Hollywood or History?

An Inquiry-Based Strategy for Using Film to Teach Salient Societal Issues in Elementary Social Studies

Edited by:
Lisa K. Pennington, Governors State University
Meghan A. Kessler, University of Illinois Springfield
Paige Horst, Radford University
Mary E. Tackett, Longwood University
Donna Fogelson, Virginia Tech

A volume in the series: Hollywood or History. Editor(s): Scott L. Roberts, Central Michigan University. Charles J. Elfer, Clayton State University.

Call for Papers or Manuscripts

Teaching and learning through Hollywood, or commercial, film and television productions is anything but a new approach and has been something of a mainstay in the classroom for nearly a century. However, purposeful and effective instruction through film is not problem-free and many challenges accompany classroom applications of Hollywood motion pictures. In response to the problems and possibilities associated with teaching through film, we are developing a collection of practical, classroom-ready lesson ideas that might bridge gaps between theory and practice and assist teachers endeavoring to make effective use of film in their classrooms. We believe that film can serve as a powerful tool in the social studies classroom and, where appropriately utilized, foster critical thinking and civic mindedness. The NCSS College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) framework, represents a renewed and formalized emphasis on the perennial social studies goals of deep thinking, reading and writing. Our hope is that this edited book might play a small role in the larger project of supporting practitioners, specifically K-6 teachers of social studies content, by offering a collection of classroom-ready tools based on the Hollywood or History? strategy and designed to foster inquiry through the careful use of selected motion pictures and television productions

Topics of interest include:
• Race
• Immigration
• Disability
• Activism
• LGBTQ/Gender identity

Proposal: We are seeking lesson plan proposals for lower (K-3) and upper (4-6) grades using the Hollywood or History? strategy. Proposals should include a 1-2 page narrative providing background on the chosen film and a general description of the lesson idea. Include a brief explanation of specific film clip(s) and tentative references for primary and secondary sources. Indicate the placement of the lesson within one of the five thematic chapters and demonstrate connections to relevant state and national standards, both literacy and content.

Chapter submission: Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by February 15, 2021. Full lesson plans using the Hollywood or History template should be submitted as a Microsoft Word email attachment by April 1, 2021. We are looking for elementary (K-6) lesson plans that address teaching salient societal issues in elementary social studies classrooms. Please consider film and television productions that (a) are currently used in classrooms and need to be interrogated and/or (b) could be used in classrooms to more fully acknowledge the role of salient societal issues as they relate elementary social studies.

Tentative Schedule for Publication:

Lesson plan proposals: February 1, 2021

Notification of invite to submit lesson plan: February 15, 2021

Submission of full lesson plan: April 1, 2021

Reviews of book chapter manuscripts sent to author(s): May 30, 2021

Receipt by editors of final draft of book chapters: July 15, 2021

Final book submitted to publisher: September 15, 2021

Anticipated publication: Winter/Spring 2021/2022