Description
Book SynopsisNot every teacher loves history and the same can be said about students. It doesn't have to be that way. People love a good story. History is a collection of stories that trace the path people, famous and little known, took as they faced the challenges of life. The choices they made teach us about human nature and help us better understand the world, each other, and ourselves. When students hear something interesting, something they connect to personally, they pay attention and want to know more. The stories in primary materials - a diary, letter, census record, photograph, official report - breathe life into history and invite critical thinking and conceptual understanding. Story Power! teaches us where to find stories, to assess the quality of sources, and to go past shallow summaries to the complicated story below the surface. Readers share in the author's personal journey beginning with discovery of Civil War letters, to piecing together the true story of the soldier's lives, and to a more complete understanding of America during the Civil War.
Trade ReviewLiz Manvell's writing style will draw people in and keep them reading. The overview she provides of various websites will be useful to beginning teachers who know they want to use primary sources but who may not have easy access to materials. -- Sarah Drake-Brown, Ph.D Assistant Professor of History Direc, assistant professor of History and director of Social Studies Education, Ball State University, Indiana
Liz Manvell challenges us to teach history to our students by utilizing the stories and artifacts that bring the past alive and which make history personal. She does so by example, interweaving her own personal research into the life of a Civil War soldier throughout the book. Once we have our students motivated, Manvell shows us where to find a multitude of primary sources on the Internet that flesh out the lives of those who came before us. This is a book that belongs on every teacher's bookshelf — one that we will refer to again and again. -- Dr. Joan Bouza Koster, Civil War historian, author of
Growing Artists, and cofounder of TeachPeaceNow.org
Table of Contents
Part 1 Acknowledgements Chapter 2 Introduction: The Power of a Story Part 3 Part One: A Natural Connection Chapter 4 Learning to Love History Chapter 5 Putting Humanity Into History Chapter 6 Sources of Historical Perspective Chapter 7 Types of Sources Chapter 8 Textbooks and Other Non-Primary Sources Chapter 9 Finding the Story Chapter 10 What Do We Need to Teach? Chapter 11 Teachers, the Natural Collectors Chapter 12 Oral Traditions - Tell me about... Chapter 13 Making it Formal and Losing the Spirit Chapter 14 Getting Inspired So You Can Inspire Part 15 Part Two: A Process of Personal Discovery Chapter 16 The Find Chapter 17 Eking Out the Story Chapter 18 Compelled to Share Chapter 19 Meet the Strong Family Chapter 20 Lydia Writes Home Part 21 Part Three: Van's Story - From Farmer to Fighter Part 22 Part Four: The Rest of the Story Part 23 Part Five: A Word About Copyright Part 24 Part Six: References and Resources
