New Slant on Social Studies Can Both Entertain and Educate

In encouraging student interaction on the process, we reinforce facts. We offer a bit of entertainment. No longer are we preoccupied by data alone. We give vivid meaning to the words of the textbook.

(SALEM) - By any other name, it's still called "boredom".

Attempting to spoon-feed middle schoolers in Social Studies can prove toxic if the emphasis is on absorbing and repeating dates and places. The conceptual part of human cause-and-effect is sometimes presented as an afterthought.

However, there is a viable alternative. I'd call it "Blended Education" because it crosses traditional boundaries of the various disciplines and helps us better to connect the dots.

We cannot afford to pretend that History merely exists in a vacuum--it does not!

To my way of thinking, the wider expanse of the human experience needs to be brought in for exposure. Let's use the US Civil War as an example of how Blended Education would operate:

1. The musical tunes of that Civil War Era could encompassed into the overall lesson.
2. Costumery conjures up fashion show: let's depict how Union, Confederacy differed.
3. Take up relevant literature such as "The Red Badge of Courage".
4. Perhaps explore the Gettysburg Address, one sentence at a time.
5. Whip up some recipes of that era to celebrate the Union victory.