Infusing Modern Issues into History Lessons

Welcome back readers! This might be my last blog for a little while as the school year is winding down, but hopefully I will keep updating you all occasionally on what I am learning about. This week I will talk about relating curriculum to modern topics.

When we think about content that is taught in schools we tend to think of the core subjects such as math, science, English, and history. But within these giant categories, we can relate our materials to information on deciphering the credibility of news, the influence of advertising, and emotional intelligence. I will admit, I am someone who had difficulty thinking of how to address topics like this without spending the time much needed for curriculum instruction. But for history teachers in particular, there are ways we can take historical events and tie them into issues students deal with in the present.

For example, if I wanted to address the pros and cons of advertisement, I could tie it into a lesson about the rapid consumerism that developed in America during the 1920s. I could show them advertisements from that era, we could talk about the influence those ads had, and then we can talk about the ads we see today. This comparison would demonstrate how consumerism evolved historically, as well as alerting students to be cautious of misleading ads.

Another example, this time on the topic of determining if news is credible, I would do a primary source activity where students would analyze different accounts of the same event. An easy event to do this with would be the Boston Massacre because there are plenty of primary documents from the event and each has a unique perspective. By analyzing these different documents, students would learn that you need to check multiple sources before drawing conclusions on a subject. This is a skill needed for analyzing both historic documents as well as modern news.

While it might seem difficult to find time during the school day to talk about some modern issues our students face, if we get creative we can tie them into class content. Not only does this teach life lessons, but for students it makes history seem more relevant than anticipated.

I hope that these ideas can inspire you all to tackle modern issues in creative ways. Until next time! Stay safe and healthy out there!