HS Comments on the Fly

So, it is two days after the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday.

It is the perfect time to ask* your students to tell you what they know about Martin Luther.

Some students will rattle off, “Assassinated in 1968, Montgomery Bus Boycott, I Have a Dream, etc.”

And then you can say, “Hmmm. And I always thought Martin Luther was from Germany.” Or “Oh, and what did he nail to the door in Wittenberg?” Or “I’m asking about Martin Luther.”

Yes, I did this with my students … back when my kids occasionally fell for it. It helped my students to pay better attention and subsequently avoid the confusion with the two names that quite a few people encounter. It’s an easy mistake to make if you’re not paying attention.

* Of course, you can only do this if you’ve already studied Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation as well as Martin Luther King, Jr., and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

Okay, this is old news, but it is new to me.

The Magna Carta went up for auction at the end of last year (2007). No, it was not on eBay.

It was auctioned off by the famous Sotheby’s.

Magna Carta, a declaration of human rights that would set some of the guiding principles for democracy as it is known today.

The U.S. Constitution includes ideas and phrases taken almost directly from the charter, which rebellious barons forced their oppressive King John to sign in 1215.

It sold for $21.3 million. Wow!

You remember the Magna Carta, don’t you? Bad King John of Robin Hood fame. Runnymede. 1215. The barons. No one is above the law. Good stuff. You may find this over-done Wikipedia article helpful if you find your memory has dimmed. The following articles, though, were pretty good and not nearly as verbose.

Article A: Magna Carta Copy to Fetch Fortune at Auction
Follow-up Article: Magna Carta Copy Sells for $21.3 Million at Auction

When working on our U.S. Government class in high school, we read most of the Landmark Magna Charta. It’s pretty good.

We just found out that feng-shui was one of the major causes of the Boxer Rebellion. Maybe you knew that, but I didn’t.

So, we’re watching Charleton Heston and Ava Gardner in 55 Days at Peking and getting a little bored. You can’t turn off the distracting Chinese subtitles either. It’s filmed in Spain, near Madrid, and not in China. So, it’s a little bit of a strange movie. It’s 2 hours and 40 minutes long, so we may watch the rest tonight. Maybe not.

You remember the Boxer Rebellion, right? Around 1900, some Chinese people (Boxers) decided that the foreigners needed to get out of China. So the Boxers got violent toward the foreigners. The Boxers lost. That’s about it. The truly inquisitive may do further studies if they need their memory jogged to a greater degree. I suppose one of the main results was the eventual downfall of the Qing dynasty, which led to a new government.

So, during the movie, my husband decides to check out the Boxer Rebellion on Wikipedia — mostly to figure out the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Boxers — and then he read this quote to us from the Boxer Rebellion entry:

[The Boxers] attacked foreigners, who were building railroads and violating Feng shui….

When Amazing Grace showed up in the mailbox last week, I was disappointed. Markedly so.

As I am quite sure you are aware, we Netflix. Since I am a Michael Gambon* fan, Amazing Grace was in my queue. But I had intended on removing it from the list when I heard the movie was about the writing of the song Amazing Grace by a missionary. Wow, that sounds like a snore, doesn’t it? So, anyway, I forgot to remove it from my Netflix queue and that’s how I ended up with it in my mailbox. To be true, this is a sad tale of woe. Getting the wrong movie … it is just a tragedy.

But since Michael Gambon is in the movie and Romola Garai, too, I plopped in in the DVD player and we started watching. I was bracing myself for the worst. It starts out with William Wilberforce being sick (colitis) and going to Bath (England, of course) to drink the healing waters from the hot springs. He’s being set up by his friends for romance. Then he begins telling this woman he just met his past history — the history of his struggle to get Parliament to outlaw the slave trade on UK ships. Yeah, it’s about the slave trade, not the song Amazing Grace.

