History is a Perfect Fit and the Primary Resource for Curriculum at U.S. History Schools

Joelle Chevrier, a student at Spanish River High School, found a spark to ignite her passion for learning. “I’m learning a lot more stuff about [historical events] than I ever knew existed”, she said during a break from a recent Saturday-morning economics lecture on the role of cotton in the economy of the antebellum South.

Yes, I did say Saturday-morning lecture.

I don’t know about you, but the weaving of content with the social context of a students life just seems a GREAT way to pump them up for learning that makes a difference in their lives and the lives of others… and a “bonus”… they will remember what they learned for a long time, if not forever.

“At a time when many social studies educators are bemoaning the dwindling focus on the social sciences as schools focus on reading/language arts and mathematics—the subjects tested annually under the federal No Child Left Behind Act—as well as science and technology, a small but expanding network of schools is putting U.S. history at the centerpiece of the curriculum”, says Education Week writer Kathleen Kennedy Manzo in her January 8th article, Let History Reign.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/01/09/17history.h27.html

Manzo was reporting on U.S. History Schools, a network of 40 schools and 21 affiliate schools presents a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum with expanded offerings in American history. Its sponsor, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American Studies in New York City, provides financial support, historical documents and resources, and academic support from history scholars and experts.

Creative teachers make it happen:

Teachers are enjoying their participation, according to Brett Burkey, an economics teacher and the chairman of the Spanish River history department. “I incorporate so much more American history into my economics classes now,” he said. “It’s added a significant dimension to what I do.”

Bettina Hoffman, an English teacher committed to the process, designed an advanced-rhetoric course in which English students pick apart famous speeches in history and analyze the purpose and effectiveness of each. When the class watched news footage of Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, a Mormon, discussing his own religious beliefs recently, “the students were jumping out of their seats to talk about it and the similarities with President Kennedy,” Ms. Hoffman said.

Other impressive integration came from a dance teacher who infused the subject into her classes, a music teacher who enhances the jazz-studies program with important events from our History, and a theater department who invited professional actors to the school to act out scenes from state history.

Ask Yourself:

• Is History the natural “fit” for engaging students in thinking about how our society evolved?


• Would connecting historical content to the every day lives of our students increase learning?


• Would comparing old History texts with newer ones help students see change over time?

(When I was Assistant Superintendent, I asked my Social Studies teachers to try this exercise when we adopted new texts after nine years, and they said students “got it”. Many teachers continued to use the exercise every year.)