Making Social Studies Personal For Your Students

Kirsten 0:09

This is the social studies teacher podcast, a show for busy elementary teachers looking for fun and engaging ways to easily add social studies into their classroom schedule without feeling overwhelmed or pressed for time. I'm Kirsten of the Southern teach, an educator and mom who is passionate about all things social studies. I love sharing ideas and strategies that are low prep and easy to implement. So let's dive in together.

Kirsten 0:47

Hello there, and welcome to another episode of the social studies teacher podcast. I cannot believe that it is already November. That is just crazy to think of how it was just the summer and now it's getting colder. Thanksgiving is around the corner, so it is a very, very interesting week that we are headed into, specifically tomorrow. You know, I don't know how that's gonna turn out, but we shall see. But let's go ahead and get started. Let's not digress. We are going to talk today about one of my absolute favorite ways to bring social studies to life for our students, and that is making it personal.

Kirsten 1:37

As a kid, I loved sitting around at the house our grandparents house in Austin and San Antonio, listening to stories told by my grandparents. They always had this magical way of pulling me in. And those stories weren't just about family. They are pieces of history. My grandmother used to tell me and show me how she became an expert at getting every bit of cake batter out of that bowl, not just because she loved baking, but because she grew up during the great depression where nothing could go to waste. And when I tell you, she got every single nook cranny of that cake better, she sure did. I still can't do it as well as she did it. That simple story of baking as a kid linked me to an era of American history, one filled with hardship and resourcefulness. I remember my grandparents on my mom's side talking about their childhoods in Florida and how they were in the same classes all through school, from elementary to high school graduation. These are stories I could see and feel, and that connection made history real for me. So today I want to talk about how we can help our students form those same kinds of personal connections to social studies, whether it's through family stories, major events in our own lifetimes, or experiences they can find in their own communities.

Kirsten 3:10

Okay, let's start with the why? Why share real stories? Why does it make such a difference in the classroom? Sharing personal or first hand accounts of history can help make it come alive. It's one thing to read about World War Two in a 25 year old textbook. It's something else entirely to hear a story from a grandparent who lived through it, or a family member who lived through it. When students hear stories that feel real and personal, history transforms from dry facts into something they can relate to. They start to see how their lives connect to the bigger picture.

Kirsten 3:52

Now you might be asking yourself, well, I don't have a treasure trove of family stories that I can think of off the top of my head. No worries. There are so many ways to bring first hand accounts in your classroom. You can start with sources like diaries that you might have had, any letters you might have had, or memoirs. You can find recordings of people sharing their experiences of major historical event. So it doesn't even have to be you. It's you finding you're finding other people. You're finding interviews, memoirs that other people have talked about of certain historical events. Some examples could include veterans from wars or survivors of historical movements that are significant in US history or whatever topic you're teaching in social studies, you could also encourage your students to ask their own families about events that have shaped their lives. This could be as simple as asking a grandparent what life was like when they were younger, or even a family member or a parent or person that they are close to, maybe a parent, might have experienced a major event that they remember seeing on TV, like the moon landing or even a presidential election. So start by brainstorming any major events that you can remember. And if you're stuck, try asking close family members or close friends that you have see if they can remember any anecdotes, stories from different times that you're specifically teaching, or just throughout history in general. And then from there, you can research any primary sources, first hand accounts, such as memoirs, interviews, letters, online on sources such as the Library of Congress.

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The third step is sharing the story. When it's time to share, try to tell the story in a way that's engaging and conversational. You do not have to be a professional storyteller. I am the worst storyteller. I'm the worst at jokes. I'm super long winded, all that good stuff. But just be genuine. Just, you know, doesn't have to be exciting with like, different motions and you know, music will, you know, have to do all of that - that's a little extra. But be genuine. Let students ask questions and encourage them to make connections. Ask open ended questions like, how do you think you would feel if this happened to you? Or what might the story tell us about life during that time?

Kirsten 9:16

And going into step number four, reflecting and processing after sharing the story, give students a chance to reflect on what they've heard. This could be through a quick journal prompt or a quick write, where they're writing about what stood out to them or what they learned through the story. You could also have a class discussion or even a small group conversation, like turn and talk or think pair share, allowing students to process the story together. The goal is to help them see the bigger picture, how these personal moments are tying into the larger historical events that we study overall.

Kirsten 9:52

So to recap, the steps of how you can make social studies personal for your students. Step one, find those real stories. Step two, prepare to share the story. Step three, share the story as genuinely as you can. Step four, reflect and process. Have them share out or reflect or discuss in small groups, bringing personal stories into your social studies lessons helps students see that history isn't just something that happened to other people a long time ago, with people riding in horses and carriages and wooden teeth, it's something that shapes all of our lives, including our own.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode, and I hope it's inspired you to incorporate more real stories into your teaching. I would love to hear how it goes. You can send me a message at the southern teach on Instagram, or you can always email me at Kirsten at the southernteach.com I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.

Thanks for listening to the social studies teacher podcast. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, hit that subscribe button and leave a review. I would love to hear your thoughts. You can also find me on Instagram at the southern teach. I can't wait for you to join me in the next episode for more teacher tips and strategies.