What type of books are the Daniel Boorstin trilogy?

[Kfamily]

I have The Discoverers, The Creators and The Seekers by Daniel Boorstin. I have not read them yet. I hope to use them with my dc as they are in high school (I'm thinking the later grades of 11th/12th) but am trying to decide what type of books they are. Wikipedia describes them all as histories of humanity but each with a different focus. The Discoverers is a survey of scientific history of humanity, The Creators an artistic survey and The Seekers a philosophic survey. For those of you who have read them or used them where would you place these books? Should they supplement history? Should I use one for science, one for art and one for philosophy?

 

Thank you all so much! (Just wanted to say how much I appreciate all of you ladies.:001_smile:) There is absolutely no one else I know that could answer this question and google has not been much help either. Of course, I could answer my own question if I read them, but I can't get to them for awhile...:lol:

Edited August 28, 2010 by Kfamily

[swimmermom3]

My 7th grader is a die-hard Boorstin fan after reading his Landmark History of the American People volumes. Another board member (to whom I am grateful) recommended this trilogy. I read selections to my son when we come across a topic which Boorstin covers (much of the humanities). Usually we have done enough historical background to move into the topic. I will probably include my 12th grader on those readings this year and then assign some of the other topics to fill some gaps in her history education. I tend to draw from all three books for history. Michael Clay Thompson included Boorstin's The Creators in his book, Thinkers, which is called "a guided tour through the vast array of great works and the minds behind them." Not surprising.

[Kfamily]

Thank you, Lisa. The MCT book sounds very interesting. All of the MCT books do actually...:001_smile:

 

So, you mostly use the trilogy as resources for going deeper into topics?

[Kfamily]

bump

[Anna]

We used them with humanities studies. Great books, btw!

[Corraleno]

My 7th grader is a die-hard Boorstin fan after reading his Landmark History of the American People volumes. Another board member (to whom I am grateful) recommended this trilogy. I read selections to my son when we come across a topic which Boorstin covers (much of the humanities). Usually we have done enough historical background to move into the topic. I will probably include my 12th grader on those readings this year and then assign some of the other topics to fill some gaps in her history education. I tend to draw from all three books for history. Michael Clay Thompson included Boorstin's The Creators in his book, Thinkers, which is called "a guided tour through the vast array of great works and the minds behind them." Not surprising.

 

Lisa, do you think it would be possible to use each of the three volumes as a "thematic spine" for a year's study, rather than using them in parts chronologically? I've been playing around with the notion of focusing our HS studies on the "History of Ideas," and it seems like these books might provide a really interesting framework for integrating some of the courses I've been thinking about. For example:

 

Year 1: The Creators + Art History + Masterpieces of World Literature + World Cultures & Religions (it looks like The Creators addresses world religions; plus a great deal of the history of art is religious)

 

Year 2: The Discoverers + History of Science & Technology + Utopian/Dystopian Literature (much of which focuses on the role of technology in society)

 

Year 3: The Seekers + The History of Philosophy + Existential Literature

 

Based on what you've seen/read of the books, does this sound reasonable/doable to you? Or do you think they would function better as reference books than as spines?

 

Jackie

[Kfamily]

I think this is a very interesting idea, Jackie!

 

This helps me to expand the way I'm thinking about them too. Thanks!

 

If you decide to do this, would you please share more details later?:001_smile:

[Corraleno]

I spent several hours last night "diagramming" the three potential years/courses, including adding in science topics that I felt would connect with each theme, drawing connections between each "module," etc. I'll try to post more about it this afternoon (right now I have a houseful of kids from a sleepover last night :willy_nilly: ).

 

Jackie

[FlockOfSillies]

Lisa,

 

I have one of the Landmark History books. How old was your 7th grader when he read them?

[swimmermom3]

Lisa,

 

I have one of the Landmark History books. How old was your 7th grader when he read them?

