Why is Social Studies So Boring?

“Why do we need to learn this? They’re all dead anyways.”

I hear this question and others just like this pretty routinely as a teacher. “This is boring.” “I hate this.” And a plethora of other sentiments usually follow.

So why is that? Why is studying the content in Social Studies so boring for students? Why is teaching Social Studies so frustrating for most teachers? Is it that the real issue is that the students are not fully understanding what we are teaching them because of the way we are teaching them?

With so many mandates that are being implemented having to do with more reading, less Social Studies (Thanks to No Child Left Behind), teachers having to teach multiple subjects, and institutionalized pressure of having to “cover” the content, Social Studies is almost non-existent in many elementary classrooms. I get it, it is hard to have meaningful Social Studies instruction now days, but there are teachers who are still being effective in this field. So what are they doing that is so special?
I read an article recently that listed these five methods as something that the top four elementary Social Studies teachers in Wisconsin are implementing on a daily basis.

According to the article, these teachers are using methods which will assist your elementary students in comprehending the information being taught, as well as allow them to have a little fun while doing it.

If you are currently a teacher, or diving into the teaching field, give me your feedback. Have you tried any of these methods? If so, have you had success with increasing classroom learning and understanding?

Below are the five methods highlighted as well as my experience with these methods:

1. Focus on the main idea of the reading
When you, as the teacher, focus the content reading on the main idea instead of memorization of dates and facts, the students will start understanding what you are actually talking about. Think about this for a minute. If you talk to someone, and start telling them random facts and information, and then at the end of your conversation you ask them what you were talking about, what would their response be? This is the same situation inside of the classroom, except take 25+ elementary students who have a hard time paying attention for an hour at a time. Make sure you are clear about you objective and main idea as well as how to find the main idea from the text before moving on.

2. Utilize hands on activities with the readings
As a teacher, I love bringing in hands on activities because this can help stimulate the students mind as well as give them something tangible to relate the lesson to. (I also double this as a show and tell for me. I love talking about collections of things I have. You know you do too.)
This activity will definitely benefit the Kinesthetic learner in your classroom.  For example, if you are teaching a lesson about Native Americans, you could bring in ancient arrowheads, feather headdresses, make a tepee and display it in the classroom. The possibilities are endless. Just do something to get the kids moving around and excited about the past as well as get their hands on something that relates to the content.

3. Implement a meaningful writing project
This activity can assist the student in summarizing what you have just learned as well as possibly keep track of what you are learning throughout the unit. For example, you are teaching about Lewis and Clark and their journey to find the Northwest Passage. You could implement a daily journal for the students to keep track of the journey they took and have them write down what they saw, who they came across and many other important facts from the original Lewis and Clark Journals. Not only will this be a fun activity, but it will also reinforce the lesson by giving a subtle formative assessment. (See, you can trick kids into taking a test.)

4. Combine Literature with Social Studies
This activity is a very important one when it comes to literacy. If you can “kill two birds with one stone,” why not?
There are many non-fictional books available that cover various historical figures and situations. You can implement these into your class in order to give the students some extra reading instruction since that is the main focus today. Text book information is fine, but nothing compares to the vast knowledge gained from reading an insightful book on Abraham Lincoln. Take that lesson just a step further. Believe me, the kids will thank you for it. (Definitely not the day you start implementing this, but maybe when they are in college… or after.)

5. Teach students using local history, geography and current events
Nothing compares to having information right under your nose. Elementary aged kids are so good at knowing their surroundings, so don’t reinvent the wheel here. Use this to your advantage. If you are covering the topic of inventors, it would be wise to find something to relate in your own town to inventors before panning out to the big picture. For example, when I teach a unit on inventors, I bring to life a state connection to Thomas Edison, Christopher Sholes (the man who made blogging possible because of the invention of the typewriter, and QWERTY keyboard) and multiple other ties to Wisconsin. The possibilities are endless when using resources right in front of you. Children can relate to things that are close to home easier than telling them about some old guy who made a light bulb or a typewriter. (And all the kids say: “What’s a typewriter?”)

 

 

 

 

These ideas are really simple, and you may be implementing all of them already, but tell me teachers, are you currently using any of these methods in your classroom? If so, what has worked and what hasn’t worked? Are there any other methods along the line of teaching Social Studies that you have found to work better?

Please help me out with your feedback.

(Reference of article mentioned)
McCall, A. (2006). Supporting exemplary social studies teaching in elementary schools. The Social Studies, 97(4), 161-167.