Keeping Current with People, Places, and Events: Social Studies in Action
As a history and social studies teacher, I am often mistaken for that instructor many of us had who hammered names and dates into our overwhelmed brains. The one who had classwork or homework focused on historical events neatly labeled and packaged into questions like, “When did this happen, who did it happen to, and where did it happen.” Often, very little attention was paid to the significance of the event, the consequence of the event, or the inevitable drain on the human condition the event caused.
Unfortunately, focusing primarily on names and dates glossed over the real importance of these events. Students were deprived of the opportunity to understand what effect history, both past and present, had on us.
As a fledgling newspaper (remember those!) reporter in college, I learned what mattered most in the analysis of events was Who, What, When, Where, and WHY! And, you better understand how important that WHY was. So rather than drown students in countless names and dates, I knew that, in my classrooms, I should have them strive to explore the reasons that events matter to us. That would meld together research, analysis, comprehension, and critical thinking.
So when my Current Events class assembled for the fall semester, my goal was to work with them to decide the best way to identify interesting, relevant, and historical current events. Once identified, we then needed to construct a platform to share them with other students. They decided to build a website that maintained a constant connection to important current events. In addition, the class would seek out interesting and sometimes humorous articles to highlight the lighter side of our lives.
We were very fortunate to have two class members who excel in coding. They created and designed an impressive website vehicle for the class. They provided a graphic scheme that allowed the class to analyze a wide variety of current events and then decide on which ones would match the criteria for the website. Students were then assigned specific events to highlight using a rubric that will be consistent throughout the semester. Once assembled and composed, the final articles would be posted to the site itself.
The site will be unveiled to the school students, faculty, and staff during an upcoming Character and Culture class. Students will be encouraged to visit the site as an easy, user-friendly way to keep up with key current events. Users also will be able to browse stories that are humorous, ironic, or mysterious. The class is hoping to instill a sense of anticipation and interest in the website on a weekly basis.
Tuesday classes will focus on identifying the key articles. Appropriate photos and artwork will be evaluated and attached to each story as well. In addition, readers will be able to answer a variety of questions regarding each article. The results from these questions and polls will allow the class to continue to construct the site in an appealing yet informative manner.
The Current Events class is excited about the project. The hands-on experience of creating, researching, analyzing, and producing this small local outlet of news should be one of a lasting and positive educational experience.
Social Studies classes should be relevant, but they should also be vehicles for exploration, imagination, and consequence. Grasping the historical and cultural context of what we do as members of society is vital to understanding the good and the bad and the ugly in the world. Other classes I offer also strive to involve students in that quest.
Junior High World Geography does not limit itself to map identification and vocabulary. We peer into each continent and country to glimpse at their culture. We look at literature, music, art, fashion, and lifestyles. Ultimately, each student will craft together different segments of many countries and cultures into a mythical country of their own.
Junior High Mythology class awakens the gods and goddesses from Greece and Rome, and delves into the many stories and literature from those beliefs. Of particular interest will be the thrilling tales of The Iliad and The Odyssey, a deep dive into the Trojan War and the incredible journey of Odysseus. We will learn of the creation of Rome through the telling of the tale in the Aeneid. Students will share their understanding of the role of ancient mythology through poetry, dramatic scenes, and even their own movies of key mythological characters.
Finally, the Impact of Pop Music on American Youth class is designed to allow students to look at the development of teenage culture from the 1950s until the present. The phenomenon of ‘teenagers as a societal group’ is relatively new historically. Most young people went to work during their youth up until after World War II. After the war and coinciding with the development of a solid American middle class, our society found itself with a group of people aged thirteen to nineteen who became an important part of the US market economy. What did this new group of consumers choose to spend their money on? Well, music, fashion, and entertainment for starters. And for the early decades, fashion, entertainment, and the cultural choices were driven by music icons and the music industry. Additionally, the music industry began to influence the social, moral, ethical, and historical outlook of many teenagers.
This class researches the songs and artists of the most influential music of that period and analyzes and evaluates their impact on American youth. Each decade is scrutinized, reviewed, and formed into a single narrative. That chronicle is then scripted and recorded by the class as a podcast that includes student historical narrative, appropriate musical selections, as well as decade overviews, reflections, and conclusions. And just so you know it's not all work, we have a fun time singing along and dancing to the beat of some mighty powerful music.
In the Appamada Social Studies classroom, we want to learn, to investigate, to evaluate, to reflect, to conclude, and to enjoy. The world is ours to imagine and appreciate. We assess many different aspects of social behavior, but we also know that learning is a dish served joyously when it’s interesting, fun, and ultimately satisfying to the mind, heart, and soul.