 

He did Sonlight's Core 3+4 in 4th grade. He did not like The Story of the U.S.A. by Escher, but quickly became enamored with Boorstin's book. We read it together and discussed it and I have to say that I enjoyed some of the unique perspectives on American history that I was not aware of.

 

About Boorstin's trilogy discussed in this thread, I would like to hear how others have used it in high school. Jackie, your idea has wonderful merit, but I would think it would depend upon the child, their basic foundation in the humanities, and their reading comprehension level. I am curious to see how my dd will respond to them as I do not yet have a good grasp on her capabilities. I would also have to think about the fact that they cross over each other chronologically and whether the student would be held to them for three years in a row. I don't know if that makes sense. I wish Kareni would weigh in here as I think she read them. I envision these books for junior and senior year, but then again, since I use pieces for Swimmer Dude, I'm not sure. I do feel that the books are too rich to turn a student loose on without some kind of discussion. Be sure you have them annotate the books. I didn't do that but kept a notebook of separate notes. Now that I am using them with the kids, it's a pain to reference the notes.

 

If this seems scattered, that's because that is how my use of the books works. They were recommended to me on here after my talking about Swimmer Dude's off-beat choices for reading material. He was so excited when we got them, but they are over his head still for reading on his own. I read them and set them aside waiting until he got older. However, we were once again trying to tackle Hakim's Aristotle Leads the Way. For some reason, we both really struggle with that book. I pulled out The Discoverers and read the first part that talks about time in place of chapter 3 in the Hakim book. Swimmer Dude hit upon the happy combination of lining up some areas of Boorstin's books with Hakim's. We read in the one and look at the pictures in the other. I can't begin to tell you how time-consuming this can be, but it's been a worthwhile exercise. Next on my Boorstin list is The Americans series which I don't own...yet.:D

[Kfamily]

Thank you Lisa,

 

I was kind of thinking of them in this way too. I wanted to have dd in 11th and 12th grade read them as sort of a big picture/closure to all we studied in high school sort of way. I can't think of the right way to categorize that.:D I don't really think they count as Worldview, do they? I'm still not sure what to label them so I may just choose a general word like humanities. Would that work?

[Corraleno]

OK, I'm going to see if I can upload screenshots of some of my ideas. This one would be for 9th grade, using Boorstin's THE CREATORS:

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie

[Corraleno]

10th Grade using THE DISCOVERERS:

 

[Corraleno]

11th Grade using THE SEEKERS:

 

 

(As you can see, I'm not really up on the connections between Chaos/Complexity/Game Theory, and I don't even know if I could tie Precalc/Calc into it...)

[Kfamily]

Wow Jackie! This is very interesting!

[swimmermom3]

Thank you Lisa,

 

I was kind of thinking of them in this way too. I wanted to have dd in 11th and 12th grade read them as sort of a big picture/closure to all we studied in high school sort of way. I can't think of the right way to categorize that.:D I don't really think they count as Worldview, do they? I'm still not sure what to label them so I may just choose a general word like humanities. Would that work?

 

I just realized that you are looking for this for next fall, is that right? Or sooner?

 

Jackie (Corraleno) has this habit of pushing me (gently, I might add) off the beaten path so now I am contemplating her proposition even though I should be working on this school year which starts on September 7th.:D I see the potential for using the books as thematic spines but would have to think more about the division.This is heretical, but I am not a fan of the four year history cycle for high school partly because I think it is problematic for getting the most out of literature studies. Ugh! I am toast today so this is not connecting. Jackie, with your layout, could the literature get progressively more difficult or are you looking strictly at different genres for each book? I suppose you could group this under "humanities," but I suspect with the way Jackie is looking at this, the unit itself might end up being worth 1 social science credit, .5 science credit, and .5 art credit one year,; another year it might be worth 1 literature credit, .5 social science, and .5 art credit. <Sigh> I have certainly been honing my research skills since "meeting" Jackie.:D

[Corraleno]

Anyway, those are just some very rough ideas I was playing with last night, when I saw the way the Boorstin trilogy was organized, and it sparked the idea of using the three titles as themes to integrate an entire year's worth of study.

