As stated in the video, having an understanding of the stories in the past helps us understand how the history of a place impacts us or applies to the present day. For example, I wrote my model essay for my sophomores on the earliest recorded history of Buffalo. Reading the research describing how some of our main roads were originally frequently travelled paths by the Iroquois was fascinating and broadened my whole perspective on places I felt I already knew very well! Or looking at the change in the names of our main streets as it reflected the dominant culture in power at the time helped me understand the change in time of this area. It really helps you get a more complete story of a place and a people. You can look at so many different factors - people, events - that shape a place and a group of people to better understand how they've come to be the way they are. And in the future, it can help inform decisions, ideas, and actions. Maybe even bringing it all full circle to look at how we can help connect the future of a place to some of the original stories of its past.
I also really liked the idea for grouping history instruction by a question. What a great line of inquiry to look at questions like "What has caused people to come and go" in a specific region? I would love to explore that topic in relation to our home city - I'm sure the answers have changed dramatically over time!
I also really liked the idea for grouping history instruction by a question. What a great line of inquiry to look at questions like "What has caused people to come and go" in a specific region? I would love to explore that topic in relation to our home city - I'm sure the answers have changed dramatically over time!