2 Things That Every Meaningful Social Studies Lesson Must Include
When it comes to making Social Studies meaningful, do you feel confident that your lessons fit that description?
Can your Social Studies lessons be made more meaningful simply by choosing the right dates and most important timelines?
Can you make units more meaningful by choosing the right primary and secondary sources?
The answer is yes… and no.
Yes, the information that you choose to share with your students DOES matter. Sources DO matter. But these things in isolation do not make for meaningful Social Studies lessons and units.
Consider this question… What will be most meaningful to your students beyond the four walls of your classroom: that list of key battle dates and victors or an understanding of the big ideas behind the causes of the war and its lasting impact?
You see, meaningful Social Studies cannot be boiled down to a black and white list. (My type-A self cringes at that thought, but hear me out.) The hard work of going beyond a black and white list IS beyond worth it. The impact of meaningful instruction goes beyond a single Social Studies lesson. It goes beyond the classroom.
Meaningful Social Studies lessons shape students into critical thinkers and active, engaged citizens. Do you see the worthy outcome in that?
So, how can we move towards this? In my last post, I shared an overview of how to make Social Studies lessons more meaningful, and now I am sharing the two very specific ways that I think are most vital to make every Social Studies lesson more meaningful: tie into themes, and ask essential questions.
Weaving themes throughout your Social Studies lessons helps students see the “bigger picture” and connectedness of all things across time.
Using essential questions helps students become critical thinkers.
The goal of noting themes and asking essential questions is to shape students into informed, engaged, and active citizens.
1. How do themes highlight patterns and connectedness?
You are likely familiar with themes in literature, but have you considered utilizing themes in your Social Studies instruction? The patterns and trends that can be seen across time and history are themes.
There is not a single list of themes that all people agree upon. Examples of themes include movement, conflict, change, and freedom. What others can you think of? The National Council for the Social Studies has an extensive list of themes that you can read through here.
Similar to essential questions, your list of themes can be posted in your classroom and referenced throughout the year. Take each moment in history you teach, and encourage your students to identify the overarching themes. Repeat this exercise across each unit you teach to help students see patterns and connectedness.
Let’s take the Civil Rights Movement, and more specifically narrow in on the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
The root of the boycott developed years before the well-known event. A group of people wanted to see changes in Montgomery’s bus system. The group challenged the government in power, seeking freedom from segregation. National coverage of the boycott resulted in more support, and eventually, a court ruled bus segregation to be unconstitutional. The law was changed. (1)
Freedom
Power
Change
2. How does asking essential questions lead to critical thinking?
Essential Questions are questions that push students to think critically about what they study. These “big questions” are general enough that they can be asked of almost anything you teach within Social Studies.
You can introduce essential questions at the beginning of the year, post them in your room, and refer back to them all year long. Here are a few examples of Essential Questions:
What is a good citizen?
What is the purpose of government?
How do people make change?
Let’s return to the Montgomery Bus Boycott example with the example Essential Questions (“EQ”). Read through the italicized Essential Questions and then the further discussion points that stem from the EQ’s.
What is a good citizen?
Further discussion: What does good mean in this context? Good can be defined in many ways, but in the context of describing a citizen, it is defined as meritorious, righteous, or having moral excellence. Well, who defines moral excellence? Who defines what is “meritorious” or worthy of praise? Is it the people who create the laws? Is being a “good” citizen limited to following laws and rules? What if the laws and rules aren’t “good”?
What is the purpose of government?
Further discussion: In other words, why do we need government? What happens when there is no government? How does the way a government’s purpose is defined affect what the government does? Look at one popular definition of government and assess it. One of the “Founding Fathers” of the United States John Locke says that the “duty of the government is to protect the natural rights of the people”, which Locke believed to include life, liberty, and property. (2) What did Locke mean exactly by “liberty”? Does this mean freedom to do anything, including ride a bus?
How do people make change?
Further discussion: Are there different ways to bring about change? Boycotts and marches are examples of ways to bring about change. What other ways do people use? Are some ways more effective than others? Why do people choose some ways over others? Why did the people involved in changing bus laws choose a boycott? Was it effective?
Do you see how asking Essential Questions leads to more questions? These questions ultimately press into deeper thinking. Developing critical thinking skills like these will better equip your students for today’s world and the world they will live in tomorrow.
Meaningful Social Studies lessons place less emphasis on facts, “important people”, chronology, and isolated events. Meaningful Social Studies instruction is anchored in overarching themes that help students see the connectedness of all people across all time and in essential questions that train students to think critically about the facts and narratives of history, as well as present-day news.
If you’re looking for more ways to make your Social Studies lessons meaningful, you can read more here.