 

Prior to doing this in HS, we would have already spent 3 years doing history chronologically, and we would have covered bio, chem, and physics at an general/introductory level. So the idea would be to spend the next 3 yrs, in HS, going through history thematically rather than chronologically, connecting all the dots, as well as integrating science topics that we could pursue in greater depth.

 

I have tons of resources for all the topics I listed, including over 50 TC courses on the history of science, history of philosophy, comparative religion, human culture, too many science courses to even name, plus an extensive library that's largely focused on the same topics. I could literally teach all of what I've listed above without having to buy more than a few math books. :tongue_smilie:

 

Jackie

[swimmermom3]

Jackie, you are fabulous, even if you are madwoman! In the very best sense of the word, you understand!:D Must go walking with hubbie. Must not get distracted by Jackie's diagrams.:tongue_smilie:

[Kfamily]

No, I have a couple of years to consider this...unless of course Jackie's interesting approach distracts me!:D

[FlockOfSillies]

How about Interdisciplinary Studies?

[swimmermom3]

Anyway, those are just some very rough ideas I was playing with last night, when I saw the way the Boorstin trilogy was organized, and it sparked the idea of using the three titles as themes to integrate an entire year's worth of study.

 

Prior to doing this in HS, we would have already spent 3 years doing history chronologically, and we would have covered bio, chem, and physics at an general/introductory level. So the idea would be to spend the next 3 yrs, in HS, going through history thematically rather than chronologically, connecting all the dots, as well as integrating science topics that we could pursue in greater depth.

 

I have tons of resources for all the topics I listed, including over 50 TC courses on the history of science, history of philosophy, comparative religion, human culture, too many science courses to even name, plus an extensive library that's largely focused on the same topics. I could literally teach all of what I've listed above without having to buy more than a few math books. :tongue_smilie:

 

Jackie

 

My mind is now racing like crazy. Jackie, most states require US history, yes? Could that be done freshman year and move the whole plan up one grade? That screws up the mathematical connections though doesn't it? Or at least since both of us will have already covered Algebra 1 before high school. Shifting up one year would allow for more maturity to tackle some of these topics and the literature. I am going to enlarge your drawings if I can and put them up on the wall over my desk. I have been going through the Boorstin books and assigning sections for this year so it will be a good brainstorming process. Wonder if dd would be okay with being guinea pig.:D

[Kfamily]

Thank you, Brenda. I think that will work!

[Corraleno]

Jackie (Corraleno) has this habit of pushing me (gently, I might add) off the beaten path so now I am contemplating her proposition even though I should be working on this school year which starts on September 7th.:D I see the potential for using the books as thematic spines but would have to think more about the division.This is heretical, but I am not a fan of the four year history cycle for high school partly because I think it is problematic for getting the most out of literature studies. Ugh! I am toast today so this is not connecting. Jackie, with your layout, could the literature get progressively more difficult or are you looking strictly at different genres for each book? I suppose you could group this under "humanities," but I suspect with the way Jackie is looking at this, the unit itself might end up being worth 1 social science credit, .5 science credit, and .5 art credit one year,; another year it might be worth 1 literature credit, .5 social science, and .5 art credit. <Sigh> I have certainly been honing my research skills since "meeting" Jackie.:D

 

What I've outlined is meant to be an entire year's curriculum. For example, for 10th grade, I have a list of about 20-25 works of Utopian/Dystopian Lit to choose from, as well as multiple scholarly works on the history and analysis of utopian/dystopian concepts and literature. That would be a full English credit. History of Science and Technology would be at least a full history credit; I have 4-5 lengthy TC courses, 10-15 books, and 2 encyclopedia sets just on this topic (plus videos like Connections, the Day the Universe Changed, etc.). The science would probably work out to be 2-3 credits in total, although I may end up doing DS's transcript by topic, in which case I would group similar topics from different years together & list them as Advanced Biology, 1 cr, etc). There'd also be 1 math credit and 1 Spanish credit, for a total of 6-7 credits for the year.

