Teaching Vertically and Horizontally
Teaching social studies in the ever-expanding information age has its advantages, namely that background information, data, and basic facts are quick and easy to access. But there comes a point where there are too many articles, videos, essays, podcasts, websites, maps, and apps on hand, which create mountains of information for teachers and their students to sort through. This approach to teaching social studies keeps the entire class moving in the exact same direction—across time, horizontally—but asking them, individually or in small groups, to focus on one social studies theme for the duration of a unit. Fears that teaching and learning in this way will create gaps in comprehension are addressed by regular, teacher-led synthesis sessions during and after secondary source evaluations and primary source analysis.
How groups are determined is completely up to teacher discretion, but the most popular way, I have learned, is by hosting a trivia-style pre-quiz at the start of the unit. If your classroom is already broken into five or six groups, then students can compete together and sign up for a theme together. Students can play the game individually, and then sign up for whatever spaces are available in theme groups that interest them (I’ve used both methods and the advantages and disadvantages between the two are marginal). The selection of theme area for the unit goes in the order of highest-scoring team/player to lowest.
Once the theme groups are determined, students should set up their first homework assignment for the unit, writing the name of their group at the top. Students will look at all instructional materials through the lens of their theme for the whole unit. They will also encounter parts of assessments asking them to make connections between primary and secondary sources and their topic.
Themes:
Geography
Geography is divided into five subthemes: Location, Place, Region, Movement of People and Ideas, and Human-Environment Interaction. This group will get the most out of map activities, of course, but should stay on the lookout for evidence of these concepts in what they read, watch, and listen to.
Economics & Commerce
Economics is the study of choices, how and why things are produced, and the overall business of everyday life. While money is often involved in these interactions, this theme encompasses more than just financial topics. Trade and the development of occupations also fall under this theme.
Science & Technology
This group should pay attention to examples of invention, innovation, people studying and acclimating to nature, farming, tool usage and etc. Education and strategizing also fit under the umbrella of science and technology.
Politics, Government & the Law
Different levels and versions of government and government are focused on with this category, as is the positioning and maneuvering that is politics. Students in this group will take special note with people in the past in leadership roles and the documents related to those positions.
Society & Social Structure*
Changes in population size and demographic shifts are the centerpiece for this group, as is investigating any form of hierarchy that existed, as well as social mobility. The status of women, children and marginalized people should also be considered by this theme group.
Culture*
Culture is anything a society produces, including art, music, literature, language, food, fashion, traditions, rituals, and etc. This group should pay special attention to how these subtopics were interacted with by different parts of society in different time periods.
*Society and Culture can be combined into one single category.