Term 3 Opportunities from the NHS Social Studies Department

With the beginning of Term 3, the NHS Social Studies Department gave students the chance to take an extra class once per cycle during their study period.

Holocaust and Human Behavior, taught by Ms. Leichtman, is held during period 6 on S2 days. The class curriculum, created by the organization “Facing History and Ourselves,” outlines ideas surrounding the Holocaust, and connects it to modern-day issues.

“It gives students an understanding of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, and its significance in world history. It’s to help students understand and apply the dangers of indifference, and how our choices impact our lives,” she says. 

Leichtman believes that this class will help highlight the decisions people during this time made, along with the impact they had, because human behavior is a major aspect of the class.

“How do the choices people made during post-WW1 through Hitler...how do those choices teach about the powerful impact of our choices today? Understanding the Holocaust sort of gives us insight into the modern world, because Anti-Semitism is on the rise, there’s a lot of injustice in the world, and people still continue to do these bad things, so it sort of gives you insight into, like, why people do these terrible things.”

Leichtman says the students will analyze primary sources and personal accounts, along with participating in journal writing to understand “the mindset of people that a desperate situation causes to happen.” 

She also comments on the fact that the Holocaust was a major event that deserves more attention and understanding.

“We fly through the Holocaust, and it really is something that should have more attention, especially because we still see atrocities being committed and Anti-Semitism is on the rise, and most people, I would say, who aren’t Jewish maybe don’t understand the history of the persecution of Jews and how we can learn from it. And it’s applicable not just to the Jewish...it’s very relevant to the modern world cause we still see bad things happening.”

Learn more about the creators of the Holocaust and Human Behavior course at https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-holocaust-and-human-behavior.

Olivia Dunn, a senior at Norwood High, runs a history-based minor as well. The class, Women’s History, meets period 7 on S5 days.

“My hope is that I get to inform people about women’s history and dive deeper into women’s history that normal history classes at NHS don’t really cover,” says Dunn.

The course will cover early women’s history, and progress into modern-day issues.

“Right now we’re starting with flappers, which start in the 1920s, and then we’re gonna move all the way into the Me Too movement in modern culture.”

Similar to the Holocaust and Human Behavior class, Dunn wishes to focus on a specific area of history, and teach its importance.

“I think it's a great experience to learn more about our country and the significance of women in our history, and again, I think that a lot of history classes just glaze over the amazing things that we’ve done. I think with me teaching it, people will get more of what a history class could do.”

On S5 days during period 6, Mr. Costigan is running Sports, Society, and Culture. He says the minor will be good for students interested in athletics because it gives them a chance to learn about something they care about.

“It focuses on the history of sports, and how that connects to our culture, and our shared identities as different societies. Students will be able to learn about things that interest them. There are mandatory things curriculum requirements, things that you have to learn, whereas this will be kind of an opportunity to engage in topics that students are generally interested in.”

Costigan points out that the people in these classes love the topic, creating an environment of people who care about what they’re teaching and learning. 

“The teachers are teaching it because they like it, and because it’s something they're knowledgeable about, and it’s something that I think they can really connect with students about. I think that because students are engaged and can really enjoy this topic, they can bring in a lot of their own personal connections and a lot of their own experiences to it as well, which really enriches the class,” he says. “When you have a topic that everyone is on board with, it’s really easy to get a lot out of it and learn from it.”

The last mini minor in action is Mr. Loja’s APUSH Exam Prep, during period 5 on S7 days. 

Loja hopes to accomplish three things with this class.“The idea is one, to review content from last year, so 10th-grade material. Second, it’s a focus on specific skills, like the writing components of the exam. And three, it’s really just supplementing everything that we do in class. It’s just another opportunity for students to do those three things.”

The class consists of review, studying curriculum, and getting hands-on experience grading DBQs. 

“Half the class is spent on content review...we did DBQ practice, so we looked at the rubric, and we looked at student samples and students had to grade the...samples based off the rubric. So they’re seeing what good responses are and what bad responses are, and what the difference is between the two. 

Loja stresses the importance of reviewing previous years’ content and getting extra practice.

“I think it’s important to review stuff from last year, and certainly focus and emphasize on [the] curriculum from last year that we’re not doing right now. So that’s the first reason. And then second, just for any student who needs extra practice on the different writing components, and just to continue to work on that. It’s an extra study period, basically,” says Loja.

“I think, too, it’s better than sitting in a regular study hall and listening to music, or not doing anything, where they can actually do something constructive and tangible, and hopefully the reward is that students will do well, or do better, on the AP exam.”

If you’re interested in taking any of these mini minors, see your guidance counselor as soon as possible.