Free Lectures in Honor of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing

An announcement from The Teaching Company, one of our favorite resources for high school history:

Ancient Origins of the Olympic Games

"In celebration of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, The Teaching Company is proud to present a pair of free commissioned lectures.

"Although the modern version of the Olympic Games has been around for over 100 years since its revival at the 1896 games in Athens, the Olympics have a rich and exciting history that goes back to ancient Greece. A crucial aspect of Greek culture, the ancient Olympics emphasized the ideas of heroism and honor established by Homer's epic poetry. The games were meant to celebrate physical strength, speed, and manhood. Most importantly, they embodied the spirit of competition (agon) that defined ancient Greek life.

"The games as they were played back then bear a striking contrast to the Olympics as we know them today:

• Athletes originally represented their families and not their communities.

• Women were not allowed to compete and only unmarried women could watch the games.

• There were no team sports; rather, individual athletes competed against each other.

• The games never moved to different locations; instead, they were always held in the city of Olympia in southern Greece.

"Despite their differences, the ancient Olympics were as celebrated as today's games. The first Olympics captured what it meant to be a citizen of Greece. The Olympics of today capture what it means to be a citizen of the world."

You can download Ancient Origins of the Olympic Games any time until September 4, in mp3 or iPod format. Enjoy!

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Related Posts:

• A Student's Guide to the Study of History
  
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A Student's Guide to the Study of History

[Photo by docentjoyce.]

"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity." --- Cicero

"'History,' Stephen said, 'is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.'" --- James Joyce

"History is more or less bunk." --- Henry Ford

Whatever your students think about history, they will benefit from browsing A Student's Guide to the Study of History.

"History instructors tend to jump right into the subject matter without first setting the groundwork. Large questions such as: what is history? why study history? or how to write a research essay are often left up to the student to figure out... In general, the study of history requires certain skills--skills which are somewhat different from those used in other disciplines. Hopefully this Guide will force you to consider those skills as you go about your studies."

Articles include:

• The Proper Attitude
• Why Study History?
• How to Read History
• Taking Notes in Class
• Writing the Short Essay
• Writing the Research Essay
• ...and many more.

Another good resource: Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students.

"For all who have taken history courses in college, the experience of writing a research paper is etched indelibly in memory: late nights before the paper is due, sitting in pale light in front of a computer monitor or typewriter, a huge stack of books (most of them all-too-recently acquired) propped next to the desk, drinking endless cups of coffee or bottles of Jolt cola.

"Most of all, we remember the endless, panicked wondering: how on earth was something coherent going to wind up on the page - let alone fill eight, or ten, or twelve of them? After wrestling with material for days, the pressure of the deadline and level of caffeine in the body rise enough, and pen is finally put to paper. Many hours later, a paper is born - all too often something students are not proud to hand in, and something professors dread grading.

"How can we make this process less traumatic, more educational, and ultimately more rewarding for all concerned?"

Especially helpful articles:

• Some Keys to Good Reading
• Argument Concepts
• How to Ask Good Questions
• Research Papers
• Keeping a Research Journal
• The Three Parts of a History Paper
• History and Rhetoric

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Related Posts:

• The American History Required Knowledge Test
  
• Foundations of Our Republic
  
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Let's Celebrate the Fourth!

[Photo by Bob Jagendorf.]

On the fourth day of July, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

2.5 million = In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.

304 million = The nation’s population on this July 4th.

$107.2 billion = Dollar value of trade last year between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the British, our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading partner today.

Read more interesting facts and figures: U.S. Census Bureau.

4th of July fun from USA.gov:

• Kids' Quiz
  See what you know about Independence Day.
• Patriotic Melodies
  Stories behind the songs, with links to sheet music and sound recordings.
• Recipes from and for Americans
  Tasty favorites from Presidents, Senators, and just plain folks. We're going to try Mamie Eisenhower's Million Dollar Fudge --- how about you?

Test yourself: Could you pass the latest citizenship test?

Activities and crafts from Enchanted Learning:

• Create your own fireworks picture
• America acrostic poem
• Freedom acrostic poem
• July 4th wordsearch
• July 4th alphabet code

And more things to try, from Family Fun:

• Patriotic Party Puzzle
• String of Stars
• Can-do Stilts
• Fold-and-snip Stars
• Fourth of July Twirlers

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Related Posts:

• Foundations of Our Republic
• The American History Required Knowledge Test
• KidsArt Blends Art and History

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Foundations of Our Republic

[Photo by David Paul Ohmer.]

The Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) is a non-profit organization trying to help young people understand "the importance of civic participation in a democratic society." CRF offers a variety of programs and teaching materials to help students see the forces that shape our laws and government and that encourage active citizenship.

If you are teaching American history, you may find these lessons helpful:

CRF > Foundations of Our Constitution

The lessons explore several documents that serve as the foundation for American democracy. Each lesson includes a reading with discussion questions and a link to the complete text of the document.

• The Magna Carta (1215)

• The Mayflower Compact (1620)

• The Declaration of Independence (1776)

• The Federalist Papers (1787-88)

• The Constitution (1787)

• The Pledge of Allegiance (1892)

CRF offers several other free lessons online, and you may also find the Library of Congress site useful:

Library of Congress > Primary Documents in American History

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• Free Lecture: Eisenhower and Operation Overlord
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The American History Required Knowledge Test

[Photo by MC Quinn.]

We take a laid-back, eclectic approach to education. Although I recommend certain library books or audiotape lessons, I give my older students a lot of freedom in planning and scheduling their studies. They enjoy being able to follow their interests as far as their ability allows, but they are also expected to cover at least the basics of the subjects they hate. But as my daughter approaches the end of high school, my problem is: What do I put on her transcript? How do I grade such a free-wheeling style of learning?

