ERIC Number: ED178389
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1965-Mar
Reference Count: 0
Report on the "Caesar Unit"-1964 [and] Some Linguistic Skills for History Students. Occasional Papers No. 1 and No. 2.
Emmett, Richard S., Jr.; McNeill, David
The two papers represent the result of a four-week 7th and 8th grade unit entitled the Caesar Unit. Organized using primary sources, the basic materials were a selection of Cicero's letters and Caesar's Commentary on the Civil War. The first paper, by the classroom teacher of the unit, contains brief factual information about the materials, children, and classroom conditions, and records the author's impressions. Six children selected from public and parochial schools in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area participated in the daily one-hour classes. The classes concentrated on sources of and reasons for conflicts in the accounts of Caesar and Cicero. The author's evaluation of the course centers around difficulties in translations, the need for background information, and relevant materials. The second paper records events from the point of view of a linguist and offers suggestions about the relation of linguistic skills to the ability to read, study, and write history. The necessary skill of critical reading is discussed in terms of the students' ability to infer information from written material. The author reports results of a test given students in which they were asked to point out the ambiguities in selected quotations. The difference between students interacting with each other as opposed to interacting with the material is also discussed. (Author/KC)
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher
Education Level: N/A
Sponsor: National Science Foundation, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Educational Services, Inc., Cambridge, MA.
Note: Document prepared through the Social Studies Curriculum Program