SHEG-15 – Page 4 – Ed Methods

October 1, 2015October 7, 2015

Yellow River Rulers: The Spiritual and Logical foundations of Chinese Rule

An Illistration from a Japanese Edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms — An Illustration from a Japanese Edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms

By: Benjamin Heebner

Target Students: 6th Grade

Historical Thinking Skills: Contextualization, Close Reading

Essential Question: What are the foundations of the right to rule for Chinese Emperors?

Rationale: The scaffolding questions are based around the comparison and contrasting Chinese, Sumerian, and Indian religious practices and how they relate to the right to rule on a graphic organizer. Using this as the base point Students will make a guess about how the Chinese will use religion to legitimize their Right to Rule. This activity is based on the previous information that the students are worked on in class already. In addition a close reading of the Mandate of Heaven, the logical manifesto of the Chinese Right to Rule will be done after the comparison and contrasting activity in order to either affirm of dis affirm their guess.

Primary Sources:

In the twelfth month of the first year… Yi Yin sacrificed to the former king, and presented the heir-king reverently before the shrine of his grandfather. All the princes from the domain of the nobles and the royal domain were present; all the officers also, each continuing to discharge his particular duties, were there to receive the orders of the chief minister. Yi Yin then clearly described the complete virtue of the Meritorious Ancestor for the instruction of the young king.

He said, “Oh! of old the former kings of Xia cultivated earnestly their virtue, and then there were no calamities from Heaven. The spirits of the hills and rivers alike were all in tranquility; and the birds and beasts, the fishes and tortoises, all enjoyed their existence according to their nature. But their descendant did not follow their example, and great Heaven sent down calamities, employing the agency of our ruler- who was in possession of its favoring appointment. The attack on Xia may be traced to the orgies in Ming Tiao… Our king of Shang brilliantly displayed his sagely prowess; for oppression he substituted his generous gentleness; and the millions of the people gave him their hearts. Now your Majesty is entering on the inheritance of his virtue; — all depends on how you commence your reign. To set up love, it is For you to love your relations; to set up respect, it is for you to respect your elders. The commencement is in the family and the state….

“Oh! the former king began with careful attention to the bonds thar hold men together. He listened to expostulation, and did not seek to resist it; he conformed to the wisdom of the ancients; occupying the highest position, he displayed intelligence; occupying an inferior position, he displayed his loyalty; he allowed the good qualities of the men whom he employed and did not seek that they should have every talent….

“He extensively sought out wise men, who should be helpful to you, his descendant and heir. He laid down the punishments for officers, and warned those who were in authority, saying, ‘If you dare to have constant dancing in your palaces, and drunken singing in your chambers, — that is called the fashion of sorcerers; if you dare to see your hearts on wealth and women, and abandon yourselves to wandering about or to the chase, — thar is called the fashion of extravagance; if you dare to despise sage words, to resist the loyal and upright, to put far from you the aged and virtuous, and to seek the company of…youths, — that is called the fashion of disorder. Now if a high noble or officer be addicted to one of these three fashions with their ten evil ways, his family will surely come to ruin; if the prince of a country be so addicted, his state will surely come to ruin. The minister who does not try to correct such vices in the sovereign shall be punished with branding.’…

“Oh! do you, who now succeed to the throne, revere these warnings in your person. Think of them! — sacred counsels of vast importance, admirable words forcibly set forth! The ways of Heaven are not invariable: — on the good-doer it sends down all blessings, and on the evil-doer it sends down all miseries. Do you but be virtuous, be it in small things or in large, and the myriad regions will have cause for rejoicing. If you not be virtuous, be it in large things or in small, it will bring the ruin of your ancestral temple.”

The Mandate of Heaven, Selections from the Shu Jing (The Classics of History) (6th Cen. B.C.E.) Retrieved from Link on 9/30/15.