Sure, I guess that Wilberforce is a religious man; maybe he was a clergyman … I don’t remember if the movie said … but it’s not primarily a religious movie. It’s more about Wilberforce’s struggle to get his bill through Parliament, plus the bit of romance with this woman he met in Bath. The town, not the tub. Wilberforce’s persistence is epic, and his female friend’s support of him is critical to his eventual success in the face of defeat.

I suppose Wilberforce’s laudanum use would bother some, but he was in a lot of pain from his colitis and wasn’t sure what else to do. Laudanum was pretty standard back in the day. He did eventually kick the habit, and I believe he was off it entirely by the time his six children came along.

I would heartily recommend this movie as a history film. I really enjoyed it. Of course, I had extremely low expectations that colored my opinion. But the history is interesting. Here’s some of the stuff touched upon in case you might want to incorporate the movie into your homeschool studies.

• William Pitt the Younger, good friend of Wilberforce who was Prime Minister
• plenty of time shown in Parliament’s House of Commons where you can see how British government works, even with the yelling
• show importance of public speaking abilities
• quite a few political twists based on their system give the movie some energy
• shows Quakers briefly
• shows inside of slave ship
• discusses how slave trade worked
• shows why there was resistance to abolition in Britain
• the actual lines that Wilberforce used when speaking in the House of Commons were in the movie
• actual lines from a letter from Prime Minister Pitt to Wilberforce were in the movie
• Abolitionists in England
• short discussion of French Revolution

I would think that this movie is probably for students 12 and up. Setting: London. Time period: right around 1789.

*For the few who may not know, Michael Gambon plays Dumbledore in the later Harry Potter films — that’s where I think most people would know him from. I, however, enjoyed his performances in Longitude and Wives and Daughters. He was pretty good in Amazing Grace, too.

Hey, I just figured out that I can link to a preview. Scratch that. I can’t figure it out. Oh, well.

That poor Guy has been burned in effigy year after year for ages. They are celebrating in London, etc., right now, and you can celebrate, too, if you saved any fireworks from the Fourth of July. Why not? We all need another excuse to play with fire, don’t we? Besides, it is educational.

As seen in the Tower of London:

Guy Fawkes was the supposed main culprit. And now he’s famous.

You can read more info on the rather sad tale of Guy Fawkes at this BBC page or at the Gunpowder Plot Society. For fun, here’s a bunch of Bonfire Night photos.

This is a recycled entry from sometime in 2003. Still pertinent.

Today in our read-aloud Laura and Carrie, of Little Town on the Prairie, walked with their father to the 4th of July celebration. A gentleman was addressing the town gathered for the celebration.

“It’s Fourth of July, and on this day somebody’s got to read the Declaration of Independence. It looks like I’m elected, so hold your hats, boys; I’m going to read it.” Laura and Carrie knew the Declaration by heart, of course….

Of course? What does she mean, of course? You mean they memorized it and could have recited it themselves? And even understood all the big words?

That, of course, gave me pause. It sounded like everyone memorized the Declaration of Independence back in the 1880s or thereabouts.

This evening I decided to try to find out if most folks actually did memorize it. Googling didn’t do me much good. I did dig up a useful web site about the Declaration, but I couldn’t verify that most folks prior to 1900 could recite the Declaration of Independence from memory.

I doubt any of us in this homeschool will memorize the Declaration. We have discussed it a bit, of course, and will again. But memorize it, no. Not hardly.

Having read the Declaration of Independence before as a teen and not being able to make hide nor hair of it, I never read it again. In fact, I avoided any study of the Declaration of Independence, thinking, “Yuck! Boring! Incomprehensible!”

But the other day, my teens and I read a really good book together. It’s really quite good, and I’m impressed by it.

And I’m not kidding–this book makes the Declaration of Independence much easier to decipher! Granted you may still need to use the glossary in the back a couple of times, but the meaning overall will be a lot clearer.

The Declaration of Independence: The Words that Made America makes the Declaration easier to understand because this book takes what is usually a whole page of words and turns it into about 145 pages of words and pictures. By breaking the Declaration down phrase by phrase, it’s much more easily digestible. You see, just small snippets have been put on a page and helpful drawings accompany them.

