Enjoying World History

According to the authors, this book was written to show students that the study of the past is not just memorizing names, dates, battles, and treaties. To make history come alive for the student they have written 91 stories about the people and events of the past. Many of the characters in the stories are or were real people; some of the stories are fictional but many did happen. Those stories that are imaginary are based on solid historical evidence. They might very well have occurred. They have used a variety of literary forms-short stories, plays, newspaper reporting, interior monologues, letters. The illustrative materials-maps, charts, cartoons, line drawings-are the basis for comprehension questions following each story. The stories are introduced by a short historical narrative which sets the time and place and explains in easy-to-understand terms the political, social, and economic setting. Short-answer questions follow each of the stories. Ten different types of questions are used throughout the book. In addition, the Activities and Inquiries sections provide opportunities for student research and the development of social studies skills. It is the authors hope that the stories in this text will interest students and give them insight into how people lived and the forces that shaped their lives so that they can gain an understanding of the contemporary world.