Pictures:

Ox Scapula at the National Museum of China

Scaffolding Questions:

What emphasis could the Ancient Chinese be placing on the role of religion and the supernatural in Chinese society if they do not have large temples like the Sumerians, and Indians did?
Look at the illustration of Qin Shi Huang, what do you notice about the clothing that he is wearing? It is similar to the illustrations of Egyptian Pharaohs, Sumerian Kings, and Indian Rulers that we have seen in class so far?
How does the Mandate of Heaven stand up to the Written Laws of the Sumerians in explaining why a King should rule?
What does the Mandate of Heaven tell us about the role of the supernatural in Ancient China? Does this change the answer to the question above? If yes then please explain the change.

Summary and Reflection: During this lesson students will be tasked with first refreshing their background information by reminding them about the information that we have gone over in classes before. Then by asking the first two scaffolding questions the students will have the chance to compare their previous knowledge with the new Chinese information that we are introducing in class. Once we have gone over first two scaffolding questions I will have the students Close Read the Mandate of Heaven. During the close reading students will focus on taking margin notes and once they have finished the notes they will answer the last two scaffolding questions on the Close Reading sheet to show their understanding of what it meant to be the ruler in Ancient China.

I found the SHEG model to be informative in forming questions that allow me to see what my students are thinking and show that they get the concepts that I want them to see as well. It serves as a nice model to base what particulars I want my students to focus in on as they navigate the waters of Primary and secondary sources. In particular while the skills and questions that they promote are more suited for non ancient history classes it is a format that allows me to do a lot even though there are very few Primary sources to draw upon. I will use the SHEG model in the future when I need to do primary source analysis in my classes since the format makes primary sources more than a question and answer session and allows students to show their interaction with the source itself.

Image Credits:

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Sangokushi- Gentoku Woodblock Print. Licensed under Public Domain in the United States.

Shang Dynasty Inscribed Scapula from: Wikimedia. Licensed under Creative Commons Atribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported.

Ancient Ziggurat from: Wikimedia. Licensed under Creative Commons Atribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported.

Artist Depiction of Qin Shi Huang from: Wikimedia. Licensed under Public Domain in the United States.

September 30, 2015December 7, 2015

Affronts, Indignities, and Dangers: Slavery in the Roman Empire

Statue of Pliny the Younger on the façade of the Cathedral of St. Maria Maggiore in Como.

By: Heidi Kershner

Target Students: 6th grade

Historical Thinking Skills: Contextualization, Close Reading, Sourcing

Essential Question: What was the nature of slavery in the Roman Empire?

Rationale: The scaffolding questions listed below ask students to first locate the document within time and space. Having done this, students are then asked to engage both with the provided document and other secondary sources in order to further understand the institution of slavery in a Roman context. Finally, students are called upon to determine what might be unsaid in the document. To answer this, students will need to use what they already know about Roman history and society in order to fill in the blanks of Pliny the Younger’s letter.

Primary Source:

“XXXIII To ACILIUS THE atrocious treatment that Largius Macedo, a man of praetorian rank, lately received at the hands of his slaves is so extremely tragical that it deserves a place rather in public history than in a private letter; though it must at the same time be acknowledged there was a haughtiness and severity in his behaviour towards them which shewed that he little remembered, indeed almost entirely forgot, the fact that his own father had once been in that station of life. He was bathing at his Formian Villa, when he found himself suddenly surrounded by his slaves; one seizes him by the throat, another strikes him on the mouth, whilst others trampled upon his breast, stomach, and even other parts which I need not mention. When they thought the breath must be quite out of his body, they threw him down upon the heated pavement of the bath, to try whether he were still alive, where he lay outstretched and motionless, either really insensible or only feigning to be so, upon which they concluded him to be actually dead. In this condition they brought him out, pretending that he had got suffocated by the heat of the bath. Some of his more trusty servants received him, and his mistresses came about him shrieking and lamenting. The noise of their cries and the fresh air, together, brought him a little to himself; he opened

