-by Mimi Rothschild

Ask students which class is their least favorite, and many will tell you that history is the one they’d skip.

It doesn’t have to be that way. History, they may say, is dull and boring and all about memorizing names and dates. But actually, history is about people and the amazing things people have done. It’s about life.

One way to help your students make the connection between the dull names and dates on the one hand and the vibrant events of the lives of people on the other, is through art. Here are some ways to structure art lessons so that they will bring history to life for your students:

• Begin by observing. Choose a painting, a sculpture, a piece of music, a building – any work of art from the time period you want to study. Find a copy online or in the library, and let your students spend some time with it. Point out interesting details or ask questions to lead your students toward deeper observation. Make lists or graphic organizers detailing your observations. And find the exact date of the piece, as well.
• Next, try it out. Looking and listening are great ways to learn, but your students will always learn more if they can get in and try some hands-on learning. Having student make their own works of art will encourage even deeper observation. Have your students copy a painting, design an illustration in the same style as the one they’ve observed, make a costume based on that worn by a statue, or “conduct” a piece of music. Add to the list or the graphic organizer of observations. See whether there are points that students now want to correct, based on their greater understanding.
• Finally, draw some conclusions. You’ve observed a piece of art by the Aztecs, let’s say, listing all the things you noticed. You’ve replicated the piece in salt dough, painted it, and labeled it with the date of the original piece. What can you say about the Aztecs from this experience? How was their way of life different from that of people in other places at the same time? What questions did your observation raise, and how will you find answers to those questions? What other projects do you want to try now, based on the experience with the first project? Have students contemplate these things, and write paragraphs to go with their projects.

You may be surprised by how much insight your students gain from projects of this kind. Take the questions and ideas developed in the course of this project into your lessons on history, and you’ll be thrilled at how much more deeply your students appreciate what they learn.

If you use this technique over the long term, why not set up a classroom museum? With projects and paragraphs labeling them, you’ll have a lively window into history.

**********************************************************
Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.