 

For 9th grade, each of the listed topics would be one credit: World Cultures & Religions (6 TC courses, plus texts and trade books in anthro and comparative religions), Astrophysics & Cosmology (lots of TC courses as well as a couple of college texts), Human Anatomy & Physiology (TC + texts), Art History (college text plus videos, museum trips), World Literature (I have a list of 15 or so long works, like the Ramayana, Monkey, etc., as well as a huge anthology of world lit, and a great anthology of contemporary short stories from around the world), plus Geometry & Spanish. 7 credits.

 

For 11th grade, the History of Philosophy course would be seriously meaty — in addition to a general history of philosophy I want in-depth coverage of phenomenology/epistemology, how those philosophies influenced the history of science as well as existentialism, etc. Existentialist Lit would include about 10 major works and would make a full credit; modern art would be a half credit. Two science credits, biochemistry and neurology. Plus math and Spanish, and a couple of additional courses at the CC. Total 7.5-8 credits.

 

My idea was to ask for papers on the concepts that connect the different subject areas, requiring him to really think about and synthesize information from diverse topics, like how does current research in human neurology relate to the concept of "self" as described by ancient philosophers and 20th century existentialists? How have different disciplines in social science attempted to incorporate phenomenological concepts into their models; do you think this has led to more honesty about the limits of social science or has it merely become an excuse for lousy research design? Etc.

 

Jackie

Edited August 29, 2010 by Corraleno

[Corraleno]

Jackie, with your layout, could the literature get progressively more difficult or are you looking strictly at different genres for each book?

One of the reasons I put the themes in that order is because I felt it would save the most difficult theme (philosophy) and the most difficult literature (existentialist) for last. World Cultures & Religions, and world lit, are (IMO) the easiest theme/literature, so I put those in 9th. It also lined up nicely with Geometry (although we may end up being partway finished with Geometry by the time we get there).

 

My mind is now racing like crazy. Jackie, most states require US history, yes? Could that be done freshman year and move the whole plan up one grade?

I'm really hoping to get through US History I (to about 1880) in 8th. If that doesn't work, I'll just have to stick it in somewhere — maybe do an intensive course the summer after 10th (might be interesting to approach early US history after studying concepts of the ideal society/utopia), then I could incorporate modern American history in 11th, along with the 20th c. art, literature, philosophy. Or I could just have him take it at the CC in 12th, if necessary. I have to admit, DS has zero interest in US History, so I plan to do a very straightforward, check-the-boxes course, and then make sneaky connections to US history throughout the rest of our studies. :D

 

Jackie

[Corraleno]

I wanted to add that the outlines I posted are just one way of organizing a year-long study around a theme. Lots of people do smaller scale versions of this, and I think almost everyone here links history & literature. Since DS is primarily interested in science, I wanted to try to make that more of a focus, or at least integrate it more fully with the other subjects, and I wanted to really cover the history of ideas/philosophy/science/technology/art in depth — not just as an addendum to political history. Yet when I tried to work all that into a theoretical HS schedule that was arranged chronologically, I ended up with lots of little 1/2 credit courses: History of Philosophy I/II/II, History of Science I/II/II, History of Art I/II/II. Boorstin's trilogy seemed like a ready-made solution to the problem.

 

But others could do something similar by focusing on a different theme that works for their particular child, or by using the Boorstin books but choosing different literature and science topics that fit their interests better. For example, with The Creators, someone could combine World Cultures/Art/Literature with Physical Geography and Earth Science instead of cosmology & human anatomy, which could be moved to The Discoverers (e.g. history of medicine). You could move religion from The Creators to The Seekers, substitute science fiction for utopian/dystopian lit in Discoverers, substitute some much cheerier "personal quest" novels for the existentialist lit to accompany the Seekers, etc. The idea is just to encourage kids to make broader and deeper connections between different fields of study, and to understand the cultural context and interrelatedness, not just of history & literature, but also of philosophy, science, art, architecture, technology, medicine, etc.