"The Gladiator Mosaic" at the Galleria Borghese — “The Gladiator Mosaic” at the Galleria Borghese

his eyes, moved his body, and shewed them (as he now safely might) that he was not quite dead. The murderers immediately made their escape; but most of them have been caught again, and they are after the rest. He was with great difficulty kept alive for a few days, and then expired, having however the satisfaction of finding himself as amply revenged in his lifetime as he would have been after his death. Thus you see to what affronts, indignities, and dangers we are exposed. Lenity and kind treatment are no safeguard; for it is malice and not reflection that arms such ruffians against their masters…I can tell you one further circumstance relating to Macedo, which now occurs to me. As he was in a public bath once, at Rome, a remarkable, and (judging from the manner of his death) an ominous, accident happened to him. A slave of his, in order to make way for his master, laid his hand gently upon a Roman knight, who, turning suddenly round, struck, not the slave who had touched him, but Macedo, so violent a blow with his open palm that he almost knocked him down. Thus the bath by a kind of gradation proved fatal to him; being first the scene of an indignity he suffered, afterwards the scene of his death. Farewell.”

Pliny, the Younger (2011-03-30). The Letters of Pliny the Younger (Kindle Locations 798-810). . Kindle Edition.

Secondary Sources:

1. Frey, W., J. Bergez, A. Joseph, & Teachers’ Curriculum Institute (2004). History Alive! The Ancient World. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers’ Curriuclum Institute.

2. “The Roman Empire in the First Century.” Retrieved from: PBS

Scaffolding Questions:

Who wrote this letter? Around when and where was this letter written? Use your textbook and/or this PBS site to answer these questions.

Given what the author tells you about Largius Macedo, what can you infer about slavery in the Roman Empire?

3. What hasn’t the author told us in this letter–what has been left out?

Summary & Reflection

During this mini-lesson students will be asked to engage with the primary source (Pliny the Younger’s letter) itself as well as use secondary sources (the PBS website and their textbook) in order to discover more information about the primary source. This lesson should occur during a larger unit about ancient Rome so that students will have some background information about ancient Roman society and its stratification. This lesson will serve as a jumping off point to talk about slavery in the ancient Roman Empire and how it compared to manifestations of slavery in other time periods and regions of the world. Once students have answered the above scaffolding questions they will then be called upon to create a 4-5 panel comic strip displaying the events described in the letter from the perspective of Largius Macedo’s slaves. This exercise will call upon students to critically engage with the primary source, especially in terms of “reading the silences”–deciding what has not been said.

I found the design process for a lesson using the SHEG model to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated. It is a very thorough and thoughtful process that I look forward to using again in the future. This particular lesson I think would be a great starting point for a larger lesson about slavery and its various manifestations and/or social class in general.

Image Credits:

“Como – Dom – Fassade – Plinius der Jüngere” by Wolfgang Sauber – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons – Link

“Borghese gladiator 1 mosaic dn r2 c2” Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here.. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons – Link

September 30, 2015October 1, 2015

The Golden Girls: Women’s History of The California Gold Rush

“The Golden Girls”

Target: Middle/High School Social Studies
Skills: Sourcing, Contextualization, Corroboration
Topic: A Women’s History of The California Gold Rush
By: Monica Portugal

EQ: How were women treated in the California Gold Rush?

Description: This lesson would best follow a lecture of the California Gold Rush in order to help students create a better connection to the following documents. The purpose of this lesson is to provide a women’s history of this commonly viewed, male centered adventure.

Directions: Students will first write a half page reflection as to what they thought women in the Gold Rush looked like, acted, or did. Students will then read each document in groups of 2-4, and answer the accompanying questions that go with it. As a class we will then share our answers and have an open discussion on the documents we just read.

At the end of this lesson, students will individually reflect on their answers, write a summary about the lesson, and answer the EQ. Students will then compare and contrast the reflection they wrote before the lesson, and the reflection they written after.

