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Course: World History Project AP® > Unit 1
Lesson 1: 1.0—History Stories- ACTIVITY: Draw Your History
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: What Makes History Usable?
- WATCH: What Makes History Usable?
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: The Danger of a Single Story
- WATCH: Chimamanda Adichie — The Danger of a Single Story
- ACTIVITY: Vocab - Tracking 1.0
- ACTIVITY: Vocab - Word Wall 1.0
- ACTIVITY: AP Themes Intro
- READ: AP Themes and the Course Narrative
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Meet the Themes
- WATCH: Historical Themes in World History
- ACTIVITY: Themes Notebook
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BEFORE YOU WATCH: What Makes History Usable?
Google ClassroomUse the “Three Close Reads” approach as you watch the video below.
Before you watch
Before you watch the video, it’s a good idea to open and skim the video transcript. And always read the questions below so you know what to look and listen for as you watch.
While you watch
- Bob Bain describes a long debate that politicians and educators have “waged war” over, about what should be taught in the history classroom. What are the two sides and what do they argue?
- What was the big driving question Bains’s students in Detroit studied?
- What did students do over the course of the school year, after they shared the stories they collected?
- What did looking at multiple narratives help students do?
- According to Bob Bain, what makes history usable?
After you watch
- What stories do we have about the world since 1750? How do we know these aren’t just made up stories? How might we use evidence to test them?
- How might looking at the history of the world since 1750 help you understand the future better?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to watch. Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished watching.
Want to join the conversation?
What makes History usable to us?(7 votes)
I'm no expert, but in my experience, History helps us to understand our world better, and present day issues as well. We can understand why things are the way they are today, such as relations between countries, whether friendly or hostile. History can also warn you about the mistakes of others in the past, so that you do not repeat them.(23 votes)
How is this course different from AP World History: Modern? Also, can you use this to study for AP World History: Modern?(5 votes)
This course isn't very different from AP World History: Modern. If anything, it is quite similar -- I remember using these resources to help me study for my AP World History exam a few years ago.
Make sure you visit the CollegeBoard website and view the course outline to be aware all the updated topics you need to know, if any.(4 votes)
Q: Bob Bain describes a long debate that politicians and educators have “waged war” over, about what should be taught in the history classroom. What are the two sides and what do they argue?
A: One side in the "war" argues that history is how you use the facts and the content in history, the other side argues that history is about thinking like a historian and using critical thinking.
Q: What was the big driving question Bains’s students in Detroit studied?
A: They studied the question of how different stories of the same subject in history compare and contrast other stories of the same subject.
Q: What did students do over the course of the school year, after they shared the stories they collected?
A: They compared their stories and saw how they were similar and different in their own ways.
Q: What did looking at multiple narratives help students do?
A: Looking at multiple narratives helped them see a bigger picture of their history as a whole.
Q: According to Bob Bain, what makes history usable?
A: What makes history usable is to get a better understanding of our own lives and our own history.(4 votes)
what makes history usable?(1 vote)
History is like a mirror- it always repeats iteslf. Take the Bubonic Plague- now it's Covid! By understanding history, we can try to prevent or lessen the impacts of negative things on our world.(4 votes)
- Is the history being taugh in school, or anywhere else for that matter, been altered to keep or preserve certain evets/things?(2 votes)
I'm not sure whether history has been altered to preserve certain events, but I do know that history told in other countries have been used to hide or otherwise erase a certain portion of history. For example, in China, the government and school system does not acknowledge the existence of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and claim that it is a lie created by Western countries. Similarly, in Turkey, the government and the school system does not acknowledge the Armenian Genocide as ever happening.
I hope that answered your question, and best of luck for the AP exam (if you're taking it)! :)(2 votes)
- In our future after our days of education are gone, how does history help us on?(1 vote)
What time period is this unt in(1 vote)
'm no expert, but in my experience, History helps us to understand our world better, and present day issues as well. We can understand why things are the way they are today, such as relations between countries, whether friendly or hostile. History can also warn you about the mistakes of others in the past, so that you do not repeat them.(1 vote)- Are these text going to be beneficial in the long run(0 votes)
- They can be, depending on how you use these courses. I hope that you'll be able to learn about how humans have interacted with each other in society, and how we can avoid some of our past mistakes and create a better future.(0 votes)
