Considering it contains the word story, many people might believe that history would be a favourite for many students. The sad truth is that the vast majority of students dread the time for history class.
They do not see it as a continuing story of what has happened to their ancestors. It is instead viewed as a series of dry facts with dates they must memorise. That alone can turn many of them off to this fascinating subject. There are ways to make history fascinating, but they take time and effort many teachers do not have in the classroom.
Making rhymes
Students in the earliest grades are often taught to memorize information through the use of rhyming. Educators over the decades have been making up rhymes to help them along. It would be wonderful if many parts of history could be reduced to this level, but most information studied in that particular class is quite complex.
Looking at why something occurred is just as important as when it happened. That alone can take it out of the easy category when it comes to educating even the youngest members of the student body. The ability to make it fun in some ways helps younger students when they dress up as historical figures, but that often takes more time and effort than modern classes afford.
Writing a report
Older students are often given an assignment to help them learn more about a particular subject. History is one class where researching and writing a report can help a student remember important facts.
They become investigators looking for clues in the form of written information, and they must reduce it down to a solution. Their report may be graded on spelling and grammar, but it is important to remember that getting them fired up about history is the goal. Learning it as a story they have to seek can be very helpful.
Books and movies
Those who write for wide audiences are always looking for new and interesting topics. Just like those students tasked with writing a report, many of them have turned to history as their subject. The rules of older societies were often different than today, and many figures have become larger than life.
Writing their stories for books and movies has gotten better over the years. While tossing in scenes that had no basis in reality might have been permissible in the past, many books and films written today must be more factually based for audiences with an eye towards complaints.
Almost everyone loves to hear a good story, and there are many still hidden in mankind’s past. While few students willingly attend history class, finding those stories can change their outlook on the subject. They may finally be able to see the lives of others whenever they can find ways to turn dry facts and dates into stories that teach them lessons, motivate them to learn more, or they might just write a book or movie script. History is about telling a good story, and it should continue to be told.