Source #1: Newspaper Article

Using prior knowledge about the California Gold Rush, what surprises you in source 1, and how has it changed your image of the Gold Rush?
What does this document tell us about the women who ventured to California during the rush? (Occupation, income, attitudes)

Mrs. Farnham In California
(February 27, 1850)

“Women are more in requisition than gold, or anything else Those who came out with me had immediately offers of employment at $75 and $100 per month. If there had been five hundred instead of five, they could all have engaged immediately on similar terms. They must be got here in considerable numbers before society can take any shape or assume any character. I hope that while our good brethren at home are bestirring themselves kindly lo send out clergymen, they will not forget that the best of all missionaries to such a population are resolute, virtuous, intelligent women. One of the chief difficulties that were felt by the women who consulted me, was the fear that they should not be protected against rudeness, or perhaps something worse. I reasoned with them that it would not be so, but it was difficult to convince by argument . Therefore let the fact be known to all who care to know it, that the utmost possible deference and care are shown to females; and that any woman, to experience rudeness or insult here, must expose herself much more imprudently than she would to incur the same risk in your cities. No woman need fear to come here who has the sense and energy to take care of herself elsewhere; and she will have, in her capacity for any occupation suited to her sex. a better capital than the gold mines. If there had 1,000 females sailed last May, they would, all who chose to, be profitable employed this day . Everything is scarcer here than gold.”

-Eliza Farnham

Source #2: Advertisement

After reading this document, who do you think the audience is, and what do you think was the purpose of this document?

A Husband Wanted
 “By a lady who can wash, cook, scour, sew, milk, spin, weave, hoe (can’t plow), cut wood, make fires, feed the pigs, raise chickens, rock the cradle, (gold-rocker, I thank you, Sir!), saw a plank, drive nails, etc. There are a few of the solid branches; now for the ornamental. “Long time ago” she went as far as syntax, reap Murray’s Geography and through two rules in Pike’s Grammar. Could find 6 states on the Atlas. Could read, and you can see she can write. Can - no, could - paint roses, butterflies, ships, etc. Could once dance; can ride a horse, donkey or oxen, beside a great many things too numerous to be named here. Oh I hear you ask, could she scold? No, she cant you --- you---- good-for-nothing----! Now for her terms. Her age is none of your business. She is neither handsome nor a fright, yet an old man need not apply, nor any who not a little more education then she has, and great deal more gold, for there must be $20,000 settled on her before she will bind herself all the above. Address to Dorothy Scraggs, with real name. P.O Marysville.”

Ending Questions:

After reading the given documents, what do these sources tell us about women in the Gold Rush?
Do you think these sources agree with another, or disagree?
What inferences can we make about women who were present in the California during the Gold Rush?

Brief Summary/Reflection:

The combination of these documents and the scaffolding questions that accompany them, are intended for students to reflect on this history, and look at these primary sources in a new light in the context of its history. Students will be required to consider the purpose of these documents, and why the authors would have written them. Students will also be forced to consider how these documents are in dialogue with another, and determine whether these sources provide the evidence needed to support their final claims.

For this mini lesson I wanted to provide primary sources that were fun and interesting to read, while at the same time provide a different perspective on the history of the Gold Rush. I stumbled upon these documents while working on a research paper and loved how it showed a completely different image of the 19th century women. I am currently conducting my student teaching at a high school, and have shared some of the documents I am using for my senior thesis with my students. As I was telling them the story of some of my sources, I was pleased to see their interest light up, and their curiosity begin to creep in. It is because of reactions such as those that I hope to provide my students with sources that make them question the context of it, and discover a new story to be told.

Image Sources:
http://Photo From: California State Library: https://www.library.ca.gov/goldrush/images/goldrush_pic/II_img1.jpg
https://www.library.ca.gov/goldrush/images/goldrush_pic/VII-2_img2.jpg http://www.sierracollege.edu/ejournals/jsnhb/v4n2/farnham.html

Source #1:
Ilinois Digital Newspaper Collection: http://idnc.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/illinois?a=d&d=SJO18500227.2.146

Source #2:
JoAnn Levy, They The Elephant. (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014), 176.