Book Detail

Way Things Never Were, The

Publication Information
Author:  Finkelstein, Norman Illustrator:  
Title:  Way Things Never Were, The Date:  1999
Publisher:  Atheneum City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  0-689-81412-7 ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:  

General Information:
Book Type(s):    nonfiction, memoirs/reminiscences

HSE Descriptor(s):    social studies

Summary:
The eight chapters of this interesting book, subtitled "The Truth About the 'Good Old Days,'" contrast life in the 50s and 60s with today. Topics addressed include communication, health, transportation, education, world events, etc. The print insets for photos are very small. The author includes a "Further Reading" list.

Teaching Ideas:
Because the book is somewhat long, teachers may want to excerpt chapters. Readers of a "certain age" will probably find it fascinating to read about their childhoods as the "good old days." Indeed, they may want to write or talk about their own memories-- were these the "good old days"? Teachers may want to use a K-W-L strategy before using the book. Certainly then-and-now studies will be interesting. Learners may want to use the WWW to locate more information about topics of interest. For example, by searching 1950s from Yahooligans, one finds information about Presidential elections, McCarthyism, Martin Luther King, Jr., how the practice of medicine has changed since the 1950s, and even the hula hoop. The book may spur reminiscence-type writing or oral histories with older family members. Matrices or charts could be used to synthesize information or to compare statistics, etc. with those from current times. Old TV programs (e.g., "I Love Lucy") might be used in class to invite visual "then and now" comparisons.

Teaching Strategies:
bullet K-W-L Instruction Strategy
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/k_w_l.pdf

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Social Studies > anthropology > daily life
bullet Education
bullet Geography > economics
bullet History > time period > 20th Century
bullet History > region > U.S. history > Civil Rights
bullet Social Studies > sociology > social issues > social action
bullet Transportation
bullet Family > family life
bullet Science > medicine > diseases
bullet Communities > historical


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