Enjoying Global History

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource for History Teachers
Review: I teach high school in the Boston Public Schools. Many of my students are low-level readers who cannot make sense of our conventional, obtuse and inconsiderate textbooks. Enjoying Global History has proved to be an excellent resource not only for my low-level readers, but for my students of all reading levels.

I use it in both my World History and U. S. History classes. Each section describes a historical era or event in narrative form. For example, the section on ancient African civilizations features a camel herder and an iron worker having a friendly dialog (excellent for reading aloud in class)about their occupations. The section on the Industrial Revolution includes a mill worker talking to a friend about her ardous job.

In addition to these interesting stories, the text includes brief descriptions of historical events to frame the narratives so that students can understand them within their context. There are some black and white images in the chapters although this is not the book's strong suit. Lastly, the questions and activities at the end of each chapter are actaully thought provoking! This is the first textbook I have used where I have felt comfortable having students do questions and activities directly from the book. (In the past I have always made up my own.)

If you teach history or are interested in a general overview of major events in world history, you should definitely check it out. While this book may not garauntee that the reader will enjoy global history, it will certainly bring the reader closer to enjoyment than the traditional textbook.