Why do you think we study history?

Take out your

syllabus & two

spiral notebooksDay 1Day 1

Directions: On Day 1 of your Bellwork, answer the following question. You Directions: On Day 1 of your Bellwork, answer the following question. You need to write a one paragraph response, so fill out all of Day 1. There should need to write a one paragraph response, so fill out all of Day 1. There should be no talking during the Bellwork.be no talking during the Bellwork.

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So… why?

Ms. Sullivan’s TheoryI believe the main reason we study history is to find out how we got

to where we are today.

Ms. Sullivan’s TheoryExample: Have you ever had a movie

ending spoiled for you by a loud-mouthed friend? Is knowing the ending to a movie

the same as seeing it?

Ms. Sullivan’s TheoryIf I told you that Batman saves Gotham City, would that be the same as seeing the movie from start to finish?

Ms. Sullivan’s TheoryIs knowing the ending to a

movie the same as seeing it?

Ms. Sullivan’s TheoryIs knowing the ending to a movie the same as seeing

it?

No! Half the enjoyment of seeing a movie is enjoying the entire story, not just knowing the outcome.

Ms. Sullivan’s TheoryHistory is the same way!

You don’t just want to live your life today without a single care about how you got there.

Instead, you should care why Americans (and people all around the world) act the way we do or why we do certain things.

Ms. Sullivan’s Theory• Why did we go to war with Iraq?

• Why did we get attacked by terrorists on 9/11?• Why was the election of Obama such a big deal?

• (Talk about Boston taxes)• (Talk about old people and saving money)

Read the two statements below and decide which is true:

a)History we learn in class is fact

b)History we learn in class is opinion

It is both A & B

So much of history is interpretation

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Example:I broke up with Mark because he cheated on me with my best friend even though I was working all the time while he sat at home unemployed!

Example:I broke up with Mark because he cheated on me with my best

friend Sally even though I was

working all the time while he sat

at home unemployed!

Heck no! It didn’t work out with Cheryl because she was working all the time and I felt ignored and alone. And I was

so upset after being laid off! Jenny was there for me when Cheryl wasn’t.

Example:

Are there two sides to the story?

Are both sides correct?

I broke up with Mark because he cheated on me with my best

friend Sally even though I was

working all the time while he sat

at home unemployed!

Heck no! It didn’t work out with Cheryl because she was working all the time and I felt ignored and alone. And I was

so upset after being laid off! Jenny was there for me when Cheryl wasn’t.

Example:During World War II in the 1940s, the United States and Japan were fighting each other, trying to get each other to

surrender.

The United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan killing over 200,000 innocent civilians (not soldiers). This did cause the Japanese to surrender and probably saved several thousand United States soldier’s lives.

Do you think that Japanese History textbooks and American History textbooks talk about this event in the exact same way?

Ms. Sullivan’s TheoryIn conclusion, ALL history is biased. History is biased because it is an interpretation of the past. There are a lot of

things in your textbook that are not completely true.

As a student, try to be a skeptic. Question everything!

The smartest people in this world didn’t believe everything they were told; they went out and discovered the truth for themselves.

USE THE BOOK (TO DO THE FOLLOWING:

On the World Map (pg. 624-625):•Find and label South America, North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, & Africa•Find and label Iceland, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Italy, Morocco, Ethiopia, Australia, Iceland, Norway, China, Japan, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, US, & Canada

On the US Map (pg. 628-629):•Label the rest of the states and correct When finished read page 3, 5-19 in your book silently.•I want you to write down at least 8 notes that you about what you learned or found interesting on page 3 of your notebook.