The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Who Gets to Witness History?”

In this activity, students creatively examine historical events through the lens of their own family legacies.

In “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary,” people disagree about who should be allowed to travel back in time and witness historical events that can be seen only once.

Part A: Think of a historical event during the last 200 years that one of your ancestors might have lived through. If you know your family tree, identify the ancestor. Otherwise, count back through the years, allowing 20-25 years for each generation, and determine how this person would be related to you—grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent, and so on.

Part B: Suppose that the Kirino Process is available as a means to witness historical events firsthand. Would you want to time-travel to your ancestor’s lifetime and witness the historical event through their experiences? Would you have a greater claim to this opportunity than a historian who specializes in that period? Take some notes on your thinking: Jot down reasons for you to go or for the historian (or someone else) to go—or perhaps for no one to go. Use details from the story to support your opinion.

Part C: Join a team with your classmates who agree with your claim. Then have an informal debate on the issue. Teams should take turns presenting their arguments and responding to each other’s claims.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity gives students a chance to explore themes surrounding history—what kinds of stories are worth preserving, whose perspective on events is most valid, whether history is more personal or more academic, and so on. If you choose to act as the moderator of students’ debate, you can ask questions that encourage students to sharpen their reasoning and consider different perspectives.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students who struggle with executive function may have difficulty organizing their ideas for the debate. Allow these students to work with partners or in small groups to develop their arguments. Students who could benefit from an additional challenge might create a podcast episode about this issue.