One class links two

Written by Christine Harms and Alex Tyler

History teacher Eric Shawn and English teacher Jeffrey Speckels have offered a new class, American Studies, to juniors. This two-period course is a combination of American Literature and United States History curriculums. The teachers coordinate their material so activities and topics overlap between subjects.

This unconventional method of teaching is able to effectively impact its students in ways that a normal class could not. The emphasis of the course is establishing the link between history and literature as well as understanding the relevancy of the subjects taught. Students are able to be more impacted by the books covered when they understand the historical context of the story. For example, the study of the effects of racism in the United States draws heavily on themes found in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Along with a connected curriculum, the class also focuses heavily around projects. These include both cross-subject assignments as well as service learning projects. Shawn thinks the students are more engaged by the concepts in class when they are presented in this hybrid manner. Recently, the class has participated in a mock trial on constitutional issues. This helped students apply laws to issues such as freedom.

“Students working together is key [in this class],” Speckels said.

These projects get students more engaged with the concepts, as well as the community. When the students work together, they seem to grasp information more easily.

“I think it is way more effective the regular English and history. It is a project-based class and that is awesome. I would totally take a combination class again,” junior Rachel Das said.

Shawn and Speckels decided to collaborate on this class because of the impact that similar classes in their high school experiences had on them. The teachers are able to play off each other’s educational strengths. Since both teachers are interacting with all the students, they can better observe and understand the students’ abilities. As a result, they can focus on helping the students in the best way possible.