 

Jackie

[swimmermom3]

I wanted to add that the outlines I posted are just one way of organizing a year-long study around a theme. Lots of people do smaller scale versions of this, and I think almost everyone here links history & literature. Since DS is primarily interested in science, I wanted to try to make that more of a focus, or at least integrate it more fully with the other subjects, and I wanted to really cover the history of ideas/philosophy/science/technology/art in depth — not just as an addendum to political history. Yet when I tried to work all that into a theoretical HS schedule that was arranged chronologically, I ended up with lots of little 1/2 credit courses: History of Philosophy I/II/II, History of Science I/II/II, History of Art I/II/II. Boorstin's trilogy seemed like a ready-made solution to the problem.

 

But others could do something similar by focusing on a different theme that works for their particular child, or by using the Boorstin books but choosing different literature and science topics that fit their interests better. For example, with The Creators, someone could combine World Cultures/Art/Literature with Physical Geography and Earth Science instead of cosmology & human anatomy, which could be moved to The Discoverers (e.g. history of medicine). You could move religion from The Creators to The Seekers, substitute science fiction for utopian/dystopian lit in Discoverers, substitute some much cheerier "personal quest" novels for the existentialist lit to accompany the Seekers, etc. The idea is just to encourage kids to make broader and deeper connections between different fields of study, and to understand the cultural context and interrelatedness, not just of history & literature, but also of philosophy, science, art, architecture, technology, medicine, etc.

 

Jackie

 

Jackie, for me, the appeal is because like I said, I had some of the same scheduling issues that you did. Also, Swimmer Dude is going to be more drawn by philosophy, architecture, and technology. He loved the Boorstin Landmark book because of the connections. He's less interested in a litany of facts than reasons why something happened. Thank goodness I have two years to work this out.

 

So...you know I am frantically working on dd's stuff, right? I am making her lit and comp class basically a World Lit class, covering the medieval works when Dude covers them and then working with the other eras as we see fit. It will be a mix of Chaucer, Homer, Plato, Woolfe, Calvino, Lewis, Tolstoy, Plath. You get the idea. Anyway, with AP European History last year, I didn't need to give her contextual work for the medieval times, but for everything else, I do. I was going to use SWB's Ancient book and excerpts from Boorstin's work. Now you have me wondering if I can make it work just using an encyclopedia for basic outline and Boorstin's books for contextual. Can this be done or am I going to drown the girl? Maybe I should just stick to selections? Ugh! One week left. I am probably mixing this all up for the op too. Sorry.:tongue_smilie:

 

Jackie, thanks for coming up with all this. I really do mean that. My oldest two kids have done or are doing the standard path for hs and to me this looks so much more interesting and challenging.

[elegantlion]

Wow Jackie! This is very interesting!

 

Agreed! :svengo:

 

Jackie, you are fabulous, even if you are madwoman! In the very best sense of the word, you understand!:D Must go walking with hubbie. Must not get distracted by Jackie's diagrams.:tongue_smilie:

 

 

:iagree:I love your plan! Off to ponder...

[melmichigan]

I wanted to add that the outlines I posted are just one way of organizing a year-long study around a theme. Lots of people do smaller scale versions of this, and I think almost everyone here links history & literature. Since DS is primarily interested in science, I wanted to try to make that more of a focus, or at least integrate it more fully with the other subjects, and I wanted to really cover the history of ideas/philosophy/science/technology/art in depth — not just as an addendum to political history. Yet when I tried to work all that into a theoretical HS schedule that was arranged chronologically, I ended up with lots of little 1/2 credit courses: History of Philosophy I/II/II, History of Science I/II/II, History of Art I/II/II. Boorstin's trilogy seemed like a ready-made solution to the problem.

