Focus Area Description:  Explore recent historic events with those who were there when it happened.

Our current library of 3 videos in this Focus Area are available in the “Related” column to the right; to view them click a thumbnail and become a member of Educate.Today. 

To see sample videos in this area of the collection, click any of the titles below:

Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan–Carter Holt

• Provide the videos for students to view independently to gain insights into any particular event or to satisfy their own curiosity/interest in events of recent history.
• Use the videos as a conversation starter for a class discussion on a topic, event, or person linked to the topic you are studying.
• Use the videos with journal prompts for students to write about as they respond to/reflect on content included in the video.
• Use the videos with lesson plans you create that have students research a particular time period, event, or person in recent history through secondary sources first and then gain first person perspective from the video. As part of the activity, have students evaluate how the primary source impacted their learning/understanding.
• Have students use the videos to gain background knowledge on how to conduct, film, and edit an interview into a finished video and then create their own video interview with a local individual in your community as they study recent history.
• As part of student research for a History Day project, paper, etc., have students view relevant videos to find primary source information they can use.
• Have students include insights gained through the videos as part of their projects, papers, and presentations on a history-related subject by:
  • interpreting and/or summarizing what they saw and learned in the video.
  • citing quotations from the expert in the video.