Here is one method: Create a "required knowledge" test. List the things that any educated person ought to know about that topic, and then turn each item into a short-response question. To pass the course, my student must give the correct answer to every item on such a test. To get a B, she must go beyond the basics and show an understanding of the whys and wherefores of the subject --- that is, she must write essays or do experiments. And to earn an A, she must dig deeply into one area and write a research paper.

Here is an example: The American History Required Knowledge Test.

Author Dennis Fermoyle explains:

"Every quarter I give a test at the end of each quarter called THE REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE TEST. It was inspired by those Jay Leno type man-in-the-street interviews, where they ask people questions that any citizen should know, and they give ridiculously stupid answers. Often they are about current events, but sometimes they are about American history. (Question: Who did we fight in the Revolutionary War? Answers: China, Russia, or Vietnam.)

"When I give this test, students have to show that they know the answer to every question in order to get a passing grade for the quarter. If they get one or two wrong, I'll just have them come up after class and tell me what the correct answers are, but if they get a significant number wrong, they'll have to take the entire test again. Students can still fail for the quarter even if they take care of this requirement --- and some always do --- but they can't earn a passing grade without it."

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Related Posts:

• Foundations of Our Republic
• Free Lecture: Eisenhower and Operation Overlord
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Free Dover Book Samples

With a little patience, you can collect a treasury of resources for art, literature, science, history, and more. Dover Publications --- a wonderful company for frugal booklovers --- offers free samples from many of their most popular titles. They also offer a free sampler subscription, where they will email you links to new samples every week.

Over the past few years, I have gathered a wide range of fun pages:

• Elementary coloring pages, ABCs, puzzles, and mazes

• Science experiments, and many beautiful nature coloring pages

• Codes, ciphers, and magic tricks

• Tidbits from U.S. and world history

• Art "How-To" articles, clip art, and color-your-own masterpieces from various artists

• Poetry and famous quotations

Try them out. I'm sure you will love what you find!

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Free Lecture: Eisenhower and Operation Overlord

[Photo by luiginter.]

Both of my sons are history buffs. They hate history textbooks, but they love to listen to college lectures on audiotape, so we organize our high school history courses around The Teaching Company tape sets. From time to time, TTC will offer one of their lectures for free download.

The most recent announcement from TTC's website:

In honor of Memorial Day, The Teaching Company is proud to present a free lecture, Eisenhower and Operation Overlord.

The largest amphibious assault in military history, Operation Overlord is considered by most people to be the turning point of World War II. The invasion of Nazi-controlled Europe on June 6, 1944, involved an armada of 5,333 Allied vessels crossing the English Channel and hitting key beaches along the coastline of France.

But even before the first wave of troop carriers beached on the shores of Normandy and other strategic landing sites, the entire world was waiting in anticipation of an Allied invasion of northwestern Europe. Where, when, and how it would come were questions that only Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the invasion, could answer.

Download Eisenhower and Operation Overlord between now and July 31, 2008, to get a detailed perspective on how Eisenhower dealt with the tense preparations for an assault on which the fate of the free world depended.

I think my sons are right --- textbooks are no way to learn history. We listen to TTC tapes on family trips or while running errands, and I have enjoyed learning about everything I missed by sleeping through history class in school. [Well, I didn't always fall asleep. One time the teacher caught me with a science fiction book hidden behind my open American History text.]

Tip for frugal homeschoolers

Every TTC lecture series goes on sale at least once a year, so never buy anything from them at full price. Also, check your local library loan system. By using the library, we have been able to listen to several lecture sets for free.

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• The American History Required Knowledge Test
• Foundations of Our Republic
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KidsArt Blends Art and History

We are packing up supplies for art class, which made me think of teaching art. While my kids LOVE the teacher they have now, and I love the work they are doing with her, that may be one of the expenses that has to be cut. I'm no artist, so how can I teach it?

One of my favorite inexpensive resources are the KidsArt booklets (only $4 each or $17 for a set of 5), which I collected back when they offered them like a magazine subscription. Featuring open-ended, hands-on projects along with snippets of art history or world cultures, these topical studies work for a wide range of ages --- perfect for the homeschool family.

Even better, the KidsArt website offers a variety of free resources, which make it a great place to visit even with a busted budget.

Free art lessons from KidsArt

• What do I do when...?
  Simple solutions to common questions by parents and teachers.

• KidsArt USA Map
  Art projects by kids and for kids around our country.

• KidsArt Quick Art Lessons
  Easy, fast and innovative art activities for children from preschool through junior high.

• And more
  Activities, games, projects and tidbits from art history.

And now, we've gotta run, or we'll be late for class. See you later!

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DonnaYoung.org Printables and Resources

[Photo by koyochi.]

Donna Young's amazing website is definitely THE place to start when you're looking for free homeschooling resources. She has everything you might imagine: planning forms, handwriting lessons, science schedules, math manipulatives, worksheets, and more.

Here are links to topical index pages. At the top of each page is a tabbed menu for further exploration. Enjoy!

General planning

• Homeschool Planner Guide
• Homeschooling High School
• Household Planners
• Calendars
  

Resources by subject

• Art
• History
• Handwriting
• English
• Math
• Science

As always on the Internet, if you find Donna's site useful, be sure to thank her by looking at her advertisers. If you see something you intended to buy anyway, or something you hadn't thought of before but that looks interesting, making a purchase through her site will help support all the work she puts into building such a great resource.

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