This week also brought a fantastic opportunity for students to discuss the interplay of fiction and history in an interdisciplinary discussion between English and World History. The wall between A103 and A104 was opened up, and 55-60 students engaged in animated, student-led discussion each hour. A big thank you to our 8 student moderators who ran each hour's discussion!
- How do both authors and historians create villains, and what effect do they have on us?
- Can globalization be described as a component to progress? Why or why not?
- Scholars often debate whether history should be told as a single narrative or many competing narratives. Which side of this argument would you fall on and why?
- What do you understand differently about this time period in history after having read the novel?
Students answered questions thoughtfully, using factual support from history and or English class to back up their opinions. They also occasionally challenged one another's perspectives!
We also asked students to reflect on the experience at the end of each hour by filling out a digital exit ticket. We asked students about the most insightful comment they heard, their favorite part of the activity, and suggestions they have for the next time we engage in discussion. We were even able to make a few changes between class periods thanks to some creative ideas on those exit tickets along the way.
Some of our favorite responses were:
- I enjoyed listening to how everyone had their own personal thought and view. I feel as though sometimes in class people don't share what they are really thinking but this allowed people to express their true thoughts.
- I liked how all of the students ran it and took control. I think it made me feel a little better about public speaking since I am very bad at it.
- I heard someone comment on how cultural diffusion affects globalization, which differed from mine but opened my mind.
- My favorite part was observing how people managed to disagree with others in a respectful way that didn't make anyone feel bad.
- My favorite part of the discussion was that we got to talk about questions that not just related to our book and history, but also addressed problems and related both history and our novels to the present day.
- My favorite part was when everyone kept challenging each other. It was cool to see everyone's different opinion on the question.
We have loved seeing students shine as they experience interdisciplinary learning and the deep connections between history and literature. We also shared with them that this is a building block for part of the 10th grade experience at BHHS. Next year, students will have American Studies, in which American Literature and American History are blocked together all year!
