American History, Patriotism, and Heroes

To start the year, students have been discussing different interpretations of history. Students came up with different definitions for patriotism and applied them to their prior historical knowledge. Below are several of the activities students participated in.

1. I reviewed the syllabus with students.
2. Students read the lyrics and listened to the song Bored in the USA by Father John Misty. Students shared their observations about American culture. 
3. Definitions of patriot and patriotism.
4. Students listened to The Angry American, by Toby Keith and The Star Spangled Banner, performed by Jimi Hendrix. Students compared and contrasted each to their definitions of patriotism.
5. Students read two articles. Unsung Heroes, by Howard Zinn and the introduction to A Patriot's History of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. 
6. Students generated questions and discussed the two texts using a Socratic Seminar procedure.