Experiencing History: Integrating Cultural Artifacts into a Study of the Dust Bowl
Social Studies Research and Practice
ISSN: 1933-5415
Article publication date: 1 July 2010
Issue publication date: 1 July 2010
Abstract
History involves the study of people and the times and places in which they lived. Traditional instruction often is dominated by an emphasis on decontextualized facts, dates, and events. Too often, the study of history becomes lifeless and monotonous because it artificially separates people from the larger context of times and places in which they lived. Teachers can build meaningful contexts in which students experience history by using cultural artifacts as springboards into the study of people who lived in the past. Integrating the use of cultural artifacts, such as photographs, films, and music, allows teachers to create new entry points, new ways for students to connect to, and take ownership of, their learning. This article presents a rationale for including cultural artifacts in the study of history, which can promote a better understanding of the nature of history, personalize history, encourage student inquiry, and endorse the notion that history represents multiple perspectives. Cultural artifacts can be used to enrich instruction of any historical period, at any grade level. In this article, we provide examples of artifacts that can be used in a study of the Dust Bowl for the upper elementary and middle grades.
Keywords
Citation
Swafford, J. and McNulty, C.P. (2010), "Experiencing History: Integrating Cultural Artifacts into a Study of the Dust Bowl", Social Studies Research and Practice, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 120-133. https://doi.org/10.1108/SSRP-02-2010-B0013
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Publishing Limited