Here’s an example. On the right hand page is: “it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government,” is written. On the left is a picture of four committee members who worked on the Declaration cheering while the other committee member is drop kicking a crown with the words “British Rule” on it.

An illustrated Declaration of Independence is just what the doctor teacher ordered, and my hat’s off to Sam Fink for putting the book together.

I definitely recommend this work. I think it’s one worth buying and having handy. It’s great for any age, especially students who have previously studied the American Revolution. The Declaration of Independence refers to many topics and events that we covered a couple of years back when studying U.S. history. Having that background knowledge helped with understanding the Declaration of Independence more fully.

Anyway, most homeschoolers need to put this book on their either their Library List or their Buy List. If you’re homeschooling in the US, it’s a tool you really can’t afford to homeschool without.

Wow, can you believe some partiers in France punched a 4-inch hole in a Monet? Rather shocking. This article gives a good view of the actual tear along with the actual size of the painting. It’s a rather small painting, if you ask me. The title of the painting is Le Pont d’Argenteuil (The Bridge at Argenteuil).

So what can be discussed as a result of this news story? Oh, lots of stuff. Who Monet was. When he lived. What Impressionism is. Where Paris, France is. What river flows through Paris. And, of course, the possible results of getting tipsy in Paris during Nuit Blanche — an annual all-night musical and cultural event. I guess it could read like this: Bottle of French wine, $6.74, Admission to Orsay Museum, $10.53, Ripping a hole in a Monet … Priceless.

I couldn’t believe it when I read that the famed (possibly notorious) Northwest Passage had been opened up. What would Captain Cook, Sir John Franklin, and Henry Hudson, etc., etc., etc., think?!?! Wow! But yes, it was open earlier this year as revealed in this BBC article (map inc.). I know you probably already know about it, but we found the info of interest … what was it? … about a month ago now. And to think that Hudson, Franklin, and Cook, etc., spent so many years searching for it. Without them what would Turnagain Arm or Hudson Bay be called? Did Franklin name anything after himself? If he did, I don’t know it about it. All I know is that he died somewhere up near Nunavut.

So now Canada, the US, and the UN are fighting over the Northwest Passage. Should we expect anything less?

Canada says it has full rights over those parts of the Northwest Passage that pass through its territory and that it can bar transit there.

But this has been disputed by the US and the European Union.

They argue that the new route should be an international strait that any vessel can use. (from above article)

Canada and the US are also engaged in a dispute over the future of the Northwest Passage, the partially frozen waterway that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The US says it regards it as an international strait but Mr Harper [Canadian PM] has vociferously defended the passage as Canadian territory.

He has already announced plans to build six naval patrol vessels to secure the route. (source)

Lastly, the new theory about the appendix is startling. You know, how they always say that the appendix is useless and unnecessary. Well, now they claim that possibly it’s used by the body to repopulate the large intestine with healthy intestinal flora after illness, that the appendix reboots (so to speak) the digestive system. Cool, huh? It sounds reasonable to me.

So, what can we discuss after reading this article with our students? That good bacteria live in the intestines. We can look up the appendix in the Body Atlas. Learn the warning signs of appendicitis. Learn about cholera and dysentery … not exactly a light-hearted subject. And that drinking drinking fresh water is important.

So, that’s three subjects touched on: Art, History/Geography, and Biology.

So who invented the radio? I learned it was Marconi when I was in school, but some folks say it was Tesla.

Wikipedia states:

In 1943, the Supreme Court of the United States credited [Nikola Tesla] as being the inventor of the radio.

I have no idea where my husband learned about Nikola Tesla. The Cheney book has been seen around this house for some time, with both my husband and son reading it — and discussing it in front of me. The book is supposedly the definitive biography of the inventor.

