REFLECTIONS

Economic factors are the root of many historical events.  These factors concern production, distribution, and/or consumption of products in a given economy.  Although most social studies educators do not have a strong background in the field of economics, it is important to incorporate this idea when appropriate.  This may force the teacher to study the night before so as to be prepared for the lesson, a task that students deserve.  Since the social studies are so broad, reviewing material is inevitable.

Many of the lessons that I have dealt with in my student teaching experience have not been impacted too much by economics, at least on the surface.  A prime example of a lesson where I incorporated production, distribution, and consumption was a lesson on the American home front during World War II.  I felt that this would be a good time to address the topic of rationing.

To many students, the idea of rationing is an abstract idea.  Many had heard the term, but were unsure of what the term actually meant.  When I gave the class a few examples, they were quick to pick up a definition.  My goal for the lesson was to enable learners to explain how the scarcity of productive resources requires the development of economic systems to make decisions about how goods and services are to be produced and distributed.

Prior to the implementation of this lesson I gathered some reproductions of primary source documents.  I came to class armed with a rationing booklet and propaganda posters and flyers.  I handed out the posters and asked students identify what message the posters were trying to get across.  Using primary sources really helped students understand how rationing affected lifestyles of Americans during World War II.  I find that using primary sources really add a lot to any lesson.  It is my opinion that those who lived during a time period can tell their story better than anyone else.

Students really seemed to retain a lot of the information that was discussed during the lesson.  This was evident by their test; most students got all the questions right concerning rationing.  Once again, this was a lesson that helped generate questions by the students, which were asked during the class.  I cannot say it enough, but I love class discussions and good questions.  This was one of those lessons.  Students really seemed to be able to internalize the idea of rationing.  I view this lesson as a success; I really think the students got a lot out of the lesson.

In the future, I shall try to continue using the NCSS themes and guidelines when planning lessons.  I know that I will continue to use primary sources and will continue to prepare for lessons so that I can be the most effective social studies educator as possible.  Although economics is not one of my favorite subjects, parts of the discipline are very useful in geography, history, and government.  Teachers cannot ignore lesson topics just because they are not comfortable with the topics; students deserve the extra effort.  Never forgot why you became a teacher.