Edutopia – Howard Rosenberg
“As a middle school social studies teacher, I’m always seeking new strategies and materials that will make my subject matter more accessible to my students. Like many other teachers, I often use fictional works—books and movies—to teach new or difficult or abstract concepts. I have found children’s movies and literature particularly effective in illustrating historical concepts—though when using movies such as Mulan to teach ancient Chinese customs or The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss to teach the Cold War, teachers do need to consider the historical accuracy of the materials presented. I often prefer using more unconventional works, ones that are less explicitly connected to the concept we’re studying.” (more)