The Miracle Workers, by David Oshinsky

This article covers the Jonas Salk polio trials of 1954. While students might be turned off by the science/ medical jargon, the piece has an endearing human interest touch that will help guide them. Historic events such as Brown v. Board, the McCarthy hearings, and the beginnings of Vietnam help frame the time period and assist the teacher to ask the question: “What makes an event significant”? Lastly, the far reaching effects of the polio vaccine are discussed with the death of FDR and the joyous presidential thank you ceremony Salk is given. Students may inquire about the March of Dimes and hopefully ask questions such as: “How would history be different if polio was cured earlier? or What future medical cures would parallel the work of Dr. Salk?” 

Literature Connection: Nemesis, by Philip Roth, A Reporter’s Life, by Walter Cronkite, The Crucible by Arthur Miller