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SHOES NEWS Teacher's Notes
Shoes News is a volume of newspaper articles stretching from the dawn of time to the far-flung future. Each article reveals previously secret information explaining how shoes have actually been the major catalyst in shaping human history.
Why the wheel was invented - how the first Olympic Games began - why man first stepped on the moon - these are just a fraction of the epic events shaped by our shoes.
Each page in the book is depicted in the style of the era and is a funny, quirky look at history which allows children to have fun deciphering fact from fiction. Each newspaper article is also accompanied by a time line displaying further quirky shoe facts from the era.
READING
· Show the book to the students and discuss the cover. Why does it look like a newspaper?
· Read the blurb on the back of the book and discuss what the book is about and what they might expect to find inside.
· Talk about the different historical events that might be included in the book. What do the students consider to be historical events that have shaped history?
· Read the book to the students.
· Ask the students if they think that shoes are really responsible for shaping history.
· Discuss each period of history, and ask students what they know about them. How much of each page is documented fact and how much is shoe propaganda?
· How do the illustration represent each period of history?
· Do the newspaper layouts for each page accurately show the newspaper style of each period. Did the Ancient Egyptians have newspapers?
· Talk about the use of language:
Why does the Queen Elizabeth newspaper article use words like thee and thou?
Why does the Napoleon newspaper article use strange words like 'ees'?
What other articles also use strange language?
VIEWING
Pg 1 & 2:
Why is the bison looking unhappy?
Could prehistoric man really write?
Do the students think the ugg boots would be comfortable?
Pg 4 & 5:
What are the marks on the stones behind the text? Discuss cuneiforms with students as the earliest form of writing. What did they write on in those days?
Pg 6 & 7:
Why is the writing in columns? Discuss hieroglyphics with the students.
Why are the people drawn in straight lines, and all of equal height?
How old was Tutankhamen when he received his message from Ra?
(Ten years old. The clue is in the date of the article.)
What do the students think about a nation being ruled by a ten year old?
Did the Ancient Egyptians really stand on one foot, or was this invented by the Bangles with their song Walk Like an Egyptian?
Pg 8 & 9:
Why is the writing all in capitals? Discuss the fact that lower case was not brought in until the Middle Ages.
Why are the athletes undressed? Do the students think the athletes might be wearing shoes and nothing else?
Pg 10 & 11:
Why does the man look so dirty? Discuss illuminated manuscripts with the students as an art form and as a way of recording history in the Middle Ages.
Did they really use shoes with candles attached in the Middle Ages?
Pg 12 & 13:
What is Robin hood stealing? Ask the students what they know about the legend of Robin Hood.
How does the Robin of this book compare to some they may have seen in movies? Discuss the black line drawing of Robin as a representation of the art style of the period.
Do the students think Robin has good taste in shoes?
Pg 14 & 15:
What is happening to the maiden in the background? Why isn't the knight, Sir Prancelot, doing anything to rescue her? What is the name of the famous knight that rhymes with Sir Prancelot?
Pg 16 & 17:
Has Leonardo finished the painting of Mona Lisa? What part of Mona Lisa do we see that we don't normally see in the famous painting? What are the two types of underpants found on the figures in the time line?
Pg 18 & 19:
Ask the students why they think it was necessary for nobility in those days to have maids and attendants to help them dress. Do the students think Queen Elizabeth would really have had fluffy slippers. What was the real purpose of the farthingale under the skirts? Can the students see the tiny fairy flying next to the chandelier?
Pg 20 & 21:
What was it that really fell on Isaac Newton's head? Discuss the outfit worn by Isaac Newton in the picture. Do the boys think that they would like to have to wear stockings and a wig?
Pg 22 & 23:
How do the shoes in the illustration look different to the shoes of today? Discuss the fact that shoelaces weren't invented at this stage. Discuss how the Industrial Revolution may have looked in its day. Is this a realistic representation of the factories at the time?
Pg 24 & 25:
Would Napoleon really have worn platform boots? Look at how all the soldiers are fighting. Is this the method of warfare they employed at the time? What weapons are missing? (rifles and cannons) Which soldiers are the English and which are the French? Students should be able to tell by the soldier carrying the French flag.
Pg 26 & 27:
Do the students think the man flying the airplane is Wilbur Wright or Orville Wright? Why do they think he looks so upset? How does the airplane compare to ours today?
(Interesting fact: Wilbur and Orville were born on exactly the same day four years apart)
Pg 28 & 29:
Why is the Earth so big in the picture? Discuss the fact that the Earth is much larger than the Moon. Could the astronauts really have played golf on the moon? What would have happened to their balls? Would they have difficulty in telling which hole to aim for?
Pg 30 & 31:
Is this how the students would interpret the future? Could anyone really walk in the shoe in the illustration? Do the students now realize the true historic importance of the shoe?
SPEAKING/LISTENING
Discuss the historical facts in the book:
Pg 2: What would life have been like in prehistoric times? How would they have stayed warm?
Pg 5:
Q: What is Stonehenge?
A: Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Great Britain consisting of large stones arranged in a circle.
Q: What are pyramids?
A: The pyramids are triangular buildings that originated in Ancient Egypt as tombs for the pharaohs.
Pg 6:
Q: What is the story of Achilles' heel?
A: Achilles was a half-god and Ancient Greek hero whose only weakness was his heel. His mother had dipped him in a sacred river to make him invincible and while doing so she held him by his heel. This left his heel unprotected and his only area of vulnerability.
Q: What is the story of the Trojan horse?
A: The Ancient Greeks, led by Odysseus, finally defeated Troy by sneaking their army through the gates inside a huge wooden horse.
Q: Who was Moses?
Moses was a prophet who led the Jewish exodus from Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God.
Pg 8:
Q: When did the Olympic games stop?
A: 394 AD by the Roman Emperor Theodosius after Greece lost its independence.
Q: When did the modern Olympics start?
A: 1896
Q: How often are the Olympics held?
A: Every 4 years.
Q: What is democracy?
A: Democracy is a government in which everybody has a voice, either directly or by chosen representatives.
Q: Who was Queen Cleopatra?
A: Cleopatra (69-30 BC) was the last queen of Egypt. She killed herself by the bite of an asp.
Q: Who was Confucius?
A: Confucius was a great Chinese sage who founded the philosophy of Confucianism.
Pg 11:
Q: Why was the Dark Ages called the Dark Ages?
A: It is a period of history where very little written record has been preserved, so for the modern historian the facts seem 'dark' and unknown.
Q: What was the feudal system?
A: The feudal system was an organization of society where land was held in service to an immediate overlord, who in turn rendered his services to his lord. The result was a society formed like a pyramid with the king at the top owing services to none, or God alone.
Q: Who were the Vikings?
A: The Vikings were Scandinavian warriors who in the ninth and tenth centuries pillaged the coasts of most north and west European countries.
Pg 15:
Q: What was the Code of Chivalry?
A: The Code of Chivalry was a code of knightly conduct that came about in the Middle Ages.
Q: Who was Marco Polo?
A: Marco Polo (1254-1300) was a Venetian traveler who journeyed to China in his youth and stayed for five years. Many of his reports about China were not believed on his return.
Q: How did Joan of Arc die?
A: She was burnt at the stake.
Pg 17:
Q: What nationality do the students think Leonardo was?
A: Italian
Q: What country did Columbus discover?
A: South America
Q: How many wives did Henry VIII have?
A: 8
CONTINUE TO NEXT PAGE--SPEAKING, WRITING
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