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Videos |
The American Civil War era continues to be a compelling topic of interest for many students. The sweep, drama, scope, and tragedy of the period presents a vivid, visual record well suited to young people already inundated with and accustomed to visual imagery by the time they reach grade school. The life and legacy of U.S. Grant presents such a record, while also being of particular educational relevance. There are a number of educational video programs about Grant available for use in the classroom and at home.
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Educational video distributor libraryvideo.com lists nine titles for grade-schoolers to adults, mostly dealing with specific Civil War battles such as Vicksburg and Petersburg. Grant enthusiast and bibliographer Dr. Marie Kelsey (see accompanying article) cites two as particularly well-done: U.S. Grant, Atlas Video (1989) and Part 2 of Ulysses S. Grant - Warrior President, the Public Broadcasting Service’s American Experience production in 2002. This latter production must currently be considered to be the “granddaddy” of educational Grant video productions, in terms of presentation, content, and production value. The documentary is supplemented by PBS’s “Broadband Grant,” a site that includes a teacher’s guide and an interactive kid’s program called “In His Shoes.” The teacher’s guide suggests questions and exercises that draw the subject of Grant through civics, history, economics, and geography. The kid’s program relates aspects of Grant’s early life through texts, graphics, short videos, and interactive features. It emphasizes what the young Grant may have had in common with today’s kids. See: Teacher’s guide: (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/grant/tguide/index.html) Children’s program: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/grant/broadband/index.html |