Bigfork teacher Cynthia Wilondek, who will be leading the April Social Studies Second Tuesday on Teaching Thematically, organizes her entire semester course around large themes. One of her favorites is "Reel vs. Real." I asked her to briefly describe the unit as a guest post. She's also expressed willingness to share her syllabus with other high school teachers interested in making the switch from chronology to teaching with themes. Let me know if you want me to put you in touch with her.
Before I turn this post over to Cynthia, I'm going to make one last plug for tomorrow's Social Studies Second Tuesday, 4:30-5:30 p.m. focused on teaching about Montana's Chinese history with Mark Johnson. Register.
Reel versus Real
One of the many great benefits of teaching thematically is that it frees you and your students to look for patterns and "Big Ideas" in Montana History. Our beloved state is often part of the popular imagination, from A River Runs Through It to Yellowstone, and in the many, many movies and tv shows in-between. Inspired by this concept, I put together a Montana history unit called "Reel vs Real Montana," which focuses on two essential questions:
- "How do myths reflect social values and morals?"
- "How can the study of folklore enhance historical understanding?"
If interested, the Montana Historical Society has some excellent resources to support you in this theme. To name just one, the What Don't You See: The Historical Accuracy of Charles M. Russell Paintings lesson plan is a fantastic little gem that has students examining artwork by Russell as well as researching how accurately he captured the actual history as opposed to the "West of the Imagination." The lesson plan is very easy to follow and can be modified in a variety of ways to fit your classroom needs. It is truly worth your time: students enjoy the detective work that goes into this activity and like to search for what can be seen and what should have been seen. Enjoy!
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