findingDulcinea

Best resources for teaching about the sinking of the Titanic

 

 

 

Overview:

findingDulcinea's On This Day, and sources to which it links, provides:

• an overview of the sinking and an investigation into the causes of it;
• links to a transcript of US Senate Hearings about it;
• an examination of myth surrounding the Titanic; and
• coverage of the 1985 discovery of the Titanic on the ocean floor (note: the link to Ocean Woods is broken; use this link instead)

Save Yourself? Sinking Ship Escape Etiquette

BBC News: Titanic 100

 

Video:

British Pathe has curted this collection of its newsreels from the era of the Titanic, including some of the only actual video footage of the Titanic, of survivors reaching New York on the Carpathia, and a documentary about the Titanic era, when man believed he could do anything.

Titanic (the Oscar winning film), available from Amazon.com

National Geographic Channel: Titanic: How it Really Sank (45 minutes)

National Geographic: Secrets of the Titanic (53 minutes)

PBS: Saving the Titanic (56 minutes) is "told from the point of view of the engineers below deck as they struggle to maintain power and keep the ship afloat to save as many lives as possible."

A&E Channel: Titanic: Death of a Dream, Part 1 (95 mins) and Titanic: The Legend Lives On (95 mins)

 

Teaching Ideas and Lesson Plans:

The New York Times Learning blog offers teaching ideas based on  the newspaper's extensive coverage of the sinking, the aftermath and its legacy over the past 100 years.

The A&E Channel offers classroom materials, in four parts, intended to supplement its films, but they stand-alone as a valuable classroom study guide.   Part 1;  Part 2;  Part 3; and Part 4

Ocean Explorer, from NOAA.gov, offers lesson plans and resources on the expedition that returned to the Titanic in 2005.

Library of Congress lesson on examining primary sources relating to the response to the sinking.

BBC: Ticket to Launch, Teacher Resources.

Scholastic's Lesson Plan for Grades 3-5

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The LineTime App for iOS offers users the ability to view the course of modern history on a timeline, and to drill down into each century, decade or year.  It literally changes the way students look at history, enabling them to view historical events in full context, in a way that textbooks never could.  

Dulcinea Media will soon release Teaching Web Research Skills, a multimedia e-book that teaches educators how to teach Web research skills, with companion books for older and younger students. Click here to learn more.

9 Things You Don't Know About Easter

For many Christians around the world, Holy Week began yesterday Palm Sunday, which commemorates the arrival of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. Holy Week continues through Holy Thursday, observing the event of the Last Supper; Good Friday, marking the crucifixion of Christ; and Easter Sunday, celebrating his resurrection.
 
Because many Christians today are eager to renew their knowledge of Easter, findingDulcinea offers this Web Guide to Easter, offering the best information online about the beliefs, practices and traditions surrounding Lent, Holy Week and Easter.
 
As a sample of all there is to learn, findingDulcinea lists the Top 9 Things You Didn't Know About Easter:
 
     1. Most Christians celebrate Easter on the first Sunday falling after the first full moon that follows the vernal equinox (the day on which day and night are approximately equal in length) which usually occurs on March 20. The ecumenical agreement for determining the date for Easter was reached at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD
 
     2. Orthodox Christian Churches celebrate Easter on a different day because they still follow the Julian calendar, while other Christian churches adopted the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century.
 
     3. The word Easter originates from Estre, a Teutonic Goddess of springtime. Pascha, the Orthodox term for Easter, comes from Pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover.
 
     4. The 40 days of Lent is symbolic of Jesus' sojourn in the wilderness of Judea, preparing for his public ministry while being tempted by Satan. There are actually 47 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, but the seven Sundays are traditionally considered days to feast in celebration of the resurrection of Christ.
 
     5. Eggs have long been associated with Easter. For a time, they were forbidden during Lent, and then presented at the Easter table, painted red to symbolize joy. Some Christians view eggs as symbolic of the tomb that Jesus left empty. But the concept of eggs as symbols of new life is probably rooted in pagan springtime traditions.
 
     6. Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the Service of the Bridegroom at the beginning of Easter Week. It is a custom that recalls the parable of 10 virgins (Mt. 251-13). Five wise virgins stayed awake, keeping their candles lit, and waited for the bridegroom while the five foolish ones slept and missed their opportunity. The bridegroom is a symbol for Christ.
 
     7. A popular tradition in Mexico and other Latin cultures is to hold a passion play, or recreation of Good Friday. For Mexican men, it is an honor and a challenge to take part in the passion plays. Preparations last an entire year and the man chosen to play Jesus must carry a cross weighing 200 pounds.
 
     8. On the day after Easter, in Poland and in Polish-American neighborhoods in Buffalo, New York and in South Bend, Indiana, people engage in a public, all-day water fight. The day is known as Smigus Dyngus.
 
     9. During the Middle Ages, Christians across Europe would meet on hilltops to watch the sun rise on Easter morning. They rang bells, fired cannons and sang hymns. A similar tradition still exists in Austria.