 

But others could do something similar by focusing on a different theme that works for their particular child, or by using the Boorstin books but choosing different literature and science topics that fit their interests better. For example, with The Creators, someone could combine World Cultures/Art/Literature with Physical Geography and Earth Science instead of cosmology & human anatomy, which could be moved to The Discoverers (e.g. history of medicine). You could move religion from The Creators to The Seekers, substitute science fiction for utopian/dystopian lit in Discoverers, substitute some much cheerier "personal quest" novels for the existentialist lit to accompany the Seekers, etc. The idea is just to encourage kids to make broader and deeper connections between different fields of study, and to understand the cultural context and interrelatedness, not just of history & literature, but also of philosophy, science, art, architecture, technology, medicine, etc.

 

Jackie

 

I think my DD would love a curriculum like this. I end up tweaking everything because we try to integrate history, lit., and science as much as possible, and while she has grown to really like history with this approach, her love will always be science. I guess I need to look into these books because I find the idea fascinating, I just wonder if I'd have the background knowledge to pull it off without direction.

Edited August 29, 2010 by melmichigan

[swimmermom3]

I think my DD would love a curriculum like this. I end up tweaking everything because we try to integrate history, lit., and science as much as possible, and while she has really grown to really like history with this approach, her love will always be science. I guess I need to look into these books because I find the idea fascinating, I just wonder if I'd have the background knowledge to pull it off without direction.

 

If you read the books and make notes as you go, you will start to see the directions you can take off in. Also, now that Kfamily and Jackie have opened the door with this idea, I think we'll see more ideas and resources being presented. For the science-minded child, I think this could be an amazing way to go. That said, it would be easier to accomplish if the child has a sense of the flow of history and basic knowledge of key historical figures.

 

With regards to background knowledge, for me this would take some time and research to pull off. It would have to be an ongoing project over at least a year.

[Kfamily]

I would definitely need to read them (the trilogy) and do much preparation before attempting something like what Jackie has outlined. I love how it breaks up science into studying several areas each year, and accomplishes much of what was discussed in the thread about studying sciences simultaneously rather than separately each year. I'm considering it all and I think I probably look like this right now...:lol:!

[elegantlion]

I did some planning with our high school schedule and this is what I came up with. Granted I don't have the books in my hand, they're packed at the moment.

 

The Creators: 9th grade use as a semester or year long course titled "The History of the Arts", cleverly plucked wording from the back cover. This would be a fine art credit. We would do regular history as well, Renaissance through Revolutions period.

 

The Discoverers: 9th-11th. I am considering doing integrated science for these years as discussed in the science thread. I've ordered a English text to see if this is a viable option. We would do bio, chem, & physics each year. We could use The Discoverers doing 1/3 of the book each year. This would either be molded into our regular science credit or get 1/2 credit of its own, depending on time involved.

 

The Seekers: ? not sure what grade. I'd also like to know how this book compares to Sophie's World. We plan to do an intro to Philosophy course, maybe in 10th. We would add some lit to this for either 1/2 or 1 credit.

[Kfamily]

Paula, this looks like a great plan too! This may be more along the lines of what I will arrange, although Jackie's plan is so inspiring! I plan on integrating philosophy into our humanities for high school and would be using several books including Sophie's World. I haven't decided yet exactly how this will look. I hope to do some philosophy each year of high school. The Fran Rutherford guides have a couple of selections for philosophy too. My original plan was to use The Story of Philosophy and read the particular philosophers that matched our time period of history. But, no, I have to keep changing my ideas. Now, I've arranged for us to study ancient history every year so I'll have to adjust this idea. I think 8th grade is harder on me than my dd!

 

Here is the assortment I have so far:

(How this will turn out is still beyond me...:lol:)

 

Sophie's World

Meditations (FR guide)

The Republic (FR guide)

The Prince (FR guide)

Story of Philosophy Brian Magee

Story of Philsophy Will Durant

Aristotle For Everybody

The Second Treatise on Civil Government

Candide (I think this belongs here?)

I need to buy Aristotle's works, Cicero, and I have The Last Days of Socrates

Edited August 30, 2010 by Kfamily

[elegantlion]

I love Jackie's plan as well. I'm not sure I'd have the resources and knowledge base to pull it off though, sadly.

