Hollywood or History

An Inquiry-Based Strategy for Using Film to Teach Geography

Edited by:
Nancy B. Sardone, Georgian Court University

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.

DISCIPLINARY CONCEPTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CORE QUESTION: How do physical geography, human geography, and the human environment interact to influence or determine the development of cultures, societies, and nations?

• Spatial Views of the World: Geospatial technologies, maps, and other representations; Development of spatial thinking

• Human Population Patterns: Diffusion of ideas and cultural practices; Relationships between humans and environments; Regionalism formation; Patterns of settlement; Migration and migratory experiences; Global changes in population distribution

• Human Environment Interaction: Cultural patterns and economic decisions; Connection of physical and human characteristics to human identity and cultures; Impact of human activity on environmental characteristics of region

• Global Interconnections: Interactions between humans and the spread of cultural practices, artifacts, languages, diseases; Production of goods and the influence on world trade

LESSON PLAN PROPOSAL:
Seeking lesson plan proposals for upper elementary and middle school 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. Include a brief explanation of specific film clip(s) and tentative references for primary and secondary sources. Demonstrate connections to relevant state and national standards, both literacy and content.

CHAPTER SUBMISSION:
Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by March 1, 2024. Full lesson plans using the Hollywood or History template should be submitted as a Microsoft Word email attachment by April 15, 2024. Looking for upper elementary and middle level lesson plans (grades 4-8) that address teaching geography in 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 geography as it relates to upper elementary and middle level social studies.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR PUBLICATION:
Lesson plan proposals: February 15, 2024
Notification of invite to submit lesson plan: March 1, 2024
Submission of full lesson plan: April 15, 2024
Reviews of book chapter manuscripts send to author(s): May 15, 2024
Receipt by editors of final draft of book chapters: June 15, 2024
Final book submitted to publisher: September 1, 2024
Anticipated publication: Winter/Spring 2025/2026

Send all inquiries to Nancy Sardone at: nbs212@nyu.edu

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