World History - 20th century

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I need a world history for next class, that would cover 20th century and up.

My son will be in grade 11, dislikes history a whole lot, but has never truly done contemporary history. We fight about history classes a lot, so something hands-off would be good, but i'm not looking at an online class.

 

Any ideas?

Oh, must be secular.

[Susan of Croton]

What about an awesome reading list? For 20th C, we did a totalitarians-themed reading list: Spine text was Paul Johnson's "Modern Times", (selected chapters only), "Iron Curtain: the Crushing of Eastern Europe," by Anne Applebaum, and eyewitness memoirs/reality fiction: "Night" by Elie Weisel (Auschwitz), "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Solzhenitzyn (Stalin Gulag), "To Build a Castle," by Vladimir Bukovsky (USSR prison camps after Stalin), "The Good Earth," by Pearl S. Buck (pre-Mao China daily life), "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China", by Jung Chang (China from 1920-1990). I didn't include Cambodia and Idi Amin, but you have to start somewhere.

[Corraleno]

The Human Odyssey: From Modern Times to Our Contemporary Era

 

The 3rd volume in the Human Odyssey series covers the 20th century (up to 2007); K12 uses it for their 9th grade World History classes. It's relatively short (~400 pages), engaging, well-written, and completely secular.

 

Jackie

[Lori D.]

Well, it only covers 1900-1999, but... what about The Complete Idiot's Guide to the 20th Century, and then watch a number of documentaries on key events from each decade? (PSB has a series on the 20th Century: People's Century.)

 

See more ideas in these past threads:

What did you use for 20th Century history?

20th Century American History for 9th grader

Vietnam War movies (HUGE list of 20th movies and documentaries by decade spread over several posts by ZooRho)

[Cheryl B in VA]

Well, it only covers 1900-1999, but... what about The Complete Idiot's Guide to the 20th Century, and then watch a number of documentaries on key events from each decade? (PSB has a series on the 20th Century: People's Century.)

 

See more ideas in these past threads:

What did you use for 20th Century history?

20th Century American History for 9th grader

Vietnam War movies (HUGE list of movies and documentaries spread over several posts by ZooRho)

 

 

Thanks for posting this links to past threads. I am putting together a 20th century study for my rising 9th grader. I did it with his older brother but will be changing it up a bit.

 

Just ordered these two items from Rainbow Resource:

The Twentieth Century

World History Map Activities

 

Blessings,

Cheryl

[CrystalM]

Sonlight Core 300 is 20th Century History and Lit

[joannqn]

I'm with Susan. I'm doing modern history this year with 6th and 8th graders. We lost our way for a year or so, but have returned to this way of doing history, and we're so much happier. Ideally, we'd have a very short spine that ties everything together. Then I check out library books on the major themes. To that, I add our literature selections to go with the major history theme. Finally, we like to add documentaries, feature films, and field trips that fit. I'll usually add in a writing assignment or project.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I am fond of the last two editions of the Oxford History of the United States by James T. Patterson.

Grand Expectations and Restless Giant

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I need a world history for next class, that would cover 20th century and up.

My son will be in grade 11, dislikes history a whole lot, but has never truly done contemporary history. We fight about history classes a lot, so something hands-off would be good, but i'm not looking at an online class.

 

Any ideas?

Oh, must be secular.

 

 

We're working our way through the 20th century right now.

 

World War One:

Teaching Company set World War 1: The "Good War" They listened to about 80% of these lectures at a pace of about 3/week.

The Zimmerman Telegramby Barbara Tuchman

All Quiet on the Western Frontby Erich Maria Remarque

 

Overview readings from The Western Heritage by Kagan & Ozmet (You could also use Spielvogel, but my kids liked how Western Heritage seemed more focused on topic than on nation for this era.)

 

Readings from WW1 histories such as The Imperial War Museum Book of the First World War (which is out of print). We also used The First World War by Martin Gilber and S. L. A. Marshal's book World War I. There are a number of big coffee table books about the war. Use the one you can get at the library. It is a war that was very much photographed.

 

Movies:

The Lighthorsemen (Unfortunately, it seems impossible to get this one in DVD that isn't a very bad (possibly pirated) copy. It is one of the last VHS tapes we own.

Flyboys

The Red Baron

All Quiet on the Western Front

Beneath Hill 60

The Lost Battalion

 

We got Warhorse from Netflix and sent it back after dh reviewed it. They got a lot of details wrong in the visuals and the story is more schlock than it needs to be. The above movies are closer to the true stories or at least to real conditions in the war.

 

I also like Joyeux Noel, but we probably won't get around to watching that with the kids. (If I remember correctly, Joyeux Noel is done in a multi-lingual way with soldiers of each army speaking their own language that is subtitled for the viewer. That might be a plus for you. There a French film called A Very Long Engagement, but it is only tangentally about the war, and if I recall correctly, deserved its R rating. There is a movie about Passendaele, but I haven't seen it and it gets pretty mixed reviews online.)

[Dicentra]

Hi Cleo,

 

There's a text made for public schools in the States called "Human Legacy: Modern Era":

http://www.amazon.com/Holt-World-History-Student-Edition/dp/003093883X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364493012&sr=8-1&keywords=holt+human+legacy+modern

 

You can also get the "One Stop Teacher Planner" for the text:

http://www.amazon.com/Holt-World-History-Teachers-One-Stop/dp/0030939054/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1364493012&sr=8-8&keywords=holt+human+legacy+modern

This is a set of CD-ROMS that contain PDFs of worksheets, quizzes, tests, answer keys for everything, etc.

