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A draft product of the Geo-History curriculum project, administered by the Michigan Geographical Alliance, with support from the National Geographic Society. Copyright 2008, NYCGL. The GeoHistory Diagram History-Geography Project Michigan Geographic Alliance Mississippi Geographic Alliance New York Center for Geographic Learning Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education (San Marcos, Texas) The GeoHistoGram The GeoHistoGram uses the human brain’s natural tendencies to organize knowledge in space-time context. Rationale for the GHG The more engaging we make our “educational experiences” – field trips, games, roleplays, songs, videos, websites, etc. (it’s, like, life-changing!!) the more crucial it is to help students put information into context. This is the basic form of the GeoHistoGram – seven vertical bars. Space goes across the diagram, from from the west west onon the the left left toto the east east onon the the right. right. Time goes up the side, from the distant past on the bottom to the present at the top. Each curve in each bar represents 1000 years of of history history in in that that region. region. GEEK NOTE The scale is logarithmic to match what research says about how the brain processes space, time, and quantity. The bars represent Each curve in each bar major world regions, represents 1000 years from the Americas in the west of history in that region. to Polynesia in the east. GEEK NOTE As before, the design is based on recent research in cognitive neuroscience. Here is the basic GeoHistoGram. two more preliminary comments: Research shows: When students add something Appearance does history not matter much – to a bulletin-board timeline, theoften “final” version may havethey choices, they remember whether put wallpaper orthe ringtones. the note like above or below central line. So,information, if you do notbut likethey curving bars or pastels, Useless remember it anyway. feel free to imagine rectangles, blobs, or hexagons, with colors like vegetable soup or the Albanian flag. If teachers can “harness” that unconscious tendency, it can give them a powerful way to help students way What matters is that students have a consistent organize knowledge of history and geography. to visualize events in space and time (and in context with other events). Here is a simple use of the GeoHistoGram: to show ancient empires in Mesopotamia. (before the Common Era, and roughly in the middle of the world’s land). Here is a simple use of the GeoHistoGram: to show ancient empires in Mesopotamia. (before the Common Era, and roughly in the middle of the world’s land). Students can write their names in order It’s better than reading a list ! By varying the width of the empire “blob”, you can show how its power expanded at different times. GEEK NOTE: Students encode general shape and position plus some details (if they are not too complex). Adding a shape in northeast Africa can show how Egypt lasted a long time but varied in importance. Adding a shape in northeast Africa can show how Egypt lasted a long time but varied in importance. Another shape in western South Asia shows a civilization that flourished for a thousand years, then mysteriously disappeared. It is easy to add the specific language that your state uses in its assessment program. Meanwhile, every time, the GHG is reinforcing the main points: when? - long ago, where? - near the middle, what? - Egypt to the west and the Indus Valley to the east. Removing names can turn the graph into a quiz/review at any time. Adding a flag to show the date and location of the Revolutionary War can help U.S. students put ancient civilizations into perspective. A more complex shape shows ancient Greek history: - scattered villages, - an early democracy, - a Mediterranean empire, - then Alexander’s trip to central Asia. Greek A more complex shape shows ancient Greek history: - scattered villages, - an early democracy, - a Mediterranean empire, - then Alexander’s trip to central Asia. Greek But what he did was basically to lead his army around an existing empire !!! Several Persian rulers had already done the hard work to build it over several centuries. And both ran into a barrier in South Asia some powerful city-states that became the Mauryan Empire. Students seldom see that connection, because their textbooks usually treat “West” and “East” separately. Greek We could keep adding empires all day – here’s Rome, a large area that lasted a long time. But the GeoHistoGram can do other things. So, two comments, then something completely different. 1. The GeoHistoGram can help students see what else was happening elsewhere in the world at the same time. 2. The GeoHistoGram can help students see how things changed in the same area through time. GEEK NOTE hierarchy The Hittites ruled north and west of Mesopotamia about 1400 BCE; they are among the first people to make iron tools. Here is an example of a teacher-created student activity: Students plot the first use of iron in various regions. The Hittites ruled north and west of Mesopotamia about 1400 BCE; they are among the first people to make iron tools. Why did it take so long to get here? When you do that, you can see how iron technology spread outward in all directions. When you add the Greek Empire to the diagram, there seems to be a connection with the spread of iron. When you add the Greek Empire to the diagram, there seems to be a connection with the spread of iron. Other Activity Topics already in your packet: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Agriculture, plant domestication Writing Important Inventions Great Buildings Famous Works of Art Movers and Shakers Great Journeys Religions Let’s go back to the Greeks one more time. You could show Alexander’s trip with a completely different “graphic language.” You could think of Alexander’s trip as a kind of “bridge” between distant world regions. Let’s go back to the Greeks one more time. You could show Alexander’s trip with a completely different “graphic language.” This activity is based on one teacher’s list of 12 great bridges in world history. You could think of Alexander’s trip as a kind of “bridge” between distant world regions. This is what it looks like after students have put all the bridges in place. Adding information about major empires can make the bridges easier to understand. Removing the names can make this a good “test-prep” activity. One final example: These symbols show the spread of Buddhism. And these show the spread of Islam from its origin in Arabia. Question: Why did Islam spread faster and farther than Buddhism? (at least four reasons). One could add easy-to-remember symbols for other major religions Judaism, Confucianism, Shintoism, the Protestant Reformation, etc. The graph, however, is rapidly becoming cluttered and confusing. The origins of major religions, however, often appear on state assessments. PS. This also is a printed activity in your packet. A GeoHistoGram-based quiz on world religions can therefore be a good test-prep activity. Too much, you say? This graph has less than a tenth of the information on the wall posters that well-meaning parents, school boards, and principals often buy. Here is everything you’ve seen so far, plus agriculture and writing. Even a cluttered diagram, however, can have pedagogical value. For example, it can show that American history is quite a small part of the global whole! SUMMARY A geo-history diagram like this is a way to organize knowledge. SUMMARY A geo-history diagram like this is a way to organize knowledge. It is not a way to transmit knowledge, except through hands-on activity. SUMMARY A geo-history diagram like this is a way to organize knowledge. It is not a way to transmit knowledge, except through hands-on activity. It is valuable to use for just a few minutes, as a recurring part of other lessons. SUMMARY A geo-history diagram like this is a way to organize knowledge. It is not a way to transmit knowledge, except through hands-on activity. It is valuable to use for just a few minutes, as a recurring part of other lessons. Another good use is as a means of reviewing (e.g., “test-prep”). Remember the Rationale: The more engaging/memorable the field trip, film, simulation, video, website, etc. is, the more important it is to help students put new information into context. The Geo-History Diagram will be available in 8-1/2x11 color pages, 11x17 color desk mats, bulletin-board posters, reproducible masters, and an interactive electronic “laboratory” suitable for projection. Please contact the Michigan Geographical Alliance for more information.