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History Teaching Style: Thematic or Chronological. (2019, Nov. 12). Grand Canyon University.

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This article outlines the two approaches, defining each and provides an example to ground the conversation. The chronological approach is defined as, “the study of history from one point in time to another point in time” while the thematic approach is defined as, “it favors a holistic look at the movements, events, people and ideas that have shaped the world throughout time” (2019). An overview of potential units in an American history class is reviewed through the lens of a chronology and then compared with a thematic approach. It’s through these examples that the pros and cons of each approach are weighed. The article ends with a brief discussion on the obvious pros and cons of each. The pros of chronological being that it’s what teachers might be comfortable with and what students expect, and it grounds the learning in a predictable structure, the timeline. The drawbacks being that the chronological approach might be more difficult to get students engaged, connect history to present day and to note patterns across history. The pros of the thematic approach being that it might be favored by newer teachers because it helps them make sense of history and appears to get students more engaged in history. The drawbacks of the thematic approach being that students might not be interested after a few weeks of study of the same theme.

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For the most part, I agree with what’s been said in this article, simply because it takes a more fact based position rather than trying to convince the reader of its stance on the issue. That being said, I think that the pros and cons that are outlined of the two approaches don’t include some significant concerns to think about (particularly being that a con to the thematic approach is that teachers need a wealth of knowledge in order to feel comfortable using this approach to teaching history). Nonetheless, it does provide a brief outline to both approaches.

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Not Your Grandfather’s U.S. History Class: Abandoning Chronology and Teaching Thematically. (n.d.) The Organization of American Historians.

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This article argues that the “current chronological approach is not only outdated but totally unrealistic”, to be able to teach American history in 180 days (I suppose the 180 days are the teacher-student contact days in a regular school year). It’s unrealistic because “more and more history accumulates each year” and students need to see how history relates to the present day. If teachers were to adopt a thematic approach, “teachers can help students develop a deeper understanding of the past” since “students will recognize change over time more readily as information is brought up to the present”. If teachers can connect historical thinking to the present, then students will better understand how issues and ideas change over time better. Additionally, teaching from a thematic approach “the use of primary sources can be enhanced if the chronological approach is abandoned” since present day primary source can be used alongside historical documents. Finally, as the argument goes, the issue of covering standards is not an issue since the CCSS are skills based and even the National Council on Social Studies has applied a thematic approach to its standards. To utilize the chronology of history in class a little, this article suggests placing events on both a personal and a large classroom timelines to support students in orienting events and issues within the context of a historical timeline.

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This article makes a lot of sense to me and I generally agree with the argument presented here. I think that this article has presented complex ideas in simpler terms and is making some sweeping statements in support of its claim, but beyond that, I think the thrust of what’s presented here resonates with me. I think what the article is getting at, although is not explicitly stated, is that the thematic approach allows for prioritizing time allocation better so teachers can plan for a deep dive on a particular issue that’s relevant to students. That’s what I most connect with and rings true for me.

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Designing & Teaching US History Thematically in 5 Steps. (n.d.) Let's Cultivate Greatness: Social Studies Resources that Empower

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My Approach:
As an instructional coach who supports teachers in teaching middle school social studies, this is an area that we are currently split on - a few teachers prefer a thematic approach while others prefer a chronological approach. Although I was inclined to teach history through a thematic lens already, after reading through the articles that I’ve included here, I believe that I would go about it this way. That being said, I would likely ensure that certain events are taught together or one before the other, in order to ensure that students have historical knowledge or perspective at the time to make sense of what I’m hoping to teach them.

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This article brings up a few interesting points, particularly at the beginning before the steps to thematizing a history course begins. The notion of themes helping students to categorize and better understand history really resonated with me - that just makes sense! As humans, we like to categorize, and I think that this would support students thinking. Additionally, this article notes that thematizing a course helps teachers to allocate time according to what’s most important, rather than giving events an equal amount of class time. Again, seems obvious once I’ve read it, but that just makes a lot of sense to me; prioritizing time to the themes and concepts that the teacher most wants to teach students. I agree with the points in here as well as the steps to help teach from a thematic lens.

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This article is written from a first person persuasive perspective, with the writer working to convince the reader that switching to teaching thematically is better than teaching chronologically. There are a few interesting points brought up: if history is like a bunch of disorganized books, then “overarching themes act like labeled bookshelves that can organize the books”. Students can better understand history when there are labels, or themes, that help them to better understand it. Below are five steps to think about when planning to move towards a thematic approach to teaching history:
Step 1: Decide the central concept and theme (This concept needs to be something your students know something about in order to build off of and then theme is what you want students to grapple with about that concept.)
Step 2: Craft the driving question (Driving questions spark genuine curiosity and endure beyond the content of the unit; if the content could be swapped out and the driving questions still stands, you’re on the right track.)
Step 3: Pick your spotlight subtopics (Choose 3-5 subtopics that will work with the central concept and theme, balancing well known topics with lesser known topics, various regions and different groups.)
Step 4: Select your focus skills (To provide focus to the unit, choose just a few skills that link to the unit and drive them home over the unit.)
Step 5: Culminate in a DBQ Essay (An opportunity for students to collect their thoughts, resources and link them together in a data based question essay at the end of the unit).