Supplementing the History Curriculum
My little ones and I are now studying the 13 colonies of America and how they came about. It's quite interesting (unless you're a leftist, of course) and I have a lot of respect for the people who came here to build a new land that would be tolerant of their religious faith. Some things I was never taught in school: Calvert founded Maryland as a safehaven for Catholics. William Penn was a Quaker who founded the 'City of Brotherly Love' on the premise that all beliefs would be welcomed - he befriended the local Native Americans and many came to live and prosper in his City of Brotherly Love. Georgia was founded by Oglethorpe for debtors to start a new life - rather than to waste away in debtors prison back home.
We know that most colonies were founded initially by people escaping religious persecution. They came for religious freedom. Of course we are also studying the less happy side of the entire affair. Indentured servitude. The hardness of the life at first and the many people who died as a result of disease and/or starvation. Slavery by the plantation owners.
What I'm supplementing are some very interesting facts about the Bible and the controversy surrounding translating it - which I never knew. I read this article just last night in my beloved Weekly Standard. It is called Bible Illiteracy in America by David Galernter. The question is why are kids in America basically illiterate when it comes to the Bible? (Illiteracy in general is a problem too - but this is about Bible illiteracy.) It didn't used to be this way.
Anyhoo - it has great information that I NEVER KNEW! It's fascinating. For instance, apparently translating the Bible into English back in the 14th century, or even the 16th century, could cost you your life. The Lollard movement was founded by a John Wycliffe whose translation was nearly complete when he died. But - his translation was banned and the Lollards suppressed with many being burnt alive with Bibles hanging around their necks. This is great stuff, important - and it was shared with the 8 year old. I also shared this about William Tyndale. He was bound and determined to produce an English Bible, too. The English Church denounced him, he fled and was declared a heretic, was arrested in Brussels and executed.
Henry VIII banned Tyndale's Bible. However it seems that Tyndale's version contributed the most to the King James Bible - with the Geneva Bible also contributing heavily. Back to and on to Elizabeth who tolerated the Puritans. Elizabeth died and the Stuarts came to power. The Puritans were screwed. The Puritans liked the Geneva Bible but it had marginal notes that were anti-monarchy and pro-republic. Bad. Bad for the king anyway.
That is where the supplemental lesson ended for the 8 year old. Someone knocked up on the front door and we were spinning off to a new adventure. The Kirby man was here cleaning people's carpets! Wheee! Grizzly Mama was suckered - but I wasn't the only one! Thank God. He proceeded to show me how terribly dirty my house was by sucking up microscopic fibers from my living room area rug. Why, I think he even got a hair sucked out of there from the previous owner --- an Aunt. The hardwood floors look perfectly clean and shiny to me - but no! They're actually filthy according to the crap that accumulated on that little white filter disk. I MUST HAVE it! I must have this beautiful, shiny machine!!
Sixteen hundred and fifty dollars?! I must get my husband's permission. That's my stock answer to any salesman when I want to get them off my back.
We know that most colonies were founded initially by people escaping religious persecution. They came for religious freedom. Of course we are also studying the less happy side of the entire affair. Indentured servitude. The hardness of the life at first and the many people who died as a result of disease and/or starvation. Slavery by the plantation owners.
What I'm supplementing are some very interesting facts about the Bible and the controversy surrounding translating it - which I never knew. I read this article just last night in my beloved Weekly Standard. It is called Bible Illiteracy in America by David Galernter. The question is why are kids in America basically illiterate when it comes to the Bible? (Illiteracy in general is a problem too - but this is about Bible illiteracy.) It didn't used to be this way.
Anyhoo - it has great information that I NEVER KNEW! It's fascinating. For instance, apparently translating the Bible into English back in the 14th century, or even the 16th century, could cost you your life. The Lollard movement was founded by a John Wycliffe whose translation was nearly complete when he died. But - his translation was banned and the Lollards suppressed with many being burnt alive with Bibles hanging around their necks. This is great stuff, important - and it was shared with the 8 year old. I also shared this about William Tyndale. He was bound and determined to produce an English Bible, too. The English Church denounced him, he fled and was declared a heretic, was arrested in Brussels and executed.
Henry VIII banned Tyndale's Bible. However it seems that Tyndale's version contributed the most to the King James Bible - with the Geneva Bible also contributing heavily. Back to and on to Elizabeth who tolerated the Puritans. Elizabeth died and the Stuarts came to power. The Puritans were screwed. The Puritans liked the Geneva Bible but it had marginal notes that were anti-monarchy and pro-republic. Bad. Bad for the king anyway.
That is where the supplemental lesson ended for the 8 year old. Someone knocked up on the front door and we were spinning off to a new adventure. The Kirby man was here cleaning people's carpets! Wheee! Grizzly Mama was suckered - but I wasn't the only one! Thank God. He proceeded to show me how terribly dirty my house was by sucking up microscopic fibers from my living room area rug. Why, I think he even got a hair sucked out of there from the previous owner --- an Aunt. The hardwood floors look perfectly clean and shiny to me - but no! They're actually filthy according to the crap that accumulated on that little white filter disk. I MUST HAVE it! I must have this beautiful, shiny machine!!
Sixteen hundred and fifty dollars?! I must get my husband's permission. That's my stock answer to any salesman when I want to get them off my back.
posted by Grizzly Mama | 23:50
24 Comments:
The hubbabaloo over translating the Bible comes from the ancient divide between Catholics and Protestants over the priesthood and the authority of the laity to determine their own "orthodoxies".
You also forgot to mention the two most liberal (religiously) colonies- Rhode Island and North Carolina. In fact, Rhode Isalnd's independence and propoensity to march to the beat of a different drummer is one of the reasons why it so often spoiled things under the Articles of Confederation and why it was the last to ratify the Constitution- about two years into Washington's presidency.
