Chicago Public School Social Science Academy: A Student's Perspective

In the 2013-2014 school year, the Oriental Institute partnered with the Chicago Public School Department of Literacy for the Social Science Academy, a year-round professional development program for classroom teachers. Through this program, we engaged three Chicago Public School teachers (from Orr Academy High School, Gage Park High School, and Alcott East Elementary School) in a project focusing on the theme “Defining Ancient Civilization and Connecting It to Today’s World.” Through an object-based approach, teachers learned how to incorporate primary-source materials, including maps, artifacts, and archaeological discoveries, and integrated them into classroom curriculum that focuses on ancient inventions such as writing, urbanization, and economy. Building upon the scholarship of the Oriental Institute and in alignment with the Common Core State Standards, teachers worked with Carol Ng-He, K-12 & Continuing Education Program Developer at the Oriental Institute, to develop and implement a unit tailored to the needs of their students. Students who participated in the program gained important twenty-first century skills, ranging from making global connections to developing critical-thinking skills.

The following is an excerpt from an essay by a student who participated in the program. In this essay the student reflects upon artifacts that were studied at the Oriental Institute, and the connections discovered between the ancient world and today’s government:

Gage Park High School social studies teacher Andrew Martinek led his students to visit the Oriental Institute Museum.
Image credit: Carol Ng-He. 2014.

U. Fernandez, 11^th grade student, AP Comparative Government and Politics class, Gage Park High School
 
“Artifacts from ancient Persia help us understand the political climate of contemporary Iran because the artifacts from the past give us an insight on how people from Persia used to live compared to now. Of course there is a difference in lifestyles, but looking closer at artifacts might give us a better view at the past. Artifacts like coins/currency from ancient Persia, the Cyrus Cylinder dealing with government, and gold for social identity help us understand the ancient world of Persia…

“Another artifact that also involves the government is the Cyrus Cylinder. The Cyrus Cylinder is believed to be the first charter of human rights predating to the Magna Carta by nearly two millennia. That comes to show that there was a way to control how people were treated and what they deserved. That was most likely to keep peace of the people and keep control of the civilization. To this day there is not a lot of human rights like the past because they are violated like violent force used against protesters. Also, the Internet wanting to be censored. Protesters also fear the leaders because they might use force to stop them from believing what they believe. Their human rights are violated.

“Gold in the past meant money, riches, fortune, and good lifestyle. Anyone who owned some gold must have been wealthy in the past. It was a way to identify a person. Many leaders would wear them to represent who they were and that they had authority. Gold in the past was hard to come by. The change in life since then has made gold more plentiful but worth a lot. Today an ounce of gold in Iran is worth $1,253.32, which is a lot. If only we knew how much it was worth in the past. There can also be clues of people living near the leader's house, which owned more gold. Like now people with more money generally live places where property is more expensive.

“People might not agree with my position that these artifacts represent the past because they might say there is no way to relate. But I do not believe that. I believe that these artifacts give us clues about how a person lived. They can also show us how they made those objects or how they got where they are...

“Artifacts can help us understand the past because they show us what people wore, how their government worked, or how they paid for necessities. The gold shows us how their riches were and possibly how people wore them. The Cyrus Cylinder gives us an idea about how the people's human rights worked. The coins show us how the money was made and what it was made from. We see the changes of material over time. Iran and Persia may be in the same area but will never be the exact same as before.”