One of my favorite memories from when I was a fourth-grade student was the day our teacher put us into groups and let us play in the sand. Well, she did not exactly let us play in a sandbox. There was a purpose.

Throughout the years, teachers have used music in instruction, such as the ABC song, to teach the alphabet, and “The Hokey Pokey,” to teach body parts and directions. As one of Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligence areas, music is a great tool to use to teach social studies. The pattern and rhythm of songs encourage memory, movement, and creativity with students. Music is a part of children's daily life and therefore a connection to real-world learning.

Simulations encourage students to “learn by doing.” The goal in using simulations in the classroom is for students to understand a concept or historical experience by acting it out. Creating a kinesthetic experience isn’t quite the same as reading about something in a book.

Young children understand stories and love to have books read to them often to the point that they memorize and can recite a favorite story from memory. Narratives establish supportive conditions in the brain for learning and remembering (McTighe and Willis, 2019). As young learners brains develop, their imaginations also run wild, and they love to pretend. Combining these two elements, the role-play with the narrative, is the basis for the Storypath learning method.

Do you purposely plan your lessons with your students’ “interests” in mind? If not, you should start doing so immediately.

How do you start your class every day?

Role-playing simulations are great for retention, comprehension, literacy, and group
decision-making. Here we'll discuss what they are and why they work. 

“My least favorite thing about school is world history.”