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In the San Francisco Chronicle, "TeachWithMovies.com, Inc. Announces New Curriculum Materials to Teach Historical Fiction in Social Studies Classes" was published on October 31, 2011. This internet site has developed an innovative approach to assist social studies instructors by providing a list of films in education that suit specific expectations of the Ontario curriculum. The promotion of historical fiction films can provide enrichment to a classroom experience as it enables students to watch a combination of fact and fiction . If educators provide the tools to analyze historical fiction, students will be able to extract elements of historical accuracy from the film. Therefore, students can compare the film with the information taught from the text to establish their own ideas or beliefs. Ultimately, this allows the student to establish a deeper and meaningful connection to the content studied. This analysis of historical information is heavily entrenched in the Language Curriculum as well. Through the development of worksheets and lesson plans available on the website, instructors can choose from a list of films to engage their students in analyzing historical fiction. Discussion questions, project ideas, and links to further resources are also provided. This article highlights an alternative educational experience students can engage in to further develop their understanding of the material relayed in their textbooks.

Diaries can be an effective tool to connect readers/students to the emotions, motivations and thoughts of the people who were living in the historical events that we are studying. The author of this article discusses four topics that are valuable for us to study as history teachers. 1) importance of historical perspective taking as an aspect of historical thinking and the obligation of educators to assist learners in developing their capacity to engage; 2) outline why and how teachers could assist learners in using diaries as evidence for reconstructing historical perspectives; 3)layout excerpts from three published diaries to demonstrate how these provide evidence of classed, gendered, ethnic/religious points of view within the time periods they were written; 4)provide some specific suggestions as to how teachers can use examples from these diaries to spark deeper probing of ideas and time periods.

In this article John Fielding, discusses how many of Canadian students learn history - through memorization and lecture - and how instead we need to engage students in history lessons through role play, field trips and storytelling. For many it is easy to identify how history should NOT be taught, but to make history memorable we need to make it come alive for the students. John also offers a list of strategies in teaching history which are not valuable, strategies which may be successful, and finally interesting and imaginative learning strategies, all with reasons why they are, or are not, effective.

John Fielding a retired history professor from Queens University wrote this short article to encourage History teachers to be passionate and creative in their teaching. Teachers need to get students involved in History and show them how it is relevant today. According to Professor Fielding "the most important element for a strategy to be effective is, however, that it must activate the historical imagination of the student." So as teachers we need to find ways to start their imagination and let them enjoy the past without always having to write a two page essay. Fielding suggest that teachers allow students to be creative allowing them to use historical fiction to demonstrate their understanding of the people and their times. Teachers should incorporate drama, role playing and storytelling help develop a historical imagination of the student. When you can capture the imagination of the student you can then develop a passion in the student for the things of the past.

The Montreal Gazette Newspaper published an article on November 11, entitled, "The Need for Remembrance Day Endures." This article recognizes the importance of veterans and their memories they bring from experiencing historical events in history. Ultimately, individuals who fought in World War I, World War 2, and the Korean War, lay the foundation of Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country. The fascinating stories of veterans' lives serve as the purest form of experience as it provides invaluable insight to historical events. While there is an array of documentation of veterans' experiences, it is more meaningful and engaging to have them orally share their stores. Although many will no longer be able to share their experiences with us, it becomes essential for parents and educators to continue honouring the individuals who sacrificed their lives for our country. A poppy can serve as a simple testament of respect as well as the desire for peace. As we continue to fight the war on terrorism, the desire for power and resources raise the possibilities for greater global violence and turmoil. By paying tribute to our war veterans, it becomes essential to teach students the importance of reflection by promoting peace and community within the classroom environment.

In this article the author discusses the importance of separating myth from history for social studies teachers. It argues that there has been resurgence in our schools to heighten the historical consciousness of our students. According the article many teachers have been able to provide the time and focus for students to become increasingly proficient at, and increasingly committed to, the difficult work of looking at the past critically. Since history is part of our core curriculum, schools actually have had the time to develop thoughtful and subtle complexity in students' historical thinking. One of the most important parts of the article talks about what the goal of teaching history in our schools should be and the importance of history in knowledge-making.

Want to save some time in your busy classroom? Wondering how to integrate different subjects effectively? This article demonstrates how to combine social studies and visual arts in an effective and meaningful way for students. Students demonstrate an understanding of both art and history curriculum expectations as they separate what they can observe from a piece of art from what they can infer from the same piece of art. The article offers tips on how to best present a piece of art. For example, you can enlarge a detail of a painting and describe the specific detail. Then return to the larger image and discuss how looking at only part of the picture can be misleading; just like in history how only looking at one part or perspective of the story can be misleading. Artworks are primary resources in the same way that letters, diaries, and other textual sources are. Historical context is extremely important to the "reading" of these resources. This is why combining visual arts and history can be a very useful and practical way of teaching these subjects. As well, Matching an image to a complementary excerpt can help students deepen their understanding of a person, event or concept and will help build up their skill at making connections; a skill that should be well developed in both inside and outside the classroom.

Do you keep hearing about how important creativity in the classroom is but have no idea how to teach such a skill? There seems to be an understanding that creativity is something that one is born with and not something that is taught. This article offers reasons why it is important to teach creativity in your classroom and offers examples on how you can accomplish this seemingly incredible task. Creativity is not a bestowed gift; if can be experienced and learned by students in a classroom setting. The article emphasizes that there is a desperate need for creative thinkers in the world; we are in the midst of a creativity crisis. A sustainable future depends on having creative thinkers think up innovative solutions to complex problems. Creativity is a set of skills that must be taught to the future generations. The article provides examples of teaching creativity in the classroom. For example, As part of their social studies report, high school students developed a strong sense of empathy when they worked with the art teacher to create masks representing the emotions embodied by people from significant historical events: Polish Jews during the Second World War; a mother and her children leaving Ireland during the Irish Potato Famine in 1847; and parents receiving news that their son or daughter has been killed in action in Afghanistan. Students' creativity cannot be constantly held back by the tight constraints of producing a specific product to exhibit their understanding in a specific way. Creativity should be further explored in our education system if it is a skill that future generations will need to deal with our future complex concerns; not pulled away from simply because it is a concept that many people have not quite figured out how to explain and teach in a school setting.

This article describes three authors from Laurier who have written a book entitled "Canadian Battlefields 1915-1918" which is a guide to and describes the battlefields of northern Europe. In addition to the book, the article describes the use of Google Earth images in better understanding the situation that soldiers were facing during the First World War. It is the author's opinion that by utilizing the technological images, "readers better understand what the Canadians were up against during their battles in the French countryside." I believe that this would not only be an interesting book regarding teaching of historical events, but also an interesting way to incorporate technology into history and to modernize history for students.