THE STORY: It's 1666 and the brightest, wittiest salon in Paris is that of Celimene, a beautiful young widow so known for her satiric tongue she's being sued for it. Surrounded by shallow suitors, whom she lives off of without surrendering to, Celi

The book that sets the record straight on classroom inaccuracies, from erroneous history and wobbly geography to sloppy science and bad math. Everyone knows that you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the newspapers, hear on TV, or find on the Internet, but you don’t expect the same advice to apply to what you learned at school. Well, think again, because you can guarantee there’s heaps of stuff in your head that you’ve been taught that just isn’t true, or it if is, has been dumbed down so much as to be just plain wrong. And that’s before you even begin to consider the political bias that may have been added to your schooling. If you don’t believe us, read this book and you’ll discover how much dodgy information you’ve been carrying around in your noodle all these years. Two plus two doesn’t always equal four Henry VIII only had two wives Napoleon wasn’t French Mirrors don’t reverse everything Cold isn’t the opposite of hot Clouds are heavy Gravity is weak, and there’s plenty of it in space Ben Franklin’s kite wasn’t hit by lightning Electrons travel slowly Nothing in the universe is really unique The big bang wasn’t big or a bang The U.S. isn’t a democracy (it’s a constitutional republic)

Debunks commonly accepted fallacies from history, including that George Washington was the first U.S. president, Johnny Appleseed was a fictitious character, and a cold can be brought on by chilly weather.

Criticizes the way history is presented in current textbooks, and suggests a more accurate approach to teaching American history.

Includes questions for discussions and an excerpt from another novel.

“Should be in the hands of every history teacher in the country.”— Howard Zinn James Loewen has revised Teaching What Really Happened, the bestselling, go-to resource for social studies and history teachers wishing to break away from standard textbook retellings of the past. In addition to updating the scholarship and anecdotes throughout, the second edition features a timely new chapter entitled "Truth" that addresses how traditional and social media can distort current events and the historical record. Helping students understand what really happened in the past will empower them to use history as a tool to argue for better policies in the present. Our society needs engaged citizens now more than ever, and this book offers teachers concrete ideas for getting students excited about history while also teaching them to read critically. It will specifically help teachers and students tackle important content areas, including Eurocentrism, the American Indian experience, and slavery. Book Features: An up-to-date assessment of the potential and pitfalls of U.S. and world history education. Information to help teachers expect, and get, good performance from students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Strategies for incorporating project-oriented self-learning, having students conduct online historical research, and teaching historiography. Ideas from teachers across the country who are empowering students by teaching what really happened. Specific chapters dedicated to five content topics usually taught poorly in today’s schools.

The Big Lies of School Reform provides a critical interruption to the ongoing policy conversations taking place around public education in the United States today. By analyzing the discourse employed by politicians, lobbyists, think tanks, and special interest groups, the authors uncover the hidden assumptions that often underlie popular statements about school reform, and demonstrate how misinformation or half-truths have been used to reshape public education in ways that serve the interests of private enterprise. Through a thoughtful series of essays that each identify one “lie“ about popular school reform initiatives, the authors of this collection reveal the concrete impacts of these falsehoods—from directing funding to shaping curricula to defining student achievement. Luminary contributors including Deborah Meier, Jeannie Oakes, Gloria Ladson-Billings, and Jim Cummins explain how reform movements affect teachers and administrators, and how widely-accepted mistruths can hinder genuine efforts to keep public education equitable, effective, and above all, truly public. Topics covered include common core standards, tracking, alternative paths to licensure, and the disempowerment of teachers’ unions. Beyond critically examining the popular rhetoric, the contributors offer visions for improving educational access, opportunity, and outcomes for all students and educators, and for protecting public education as a common good.