Tesla got a little, dare I say, kooky at the end of his life, and he seems to have been expunged from books about inventors. It’s almost like a cover up or something. It’s truly a shame, though, because if you’re studying electricity you can’t just skip Tesla and pretend he didn’t exist.

When we watched The Prestige, we were surprised to see that a character named Tesla was in it. We also figured that without a prior knowledge of Tesla, we’d be a little confused by the portions of the movie that involved Tesla.

After searching a little, I found a couple of videos about him. I’ll see if I can find the titles. I got them through Blockbuster’s online program; Netflix doesn’t have them — or at least that was the status a few months ago.

Movie about Tesla: The Secret of Nikola Tesla

Documentary about Tesla by some Serbians: Nikola Tesla: The Genius Who Lit the World

If you have a high-school student interested in electricity, I think both of these shows would be fascinating. The first DVD has a quality issue, but the value of the content makes up for it, I think, but then I rented them instead of buying.

Do I recommend The Prestige? Sure, with some reservations. I found it intriguing and wanted to watch it again as soon as I had finished. But I went to bed instead. Yes, I am a party girl.

According to a recent article, Flying Point Press has started printing a nonfiction series for boys aged 10-15. It has pulled a few of its titles from the critically acclaimed Landmark series (my review).

Here are the first fifteen titles:

• The Stout-Hearted Seven: Orphaned on the Oregon Trail by Neta Lohnes Frazier
• Lawrence of Arabia by Alistair MacLean*
• Geronimo: Wolf of the Warpath by Ralph Moody*
• General George Patton: Old Blood & Guts by Alden Hatch
• The Sinking of the Bismarck: The Deadly Hunt by William L. Shirer*
• John Paul Jones: The Pirate Patriot by Armstrong Sperry*
• George Washington: Frontier Colonel by Sterling North*
• The Barbary Pirates by C. S. Forester*
• Teddy Roosevelt: American Rough Rider by John Garraty
• Behind Enemy Lines: A Young Pilot’s Story by H. R. DaMallie
• Ben Franklin: Inventing America by Thomas Fleming
• Admiral Richard Byrd: Alone in the Antarctic by Paul Rink
• Path to the Pacific: The Story of Sacagawea by Neta Lohnes Frazier
• Amelia Earhart: Flying Solo by John Burke
• Alexander the Great by John Gunther*

It looks like these books would be fine for girls also if you ask me.

My son really enjoyed Lawrence of Arabia when he was about 14 or 15. I imagine most boys that age would, considering it was written by the successful and talented author Alistair MacLean. Here’s a little more info about it that I tried to decipher from the dustjacket:

“[Lawrence of Arabia’s] passions affected the outcome of a world war and helped determine the future of the Middle East.

This is the story of how one man, a young British officer, fell in love with the mystery and romance of Arabia, and how he helped build a mighty army out of scattered Arab tribes. His tale is filled with impossible marches through waterless deserts, ambushes of Turkish troop trains, blinding sandstorms and blizzards, and fierce battles on camelback.

Alistair MacLean uses his remarkable storytelling skills to bring to life an army of colorful characters in Arabia: British officers, Turkish soldiers, and Bedouin warriors. With amazing details of bloody battles and desert treks, MacLean gives us an important insight into the origins of the Middle East as we know it today.”

We listened to The Stout-Hearted Seven way back when and thoroughly enjoyed it. I imagine that many children would be inspired by the Sager story. I remember my teacher reading to our class about the Sager children.

Anyway, Landmark Books have long been a staple in homeschools. We have quite a few still on our shelves, and I intend to keep them for the grandkids. Some are just so helpful, but others can be a bit dry. It just depends. There’s a list of the “World Landmarks” and the “US Landmarks” on this page near the bottom.

