Critical Thinking and Curriculum Resources

In my opinion, History Channel productions should be discouraged by school boards and principals. Wikipedia says, for example,

Criticism and evaluation

• The History Channel received the nickname, the "Hitler Channel", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_Channel#_note-3 for its extensive coverage of World War II, though much military-themed programming has now been shifted to its sister network, the Military History Channel
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_History_Channel - A U.S.-based network, the History Channel has been criticized for devoting most of its coverage to US
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States and Western history
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_western_civilization
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_Channel#_note-4 Programs have been faulted for bias especially in treatment of non-Western societies and customs.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_Channel#_note-5 The network has also received criticism for emphasizing the history of relatively recent times, as opposed to ancient
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history or medieval
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Ages eras.

Even if an educator is capable of identifying the bias (including omissions) in History Channel productions, the impact on students is impossible to overcome. You would have to find videos of comparable, high technical quality and audience appeal, to present the specific antidotes to GE/History Channel --the complementary material as well as "reality check" on the History Channel productions. Such films simply don't exist. Why can't the teachers stick with unbiased historical videos to begin with.

Todd Boyle, WaTiR Board

Resources

Rethinking Schools:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/publication/index.shtml

CAMS -- a variety of curriculum available for different grade levels and topics. See:
http://www.militaryfreeschools.org/curric.htm

Voices in Wartime:
http://www.voicesinwartime.org/Home/Education/VIWEducationProject.aspx

Units on WWI, WWII, American Wars in Asia, Poetry Anthology (all wars); Darfur and Palestine-Israel under construction. See South Sound Voices for programs in South Puget Sound.

Darfur Resources (LINK):

WTO Presentation (C.G.) Link

Fair Trade Presentation

Middle East Free Trade and Oil (link)

PBS has organized a curriculum guide on the 1991 Gulf War available here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulfguide/