• The sort of history that is important to us is largely a matter of what is significant to us now. Our world is organized into states and our daily lives are dominated by technology so I think it is natural for us to emphasize political history and the history of science.
Reading cultures Bringing to life
across history
The passage is about comparison between traditional museums and hands-on living history museums.
The passage is straightforward, and the Guided writing section exploits it well.
Cognitive skills
• • • •
Skills of comparison
•
Achieving effects on readers Drawing subtle distinctions
•
Identifying the historical facts
significance
of
•
Ss compare different types of history and approaches to learning the subject Ss establish the difference between facts and historical facts Ss present historical facts and explain their significance.
• Guided writing: presenting a biased • The instructions in the Guided writing
Writing and tasks
skills
•
argument Unit task: Writing a report on an important historical event or •
3 Work in pairs. Talk about the qualities which make someone an important historical figure. The number of people their lives affected then and now / their achievements / their morality / the size of their ambition / outstanding human virtues or vices
conversational tone.
Reading skills
• Use Passage 1 for skills (a) and (b), and use
(a) Predicting
Passage 2 for skills (a) and (c).
(b) Appreciating rhetorical devices: • Consult the Further teacher development
2 Choose the type of history you think is most important.
Teaching tips Establish that Ss know the differences between the various types of history. Ask for an example of the sort of thing they would learn about each type (methods of farming / political policies / weapons / poets / astronomy /contact with other parts of the world etc).
Unit
6 All in the past
Unit overview
Unit key features
Organizing suggestions
Passage 1 Winston Churchill
• Passage 1 is a piece of historical
Passage 1 is a historical character sketch. Its basic form is narrative. The writer assumes quite a lot of historical background so Ss
• Encourage Ss to comment on the viewpoints and quotations and give their reasons.
• Let Ss try to work out orally with their partner what the various statements and quotes for discussion mean.
section are very clear and helpful. Ask Ss to follow the instructions in their argument. The Unit task will demand a little historical
discovery
research to remind Ss of the facts they need.
Passage 2 The historian and his facts
writing. Passage on the nature of facts.
2 contains reflections history and historical
•
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will need support on this aspect. Passage 2 will be harder for most Ss because of its philosophical nature. The passage begins as a lecture and has a rather witty
• I choose social history as it is the history of the majority of people. The Marxist school of history believes the social / economic framework to be the most significant factor in historical change.
understanding of the style.
Ensure that Ss are confident of the meaning
before looking at points of style.
• Giving reasons Speaking skills • Cooperating to establish meaning
204
All in the past Unit 6
Additional activity
T can ask Ss to do one of the following activities to introduce them to the subject of history. 1 Ask Ss randomly to complete the sentence: History is ——. 2 Ask Ss what they thought of their history lessons at school. 3 Ask Ss to give their first reaction to the word history eg the past, boring, emperors.
Unit 6 All in the past
Teaching suggestions and answer keys
Starting point
1 Work in pairs. Discuss why the people in the pictures are important.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) was a resolute opponent of colonialism and British rule in India. He also resisted racial prejudice, but his greatest claim to fame was his belief in non-violent action. His main weapon was “passive resistance”, a refusal to obey the authorities. He also tried to keep the Muslims and Hindus of India from fighting. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) is seen as the great example of the Renaissance man, not only a great painter (Mona Lisa, The Last Supper), but a sculptor, engineer and scientist. His notebooks show the range of his ideas and knowledge, including ideas for flight and the helicopter. Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was a great mathematician and scientist who changed the way we see the universe. He was also a strong advocate of the moral and peaceful use of science. Einstein is best known for his theories of special relativity and general relativity. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics and is often regarded as the father of modern physics. Christopher Columbus (c1451–1506) was a navigator, and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere.