1 The GeoHistory Diagram History-Geography Project Michigan Geographic Alliance Mississippi Geographic Alliance New York Center for Geographic Learning Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education (San Marcos, Texas) A draft product of the Geo-History curriculum project, administered by the Michigan Geographical Alliance, with support from the National Geographic Society. Copyright 2008, NYCGL.

2 The GeoHistoGram

3 a tool to fit how the human brain actually organizes knowledge in a space-time context.

4 Rationale for the GHG The more engaging we make our “educational experiences” – field trips, games, role-playing, songs, videos, websites, etc. (it’s, like, life- changing!!) the more crucial it is to help students put information into context. rationale rationale My Dad’s pictures The Mongols

5 basic form basic form This is the basic form of the GeoHistoGram – seven vertical bars.

6 basic form basic form Space goes across the diagram, from the west on the left to the east on the right. Space goes from west on the left to east on the right.

7 basic form basic form Time goes up the side, from the distant past on the bottom to the present at the top. Time goes up the side, from the past on the bottom to the present at the top.

8 basic form basic form Each curve in each bar represents 1000 years of history in that region. GEEK NOTE The scale is logarithmic to match what research says about how the brain processes space, time, and quantity.

9 basic form basic form Each curve in each bar represents 1000 years of history in that region. The bars represent major world regions, from Americas in the west to Polynesia in the east.

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11 Here is a simple use of the GeoHistoGram: to show ancient empires in Mesopotamia. (before the Common Era, and roughly in the middle of the world’s land).

12 Here is a simple use of the GeoHistoGram: to show ancient empires in Mesopotamia. (before the Common Era, and roughly in the middle of the world’s land). Students can write their names in order It’s better than reading a list !

13 By varying the width of the empire “blob”, you can show how its power expanded at different times.

14 Adding a shape in northeast Africa can show how Egypt lasted a long time but varied in importance.

15 Adding a shape in northeast Africa can show how Egypt lasted a long time but varied in importance. Another shape in South Asia shows a civilization that flourished for a thousand years, then mysteriously disappeared.

16 Removing names can turn the graph into a quiz/review at any time. Meanwhile, every time, the diagram reinforces the main points: when? - long ago, where? - near the middle, what? – Egypt, west, long Indus Valley, east, short.

17 Greek A more complex shape shows ancient Greek history: - scattered villages, - an early democracy, - a Mediterranean empire, - then out to central Asia.

18 Greek But what Alex did was basically to lead his army around an existing empire !!! Several Persian rulers had already done the hard work to build it over several centuries. A more complex shape shows ancient Greek history: - scattered villages, - an early democracy, - a Mediterranean empire, - then out to central Asia.

19 Greek And both ran into a barrier in South Asia - some powerful city-states that became the Mauryan Empire. Students seldom see that connection, because their textbooks usually treat “West” and “East” separately.

20 We could keep adding empires all day – here’s Rome, a large area that lasted a long time. But the GeoHistoGram can do other things. So, two comments, then something completely different.

21 1. The GeoHistoGram can help us see what else was happening elsewhere in the world at the same time.

22 2. The GeoHistoGram can help us see how things changed in the same area through time.

23 The Hittites ruled west of Mesopotamia about 1400 BCE. They were among the first people to make iron tools.

24 The Hittites ruled west of Mesopotamia about 1400 BCE. They were among the first people to make iron tools. The handout shows the first evidence of iron in the archaeological record of different regions.

25 When you do that, you can see how iron technology spread outward in all directions. Why did it take so long to get here? BIG POINT Technology does not exist in a vacuum – it happens in specific places. Those places have conditions and connections that affect how things spread. You need other inventions – sails, compass, storage – to help carry iron across the ocean.

26 When you add the Greek Empire to the diagram, there seems to be a connection with the spread of iron.

27 When you add the Greek Empire to the diagram, there seems to be a connection with the spread of iron. Other Activity Topics already in your packet: Agriculture, plant domestication Writing Important Inventions Great Buildings Famous Works of Art Movers and Shakers Great Journeys Religions

28 Let’s go back to the Greeks one more time. You could show Alexander’s trip with a completely different “graphic language.” You could think of Alexander’s trip as a kind of “bridge” between distant world regions.

29 Let’s go back to the Greeks one more time. You could show Alexander’s trip with a completely different “graphic language.” You could think of Alexander’s trip as a kind of “bridge” between distant world regions. This activity is based on one teacher’s list of 12 great bridges in world history.

30 bridge ACTIVITY **** This is what it looks like after students have put all the bridges in place.

31 bridge ACTIVITY **** Adding information about major empires can make the bridges easier to understand.

32 bridge ACTIVITY **** Removing the names can make this a good “test-prep” activity.

33 bridge ACTIVITY **** One final example: These symbols show the spread of Buddhism.

34 bridge ACTIVITY **** And these show the spread of Islam from its origin in Arabia.

35 bridge ACTIVITY **** Question: Why did Islam spread faster and farther than Buddhism? (at least four reasons).

36 bridge ACTIVITY **** One could add easy-to-remember symbols for other major religions - Judaism, Confucianism, Shintoism, the Protestant Reformation, etc. The graph, however, is rapidly becoming cluttered and confusing.

37 bridge ACTIVITY **** The origins of major religions, however, often appear on state assessments. PS. This also is a printed activity in your packet.

38 bridge ACTIVITY ****

39 A GeoHistoGram-based quiz on world religions can therefore be a good test-prep activity.

40 bridge ACTIVITY **** Here is everything you’ve seen so far, plus agriculture and writing. Too much, you say? This graph has less than a tenth of the information on the wall posters that well-meaning parents, school boards, and principals often buy.

41 bridge ACTIVITY **** Even a cluttered diagram, however, can have pedagogical value. For example, it can show that American history is quite a small part of the global whole!

42SUMMARY A geo-history diagram like this is a way to organize knowledge.

43SUMMARY It is not a way to transmit knowledge, except through hands-on activity. except through hands-on activity.

44SUMMARY A geo-history diagram like this is a way to organize knowledge. It is valuable to use for just a few minutes, as a recurring part of other lessons. as a recurring part of other lessons. It is not a way to transmit knowledge, except through hands-on activity. except through hands-on activity.

45SUMMARY A geo-history diagram like this is a way to organize knowledge. Another good use is as a means of reviewing (e.g., “test-prep”). of reviewing (e.g., “test-prep”). It is valuable to use for just a few minutes, as a recurring part of other lessons. as a recurring part of other lessons. It is not a way to transmit knowledge, except through hands-on activity. except through hands-on activity.

46 Remember the Rationale: The more engaging/memorable the field trip, film, simulation, video, website, etc. is, the more important it is to help students put new information into context. rationale rationale

47 The Geo-History Diagram will be available in 8-1/2x11 color pages, 11x17 color desk mats, bulletin-board posters, reproducible masters, and an interactive electronic “laboratory” suitable for projection. Please contact the Michigan Geographical Alliance for more information.

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