Title:  Boyle Heights: America in the Mirror Subject:  History, Language Arts Author:  Susan Anderson, Roosevelt High School Date:  April, 1998 Unit:  Boyle Heights History

Teaching Unit

Boyle Heights: America In The Mirror

Target Audience:

Social Science: 10 - 12

Types of Activity:

Reading/Writing

Researching

Mapping

Interviewing

Multimedia Projects

Overview and Purpose:

The purpose of this project is to enable students to apply Social Studies skills, concepts, and themes to the study of local history and geography. A concurrent purpose is to construct a model that allows students to utilize technology in ways that will enhance their study and increase their skills. The curriculum designed can be utilized either as a framework for a semester-long, elective research class or it can be integrated into a traditional U.S. History class. The project consists of three major units: Researching and Writing Local History, Technology Tools for Historians, and Creating Oral Histories. Students will begin with a unit that explores the art of writing history and basic research techniques and skills. Students need to understand that history is not a collection of facts but rather one historian’s interpretation of the facts that he has collected. Students need experience seeing histories written from different perspectives and learning to critically evaluate the author’s biases and philosophical stance. The immediacy of sources of local history and the inherent interest of students in their local community makes local history the ideal way to teach such lessons.

The Technology Tools for Historians unit will include a discussion of the technology required to create a web-site project: digital photography, Internet navigation, scanning, image manipulation, web site authoring, and the use of various presentation and publishing programs. The final unit deals with the collection of oral histories. Students of local history quickly understand the benefits and importance of gathering first-hand accounts of those who experienced or witnessed local events as most communities do not have an abundance of recorded history. The unit will center on the essential skill of critical questioning and interviewing. The standards addressed and the assessments used will vary with the way in which the class is structured and organized, the student level, and the amount of time to be spent.

Standards Addressed:

In the Research Course, Los Angeles Unified School District Performance Standards:

• Locate, understand, and interpret information in primary and secondary sources.
• Read, interpret and analyze maps, globes, models, diagrams, graphs, charts, tables, pictures, and political cartoons.
• Evaluate the accuracy of information obtained from computer programs, films, printed materials, radio, television, and video tapes.

In the U.S. History Course, California Content Standards:

• Students analyze and explain the major political, social, economic, technological, and cultural developments of the 1920s.
• Students analyze the American participation in World War II, including the character of the war at home and abroad.
• Students evaluate federal civil rights and voting rights developments since the 1950s.

Preparation Time Needed:

The amount of time needed to prepare varies depending on which organizational structure is being used - Semester Research Course or smaller lessons spread out through the U.S. History Course. A minimum of several hours is needed. Teachers will have to become minimally acquainted with technology tools. Teachers may want to spend time on the Internet identifying sites to be downloaded with the Web Whacker program. For research resources, teachers will need to confer with school and local librarians to become acquainted with materials available for student researchers to use. It would also be helpful if the teacher compiled a list of web site addresses with which students can begin their investigations.

Resources Needed:

No matter which organizational structure is used, students will need access to school and local libraries. To utilize the Internet, students will need access to computers that have online capabilities. Students will also need digital cameras or scanners. For the gathering of oral histories, students will need camcorders, tape recorders, and tapes. If students wish to use clips of video on the web site they build, they will need access to an editing program such as Adobe Premier. They will also need access to web authoring software.