 

There's "Modern History Through Canadian Eyes":

http://homeschoolandmore.ca/catalogue_det.asp?id=4528

I think this would be more teacher intensive, though - it's just a book with rough lesson plans and lists of tons of resources that you can pick and choose from.

 

There's "A History of the Twentieth Century" (Concise Edition) by Sir Martin Gilbert:

http://www.amazon.ca/History-Twentieth-Century-Concise-Acclaimed/dp/006050594X/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1364492466&sr=8-9

Sir Gilbert is a Brit so there might be more of a chance that the book wouldn't be as Americo-centric. The book also comes in the original 3 volume series:

http://www.amazon.com/History-Twentieth-Century-Volume-1900-1933/dp/0380713934/ref=pd_sim_b_2 (Volume 1)

http://www.amazon.com/History-Twentieth-Century-Volume-1933-1951/dp/0380713942/ref=pd_sim_b_1 (Volume 2)

http://www.amazon.com/History-Twentieth-Century-1952-1999/dp/0380713950/ref=la_B000APBJVO_1_25?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364493843&sr=1-25 (Volume 3)

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Thanks ladies for all the suggestions.

Nothing however seems to be the answer. It would really help if we knew the question, right? Finding a modern history for my son has been quite a challenge.

He does not want it to include movies, as he dislikes watching movies.

He does not want it to include novels, he prefers to read his own stuff (which he reads constantly, so that's not a problem)

He does want something that makes it relevant to today. That's always been fun for him, understanding why certain things are the way they are.

 

I found the following, but I wasn't completely sold on it:

Doomed To Repeat: The Lessons Of History We've Failed To Learn

[Lori D.]

He does not want it to include movies, as he dislikes watching movies.

He does not want it to include novels, he prefers to read his own stuff (which he reads constantly, so that's not a problem)

He does want something that makes it relevant to today. That's always been fun for him, understanding why certain things are the way they are.

 

I found the following, but I wasn't completely sold on it:

Doomed To Repeat: The Lessons Of History We've Failed To Learn

 

 

 

What about using something like The World Today as a spine, and then additional non-fiction texts and resources on a topic from each decade of especial interest? Albert Marrin has written quite a few books on specific topics that frequently are suggested on this board.

 

Perhaps have some sort of timeline or overview of major events of the 20th century handy to make sure you're touching on key issues / events / people -- an online timeline, for example. Or for a book, something like The Cartoon History of the Modern World, part 2, or The Usborne Book of the Twentieth Century, or Usborne Illustrated Atlas to the 20th Century. Or a visual book to help chart trends and events and consequences through the decades, with something like The Visual History of the Modern World (look for a slightly older version for a cheaper cost!), or Our Century in Pictures for Young People. And again, use it as a springboard into further studies on his own, with resources he likes, or finds on his own?

 

 

And, while I get that DS dislikes watching movies, I would still encourage at least a FEW documentaries, as the 20th century has tons of fabulous archival film and video footage that allow you more than in any other area really see and hear the words of participants in the midst of the events. JMO, but few things help me so fully understand why people did what they did, or the influence it had at the time, then seeing footage of the actual people/events...

 

List of Documentaries that Provide Insight into the Economic Crisis

List of Documentary Films about Genocide

List of Documentary Films about Environment and Ecology

List of Documentaries on Past US History to help see How the Nation Arrived at Where it Is Today

List of Documentaries of People/Events that Shaped the Course of US African-American History

List of Documentaries about U.S. Political Elections

List of Documentaries Looking at Past US Presidents to see where Future Politicians May be Leading Us

 

And here's a teaching guide/lesson plan to using documentaries from the PBS POV filmmakers.

 

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Usborne books? For grade 11? Really? I've always pictured them as being quite light, and not appropriate for high school work. I've stopped looking at them, but maybe I shouldn't have?

 

We will be doing Youtube videos, but not movies, and definitely not fiction movies, even though they are great ones for the 20th century.

[Lori D.]

Usborne books? For grade 11? Really? I've always pictured them as being quite light, and not appropriate for high school work. I've stopped looking at them, but maybe I shouldn't have?

 

We will be doing Youtube videos, but not movies, and definitely not fiction movies, even though they are great ones for the 20th century.

 

 

Sorry, I didn't make that very clear -- I meant the Usborne books as just as a possible kind of timeline reference for helping you "make your own" 20th century history, picking the key events/people to research with books and resources of your DS's choosing. An online timeline of the 20th century could serve the same purpose; I just find that books help me make connections between events more easily than websites. :)

 

Also, that's why I was suggesting non-fiction documentaries, as they tend to try and bring cohesion and understanding to why something happened in the past, and why it's relevant to today, while at the same time being a record of actual words/events of the time. :)

 

Since you mentioned in your second post that none of the textbooks suggested were looking like a good match, I "moved on mentally" from the textbook idea, to thinking that what might be a better match. And since your DS reads a lot and likes to find his own resources, I thought you might be able to go with a "do-it-yourself" approach -- and I forgot to explain my shift in thinking and suggested resources. LOL.

 

BEST of luck in finding what's a good fit for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.