Today, we’ll learn about the importance of scale when studying history. We’ll think about scales of both time and space, and how they impact our understanding of the past.
Driving Question: Why do we look at things from up close and far away?
- Have you ever looked at something from a great distance, such as from a mountaintop or an airplane, and then looked at the same thing up close? If so, then you already have some experience with Big History, because that is what we do. Is there an advantage to this approach? That’s what we want you to think about today.
Word of the Day: Scale
- When we zoom in and out we’re changing scale: the degree of magnification, or perspective, used to measure time, space, and size.
Lesson
- Go to Khan Academy and watch the “Powers of Ten” video. We’ll explore how changing scales can change our entire analysis of history! When we look at things from more than one perspective, we often arrive at different conclusions about the same This will also give you the chance to practice your scientific notation. Try to keep up for as long as you can!
Historian’s Journal Prompt
- Using the ArcGIS map created by Johns Hopkins University, examine the scale of the coronavirus pandemic from close up and far away.
- How is your community, county, or state affected at the local scale?
- What happens if we zoom out farther? How is the continent you live on affected? How about the world?
- Write about how the story we tell of this global pandemic changes based on the scale of our analysis.