I’m not sure that buying a book and handing it to a teen is always the best way for the student to enjoy the book. For us, it sometimes worked better if we read the book together as a way to wind down to the school day. Sometimes the student will ask to read the book on his/her own after getting a couple of chapters finished, and I often went along with that and still read it aloud to the other. But sometimes, we just read it all together, taking turns and folding clothes. Sometimes we’d play “Stump the Smart-Aleck Mom.” Sometimes the book was a dud, but usually not. Sometimes I had to leave a new book on the coffee table and hope for the best. I ended up just buying books (mostly from thrift shops or I’d have gone broke) and then letting the kids take their pick out of a pile or off the shelf. You know, “Go read something from the Colonial Period.” Sure, I have lots of books that my children never read, but they did read a lot and so did I. So, I can’t say I regret overbuying. And now I’m just blathering on … blah, blah, blah.

hat tip: Farm School

*part of the original Landmark series

I’ve been recently trying to get a quilt put together and onto a frame, so that when I do sit down and watch something on TV, I won’t feel like such a slacker. I’ll be trying to get 8-10 stitches per inch while I prick my middle finger into hamburger. (quilter’s joke - ha) Yes, that will be much better than just sitting there.

So while I’ve been sewing on the borders, basting, and such, I’ve had shows on. Yes, multiple shows because I’m a novice quilter and I’m slow! One show that I enjoyed was misnamed King Arthur’s Britain. I haven’t the foggiest notion why it was titled that because the appellation (not, Appalachian) is not apt. It must have been some sort of ill-thought-out marketing scheme. So if you watch it, don’t expect an in-depth analysis of King Arthur’s rule.

Here’s what the back of the case states:

… British archaeologist … Francis Pryor disputes the belief that Britain reverted to anarchy after the Romans left in 410 A.D., sinking into the Dark Ages until the Anglo-Saxon invaders restored order. The truth he says is far more complicated.

In this three-part series, he uncovers the continuous culture that was not destroyed by outside invaders but rather strengthened by them. Travel with him as he makes ancient history come alive at the scenes of bloody battles and key archaeological sites that reveal the clues to this new view of early Britain.

So, you see, it’s about that time between the years A.D. 410 and A.D. 597 which is considered the Dark Ages in Britain, when history closes its doors and permits no peeping Toms. But Francis Pryor (since he’s not named Tom) dares to question the historical powers that be and decides that “These were not the Dark Ages.” I think Francis Pryor does quite a good job of it.

I know that when we were studying Rome and Early Britain (at multiple different times through out the years of homeschooling, mind you) that I often called it the Dark Ages and said things like, “The Romans picked up their toys and went home, leaving the early Brits without anything to prop their society up with.” But Francis Pryor basically puts that myth to rest and says, “It’s time to start re-writing the history books.”

That’s a big deal — particularly if he’s correct. Pryor gives example after example of Roman society in Britain going on after A.D. 410. Yes, he believes that the British had a Roman society after the Romans left because that’s what everyone was — Roman. The locals had been Romanized during the years of Roman rule.

Pryor travels from Cornwall (extreme southwest) up to Hadrian’s Wall (up north, near border with Scotland) and points in between, showing us all sorts of examples of life during the 5th and 6th centuries in England. He shows us sites and then the artists come in and do a visual reconstruction for us showing us how it would have looked during Roman times. This happens a number of times and is fascinating. Pryor also takes us to an area where the Lady in the Lake may have had influence and describes a system of warrior traditions which included throwing swords into the lakes. He also travels to Sutton Hoo and tramps around a bit there. If anyone is interested in “Dark Ages” Britain, this DVD is worth a watch. Netflix lends it out or you can buy it through Amazon.

I would guess that this is a DVD for parents who will be teaching Roman Britain — so that they may adjust their views of Roman and Dark Ages Britain if they feel the need to do so. It would also be a good addition to a high school world history course or British history course if the student enjoys this era. The visuals are really well done; this is an entertaining DVD.

Considerations: These ideas are only one man’s point of view. His views on the Anglo-Saxon invasions, for lack of a better term, are not as convincing to me as his anti-Dark Ages argument is. But at the high school level, this type of DVD can lead to further study or make for good discussion.