Historical+Characters+Strategy

Historical Characters' iGRADE LEVELS V 3-5 V 6-8 I Culture II Time, Continuity, and Change Guest speakers have already been discussed in this text as an effective social studies strategy. Unfortunately, guest speakers from distant times and places are not available to share their experiences with students. One way to bring these distant figures into the classroom is to have students create a persona or represent a real person in order to interpret a time or place for which a real guest speaker is not available. The student tells his or her story in the first person and encourages others to ask questions of the character, although younger students may be more comfortable presenting just a monologue. Students might dress in period clothing and supplement their presentations with artifacts, primary sources, or audiovisuals. This strategy allows the performing student to explore another person's life from that person's perspective. It further allows observing students to interact with and question a character that they cannot reach in real life. It is an effective strategy for teachers themselves to use when presenting information about a particular historical figure. • Establish objectives for the lesson or unit, identifying those figures whom the students will study. Have students choose a character who will enhance their own and their peers' understanding of the central concepts of the unit. • Assist students in gathering multiple and varied resources regarding the chosen character. Resources include biographies, autobiographies, letters, diaries, and newspaper clippings that tell about the life and accomplishments of the character. • Have students collect additional information regarding the time period in which the character lived. This social, political, and economic history will provide information regarding occupations, the roles of men and women, inventions, dress, the political climate, major industries, the standard of living, and other important issues of the time. This information is crucial to placing the character on the continuum of history and in the context of the character's world. For example, a student who chooses to portray Caesar Chavez should be aware of the labor movement of the mid-twentieth century and should access information about the time period, the western agricultural environment, the authentic voices of those whom Chavez was representing, and contemporaries working for similar causes. • After the students have gathered and examined information, have them construct a concept map or other graphic organizer to arrange their presentation. • For each item on their concept map, have students use note cards to record important facts, incidents, and perspectives. For example, one item on the Chavez concept map might be "Pesticides." Note cards could include information such as the types and effects of pesticides Chavez protested against and subsequent legislation regarding pesticides and agricultural worker safety. (See References and Resources in this chapter for materials on Caesar Chavez.) • Allow ample time for students to prepare their presentation. Advise them to present their information in a series of stories that tell the life of their figure. The use of stories works better than simple memorization: If a student attempts to memorize a script, forgetting a specific line creates frustration. Creating stories from facts allows students to weave in conversational elements. • Once students have generated a series of narratives, have them polish their presentation by ejfectively weaving their stories together. Direct them to look for chronological links, links between individuals in the stories, or links between important events. • Consider props and costumes only after the preceding steps are completed. Students can become distracted by the search for costumes and props and neglect the academic and scholarly preparation of information on their character. In addition, the search for historically accurate props and costumes is easier once the student is familiar with his or her character and that figure's time period. Props and costumes do not need to be elaborate: a hat, quill pen, food item, shawl, or book suffices for many characters. Accuracy is key for props and costumes. While it may be impossible to find authentic paper and writing instruments of the eighteenth century, a wirebound notebook and ballpoint pen are too far removed. Instead, students could age paper using tea and prepare a pencil by removing the eraser, shortening it, and distressing its appearance. • Note that first-person historical presentations can be of whatever length is appropriate for students' ages and the amount of time available for individual presentations. ApPLICATIONS AND IDEAS Evaluating oral reports and presentations can be a challenge. The sample performance scoring guide in Table 23.1 attends to the performance nature of the first-person historical presentation while including elements of content. It also provides an opportunity for the student to participate in assessment. The performance scoring guide should be adapted for different ages and abilities. CRITERIA Biographical details: The presentation includes accurate and concise information about the character's life. Include: Contribution/relevance: The presentation addresses the importance and contributions of the character and his or her relevance to the unit under study. Include: Accuracy: The presentation-including content, props, and audiovisuals-is accurate. Include: Poise and presentation: The student is poised and well-prepared during the presentation. There is little or no reliance on notes. 15 Character development: The presentation is in character. The student is believable as the character, speaking in first person, avoiding contemporary slang. 15 Totals -: 100> POINTS POSSIBLE TEACHER EVALUATION STUDENT EVALUATION Cedeno, M. E. (1993). Caesar Chavez: Labor leader. Hispanic heritage. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press. Cockcroft, J. D. (1995). Latinos in the making of the United States: The Hispanic experience in the Americas. New York: Franklin Watts. Davis, C., & De Angelis, T. (Eds.). (1990). Labor studies curriculum for teachers. Minneapolis: Labor Education Service, Industrial Relations Center, University of Minnesota. Drake, F., & Corbin, D. (1993). Making history come alive: Dramatization in the classroom. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods 18(2),59-67. Jimenez, C. M. (1992). The Mexican American heritage: With writing exercises. Berkeley, CA: TQS Publications. Pinchot, J. (1973). The Mexican Americans in America. Minneapolis, MN: Learner Co. Tchudi, S. (1998). The young Chautauqua handbook: A guide for students, parents, teachers, and community leaders. Reno, NV: Nevada Humanities Committee. Social Education devotes its April/May issue every year to children's literature. Autobiographies, biographies, and books about social history are prevalent. Scholastic publishes a series of biographies of famous Americans written for intermediate-grade students.
 * Important childhood and adolescent experiences
 * Important influences (e.g., family, teachers, mentors)
 * Important events as adult (e.g., school, marriage, career)
 * Other important details and events that influenced the person 20
 * What is the individual most famous for?
 * Perception of individual during his or her lifetime
 * Perception of the individual throughout history 20
 * Props and audiovisuals are accurate 10
 * Annotated bibliography of all sources 20