Portfolio Theme

"Migration"

As a future social studies teacher, I realize the importance of showing students how many common themes run throughout history.  By pointing to common themes, it helps students realize how events that may have happened hundreds or even thousands of years ago are still applicable to them.  General themes like "Religious Conflict" and "War" were found in many civilizations and still are present today.  One of the struggles in teaching Social Studies is making it real or authentic for the students.  Other subjects, like math, have real world applications outside the classroom that are more easily seen.  For instance, while teaching a student how to calculate the area of a rectangle, he or she can see a future possible application like determining the amount of grass needed to cover the front lawn of their new house.  However, it is more difficult to show students the importance of learning the causes of the American Revolution and how it may affect their lives once the class is over.

General themes focus attention away from memorization and more to interpreting history.  This helps students understand the world around them.  For example, they may be more able to understand why there is conflict in the Middle East and why the United States is a target for terrorist attacks. 

One common theme is the migration or massive movement of people throughout history.  This theme is found throughout world history from the exodus of the Israelites to the Oregon Trail to the Great Migration in the early 20th Century.  By understanding migration, students can see why demographics of some urban areas in the U.S. are the way they are and helps them understand human interactions over time.  I chose "Migration" as my portfolio theme because I believe it will help students better understand the world around them.

Home | Instructional Software | PowerPoint Presentation | Internet Resources