 

I also want to use the Rutherford guides in school and REALLY want to do two years of Ancients so I can get the Greek and Roman guides done.

 

We're finishing up Art of Argument this year and then I plan to use Philosophy for Kids & Aristotle for Everybody this year as well. We'll get to formal logic next year.

 

We're considering skipping a grade with ds, so add the confusion of if this will be his 7th grade or 8th grade year and I'm :willy_nilly:.

 

Thanks for listing your resources, there's a few of those I haven't looked at yet.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Ok, this is a *way* old thread I just stumbled upon, but I'm so curious - have any of you, Jackie, Lisa, Kfamily, Elegantlion, ended up following this type of plan? I've been drooling over the Boorstin books for awhile now, and also thinking of organizing history along the "history of ideas" lines, after reading Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence, and this thread sure is intriguing . . . I'd love to hear how any of your ideas have evolved IRL!

[Kfamily]

Ok, this is a *way* old thread I just stumbled upon, but I'm so curious - have any of you, Jackie, Lisa, Kfamily, Elegantlion, ended up following this type of plan? I've been drooling over the Boorstin books for awhile now, and also thinking of organizing history along the "history of ideas" lines, after reading Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence, and this thread sure is intriguing . . . I'd love to hear how any of your ideas have evolved IRL!

 

 

 

I still LOVE this idea....but sadly no, so far, we've not attempted to make use of these ideas. I think I may try to find Barzun's book to see if I can become refocused again. There is always so much more that I'd love to learn, teach, be....:) I just wish I could make it fit inside of "life". I still plan on using the Boorstin books, but I just haven't created a plan for them yet. I do still wish to create a science plan for my older dd that is integrated, and I would love to follow along the lines of "ideas" with it too. I know that is just what she needs in particular. (She's not a science lover, but does love the big ideas. I know I could capture her this way, but my own education becomes a stumbling block to this as well.)

[Chrysalis Academy]

bump - anybody ever pursue these ideas & plans?

[Orthodox6]

Liking this thread! I never thought to use my Boorstin books for teaching. I bought my first books by him decades ago when the "Quality Paperback Book Club" existed. Have "The Discoverers" in hardback.

 

OOPS. Thread is THAT old?!

[Chrysalis Academy]

I know, right? But I keep thinking maybe somebody actually did something cool with these books . . . 

[swimmermom3]

We just pulled them out and read bits and pieces while studying European History. You could do the same with US History.

 

He's a favorite here.

[Miss Mousie]

We just pulled them out and read bits and pieces while studying European History. You could do the same with US History.

 

He's a favorite here.

 

 

Did it work well excerpted?  Did you worry about not reading every page? 

 

I'll admit I'm a bit intimidated by the heft, especially The Creators, which would be the first one I can use with DS.  And, because I haven't read it myself yet (my Must Be Read stack is enormous!), I'm afraid excerpts would cause us to miss the best stuff, the overall flow, the Big Picture points, etc.

But then I think - something is better than nothing.

 

And then I go around again...  :willy_nilly:

[Zoo Keeper]

Just bumping this thread of amazing interconnectedness...

 

because I have the two of the Boorstin books sitting on the shelf staring at me,

 

and I have one (or two or three) of those global thinking type kids who would love the different focus, 

 

and because I'm crazy. :)

[historymatters]

Just bumping this thread of amazing interconnectedness...

 

because I have the two of the Boorstin books sitting on the shelf staring at me,

 

and I have one (or two or three) of those global thinking type kids who would love the different focus,

 

and because I'm crazy. :)

I identify!

 

I would be interested in hearing about his American series. My plan is A Patriots Guide...History next year (10th)and was curious how to incorporate. This child thinks thematically and has lots of ideas as it relates to people and events, the whys, etc.

Also, the Creators, etc series which began this post. I'm not good at skipping chapters, always concerned about missing something, as mentioned above.

Edited April 16, 2017 by historymatters

[historymatters]

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