Expanding (kids') views of the world through other views of history
November 21, 2017 8:32 AM Subscribe
Inspired by a note about secondary school curriculum across West Africa from glasseyes, I'm interested in how history is taught in different places, for myself and for my kids. Details below.
I'm a white guy who grew up in California, and I vaguely recall my experience with the California 4th Grade Mission Project, and other state history classes or focuses in High School. Others mentioned their state history classes in this prior question.
More specifically, I'm interested in more details, overviews or summaries of curriculum taught in elementary and secondary school around the world, because I want to help myself and my kids (6 and almost 3, not home schooled, just trying to introduce big ideas at this point and get them thinking) re-frame the world away from US- and home-state (currently New Mexico) centered views.
I'm a white guy who grew up in California, and I vaguely recall my experience with the California 4th Grade Mission Project, and other state history classes or focuses in High School. Others mentioned their state history classes in this prior question.
More specifically, I'm interested in more details, overviews or summaries of curriculum taught in elementary and secondary school around the world, because I want to help myself and my kids (6 and almost 3, not home schooled, just trying to introduce big ideas at this point and get them thinking) re-frame the world away from US- and home-state (currently New Mexico) centered views.
Here's some resources from the UK:
Key Stage 1 (age 5-7) - British history starting with the Romans, through various royal dynasties, then WW2. Lots of focus on how people lived (What did people eat? What toys did children have? rather than wars and the unpleasant stuff).
Key Stage 2 (age 7-11) - As before, with the addition of ancient civilisations around the world (Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Mayans, etc).
Key Stage 3 (age 11-14) - More focus on specific events and rulers in the Middle Ages onwards. Gunpowder plot, Black Death, Fire of London, English Civil War, French Revolution. Modern world history. How British life and society has changed through history.
GCSE (age 14-16) - Different examining boards have different curriculums although there's a lot of overlap (mainly WW2, Germany pre- and post-war, Elizabeth I, Migration to Britain, the British Empire, 20th century US history (incl Vietnam & the Cold War)).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:09 AM on November 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Key Stage 1 (age 5-7) - British history starting with the Romans, through various royal dynasties, then WW2. Lots of focus on how people lived (What did people eat? What toys did children have? rather than wars and the unpleasant stuff).
Key Stage 2 (age 7-11) - As before, with the addition of ancient civilisations around the world (Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Mayans, etc).
Key Stage 3 (age 11-14) - More focus on specific events and rulers in the Middle Ages onwards. Gunpowder plot, Black Death, Fire of London, English Civil War, French Revolution. Modern world history. How British life and society has changed through history.
GCSE (age 14-16) - Different examining boards have different curriculums although there's a lot of overlap (mainly WW2, Germany pre- and post-war, Elizabeth I, Migration to Britain, the British Empire, 20th century US history (incl Vietnam & the Cold War)).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:09 AM on November 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
The textbooks published by the Department of School Education, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, are complicated to evaluate, but based on your significant posting history at Metafilter, I think you might be interested.
The standard 4 social science curriculum has a unit on The Freedom Struggle that sounds like what you're after, and the unit on wildlife sanctuaries is also local in perspective. The standard 6 social science units (1, 2, 3, and 4) seem more difficult to use--just choosing one among several issues, the text seems to suggest that the continent of Lemuria was real. The standard 11 history textbook seems better, though I wonder if background info like "Who Writes History? Romila Thapar and the Textbooks of India" remains relevant.
You might prefer instead to pick up the leaders collection or other titles in the visionaries and brave hearts categories from Amar Chitra Katha.
posted by Wobbuffet at 10:15 AM on November 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
The standard 4 social science curriculum has a unit on The Freedom Struggle that sounds like what you're after, and the unit on wildlife sanctuaries is also local in perspective. The standard 6 social science units (1, 2, 3, and 4) seem more difficult to use--just choosing one among several issues, the text seems to suggest that the continent of Lemuria was real. The standard 11 history textbook seems better, though I wonder if background info like "Who Writes History? Romila Thapar and the Textbooks of India" remains relevant.
You might prefer instead to pick up the leaders collection or other titles in the visionaries and brave hearts categories from Amar Chitra Katha.
posted by Wobbuffet at 10:15 AM on November 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Incidentally, thinking about your question and Amar Chitra Katha eventually reminded me to try again to find scans of an old series of Australian Pictorial Social Studies books. Nothing turned up, but along the way, I did find Australian History Mysteries, a subscription-based site with material co-developed by the National Museum of Australia and featuring case studies like "Myths and Mysteries of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains" that are keyed to the Australian Curriculum.
posted by Wobbuffet at 1:01 PM on November 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Wobbuffet at 1:01 PM on November 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by goggie at 8:37 AM on November 21, 2017 [3 favorites]