For what it's worth, the period from 1810 until 1865 was always my favorite period in American Hhistory.
We like the Oreck.
I am going to have to talk to you --my school district just went to full day Kindergarten for next year and I know that Mason isn't ready for that...I also know the decision was dictated by working parents that need daycare and not the best interests of the children. I think I am going to homeschool him for at least K at this point...
I have no idea how I go about doing that, but I thought I heard that in PA a child doesn’t even need to be in school (legally) until they are seven…
Sorry, I know that was a bit off-topic...
You don't have to start documenting to the school district until they are 8.
I'll email you. There are so many options. You will find something that works for you - and the added benefit is that you will love it!
Steven thanks for the info. We skimmed over the reformation - fascinating BTW - and are now skimming over colonial America. To be revisited in the future of course. I had no idea about Rhode Island and NC and I'm curious as to why that wasn't mentioned. Although we're still in the middle of the module (I guess you could call it).
I'll check out Oreck, Abe. That Kirby though...it was so shiny and chrome everywhere...hundreds of attachments..
Don't get the Kirby. Resist, resist, resist. It is not worth the money (we talked our salesman down to under HALF the sale price. We've never met anybody who got a Kirby for less than us, and it still wasn't worth it).
HM,Z - even the plumbing attachment? You know - the one that'll blow out the pipes?!
Don't forget to include Constitution day on September 17 in your lesson plan...
We got a Miele - it's German...
Don't forget to tell them that the first 3 European settlements in the new world had nothing to do with religion whatsoever and that the United States was founded on Wealth, Commerce, Greed, Slavery and Imperialism, not Religion or freedom for Protestants.
I am talking about St. Augustine, FL, Roanoke and Jamestown, VA which all predated Plymouth.
Per your comment to my recent post: I learned to read first at about age three by carrying around an empty tobacco can called,"Prince Albert." It was an uncles' favorite tobacco. When I was growing up in Modesto, Ca, at nine to twelve years old, I many times spent all day and sometimes all night on the river and no one would have dreamed of bothering me. Them wuz the days!
On your recent foray into Kirby salesmanship: (Mine was in 1954 in El Paso -Fort Bliss- Texas and was an Electrolux) I'll bet you could get a deal from Loobz, a blogger from Singapore. He just joined the Kirby Company. Here's his link. He's a good guy.
http://www.lubisratno.blogspot.com/
By The Way: (Also a little off the subject)The earliest form of government in the original settlements was communism. It didn't work then, either.
Mike - is that wild about Congress requiring a Constitution day? I've seen and heard many a comment on THAT one! Most of them not very happy about it. We talk about the Constitution quite a bit. My kids probably think it's quite tiresome - all of this political talk all of the time - LOL! Another interesting angle to this law is that teacher who was fired for talking about the Constitution in class because it mentioned God.
To Toad: Pimple faced youth of America - shut up! You know nothing other than what your hero Noam Chomsky tells you!!! LOL! For the record though - we've taught her the truth and that is - not ALL of the colonies were founded for religious freedom. Y'know what? You need to go bitch at the Spaniards some.
Miele - is that a German vacuum - or a German Bible?! :-)
Jcadla - thanks so much for visiting and commenting. Those were the days, huh? I loved your blog and it brought back memories for me that were good. I've heard the Electrolux is NIIIICCE! I will ask Loobz what kind of deal he can offer. But even at half the price it's a no go.
Monica:
I have never read anything from Noam Chomsky, Im not 16 I am 31, the Spaniards did not found Jamestown or Roanoke.
Do know anything that Rush and Hannity hasn't implanted in you?
Toad - I do not listen to Hannity OR Rush.
You sound like a pimple faced Noam Chomsky youth. At 31 you should know better.
The Spaniards did not found Jamestown or Roanoke - thank you for telling me that BTW - however the Spaniards were more wanton in their destruction and their stated goals in their explorations.
It's possible that you know this already and the reason I tell you to go bitch at them is only because you are acting so obtuse.
First, Congratulations on the baby! I, too, am from Philly and will be returning home soon!
I am offended by the idea that because my politics fall to the left I am nopt interested in the 13 Colonies or the Constitution. I'm a history teacher and love Constitutional Law and studying about our forefathers, who wanted tolerance of ALL religious beliefs, not just their own.
Sorry, didn't read the baby part as carefully as I should have. I was concentraiting on the rest of the post.
That's alright Polanco and when I talk 'leftists' I mean the extreme left which is into revisionist history.
I know many people who are to the left of where I am - and I do not consider them leftists. I welcome them into my home and vice versa. We have great conversations.
I appreciate your comment - thanks for stopping by.
Revisionist history does have some merits, for example, teaching what the Colonist and subsequent Americans did to the Native Americans has changed over the years. For an example, read Encounter to your child. By the way, I have many book suggestions for all ages for all subjects, I've taught K-9.
On Constitution day, since most of you homeschool you might not know that we really need something like that, though I don't necessarily agree with the way it is done. All of us are Americans, yet how many can accuratly and quickly quote the Constitution without looking it up?
I am not at all happy about Congress telling schools that the Constitution has to be taught on a certain day. I do believe that our kids need to become familiar with the Constitution. I think you will find that most homeschooling families have this as a priority even if the public schools never did.
That is dangerous, but give your kid the Weekly Standard. You will learn more in that than in anyway wacko lefty classroom
That is dangerous, but give your kid the Weekly Standard. You will learn more in that than in anyway wacko lefty classroom
Oh - Ben - Honey!!
The Weekly Standard is my FAVORITE!!
Post a Comment
<< Home