I'm not going to lie, but this chapter definitely had me reflecting back on when I learned about slavery in my seventh grade Social Studies class. While reading this chapter, I instantly thought of the miniseries Roots, which I watched in its entierity in seventh grade. Roots is an eight part series about Alex Haley's ancestral line of slavery. The series starts with Kunta Kinte's capture in Africa, his voyage to America, and then his enslavement. The series then ends right before the start of the Civil War with the emancipation of Kunta Kinte's grandson. This series does an exceptional job of focusing on all of the parts of an enslaved person's life, not just their work in the fields but also their relations (both work and personal) with their white masters and the relations among the blacks themselves. If you have never seen this miniseries, I would highly recommend it. It is an extremely eye opening dramatization of 17th and 18th century enslavement and what slaves experience on a daily basis. If you don't believe me, ask one of the 130,000 people who watched it on ABC in 1977 when it first premiered.* (At the time, that was about half the country's population.)
Jamie and Aaron Y both mentioned in their processes blogs from last week how it is difficult for them to stay focused on one thing for too long. Roots will definitely keep any students' attention, especially because it never stays on the same scene for longer than five or ten minutes. Just like soap operas of today, the story quickly moves between stories, unfolding multiple story lines at once. The series also keeps viewers actively engaged in the story through its cliffhanging episode endings.
More importantly, I would have my students watch this series in order to dispel any myths about American slavery. Roots will also help promote Takaki's theme of understanding the people of America from the vantage point of the people themselves - History from the bottom up.
*According to TVGuide.com
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Method is primarily watching the film (or parts of it). Focus on position-taking and being able to see from another's perspective. Is there a specific to accompany a film that has worked in increasing critical thinking in relation to the film? Could keep journal about each segment focusing on teacher-directed questions. Would like to discuss the film and its different interpretations. Could journal students' questions. Do all guided questions at the end so students aren't pre-occupied with answering questions during film. Could look at data/evidence collected by Haley and compare that to the film.
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