When I was in high school, my favorite English teacher made an off-hand comment that has continued to resonate with me, and I’ll be super honest: I can’t even remember his exact words. What I remember is the sentiment. He revealed to us that the History and English Departments collaborated to choose texts and design lessons that supported each other’s curriculum objectives. As a student in honors and AP classes I at first just appreciated this practice. As I grew into an educator, I realized how meaningful this really is to create truly lasting learning experiences.
We all understand that the study of History and Language Arts are critical components of any comprehensive education. History provides students with an understanding of the past, while Language Arts help them to develop important reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. When these two subjects are integrated appropriately into a cohesive curriculum, students can gain deeper insights into historical events and cultural perspectives, as well as enhance their language proficiency. According to the theory of “The Curve of Forgetting,” when we increase the number of times students interact with any material, we increase their retention and understanding (Ebbinghaus, H, 1885).
Having a collaborative curriculum that aligns History and Language Arts ensures that students can understand the context, significance, and meaning of historical events through different sources such as primary documents, literature, poetry, fiction, and drama. Since all students learn in a variety of ways and have a variety of interests, it is logical to provide texts that engage those diverse interests and approaches. This integration also enables students to approach complex ideas more effectively, including political, social, and economic issues that have an impact on the world we live in today, and isn’t that the whole point of education?
Let’s dive into this with a little more depth. Research shows that integrating History and Language Arts curriculums can significantly improve academic performance in both subjects (Shoemaker 1989). For example, students who learn about historical events through fiction or poetry often develop a more profound emotional connection to the topic and are more likely to remember key details. Similarly, when students read about historical figures or events in literature, they may be able to connect more strongly with characters or concepts, which can help them better understand the underlying motivations and societal forces at play.
On the flip side, Language Arts instruction can effectively complement History lessons by providing students with the literacy skills necessary to analyze and interpret primary documents and other historical sources accurately. They learn how to analyze the author's purpose and intent, recognize bias, and make informed inferences and conclusions. We as educators can teach students to question texts and connect on a multitude of levels. This type of rigorous inquiry requires critical thinking and promotes higher-level thinking skills that are essential for success in all aspects of life.
By aligning the History and Language Arts curriculum, educators can create a more vibrant and engaging learning experience for students. This approach enables students to see connections and correlations between different historical periods, events, and figures through literature and other written works. As a result, this approach fosters a love for learning not by rote memorization but by encouraging students to think about how historical roots continue to influence modern society. Remember what I mentioned earlier: if we increase the number of times students are exposed to a resource, text, material, or concept, we can increase their retention and understanding exponentially. This ensures that these lessons will not just stay vague remnants of memories from high school or middle school.
Rather, when students align their studies in History and Language Arts, they develop an awareness of social responsibility issues and civic responsibility obligations. In other words, these lessons, texts, and concepts will continue to inform students long after graduation. This occurs because of the diverse perspectives that learners come across through the study of literature and history. By understanding experiences from different angles based on cultural backgrounds, gender, ethnicity, etc., students can become empathetic towards diverse communities. They foster critical thinking skills that enable them to select evidence from these sources to support arguments made in public discourse, leading to informed civic action. This method ensures that we are truly educating an informed generation.
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