Welcome To Esperanza Elementary Blog

I want to give you a special welcome to our Esperanza Elementary blog as we take our journey to found the school of our dreams. I invite you to visit us often and offer any ideas, thoughts, suggestions, questions, comments, etc. you might have.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Don't Know Much


I listened yesterday morning to an interview with Kenneth C. Davis, author of the "Don't Know Much" series on BookTV.  Fascinating!




He gave the following ideas for getting children interested in history:
  1. Tell stories
  2. Take trips to historical places
  3. Have conversations about historical events
  4. Make connections between history and now
  5. Connect geography and history
Davis emphasized the importance of libraries. 

Davis has written a number of books for adults, but he has also written a number of books for children to complement these adult books that we will probably want to have in our Esperanza library.  Many of his adult books have been translated into Spanish, but I couldn't find any of the children's books in Spanish.  :(

This is the link to the interview:

http://www.booktv.org/Program/14019/In+Depth+Kenneth+C+Davis.aspx

This is the link to his website:

http://dontknowmuch.com/

Interesting:  The lyrics from a song by Sam Cooke inspired Davis:
Wonderful World"
Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me, too
What a wonderful world this would be

Don't know much about geography
Don't know much trigonometry
Don't know much about algebra
Don't know what a slide rule is for

But I do know one and one is two
And if this one could be with you
What a wonderful world this would be

Now, I don't claim to be an A student
But I'm trying to be
For maybe by being an A student, baby
I can win your love for me

Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me, too
What a wonderful world this would be

La ta ta ta ta ta ta (History)
Hmm-mm-mm (Biology)
La ta ta ta ta ta ta (Science book)
Hmm-mm-mm (French I took)

Yeah, but I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me, too
What a wonderful world this would be



No comments: