Helping Your Child Learn History U.S. Department of Education To order copies of this publication in English Rod Paige or Spanish write to: Secretary ED Pubs Office of Intergovernmental Education Publications Center and Interagency Affairs U.S. Department of Education Laurie M. Rich P.O. Box 1398 Assistant Secretary Jessup, MD 20794-1398; John McGrath or fax your request to: 301-470-1244; Helping Senior Director for Community Services, Partnerships and Recognition Programs or e-mail your request to: [email protected]. First published in May 1993. or call in your request toll-free: 877-433-7827 Your Child Revised in June 2004. (877-4-ED-PUBS). If 877 is not yet available in your area, call 800-872-5327 (800-USA-LEARN). This booklet is in the public domain. Those who use a telecommunications device for Learn History Authorization to reproduce it in whole or the deaf (TDD) or a teletypewriter (TTY), should in part for educational purposes is granted. call 800-437-0833. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: or order online at: www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp. with activities for children in preschool through grade 5 U.S. Department of Education, Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs, This publication is also available on the Helping Your Child Learn History, Department’s Web site at: Washington, D.C., 2004. www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/hyc.html. On request, this publication is available in alternative formats, such as Braille, large print, or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department’s Alternative Format Center 202-260-9895 or 202-205-8113. Children’s books are mentioned in this booklet as examples and are only a few of many appropriate children’s books. Other materials mentioned are U.S. Department of Education provided as resources and examples for the reader’s Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs convenience. Listing of materials and resources in this book should not be construed or interpreted as an endorsement by the Department of any with generous support from private organization or business listed herein. Foreword Contents Imagine that you wake up one morning to find out you have no memory! You’re not Introduction . .1 able to remember who you are or what happened in your life yesterday or the day History Habits . .1 before that. You’re unable to recognize your children, and you can’t communicate with Enjoying History With Your Child . .3 neighbors and other people because you no longer know how to greet them, and you How to Use This Booklet . .4 can’t understand what they are saying. You don’t remember what the words “elections,” Some Basics . .5 “wars,” or “movies” mean. What Is History? . .5 A New Look at the Study of History . .7 Geography: An Important Tool for Learning and Understanding History . .8 Just as having no personal memory deprives us of a sense of our own identity, having no Activities . .10 historical memory deprives us of a sense of our national identity and, in the words of Mrs. History as Story . .11 Lynne V. Cheney, noted author and wife of the vice president of the United States, of “a Listen My Children . .12 perspective on human existence.” Knowledge of U. S. history enables us to understand What’s the Story? . .14 our nation’s traditions, its conflicts, and its central ideas, values and organizing principles. History Lives . .16 Cooking Up History . .17 Knowledge of world history enables us to understand other cultures. In addition, without Rub Against History . .20 historical memory, we miss a great source of enjoyment that comes from piecing together Our Heroes! . .22 the story of the past—our own, our nation’s and the world’s. Our historical memory is Learning How to Learn . .23 enriched by our understanding of geography, which lets us better see the physical All About Our Town . .25 context of cultures and environments around the world and across time. In the Right Direction . .27 What’s News? . .29 History on the Go . .31 Through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, President George W. Bush has made clear his History as Time . .33 commitment to the goals of raising standards of achievement for all children and of School Days . .35 providing all children with highly qualified teachers and with instruction that is based on Put Time in a Bottle . .37 scientific research. Helping Your Child Learn History is part of the presidentÌs efforts to Quill Pens & Berry Ink . .39 provide families with the latest research and practical information that can help them to Time Marches On . .41 support their childrenÌs learning at home. The Past Anew . .43 Weave a Web . .44 Time to Celebrate . .46 It’s in the Cards . .48 By showing interest in their children’s education, families can spark enthusiasm in them Working With Teachers and Schools . .50 and lead them to a very important understanding—that learning can be enjoyable as well Bibliography . .55 as rewarding and is well worth the effort required. Resources . .56 Federal Sources of Information . .56 We hope that you find this booklet a valuable tool for developing and reinforcing your Web Sites . .57 child’s interest in and knowledge of history—and that you and your family may increase Publications for Parents . .58 your appreciation for why such knowledge is important. Books for Children . .59 Children’s Magazines . .70 Acknowledgments . .72 ii Helping Your Child Learn History Helping Your Child Learn History iii Introduction Children are born into history. They have no memory of it, yet they find themselves in the middle of a story that began before they became one of its characters. Children also want to have a place in history—their first historical questions are: “Where did I come from?” and “Was I always here?” These two questions contain the two main meanings of history: It’s the story of people and events, and it’s the record of times past. And because it’s to us that they address these questions, we are in the best position to help prepare our children to achieve the lifelong task of finding their place in history by helping them learn what shaped the world into which they were born. Without information about their history, children don’t “get” a lot of what they hear and see around them. Although parents can be a positive force in helping their children develop “A system of education that fails to nurture an interest in history, they also can undermine their children’s attitudes memory of the past denies its students by saying things such as: “History is boring,” or “I hated history class a great deal: the satisfactions of mature when I was in school.” Although you can’t make your child like history, thought, an attachment to abiding concerns, you can encourage her1 to do so, and you can take steps to ensure that a perspective on human existence.” she learns to appreciate its value. To begin, you can develop some of the following “history habits” that — Mrs. Lynne V. Cheney show your child that history is important not only as a school subject but in everyday life. Author and Wife of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney History Habits Habits are activities that we do on a regular basis. We acquire habits by choosing to make them a part of our life. It’s worth the time and effort to develop good habits because they enhance our well-being. The following history habits can enrich your life experiences and those of your child. 1. Please note: In this booklet, we refer to a child as “she” in some places and “he” in others. We do this to make the booklet easier to read. Please understand, however, that every point that we make is the same for boys and girls. iv Helping Your Child Learn History Helping Your Child Learn History 1 Share family history with your child, particularly your own memories Enjoying History With Your Child of the people and places of your childhood. Encourage your parents and As a parent, you can help your child want to other relatives to talk with your child about family history. learn in a way no one else can. That desire to learn is a key to your child’s success, and, of Read with your child about people and events that have made a course, enjoyment is an important motivator for difference in the world and discuss the readings together. (The list of learning. As you choose activities to do with publications in the Resources section at the end of this booklet can serve your child, remember that helping her to learn as a starting point for choosing materials.) history doesn’t mean that you can’t have a good time. In fact, you can teach your child a lot through play. Here are some things to do to make Help your child know that the people who make history are real history both fun and productive for you and your child: people just like her, and that they have ideas and dreams, work hard and experience failure and success. Introduce your child to local community 1. Use conversation.