With the entire history of the world relevant to social studies, there are infinite ways to refocus the content in order to shine light on new ideas and ways of thinking. One of my objectives in my teaching is to find ways to interweave the ideas and skills of social studies with other sources of knowledge. For example, I use a variety of primary source materials as centerpieces of my classes, from art to movies to comic strips to radio broadcasts. In learning how to read and decipher a film, for example, students can better understand the mindset that dominated another time and place, and thus achieve a deeper historical understanding. At the end of our WWII unit, I took the time to teach the physics behind the atomic bomb, to provide what I believe is a fascinating and important crossover between human history and developments in scientific knowledge. My own understandings about the world and about social studies are informed by own interdisciplinary studies in college and beyond, and I believe that students should not have to wait until they are out of high school to experience the thrill of discovering how everything they are learning fits together.
"Sarah has made me like history. She makes it fun and tries to make connections to what's happening today. I always struggled with history before this year. However, her in-depth PowerPoints and lectures have made a huge impact on my learning."