show.

Another handy online video clip site is Crash Course: World History. You’ll find quirky videos on a wide variety of historical topics. These are a bit longer than the Horrible History clips at about 12 minutes or so. And they are a bit more upper level. But still a lot of fun and a good way to introduce different historical periods and topics.

(The bonus thing? These sorts of videos seem much better suited for “flipping” history classrooms than some of the clunky Khan Academy type videos out there.)

What history based video sites am I missing?

Tip of the Week – Teaching with movies

I posted my favorite movies the other day.

And, yes, I’m probably encouraging the stereotype of social studies teachers / coaches showing movies every week so that they can read the newspaper, break down game film, or drink coffee. But I will always argue that appropriate use of video clips and movies is great for kids.

So some resources to help break the stereotype:

Teaching History has some great articles and suggestions for using movies in your instruction. What Do Students Learn from Historical Feature Films provides information about how you can help kids analyze historical videos as historians. Teaching with Historical Film Clips provides a useful list for creating a lesson plan that integrates movie clips.

The people at Truly Moving Pictures also have a couple of handy tools. The first is a nice PDF guide for parents and educators that provides suggestions for activating positive emotions during viewing. They also have extensive curriculum guides for a variety of feel-good movies. Not all would work in a social studies classroom but there several such as The Express and Glory Road that could be used.

A great book is Teaching History with Film: Strategies for Secondary Social Studies. Great Films and How to Teach Them is another one.

There are lots of other useful tools out there. Check out these resources for more ideas and suggestions:

• Teach With Movies
• Historical Movies in Chronological Order
• Teaching History Through the Movies
• Film Sites in the World Wide Web
• History in the Movies
• Modern Era history movies
• Ancient Era history movies
• Hollywood’s Best History Movies
• Historical Federal Government Films
• PBS American Experience Films
• Teach with Movies

Have fun!

10 movies every social studies teacher should see

Okay, I lied.

I started off with the idea that I could create a short little list of my ten favorite social studies related movies. But I was wrong. As I started thinking about great history movies and talking with others, the list grew quickly. And I couldn’t narrow it down to just ten. Then it got worse. This month’s Social Education journal showed up in my mailbox with their movie list.

So.

Things have changed. I created a list of my ten favorite history movies, a list of other history movies, and another list of great feel-good teacher movies. The criteria for inclusion on the list is pretty simple – if the movie appears while channel surfing, it takes control of the remote and must be watched through the credits.

Enjoy.

My favorites in no particular order:

• Band of Brothers
  Yes, technically a mini-series. But I love the story of Dick Winters and the others who were a part of Easy Company.
• Glory
  Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War’s first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
• Gettysburg
  Based on the book The Killer Angels, this is a long movie but it does a good job of depicting weapons, tactics, and beliefs during the Civil War.
• Schindler’s List
  Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler who managed to save about 1100 Jews from being gassed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. A testament for the good in all of us.
• The Help
  Unlikely friendships, empowerment, and the 1960s segregated South. What else do you need for a great story?
• All the President’s Men
  Not as detailed as the book but easier to follow, this is basically a documentary about the Bill of Rights.
• 1776
  Yes. It’s a musical. But a funny, fairly historically accurate musical.
• The Mission
  Perhaps the best I’ve ever seen for depicting European colonization and expansion.
• Hotel Rwanda
  Danger. Bravery. Evil. Courage. This story of genocide exposes both the good and bad in people.
• Gandhi
  An awesome story depicting human courage fighting for human rights against the machine of British colonialism.

Other great history movies

• Saving Private Ryan
• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
• The Last of the Mohicans
• Dances with Wolves
• Mississippi Burning
• The Boy in Striped Pajamas
• Gladiator
• Braveheart
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• To Kill A Mocking Bird
• Memphis Belle
• Dr. Strangelove
• Amistad

Feel-Good Teacher Movies

• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
  As social studies teachers, this is about the best non-example I can think of. Plus, well . . . it’s hilarious.
• The Freedom Writers
  Teaching tolerance and grading tons of papers is not easy.
• Dead Poet’s Society
  Captain, my captain. Emotional connections to content make all the difference.
• October Sky
  Perseverance and supportive teachers can change lives.
• Stand and Deliver
  This is a great movie about reaching students who feel like they have no hope of success in their life.
• Teachers
  “Half of these kids aren’t coming back.” “Yeah. But the other half is.” Best line ever.
• School of Rock
  Differentiated instruction and Jack Black. Enough said.
• Searching for Bobby Fischer
  Pushy parents and pushy teachers are not always the best thing for bright kids.
• The Emperor’s Club
  I like the interaction between teacher and students. And the teacher’s concern for quality.
• Akeelah and the Bee
  There are all sorts of ways to learn and to make friends.

What would you add to the list? What you would delete?