Keeping youngsters engaged when teaching some subjects can be difficult. Take social studies, for example: on the face of it there’s a lot of boring historical stuff to get through, and it can be daunting for a young mind whose thoughts are elsewhere. The usual method is just to give the kids a book on the subject and go through it step by step. And that is boring!
The truth is that there’s a lot of interesting content in the social studies area, so how do we make it fun for the kids? That’s what Appletastic Learning thought long and hard about before coming up with their answer to the problem. Let’s have a look at the solution, and at why social studies is an important subject.
The Importance of Social Studies
By incorporating social studies activities into the lessons – rather than simply going over the dull text – the kids get involved and learn by experience. For example, one of the sections of the social studies package involves learning about the three branches of government, and it’s an innovative unit that really does engage the kids.
Once they’ve learned about the three branches they apply for a job! That’s just the start of it, as it’s up to the tutor to review the applications and appoint the candidates. So, you have one kid playing the President, one the Vice President, and so on until the remainder are members of Congress. The idea is that by playing at government the kids enjoy it and learn more – and it really works.
Making History Fun!
Another learning unit covers the Constitution of the United States. Once again this can be presented as a dry and very boring subject, yet it’s one that is important for the younger generations to learn about. By incorporating puzzles and challenges into the learning module Appletastic manages to turn a potentially dull subject into an exciting and valuable one, with the kids once again getting fully immersed in the learning process.
It’s all about bringing a subject to life and giving it more substance than mere words on a page. This way you can keep the class interested and genuinely attentive about various social studies subjects.
Keep the Kids Engaged
It’s not just government and constitution in this teaching package for there are modules that cover the Gold Rush – a great set of lessons that will equip[ the kids with map-reading skills rarely taught these days and give them an insight into an important era of economic development in the US – as well as units covering Colonial Life and the Oregon Trail, which are often omitted from regular social studies teaching.
This is a clever set of lesson plans that enables teachers to actually get young minds interested in the way the country has been founded and formed across the years, and a valuable asset to any educational establishment. If you’re looking for ways to brighten up dull subjects, there is plenty of inspiration to take away from the Appletastic Learning approach.