The (Howard) Zinn Education Project Teaching Guide: The Most Dangerous Man in America- Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

The Zinn Education Project (is pleased to release a 94-page teaching guide on the film The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. (The Zinn Education Project is coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change.) The teaching guide offers eight lessons on the Vietnam War, Daniel Ellsberg, whistleblowing, the Pentagon Papers and more — for U.S. history, government, and language arts classrooms. The Most Dangerous Man in America Teaching Guide offers a “people’s history” approach to learning about the U.S. war in Vietnam and engages students in thinking deeply about their own responsibility as truth-tellers and peacemakers. The guide uses a variety of teaching strategies, including role play, critical reading, discussion, mock trial, small group imaginative writing, and personal narrative. Developed by the Zinn Education Project in collaboration with The Most Dangerous Man in America filmmakers Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, the teaching guide is available for free download at the Zinn Education Project website. http://www.zinnedproject.org/posts/7325 View The Most Dangerous Man in America for free online at POV through October 27:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/mostdangerousman/watch.php

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on MPS and National Standards

Does the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board not read its own news pages?

On June 3, the paper reported that Wisconsin commits to adopting national education standards. This followed an article the previous day in which MJS reporter Erin Richards wrote, “Wisconsin adopts national education standards.” Yet on June 3, the MJS editors argued that MPS should “implement national education standards.”

In case they haven’t noticed, MPS is the public school system in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) oversees the creation and implementation of state standards for all public schools in the State of Wisconsin. DPI has signed on to the “Common Core” standards, which are the national standards adopted by all states except two. The MPS Comprehensive Literacy Plan is aligned with the Common Core standards.

To read more about national standards and the Common Core State Standards go to the following links:

For English and language arts go to http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf

For Math go to: http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_Math%20Standards.pdf

To see the MJS articles and editorial go to the following:

Wisconsin adopts national education standards June 2

Wisconsin schools commit to Common Core State Standards | National education standards aim to equalize knowledge, skills June 3

For a Better Wisconsin | Editorial | Educational uniformity | Milwaukee Public Schools students should be learning the same things as students in the same grade in other states. It’s time to implement national educational standards. June 3