What are the advantages of teaching thematically?
• Students have a focus for their historical studies – a focus they can take with them when they leave your class. • Students are forced to really think and understand the discussion and written class materials in a way that requires true analysis. They must relate everything they learn to a theme. • Students have a very difficult time cheating when you teach thematically. They can’t go online and find an essay about the American Revolution, or research about the American Revolution that illustrates one or more of your course themes. What are the disadvantages of teaching thematically? • There are very few role models for teaching thematically; most history teachers continue to teach facts and dates that do not connect the dots through larger themes and a larger story. • Creating themes requires a good understanding of the topics you are teaching, passion and interest in the topics you are teaching, and your interpretation of the grade level standards. In other words, themes do not alw
